²¹ And at the end of eight days, when [the Baby] was to be circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

²² And when the time for their purification [the mother’s purification and the Baby’s dedication] came according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord—^(A)

²³ As it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every [firstborn] male that opens the womb shall be set apart and dedicated and called holy to the Lord—^(B)

²⁴ And [they came also] to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.^(C)

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout [cautiously and carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

²⁶ And it had been divinely revealed (communicated) to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

²⁷ And prompted by the [Holy] Spirit, he came into the temple [^[a]enclosure]; and when the parents brought in the little child Jesus to do for Him what was customary according to the Law,

²⁸ [Simeon] took Him up in his arms and praised and thanked God and said,

²⁹ And now, Lord, You are releasing Your servant to depart (leave this world) in peace, according to Your word.

³⁰ For with my [own] eyes I have seen Your Salvation,^(D)

³¹ Which You have ordained and prepared before (in the presence of) all peoples,

³² A Light for ^[b]revelation to the Gentiles [to disclose what was before unknown] and [to bring] praise and honor and glory to Your people Israel.^(E)

³³ And His [legal] father and [His] mother were marveling at what was said about Him.

³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against—^(F)

³⁵ And a sword will pierce through your own soul also—that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed.

³⁶ And there was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having lived with her husband seven years from her maidenhood,^(G)

³⁷ And as a widow even for eighty-four years. She did not go out from the temple ^[c]enclosure, but was worshiping night and day with fasting and prayer.

³⁸ And she too came up at that same hour, and she returned thanks to God and talked of [Jesus] to all who were looking for the redemption (deliverance) of Jerusalem.

³⁹ And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back into Galilee to their own town, Nazareth.

⁴⁰ And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.^(H)

⁴¹ Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year to the Passover Feast.^(I)

⁴² And when He was twelve years [old], they went up, as was their custom.

⁴³ And when the Feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this,

⁴⁴ But, supposing Him to be in the caravan, they traveled on a day’s journey; and [then] they sought Him [diligently, looking up and down for Him] among their kinsfolk and acquaintances.

⁴⁵ And when they failed to find Him, they went back to Jerusalem, looking for Him [up and down] all the way.

⁴⁶ After three days they found Him [came upon Him] in the ^[d][court of the] temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

⁴⁷ And all who heard Him were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His intelligence and understanding and His replies.

⁴⁸ And when they [Joseph and Mary] saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, Child, why have You treated us like this? Here Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You [distressed and tormented].

⁴⁹ And He said to them, How is it that you had to look for Me? Did you not see and know that it is necessary [as a duty] for Me ^[e]to be in My Father’s house and [occupied] about My Father’s business?

⁵⁰ But they did not comprehend what He was saying to them.

⁵¹ And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them; and his mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favor with God and man.

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13 If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder,

² And the sign or the wonder he foretells to you comes to pass, and if he says, Let us go after other gods—gods you have not known—and let us serve them,

³ You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being.

⁴ You shall walk after the Lord your God and [reverently] fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and cling to Him.

⁵ But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has talked rebellion and turning away from the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage; that man has tried to draw you aside from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So shall you put the evil away from your midst.

⁶ If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own life entices you secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods—gods you have not known, you nor your fathers,

⁷ Of the gods of the peoples who are round about you, near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other—

⁸ You shall not give consent to him or listen to him; nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him.

⁹ But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people.

¹⁰ And you shall stone him to death with stones, because he has tried to draw you away from the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

¹¹ And all Israel shall hear and [reverently] fear, and shall never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

¹² If you hear it said in one of your cities which the Lord your God has given you in which to dwell

¹³ That certain base fellows have gone out from your midst and have enticed away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods—gods you have not known—

¹⁴ Then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it is true and certain that such an abominable thing has been done among you,

¹⁵ You shall surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly and all who are in it and its beasts with the edge of the sword.

¹⁶ And you shall collect all its spoil into the midst of its open square and shall burn the city with fire with every bit of its spoil [as a whole burnt offering] to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap [of ruins] forever; it shall not be built again.

