"And behold,you shall be silentand unableto speakuntilthe daywhenthese thingstake place,becauseyou did not believemy words,whichwill be fulfilledin their proper time."
Then the royalofficeransweredthe manof Godand said,"Now behold,if the LORDshould makewindowsin heaven,could sucha thingbe?" And he said,"Behold,you will seeit with your own eyes,but you will not eatof it."
The royalofficeron whosehandthe kingwas leaningansweredthe manof Godand said,"Behold,if the LORDshould makewindowsin heaven,could thisthingbe?" Then he said,"Behold,you will seeit with your own eyes,but you will not eatof it."
The LORDsaidto him, "Whohas mademan'smouth?Orwhomakes[him] muteordeaf,orseeingorblind?Is it not I, the LORD?
and the headof Ephraimis Samariaand the headof Samariais the sonof Remaliah.Ifyou will not believe,you surelyshall not last."'"
On that dayyour mouthwill be openedto him whoescaped,and you will speakand be mutenolonger.Thus you will be a signto them, and they will knowthat I am the LORD.'"
"Moreover, I will make your tonguestickto the roofof your mouthso that you will be muteand cannotbe a manwho rebukesthem, for they are a rebellioushouse.
When he had spokento me according to thesewords,I turnedmy facetoward the groundand becamespeechless.
But the LORDsaidto Mosesand Aaron,"Becauseyou have not believedMe, to treatMe as holyin the sightof the sonsof Israel,thereforeyou shall not bringthisassemblyinto the landwhichI have giventhem."
AfterwardHe appearedto the eleventhemselvesas they were reclining[at the table]; and He reproachedthem for their unbeliefand hardness of heart,becausethey had not believedthosewho had seenHim after He had risen.
And He answeredthem and said,"Ounbelievinggeneration,howlongshall I be with you? How longshall I putup with you? Bringhim to Me!"
The angelansweredand saidto him, "I amGabriel,who standsin the presenceof God,and I have been sentto speakto you and to bringyou thisgood news.
The peoplewere waitingfor Zacharias,and were wonderingat his delayin the temple.
But when he cameout, he was unableto speakto them; and they realizedthat he had seena visionin the temple;and he kept making signsto them, and remainedmute.
"And blessed[is] she who believedthat there would be a fulfillmentof what had been spokento her by the Lord."
And at oncehis mouthwas openedand his tongue[loosed], and he [began] to speakin praiseof God.
Whatthen?Ifsomedid not believe,their unbeliefwill not nullifythe faithfulnessof God,will it?
Ifwe are faithless,He remainsfaithful,for He cannotdenyHimself.
in the hopeof eternallife,whichGod,who cannot lie,promisedlong agesago,
sothat by twounchangeablethingsin whichit is impossiblefor Godto lie,we who have taken refugewould havestrongencouragementto take holdof the hopeset beforeus.
Those whomI love,I reproveand discipline;thereforebe zealousand repent.
