Luke 2
Contemporary English Version
The Birth of Jesus
(Matthew 1.18-25)
2 About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books.[a] 2 These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.[b]
3 Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. 4 So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David's hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David's family.
5 Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, 6 and while they were there, 7 she gave birth to her first-born[c] son. She dressed him in baby clothes[d] and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds
8 That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. 9 (A) All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10 But the angel said, “Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”
13 Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:
14 “Praise God in heaven!
Peace on earth to everyone
who pleases God.”
15 After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay.
17 When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. 18 Everyone listened and was surprised. 19 But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.
20 As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.
21 (B) Eight days later Jesus' parents did for him what the Law of Moses commands.[e] And they named him Jesus, just as the angel had told Mary when he promised she would have a baby.
Simeon Praises the Lord
22 (C) The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the Law of Moses says a mother is supposed to do after her baby is born.[f]
They took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem and presented him to the Lord, 23 (D) just as the Law of the Lord says, “Each first-born[g] baby boy belongs to the Lord.” 24 The Law of the Lord also says parents have to offer a sacrifice, giving at least a pair of doves or two young pigeons. So that is what Mary and Joseph did.
25 At this time a man named Simeon was living in Jerusalem. Simeon was a good man. He loved God and was waiting for him to save the people of Israel. God's Spirit came to him 26 and told him that he would not die until he had seen Christ the Lord.
27 When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to do what the Law of Moses says should be done for a new baby, the Spirit told Simeon to go into the temple. 28 Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God,
29 “Lord, I am your servant,
and now I can die in peace,
because you have kept
your promise to me.
30 With my own eyes I have seen
what you have done
to save your people,
31 and foreign nations
will also see this.
32 (E) Your mighty power is a light
for all nations,
and it will bring honor
to your people Israel.”
33 Jesus' parents were surprised at what Simeon had said. 34 Then he blessed them and told Mary, “This child of yours will cause many people in Israel to fall and others to stand. The child will be like a warning sign. Many people will reject him, 35 and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger. But all this will show what people are really thinking.”
Anna Speaks about the Child Jesus
36 (F) The prophet Anna was also there in the temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. In her youth she had been married for seven years, but her husband died. 37 And now she was 84 years old.[h] Night and day she served God in the temple by praying and often going without eating.[i]
38 At this time Anna came in and praised God. She spoke about the child Jesus to everyone who hoped for Jerusalem to be set free.
The Return to Nazareth
39 (G) After Joseph and Mary had done everything that the Law of the Lord commands, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 The child Jesus grew. He became strong and wise, and God blessed him.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 (H) Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for Passover. 42 And when Jesus was twelve years old, they all went there as usual for the celebration. 43 After Passover his parents left, but they did not know that Jesus had stayed on in the city. 44 They thought he was traveling with some other people, and they went a whole day before they started looking for him. 45 When they could not find him with their relatives and friends, they went back to Jerusalem and started looking for him there.
46 Three days later they found Jesus sitting in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was surprised at how much he knew and at the answers he gave.
48 When his parents found him, they were amazed. His mother said, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very worried, and we have been searching for you!”
49 Jesus answered, “Why did you have to look for me? Didn't you know that I would be in my Father's house?”[j] 50 But they did not understand what he meant.
51 Jesus went back to Nazareth with his parents and obeyed them. His mother kept on thinking about all that had happened.
52 (I) Jesus became wise, and he grew strong. God was pleased with him and so were the people.
Footnotes
- 2.1 names … listed in record books: This was done so that everyone could be made to pay taxes to the Emperor.
- 2.2 Quirinius was governor of Syria: It is known that Quirinius made a record of the people in a.d. 6 or 7. But the exact date of the record taking that Luke mentions is not known.
- 2.7 first-born: The Jewish people said that the first-born son in each of their families belonged to the Lord.
- 2.7 dressed him in baby clothes: The Greek text has “wrapped him in wide strips of cloth,” which was how young babies were dressed.
- 2.21 what the Law of Moses commands: See the note at 1.59.
- 2.22 after her baby is born: After a Jewish mother gave birth to a son, she was considered “unclean” and had to stay home until he was circumcised (see the note at 1.59). Then she had to stay home for another 33 days, before offering a sacrifice to the Lord.
- 2.23 first-born: See the note at 2.7.
- 2.37 And now she was 84 years old: Or “And now she had been a widow for 84 years.”
- 2.37 without eating: The Jewish people sometimes went without eating (also called “fasting”) to show their love for God or to show sorrow for their sins.
- 2.49 in my Father's house: Or “doing my Father's work.”
