Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from ^aCaesar Augustus for a census to be taken of ^ball ¹the inhabited earth. 2 ¹This was the first census taken while ²Quirinius was governor of ^aSyria. 3 And everyone was going to be registered for the census, each to his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because ^ahe was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was with child. 6 Now it happened that while they were there, the days were fulfilled for her to give birth. 7 And she ^agave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a ¹manger, because there was no place for them in the ²guest room.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And ^aan angel of the ¹Lord ^bstood before them, and the glory of the ²Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “^aDo 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 ^aSavior, who is ^1bChrist ^cthe Lord. 12 ^aAnd this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a ¹manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

15 And it happened that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the ¹manger. 17 And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary ^awas treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back, ^aglorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as was told them.

21 And when ^aeight days were fulfilled so that they could circumcise Him, ^bHis name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 ^aAnd when the days for their cleansing according to the Law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the ¹Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the ¹Lord, “^aEVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE ²LORD”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the ¹Lord, “^aA PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was ^arighteous and devout, ^bwaiting for the ^1ccomfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And ^ait had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^bsee death before he had seen the ¹Lord’s ²Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus ^1ato 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 ^amother were marveling at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary ^aHis mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for ^bthe fall and ¹rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce through your own soul as well—that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a ^aprophetess, ¹Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of ^bthe tribe of Asher. She was advanced in ²years ^chaving lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with ^afastings and prayers. 38 And at that very ¹moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were ^awaiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 And when they had finished everything according to the Law of the ¹Lord, they returned to Galilee, to ^atheir own city of Nazareth. 40 ^aNow the Child continued to grow and become strong, being filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

41 And His parents would go to Jerusalem every year at ^athe Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He became twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; 43 and as they were returning, after finishing the ^adays of the Feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents did not know. 44 But supposing Him to be in the caravan, they went a day’s journey, and they began searching for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for Him. 46 And it happened that 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 ^awere astounded at His understanding and His answers. 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished, and ^aHis mother said to Him, “Child, why have You treated us this way? Behold, ^bYour father and I ¹have been anxiously searching for You.” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were searching for Me? Did you not know that ^aI had to be in My Father’s ¹house?” 50 But ^athey did not understand the statement which He had spoken to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to ^aNazareth, and He continued in subjection to them, and ^bHis mother ^cwas treasuring all these ¹things in her heart.

52 And Jesus was advancing in wisdom and ¹stature, and in ^afavor with God and men.

Now in those days a decree went out from ^aCaesar Augustus, that a census be taken of ^ball ¹the inhabited earth. 2 ¹This was the first census taken while ²Quirinius was governor of ^aSyria. 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 ^ahe 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 ^agave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a ¹manger, 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 ^aan angel of the Lord suddenly ^bstood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “^aDo 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 ^aSavior, who is ^1bChrist ^cthe Lord. 12 ^aThis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a ¹manger.” 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 ¹manger. 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 ^atreasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, ^aglorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

21 And when ^aeight days had passed, ¹before His circumcision, ^bHis name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 ^aAnd 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, “^aEVERY 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, “^aA PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was ^arighteous and devout, ^blooking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And ^ait had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^bsee death before he had seen the Lord’s ¹Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, ^1ato 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 ^amother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary ^aHis mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for ^bthe fall and ¹rise 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 ^aprophetess, ¹Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of ^bthe tribe of Asher. She was advanced in ²years ^cand had lived with her husband seven years after her ³marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with ^afastings and prayers. 38 At that very ¹moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were ^alooking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to ^atheir own city of Nazareth. 40 ^aThe Child continued to grow and become strong, ¹increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at ^athe 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 ^afull 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 ^awere amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and ^aHis mother said to Him, “¹Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, ^bYour father and I ²have 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 ^aI had to be in My Father’s ¹house?” 50 But ^athey did not understand the statement which He ¹had made to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to ^aNazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and ^bHis mother ^ctreasured all these ¹things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and ¹stature, and in ^afavor with God and men.

Now in those days a decree went out from ^aCaesar Augustus, that a census be taken of ^ball ¹the inhabited earth. 2 ¹This was the first census taken while ²Quirinius was governor of ^aSyria. 3 And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because ^ahe was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was ¹betrothed to him, and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the ¹time came for her to give birth. 7 And she ^agave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a ¹manger, because there was no ²room 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 at night. 9 And ^aan angel of the Lord suddenly ^bstood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And so the angel said to them, “^aDo 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 ^aSavior, who is ^1bChrist ^cthe Lord. 12 And ^athis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a ¹manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly ¹army of angels praising God and saying,

15 When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the ¹manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary ^atreasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds went back, ^aglorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

21 And when ^aeight days were completed ¹so that it was time for His circumcision, ^bHe was also named Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 ^aAnd when the days for ¹their 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: “^aEVERY 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: “^aA PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG DOVES.”

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was ^arighteous and devout, ^blooking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And ^ait had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^bsee death before he had seen the Lord’s ¹Christ. 27 And he came ¹by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, ^2ato carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

33 And His father and ^amother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to ^aHis mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for ^bthe fall and ¹rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be ²opposed— 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 ^aprophetess, ¹Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of ^bthe tribe of Asher. She was advanced in ²years ^cand had lived with her husband for seven years after her ³marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with ^afasts and prayers. 38 And at that very ¹moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were ^alooking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 And when His parents had completed everything in accordance with the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to ^atheir own city of Nazareth. 40 ^aNow the Child continued to grow and to become strong, ¹increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at ^athe 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 ^afull 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 ^awere amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and ^aHis mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, ^bYour 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 ^aI had to be in My Father’s ¹house?” 50 And yet ^athey on their part did not understand the statement which He had ¹made to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to ^aNazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and ^bHis mother ^ctreasured all these ¹things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and ¹stature, and in ^afavor with God and people.