Chapter 2

¹In those days an edict was issued by the Emperor Augustus that a census of the whole world should be taken. ²It was the first census, taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³So everyone went to his own town to register. ⁴And Joseph went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he belonged to the house and family of David, ⁵to register with Mary, who was engaged to him and who was soon to become a mother. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her child to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped him up, and laid him in a manger, for there was no room for them at the inn.

⁸There were some shepherds in that neighborhood keeping watch through the night over their flock in the open fields. ⁹And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰The angel said to them,

“Do not be frightened, for I bring you good news of a great joy that is to be felt by all the people, ¹¹for today, in the town of David, a Savior for you has been born who is your Messiah and Lord. ¹²And this will prove it to you: You will find a baby wrapped up and lying in a manger.”

¹³Suddenly there appeared with the angel a throng of the heavenly army, praising God, saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in heaven and on earth!

Peace to the men he favors!”

¹⁵When the angels left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

“Come! Let us go over to Bethlehem, and see this thing that has happened, that the Lord has told us of!”

¹⁶And they hurried there, and found Mary and Joseph, with the baby lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they told what had been said to them about this child. ¹⁸And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, ¹⁹but Mary treasured up all they had said, and pondered over it. ²⁰And the shepherds went back glorifying God and praising him for all that they had heard and seen in fulfilment of what they had been told.

²¹When he was eight days old and it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, as the angel had named him, before his birth was first expected.

²²When their purification period under the Law of Moses was over, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, ²³in fulfilment of the requirement of the Law of the Lord, “Every first-born male shall be considered consecrated to the Lord,” ²⁴and to offer the sacrifice prescribed in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Symeon, an upright, devout man, who was living in expectation of the comforting of Israel, and under the influence of the holy Spirit. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not die without seeing the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷And under the Spirit’s influence he went into the Temple, and when Jesus’ parents brought him there to do for him what the Law required, ²⁸Symeon also took him in his arms and blessed God, and said,

²⁹“Now, Master, you will let your slave go free

In peace, as you promised,

³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation

³¹Which you have set before all the nations,

³²A light of revelation for the heathen,

And a glory to your people Israel!”

³³The child’s father and mother were astonished at what Symeon said. ³⁴And he gave them his blessing, and said to Mary, the child’s mother,

“This child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a portent that will be much debated— ³⁵you yourself will be pierced to the heart—and so the thoughts of many minds will be revealed.”

³⁶There was also a prophetess there named Hannah, the daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was very old, for after her girlhood she had been married for seven years, ³⁷and she had been a widow until she was now eighty-four. She never left the Temple, but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer. ³⁸She came up just at that time and gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were living in expectation of the liberation of Jerusalem.

³⁹When they had done everything that the Law of the Lord required, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

⁴⁰And the child grew up and became strong and thoughtful, with God’s blessing resting on him.

⁴¹His parents used to go to Jerusalem every year at the Passover Festival. ⁴²And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual to the festival and made their customary stay. ⁴³When they started back the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents’ knowledge. ⁴⁴They supposed that he was somewhere in the party, and traveled until the end of the first day’s journey, and then they looked everywhere for him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵As they could not find him, they went back to Jerusalem in search of him. ⁴⁶And on the third day they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, ⁴⁷and everyone who heard him was astonished at his intelligence and at the answers he made. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him they were amazed, and his mother said to him.

“My child, why did you treat us like this? Here your father and I have been looking for you, and have been very anxious.”

⁴⁹He said to them,

“How did you come to look for me? Did you not know that I must be at my Father’s house?”

⁵⁰But they did not understand what he told them. ⁵¹And he went back with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. And his mother treasured all these things up in her mind.

⁵²As Jesus grew older he gained in wisdom and won the approval of God and men.