Isaiah 45:18-25

New International Version

¹⁸For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
    he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,^(A)
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,^(B)
    but formed it to be inhabited^(C)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.^(D)
¹⁹I have not spoken in secret,^(E)
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;^(F)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,^(G)
    ‘Seek^(H) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.^(I)

²⁰“Gather together^(J) and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant^(K) are those who carry^(L) about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.^(M)
²¹Declare what is to be, present it—
    let them take counsel together.
Who foretold^(N) this long ago,
    who declared it from the distant past?^(O)
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no God apart from me,^(P)
a righteous God^(Q) and a Savior;^(R)
    there is none but me.

²²“Turn^(S) to me and be saved,^(T)
    all you ends of the earth;^(U)
    for I am God, and there is no other.^(V)
²³By myself I have sworn,^(W)
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity^(X)
    a word that will not be revoked:^(Y)
Before me every knee will bow;^(Z)
    by me every tongue will swear.^(AA)
²⁴They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
    are deliverance^(AB) and strength.^(AC)’”
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.^(AD)
²⁵But all the descendants^(AE) of Israel
    will find deliverance^(AF) in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.^(AG)

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Luke 2:21-33

New International Version

²¹On 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

²²When 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) ²⁴and 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)

²⁵Now 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. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷Moved 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) ²⁸Simeon 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)
³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation,^(K)
³¹    which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”^(L)

³³The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

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Footnotes

Luke 2:23 Exodus 13:2,12
Luke 2:24 Lev. 12:8
Luke 2:29 Or promised, / now dismiss

Luke 2:41-52

New International Version

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

⁴¹Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.^(A) ⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed^(B) at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother^(C) said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father^(D) 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?”^[a]^(E) ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them.^(F)

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

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