S:  A mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariya.

019.003 Y:  Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret,

P:  When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret,

S:  When he called upon his Lord in a low voice,

019.004 Y:  Praying:  “O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey:  but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee!”

P:  Saying:  My Lord!  Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord.

S:  He said:  My Lord! surely my bones are weakened and my head flares with hoariness, and, my Lord!  I have never been unsuccessful in my prayer to Thee: 

019.005 Y:  “Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me:  but my wife is barren:  so give me an heir as from Thyself,"-

P:  Lo!  I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren.  Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor,

S:  And surely I fear my cousins after me, and my wife is barren, therefore grant me from Thyself an heir,

019.006 Y:  “(One that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord! one with whom Thou art well-pleased!”

P:  Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob.  And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee).

S:  Who should inherit me and inherit from the children of Yaqoub, and make him, my Lord, one in whom Thou art well pleased.

019.007 Y:  (His prayer was answered):  “O Zakariya!  We give thee good news of a son:  His name shall be Yahya:  on none by that name have We conferred distinction before.”

P:  (It was said unto him):  O Zachariah!  Lo!  We bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John; we have given the same name to none before (him).

S:  O Zakariya! surely We give you good news of a boy whose name shall be Yahya:  We have not made before anyone his equal.

019.008 Y:  He said:  “O my Lord!  How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?”

P:  He said:  My Lord!  How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age?

S:  He said:  O my Lord! when shall I have a son, and my wife is barren, and I myself have reached indeed the extreme degree of old age?

019.009 Y:  He said:  “So (it will be) thy Lord saith, ’that is easy for Me:  I did indeed create thee before, when thou hadst been nothing!’”

P:  He said:  So (it will be).  Thy Lord saith:  It is easy for Me, even as I created thee before, when thou wast naught.

S:  He said:  So shall it be, your Lord says:  It is easy to Me, and indeed I created you before, when you were nothing.

019.010 Y:  (Zakariya) said:  “O my Lord! give me a Sign.”  “Thy Sign,” was the answer, “Shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights, although thou art not dumb.”