Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

2 Now in those days a decree went out from ^(A)Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of ^(B)all ^[a]the inhabited earth. ^2 [b]This was the first census taken while ^[c]Quirinius was governor of ^(C)Syria. ³ And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because ^(D)he was of the house and family of David, ⁵ in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. ⁶ While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. ⁷ And she ^(E)gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a ^[d]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And ^(F)an angel of the Lord suddenly ^(G)stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “^(H)Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; ¹¹ for today in the city of David there has been born for you a ^(I)Savior, who is ^[e](J)Christ ^(K)the Lord. ^12 (L)This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a ^[f]manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁵ When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the ^[h]manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary ^(O)treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds went back, ^(P)glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

²¹ And when ^(Q)eight days had passed, ^[i]before His circumcision, ^(R)His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

^22 (S)And when the days for 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, “^(T)Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “^(U)A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

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

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

³⁶ And there was a ^(AG)prophetess, ^[n]Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of ^(AH)the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in ^[o]years ^(AI)and had lived with her husband seven years after her ^[p]marriage, ³⁷ and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with ^(AJ)fastings and prayers. ³⁸ At that very ^[q]moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were ^(AK)looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Return to Nazareth

³⁹ When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to ^(AL)their own city of Nazareth. ^40 (AM)The Child continued to grow and become strong, ^[r]increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Visit to Jerusalem

⁴¹ Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at ^(AN)the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; ⁴³ and as they were returning, after spending the ^(AO)full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, ⁴⁴ but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ 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 ^(AP)were amazed at His understanding and His answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw Him, they were astonished; and ^(AQ)His mother said to Him, “^[s]Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, ^(AR)Your father and I ^[t]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 ^(AS)I had to be in My Father’s ^[u]house?” ⁵⁰ But ^(AT)they did not understand the statement which He ^[v]had made to them. ⁵¹ And He went down with them and came to ^(AU)Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and ^(AV)His mother ^(AW)treasured all these ^[w]things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and ^[x]stature, and in ^(AX)favor with God and men.

John the Baptist Preaches

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when ^(A)Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and ^(B)Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, ² in the high priesthood of ^(C)Annas and ^(D)Caiaphas, ^(E)the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. ³ And he came into all ^(F)the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

⁷ So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “^(K)You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and ^(L)do not begin to say ^[c]to yourselves, ‘^(M)We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹ Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so ^(N)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “^(O)Then what shall we do?” ¹¹ And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to ^(P)share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” ¹² And some ^(Q)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” ¹³ And he said to them, “^[d]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” ¹⁴ Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or ^(R)accuse anyone falsely, and ^(S)be content with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were ^[e]wondering in their hearts about John, ^(T)as to whether he was ^[f]the Christ, ^16 (U)John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you ^[g]with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His ^(V)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with ^(W)unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. ¹⁹ But when ^(X)Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of ^(Y)Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which ^(Z)Herod had done, ²⁰ Herod also added this to them all: ^(AA)he locked John up in prison.

Jesus Is Baptized

^21 (AB)Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was ^(AC)praying, heaven was opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “^(AD)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Genealogy of Jesus

^23 (AE)When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, ^[h]as was supposed, the son of ^(AF)Joseph, ^[i]the son of ^[j]Eli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of ^[k]Hesli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, ^(AG)the son of Zerubbabel, the son of ^[l]Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹ the son of ^[m]Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of ^[n]Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ^32 (AH)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of ^[o]Salmon, the son of ^[p]Nahshon, ³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of ^[q]Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, ^(AI)the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of ^[r]Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of ^[s]Heber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, ^(AJ)the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸ the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

The Temptation of Jesus

4 ^(A)Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, ^(B)returned from the Jordan and was led around ^[a]by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for ^(C)forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. ³ And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” ⁴ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘^(D)Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

^5 (E)And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of ^[b](F)the world in a moment of time. ⁶ And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and ^[c]its glory; ^(G)for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ⁷ Therefore if You ^[d]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” ⁸ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘^(H)You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

^9 (I)And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; ¹⁰ for it is written,

¹¹ and,

¹² And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘^(L)You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

¹³ When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Jesus’ Public Ministry

¹⁴ And ^(M)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and ^(N)news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. ¹⁵ And He began ^(O)teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

¹⁶ And He came to ^(P)Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, ^(Q)He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and ^(R)stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the ^[e]book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the ^[f]book and found the place where it was written,

²⁰ And He ^(U)closed the ^[g]book, gave it back to the attendant and ^(V)sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹ And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ^[h]hearing.” ²² And all were ^[i]speaking well of Him, and wondering at the ^[j]gracious words which ^[k]were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “^(W)Is this not Joseph’s son?” ²³ And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done ^(X)at Capernaum, do here in ^(Y)your hometown as well.’” ²⁴ And He said, “Truly I say to you, ^(Z)no prophet is welcome in his hometown. ²⁵ But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel ^(AA)in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; ²⁶ and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but ^(AB)only to ^[l]Zarephath, in the land of ^(AC)Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷ And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but ^(AD)only Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; ²⁹ and they got up and ^(AE)drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. ³⁰ But ^(AF)passing through their midst, He went His way.

³¹ And ^(AG)He came down to ^(AH)Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; ³² and ^(AI)they were amazed at His teaching, for ^(AJ)His ^[m]message was with authority. ³³ In the synagogue there was a man ^[n]possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴ “Let us alone! ^[o](AK)What business do we have with each other, Jesus ^[p]of ^(AL)Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—^(AM)the Holy One of God!” ³⁵ But Jesus ^(AN)rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. ³⁶ And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is ^[q]this message? For ^(AO)with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” ³⁷ And ^(AP)the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district.

Many Are Healed

^38 (AQ)Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ^(AR)suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him ^[r]to help her. ³⁹ And standing over her, He ^(AS)rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and ^[s]waited on them.

^40 (AT)While ^(AU)the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and ^(AV)laying His hands on each one of them, He was ^(AW)healing them. ⁴¹ Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are ^(AX)the Son of God!” But ^(AY)rebuking them, He would ^(AZ)not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be ^[t]the Christ.

^42 (BA)When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them. ⁴³ But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, ^(BB)for I was sent for this purpose.”

⁴⁴ So He kept on preaching in the synagogues ^(BC)of ^[u]Judea.