Luke 2
Modern English Version
The Birth of Jesus(A)
2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the entire inhabited earth should be taxed. 2 This taxation was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone went to his own city to be taxed.
4 So Joseph also departed from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to the City of David which is called Bethlehem, in Judea, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be taxed with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So while they were there, the day came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in strips of cloth, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same area there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And then an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were very afraid. 10 But the angel said to them, “Listen! Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign to you: You will find the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, and good will toward men.”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they came hurrying and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. 17 When they had seen Him, they made widely known the word which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
21 When eight days had passed and the Child was circumcised, He was named JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22 When the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be called holy to the Lord”[a]) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”[b]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Led by the Spirit, he came into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he received Him in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace,
according to Your word;
30 for my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 which You have prepared in the sight of all people,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 Joseph and His mother were amazed at those things which were spoken about Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Listen, this Child is destined to cause the fall and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign which will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And a sword will pierce through your own soul also.”
36 And there was Anna a prophetess, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. 37 And she was a widow of about eighty-four years of age who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 Coming at that moment she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who looked for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 When they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon Him.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 When He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When the days of the feast were complete, as they returned, the Child Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know of it. 44 But supposing Him to be in their company, they went a day’s journey. Then they searched for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for Him. 46 After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 All who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and His answers. 48 When they saw Him, they were amazed. And His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You dealt with us like this? Look, Your father and I have anxiously searched for You.”
49 He said to them, “How is it that you searched for Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the word which He spoke to them.
51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. But His mother kept all these words in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and men.
Luke 2
International Children’s Bible
The Birth of Jesus
2 At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were under Roman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register. 2 This was the first registration[a] taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone went to their own towns to be registered.
4 So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This town was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. 5 Joseph registered with Mary because she was engaged to marry him. (Mary was now pregnant.) 6 While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. 7 She gave birth to her first son. There were no rooms left in the inn. So she wrapped the baby with cloths and laid him in a box where animals are fed.
Some Shepherds Hear About Jesus
8 That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. 9 An angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and suddenly they became very frightened. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people. 11 Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is Christ, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feeding box.”
13 Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All the angels were praising God, saying:
14 “Give glory to God in heaven,
and on earth let there be peace to the people who please God.”[b]
15 Then the angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. We will see this thing the Lord told us about.”
16 So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph. 17 And the shepherds saw the baby lying in a feeding box. Then they told what the angels had said about this child. 18 Everyone was amazed when they heard what the shepherds said to them. 19 Mary hid these things in her heart; she continued to think about them. 20 Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything that they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them.
21 When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised, and he was named Jesus. This name had been given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary.
Jesus Is Presented in the Temple
22 The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the law of Moses taught about being made pure.[c] They took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 It is written in the law of the Lord: “Give every firstborn male to the Lord.”[d] 24 Mary and Joseph also went to offer a sacrifice, as the law of the Lord says: “You must sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons.”[e]
Simeon Sees Jesus
25 A man named Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He was a good man and very religious. He was waiting for the time when God would help Israel. The Holy Spirit was in him. 26 The Holy Spirit told Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Christ promised by the Lord. 27 The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple to do what the law said they must do. 28 Then Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God:
29 “Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant,
die in peace as you said.
30 I have seen your Salvation[f] with my own eyes.
31 You prepared him before all people.
32 He is a light for the non-Jewish people to see.
He will bring honor to your people, the Israelites.”
33 Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what Simeon had said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “Many in Israel will fall and many will rise because of this child. He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept. 35 The things they think in secret will be made known. And the things that will happen will make your heart sad, too.”
Anna Sees Jesus
36 Anna, a prophetess, was there at the Temple. She was from the family of Phanuel in the tribe of Asher. Anna was very old. She had once been married for seven years. 37 Then her husband died and she lived alone. She was now 84 years old. Anna never left the Temple. She worshiped God by going without food and praying day and night. 38 She was standing there at that time, thanking God. She talked about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.
Joseph and Mary Return Home
39 Joseph and Mary finished doing everything that the law of the Lord commanded. Then they went home to Nazareth, their own town in Galilee. 40 The little child began to grow up. He became stronger and wiser, and God’s blessings were with him.
Jesus As a Boy
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. 42 When Jesus was 12 years old, they went to the feast as they always did. 43 When the feast days were over, they went home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Joseph and Mary traveled for a whole day. They thought that Jesus was with them in the group. Then they began to look for him among their family and friends, 45 but they did not find him. So they went back to Jerusalem to look for him there. 46 After three days they found him. Jesus was sitting in the Temple with the religious teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and wise answers. 48 When Jesus’ parents saw him, they were amazed. His mother said to him, “Son, why did you do this to us? Your father and I were very worried about you. We have been looking for you.”
49 Jesus asked, “Why did you have to look for me? You should have known that I must be where my Father’s work is!” 50 But they did not understand the meaning of what he said.
51 Jesus went with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. His mother was still thinking about all that had happened. 52 Jesus continued to learn more and more and to grow physically. People liked him, and he pleased God.
Footnotes
- 2:2 registration Census. A counting of all the people and the things they own.
- 2:14 and . . . God Some Greek copies read “and on earth let there be peace and goodwill among people.”
- 2:22 pure The law of Moses said that 40 days after a Jewish woman gave birth to a baby, she must be cleansed by a ceremony at the Temple. Read Leviticus 12:2–8.
- 2:23 “Give . . . Lord.” Quotation from Exodus 13:2.
- 2:24 “You . . . pigeons.” Quotation from Leviticus 12:8.
- 2:30 Salvation Simeon was talking about Jesus. The name Jesus means “salvation.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
