¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that what you say is true? I am an old man, and my wife is also old.”

¹⁹ The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, the one who always stands ready before God. He sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰ Now, listen! You will not be able to talk until the day when these things happen. You will lose your speech because you did not believe what I told you. But everything I said will really happen.”