Jesus Presented at the Temple

21 And when (A)eight days were completed [a]so that it was time for His circumcision, (B)He was also named Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 (C)And when the days for [b]their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “(D)Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “(E)A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was (F)righteous and devout, (G)looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And (H)it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not (I)see death before he had seen the Lord’s [c]Christ. 27 And he came [d]by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, [e](J)to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace,
(K)According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have (L)seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples:
32 (M)A light for revelation [f]for the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and (N)mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to (O)His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for (P)the fall and [g]rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be [h]opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a (Q)prophetess, [i]Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of (R)the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in [j]years (S)and had lived with her husband for seven years after her [k]marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with (T)fasts and prayers. 38 And at that very [l]moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were (U)looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Return to Nazareth

39 And when His parents had completed everything in accordance with the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to (V)their own city of Nazareth. 40 (W)Now the Child continued to grow and to become strong, [m]increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.

Visit to Jerusalem

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at (X)the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the feast; 43 and as they were returning, after spending the (Y)full number of days required, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware of it. 44 Instead, they thought that He was somewhere in the caravan, and they went a day’s journey; and then they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. 46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him (Z)were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and (AA)His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, (AB)Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that (AC)I had to be in My Father’s [n]house?” 50 And yet (AD)they on their part did not understand the statement which He had [o]made to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to (AE)Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and (AF)His mother (AG)treasured all these [p]things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and [q]stature, and in (AH)favor with God and people.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:21 Lit so as to circumcise Him
  2. Luke 2:22 I.e., Mary’s, with Joseph’s support
  3. Luke 2:26 I.e., Messiah
  4. Luke 2:27 Or in
  5. Luke 2:27 Lit to do for Him according to
  6. Luke 2:32 Lit of the Gentiles
  7. Luke 2:34 Or resurrection
  8. Luke 2:34 Or refused
  9. Luke 2:36 Or Hannah
  10. Luke 2:36 Lit days
  11. Luke 2:36 Lit virginity
  12. Luke 2:38 Lit hour
  13. Luke 2:40 Lit becoming full of
  14. Luke 2:49 Or affairs; or business; lit in the things of My Father
  15. Luke 2:50 Lit spoken
  16. Luke 2:51 Lit words
  17. Luke 2:52 Or age

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child,(A) he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.(B)

Jesus Presented in the Temple

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses,(C) Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]),(D) 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[b](E)

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.(F) He was waiting for the consolation of Israel,(G) and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,(H) 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,(I)
    you may now dismiss[c] your servant in peace.(J)
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,(K)
31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”(L)

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:(M) “This child is destined to cause the falling(N) and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet,(O) Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[d](P) She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.(Q) 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.(R)

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.(S) 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.(T)

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.(U) 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed(V) at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother(W) said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father(X) and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[e](Y) 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.(Z)

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them(AA) and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.(AB) 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.(AC)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:23 Exodus 13:2,12
  2. Luke 2:24 Lev. 12:8
  3. Luke 2:29 Or promised, / now dismiss
  4. Luke 2:37 Or then had been a widow for eighty-four years.
  5. Luke 2:49 Or be about my Father’s business

27 And he came [a]by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, [b](A)to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:27 Or in
  2. Luke 2:27 Lit to do for Him according to

27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,(A)

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