Chronological
Jesus’ genealogy
1 The book of the family tree of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac of Jacob, Jacob of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah of Peres and Zara (by Tamar), Peres of Esrom, Esrom of Aram, 4 Aram of Aminadab, Aminadab of Naason, Naason of Salmon, 5 Salmon of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz of Obed (by Ruth), Obed of Jesse, 6 and Jesse of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah), 7 Solomon of Rehoboam, Rehoboam of Abijah, Abijah of Asaph, 8 Asaph of Jehosaphat, Jehosaphat of Joram, Joram of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah of Joatham, Joatham of Ahaz, Ahaz of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah of Manasseh, Manasseh of Amoz, Amoz of Josiah, 11 Josiah of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the exile in Babylon.
12 After the Babylonian exile, Jeconiah became the father of Salathiel, Salathiel of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel of Abioud, Abioud of Eliakim, Eliakim of Azor, 14 Azor of Sadok, Sadok of Achim, Achim of Elioud, 15 Elioud of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, Matthan of Jacob, 16 and Jacob of Joseph the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called “Messiah.”
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David add up to fourteen; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; and from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations.
The birth of Jesus
18 This was how the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place. His mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph; but before they came together she turned out to be pregnant—by the holy spirit. 19 Joseph, her husband-to-be, was an upright man. He didn’t want to make a public example of her. So he decided to set the marriage aside privately. 20 But, while he was considering this, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream.
“Joseph, son of David,” said the angel, “don’t be afraid to get married to Mary. The child she is carrying is from the holy spirit. 21 She is going to have a son. You are to give him the name Jesus; he is the one who will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this happened so that what the Lord said through the prophet might be fulfilled: 23 “Look: the virgin is pregnant, and will have a son, and they shall give him the name Emmanuel,”—which means, in translation, “God with us.”
24 When Joseph woke up from his sleep he did what the Lord’s angel had told him to. He married his wife, 25 but he didn’t have sexual relations with her until after the birth of her son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
The birth of Jesus
2 At that time a decree was issued by Augustus Caesar: a census was to be taken of the whole world. 2 (This was the first census, before the one when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 So everyone set off to be registered, each to their own town. 4 Joseph too, who belonged to the house and family of David, went from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judaea, David’s city, 5 to be registered with his fiancée Mary, who was pregnant.
6 So that’s where they were when the time came for her to have her baby; 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him up and put him to rest in a feeding-trough, because there was no room for them in the normal living quarters.
8 There were shepherds in that region, out in the open, keeping a night watch around their flock. 9 An angel of the Lord stood in front of them. The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 “Don’t be afraid,” the angel said to them. “Look: I’ve got good news for you, news which will make everybody very happy. 11 Today a savior has been born for you—the Messiah, the Lord!—in David’s town. 12 This will be the sign for you: you’ll find the baby wrapped up, and lying in a feeding-trough.”
13 Suddenly, with the angel, there was a crowd of the heavenly armies. They were praising God, saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and peace upon earth among those in his favor.”
15 So when the angels had gone away again into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Well then; let’s go to Bethlehem and see what it’s all about, all this that the Lord has told us.”
16 So they hurried off, and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the feeding-trough. 17 When they saw it, they told them what had been said to them about this child. 18 And all the people who heard it were amazed at the things the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured all these things and mused over them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told to them.
Simeon and Anna
21 After eight days, the time came to circumcise the baby. He was called by the name Jesus, which the angel had given him before he had been conceived in the womb.
22 When the time came for them to be purified according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him before the Lord. 23 That’s what the law of the Lord says: “Every firstborn male shall be called holy to the Lord.” 24 They also came to offer sacrifice, according to what it says in the law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout, waiting for God to comfort Israel, and the holy spirit was upon him. 26 He had been told by the holy spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Led by the spirit, he came into the Temple. As Jesus’ parents brought him in, to do for him what the law’s regulations required, 28 he took the baby in his arms and blessed God with these words:
29 “Now, Master, you are dismissing your servant in peace,
just as you said.
30 These eyes of mine have seen your salvation,
31 which you made ready in the presence of all peoples:
32 a light for revelation to the nations,
and glory for your people Israel.”
33 His father and mother were astonished at the things that were said about him. 34 Simeon blessed them.
“Listen,” he said to Mary his mother, “this child has been placed here to make many in Israel fall and rise again, and as a sign that will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will go through your own soul as well), so that the thoughts of many hearts may be disclosed.”
36 There was also a prophetess called Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having been widowed after a seven-year marriage, 37 and was now eighty-four. She never left the Temple, but worshiped with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 She came up at that moment and gave thanks to God, and spoke about Jesus to everyone who was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.