And said:  “O Lord, verily my bones are weakened, and the hoar hairs glisten on my head,

And never, Lord, have I prayed to thee with ill success.

But now I have fears for my kindred after me;3 and my wife is barren: 

Give me, then, a successor as thy special gift, who shall be my heir and an heir of the family of Jacob:  and make him, Lord, well pleasing to thee.”

-"O Zachariah! verily we announce to thee a son,-his name John: 

That name We have given to none before him."4

He said:  “O my Lord! how when my wife is barren shall I have a son, and when
I have now reached old age, failing in my powers?”

He said:  So shall it be.  Thy Lord hath said, Easy is this to me, for I created thee aforetime when thou wast nothing.”

He said:  “Vouchsafe me, O my Lord! a sign.”  He said:  “Thy sign shall be that for three nights, though sound in health, thou speakest not to man.”

And he came forth from the sanctuary to his people, and made signs to them to sing praises morn and even.

We said:  “O John! receive the Book with purpose of heart:"5-and We bestowed on him wisdom while yet a child;

And mercifulness from Ourself, and purity; and pious was he, and duteous to his parents; and not proud, rebellious.

And peace was on him on the day he was born, and the day of his death, and shall be on the day when he shall be raised to life!

And make mention in the Book, of Mary, when she went apart from her family, eastward,6

And took a veil to shroud herself from them:7 and we sent our spirit8 to her, and he took before her the form of a perfect man.9

She said:  “I fly for refuge from thee to the God of Mercy!  If thou fearest Him, begone from me.”

He said:  “I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a holy son.”

She said:  “How shall I have a son, when man hath never touched me? and I am not unchaste.”

He said:  “So shall it be.  Thy Lord hath said:  ‘Easy is this with me;’ and we will make him a sign to mankind, and a mercy from us.  For it is a thing decreed.”

And she conceived him,10 and retired with him to a far-off place.

And the throes came upon her11 by the trunk of a palm.  She said:  “Oh, would that I had died ere this, and been a thing forgotten, forgotten quite!”

And one cried to her from below her:12 “Grieve not thou, thy Lord hath provided a streamlet at thy feet:-

And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee:13 it will drop fresh ripe dates upon thee.

Eat then and drink, and be of cheerful eye:14 and shouldst thou see a man,

Say,-Verily, I have vowed abstinence to the God of mercy.-To no one will I speak this day.”

Then came she with the babe to her people, bearing him.  They said, “O Mary! now hast thou done a strange thing!