¹³ But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,^(A) Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.^{(B) 14} He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,^{(C) 15} for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,^(D) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit^(E) even before he is born.^{(F) 16} He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord,^(G) in the spirit and power of Elijah,^(H) to turn the hearts of the parents to their children^(I) and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”^(J)

¹¹ And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

¹² Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man^(A) must suffer much^(B) and be rejected?^{(C) 13} But I tell you, Elijah has come,^(D) and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,^[a] and violent people have been raiding it. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.^{(A) 14} And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.^{(B) 15} Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(C)

¹⁰ The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹ Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.^{(A) 12} But I tell you, Elijah has already come,^(B) and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished.^(C) In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer^(D) at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.^(E)