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.

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.

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,