路加福音 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
耶穌降生伯利恆
2 那時，凱撒奧古斯都頒下諭旨，命羅馬帝國的人民都辦理戶口登記。 2 這是第一次戶口登記，正值居里紐任敘利亞總督。 3 大家都回到本鄉辦理戶口登記。 4 約瑟因為是大衛家族的人，就從加利利的拿撒勒鎮趕到猶太地區大衛的故鄉伯利恆， 5 要和已許配給他、懷著身孕的瑪麗亞一起登記。 6 他們抵達目的地時，瑪麗亞產期到了， 7 便生下第一胎，是個兒子。她用布把孩子裹好，安放在馬槽裡，因為旅店沒有房間了。
牧羊人和天使
8 當晚，伯利恆郊外有一群牧羊人正在看守羊群。 9 忽然，主的天使向他們顯現，主的榮光四面照著他們，他們非常害怕。 10 天使對他們說：「不要怕！我告訴你們一個有關萬民的大喜訊， 11 今天在大衛的城裡有一位救主為你們降生了，祂就是主基督！ 12 你們將看見一個嬰孩包著布躺在馬槽裡，這就是給你們的記號。」
13 忽然，有一大隊天軍出現，與那天使一同讚美上帝說：
14 「在至高之處，
願榮耀歸於上帝！
在地上，
願平安臨到祂所喜悅的人！」
15 眾天使離開他們升回天上之後，牧羊人便商議說：「我們現在去伯利恆，察看一下主剛才告訴我們的那件事吧！」 16 他們就連忙進城，找到了瑪麗亞和約瑟以及躺在馬槽裡的嬰孩。 17 他們看過之後，就把天使告訴他們有關這嬰孩的事傳開了。 18 聽見的人都對牧羊人的話感到驚訝。
19 但瑪麗亞把這些事牢記在心裡，反覆思想。 20 牧羊人在歸途中不斷地將榮耀歸於上帝，讚美祂，因為他們的所見所聞跟天使告訴他們的一樣。
奉獻聖嬰
21 在第八天，嬰孩接受了割禮，祂的名字叫耶穌，是瑪麗亞懷孕前天使取的。
22 摩西律法規定的潔淨期滿後，約瑟和瑪麗亞把嬰孩帶到耶路撒冷去獻給主， 23 因為主的律法規定：必須把長子分別出來獻給主。 24 他們又按照主的律法獻上祭物，即一對斑鳩或兩隻雛鴿。 25 耶路撒冷有一位公義敬虔、有聖靈同在的人名叫希緬，他一直期待著以色列的安慰者到來。 26 聖靈曾啟示他：他去世前必能親眼看見主所立的基督。
27 一天，他受聖靈感動進入聖殿，看見約瑟和瑪麗亞抱著嬰孩耶穌進來，要依照律法的規定為祂行奉獻禮， 28 就把祂抱過來，稱頌上帝說：
29 「主啊，現在你的話已經成就，
可以讓你的奴僕安然離世了，
30 因為我已親眼看到你的救恩，
31 就是你為萬民所預備的救恩。
32 這救恩是啟示外族人的光，
也是你以色列子民的榮耀。」
33 約瑟和瑪麗亞聽見這番話，感到驚奇。 34 希緬給他們祝福後，就對孩子的母親瑪麗亞說：「看啊，這孩子必使以色列許多人跌倒、許多人興起。祂將成為眾人攻擊的對象， 35 好叫許多人的心思意念暴露出來，你自己則會心如刀割。」
36-37 亞設支派中有一位八十四歲高齡的女先知名叫亞拿，是法內利的女兒，婚後七年便開始守寡，之後一直住在聖殿裡，禁食禱告，日夜事奉上帝。 38 正在那時，她也前來感謝上帝，並把耶穌的事報告給所有盼望耶路撒冷蒙救贖的人。
39 約瑟和瑪麗亞辦完了主的律法規定的一切事之後，就回到他們的家鄉——加利利的拿撒勒。 40 耶穌漸漸長大，身心強健，充滿智慧，上帝的恩典與祂同在。
少年耶穌聖殿論道
41 約瑟和瑪麗亞每年都上耶路撒冷去過逾越節。 42 耶穌十二歲那年，跟父母照例上去過節。 43 節期完了，約瑟和瑪麗亞便啟程回家，他們並不知道少年耶穌仍然留在耶路撒冷， 44 還以為祂跟在同行的人中間。他們走了一天的路後，才開始在親戚朋友中找祂， 45 結果沒有找到，只好回到耶路撒冷。 46 三天後，他們才在聖殿裡找到耶穌，祂正和教師們坐在一起，一邊聽一邊問問題。 47 祂的知識和對答令聽見的人感到驚奇。 48 約瑟和瑪麗亞看見耶穌在那裡，大為驚奇。
瑪麗亞對祂說：「兒子，你為什麼這樣對我們呢？你父親和我急得到處找你！」
49 耶穌對他們說：「你們為什麼找我呢？難道你們不知道我應該在我父的家嗎？」 50 但他們不明白祂在講什麼。
51 於是，耶穌隨父母回到拿撒勒，並順從他們。瑪麗亞把這一切事牢記在心。 52 耶穌漸漸長大，智慧與日俱增，越來越受上帝和人們的喜愛。
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