61
"But," they said, "no one in your family is named that."
62
They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.
63
Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise.
64
Surprise followed surprise - Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!
65
A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.