Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.’
When a woman is in labour, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.
In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Set your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.” ’
But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
‘This is what you are to say to him: “This is what the Lord says: ‘What I have built I am about to demolish, and what I have planted I am about to uproot #– #the whole land!
‘Rejoice, childless one, who did not give birth; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labour! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of the married woman,’ says the Lord.
‘Go and tell Hezekiah, “This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add fifteen years to your life. ,
The man of God cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord: ‘Altar, altar, this is what the Lord says, “A son will be born to the house of David, named Josiah, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who are burning incense on you. Human bones will be burned on you.” ’
Those who are full hire themselves out for food, but those who are starving hunger no more. The woman who is childless gives birth to seven, but the woman with many sons pines away.
When the time approached for him to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘If I have found favour with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt.