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,

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.

The Visit of the Magi

2 Now after Jesus was ^(A)born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of ^(B)Herod the king, behold, ^[a]magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ² “Where is He who has been born ^(C)King of the Jews? For we saw ^(D)His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the ^[b]Messiah was to be born. ⁵ They said to him, “^(E)In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written ^[c]by ^[d]the prophet:

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the magi and determined from them the exact ^[e]time ^(H)the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” ⁹ After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with ^(I)His mother Mary; and they fell down and ^[f](J)worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² And after being ^(K)warned by God ^(L)in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.