¹⁷ And nothing of the accursed thing shall cling to your hand, so that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger, and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as He swore to your fathers,

¹⁸ If you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you this day, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

14 You are the sons of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead,

² For you are a holy people [set apart] to the Lord your God; and the Lord has chosen you to be a peculiar people to Himself, above all the nations on the earth.

³ You shall not eat anything that is abominable [to the Lord and so forbidden by Him].

⁴ These are the beasts which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,

⁵ The hart, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

⁶ And every beast that parts the hoof and has it divided into two and brings up and chews the cud among the beasts you may eat.

⁷ Yet these you shall not eat of those that chew the cud or have the hoof split in two: the camel, the hare, and the coney, because they chew the cud but divide not the hoof; they are unclean for you.

⁸ And the swine, because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you. You shall not eat of their flesh or touch their dead bodies.

⁹ These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales you may eat,

¹⁰ And whatever has not fins and scales you may not eat; it is unclean for you.

¹¹ Of all clean birds you may eat.

¹² But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the ospray,

¹³ The buzzard, the kite in its several species,

¹⁴ The raven in all its species,

¹⁵ The ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any variety,

¹⁶ The little owl, the great owl, the horned owl,

¹⁷ The pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,

¹⁸ The stork, the heron of any variety, the hoopoe, and the bat.

¹⁹ And all flying insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.

²⁰ But of all clean winged things you may eat.

²¹ You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger or the foreigner who is within your towns, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to an alien. [They are not under God’s law in this matter] but you are a people holy to the Lord your God. You shall not [even] boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

²² You shall surely tithe all the yield of your seed produced by your field each year.

²³ And you shall eat before the Lord your God in the place in which He will cause His Name [and Presence] to dwell the tithe (tenth) of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstlings of your herd and your flock, that you may learn [reverently] to fear the Lord your God always.

²⁴ And if the distance is too long for you to carry your tithe, or the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His Name [and Presence] is too far away for you, when the Lord your God has blessed you,

²⁵ Then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place [of worship] which the Lord your God has chosen.

²⁶ And you may spend that money for whatever your appetite craves, for oxen, or sheep, or new wine or strong[er] drink, or whatever you desire; and you shall eat there before the Lord your God and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

²⁷ And you shall not forsake or neglect the Levite [God’s minister] in your towns, for he has been given no share or inheritance with you.

²⁸ At the end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year and lay it up within your towns.

²⁹ And the Levite [because he has no part or inheritance with you] and the stranger or temporary resident, and the fatherless and the widow who are in your towns shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

15 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release.

² And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, for the Lord’s release is proclaimed.

³ Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother [Israelite] your hand shall release.

⁴ But there will be no poor among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess,

⁵ If only you carefully listen to the voice of the Lord your God, to do watchfully all these commandments which I command you this day.

⁶ When the Lord your God blesses you as He promised you, then you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.

⁷ If there is among you a poor man, one of your kinsmen in any of the towns of your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your [minds and] hearts or close your hands to your poor brother;

⁸ But you shall open your hands wide to him and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

⁹ Beware lest there be a base thought in your [minds and] hearts, and you say, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand, and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and it be sin in you.

¹⁰ You shall give to him freely without begrudging it; because of this the Lord will bless you in all your work and in all you undertake.

¹¹ For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hands to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land.

¹² And if your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.

¹³ And when you send him out free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed.

¹⁴ You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress; of what the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.

¹⁵ And you shall [earnestly] remember that you were a bondman in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I give you this command today.

¹⁶ But if the servant says to you, I will not go away from you, because he loves you and your household, since he does well with you,

¹⁷ Then take an awl and pierce his ear through to the door, and he shall be your servant always. And also to your bondwoman you shall do likewise.

¹⁸ It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired servant he has served you six years; and the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.

¹⁹ All the firstling males that are born of your herd and flock you shall set apart for the Lord your God; you shall do no work with the firstling of your herd, nor shear the firstling of your flock.

²⁰ You shall eat it before the Lord your God annually in the place [for worship] which the Lord shall choose, you and your household.

²¹ But if it has any blemish, if it is lame, blind, or has any bad blemish whatsoever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.

²² You shall eat it within your towns; the [ceremonially] unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a hart.

²³ Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.