Jesus in the Temple at Twelve Years Old

41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the feast. 43 And after[a] the days were completed, while they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. And his parents did not know it,[b] 44 but believing him to be in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. And they began searching for[c] him among their[d] relatives and their[e] acquaintances, 45 and when they[f] did not find him,[g] they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 And it happened that after three days they found him in the temple courts,[h] sitting in the midst of the teachers and listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his insight and his[i] answers. 48 And when they[j] saw him, they were astounded and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have been searching for you anxiously!” 49 And he said to them, “Why[k] were you searching for me? Did you not know that it was necessary for me to be in the house[l] of my Father?” 50 And they did not understand the statement that he spoke to them.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:43 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were completed”) which is understood as temporal
  2. Luke 2:43 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  3. Luke 2:44 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began searching for”)
  4. Luke 2:44 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  5. Luke 2:44 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  6. Luke 2:45 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“find”) which is understood as temporal
  7. Luke 2:45 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  8. Luke 2:46 *Here “courts” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself
  9. Luke 2:47 This is an understood repetition of “his” due to English style
  10. Luke 2:48 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
  11. Luke 2:49 Literally “what is it that”
  12. Luke 2:49 Or “things” (= business)

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.(A) 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed(B) at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother(C) said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father(D) and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[a](E) 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:49 Or be about my Father’s business

Jesus Speaks with the Teachers

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

45 When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”[a] 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:49 Or “Didn’t you realize that I should be involved with my Father’s affairs?”