Gabriel announces John the Baptist's birth to Zechariah

Four centuries after the last prophetic word, the sequence resumes with an elderly priest on duty in the temple.

Zechariah belongs to one of twenty-four priestly divisions, each of which served for a week twice a year, and within a division the daily tasks were assigned by lot. Burning incense in the Holy Place was the most sought-after of them, and there were so many priests that most never drew it once in a lifetime. He is chosen, and it is the only time he will stand there.

He and his wife Elizabeth are both descended from Aaron, are both described as righteous and blameless, and have no children, and are well on in years. Childlessness in that world carried a public stigma, and Elizabeth's own words when she later conceives are about disgrace among the people being taken away.

While the assembled worshippers pray outside, an angel appears standing at the right side of the altar of incense, and the first thing he says is that the prayer has been heard. What prayer that was is worth asking. A priest offering incense on the one occasion of his life would be praying for the nation, not for himself, and both requests are answered in the same sentence.

The son is to be called John, is to drink no wine or fermented drink, will be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, and will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children. That last phrase is a direct quotation of the closing words of Malachi, which is where the Old Testament had stopped.

Zechariah asks how he can be sure of this, since he is an old man and his wife is well on in years, and the answer is a reprimand and a sign in the same breath: I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words.

The crowd outside is waiting and wondering why he is taking so long. He comes out unable to speak, making signs to them, and they realise he has seen a vision.

One detail about the setting is worth adding. The altar of incense stood in the Holy Place, immediately in front of the curtain screening the innermost room, and the incense was offered at the morning and evening sacrifice while the assembled people prayed outside. It is the closest an ordinary priest ever came to the centre of the building, and it is where an angel is standing when he looks up.

He finishes his week of service and goes home.

Zechariah is a priest of the division of Abijah, one of twenty-four rotas established under David, each serving in the temple for one week twice a year. The lot to burn incense fell to him, and it fell to a priest once in a lifetime at most, since there were thousands of them.

That is the setting: the one day in his life he stood inside the sanctuary, with the whole assembled crowd praying outside.

Both he and Elizabeth are described as righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly, and they had no children because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and both were very old.

The angel's opening line is that his prayer has been heard, which raises the question of when he prayed it, since he does not believe the answer.

He asks for evidence and is given a sign he did not want: he is unable to speak until the child is born.