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The Good News by Luke 2

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The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days*, Caesar Augustus* issued a decree for a census* [to be taken] of all residents of the empire. 2 This was the first census, and it was carried out when* Quirinius was governor over Syria. 3 So each one went to his [home] town to be registered there.

4 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Bethlehem, the town of David,* which is in the region of Judea,* because he was from the house and family of David. 5 This was in order for him to be registered there with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. 6 While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to give birth, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in a piece of cloth and laid him down to sleep in a feed trough for animals, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 In the same region there were shepherds overnighting in the fields and taking turns guarding their flock through the night. 9 An angel of God appeared to them, and the glory of God shone around them, and they were very frightened. 10 The angel said to them, “Don't be afraid! For I am bringing you good news that will please all the people greatly: 11 Today a Savior has been born for you in the town of David; he is the Messiah, our Lord.* 12 And this is the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in a piece of cloth and sleeping in a feed trough.” 13 Suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of angels from heaven praising God and saying, 14 “Glory be to God in the highest [places], and peace on earth to people with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which God has told us about.” 16 So they went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the feed trough. 17 When they saw him, they spread the news of what had been said to them about this child. 18 Everyone who heard [this] was astonished at what the shepherds said. 19 As for Mary, she kept all this [in mind], pondering it in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying God and praising him for all they had heard and seen, for everything was just as the angel had told them.

The Circumcision of Jesus and the Presentation of Him to God

21 On the eighth day, it was time for his circumcision,* and they called his name Jesus, just as the angel had called him before Mary became pregnant with him.

22 Now when it was time for their purification according to the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to God. 23 For it is stated in the Torah from God that every firstborn son must be dedicated to God.* 24 They also [went there] to offer a sacrifice as stated in the Torah: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.*

25 Now in Jerusalem there was a righteous and devout man named Simeon, who was waiting for the coming of the one who would aid the Children of Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until after he had first seen the Messiah, whom God was going to send. 27 He went to the Temple complex,* being led by the Spirit. When the parents came in with the baby Jesus to do for him what the law required, 28 Simeon held him in his arms and praised God and said, 29 “The time has come, O Lord, for you to release your servant in peace, just as you promised, 30 because with my eyes I have seen the Savior [sent] from you, 31 whom you have prepared so that all the world can see him. 32 He is a light who will reveal God to the nations and bring honor to your people the Children of Israel!”

33 His father* and his mother were amazed at what was said about him. 34 Simeon blessed the two of them. Then he said to Mary, his mother, “This child will be the cause of the fall of many and the rise of many among the Children of Israel. He will be a sign which some people will reject. 35 And so the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. Furthermore, a sword will pierce your own soul.”

36 A prophetess was there, Anna daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in age. After her marriage, she had lived with her husband seven years, 37 then was widowed. By this time, she was eighty-four years old. She did not leave the Temple of God, but worshiped God [there] night and day with fasting and prayer. 38 Now at this very moment she came up to them, and she began praising God and talking about the child to everyone who had been waiting for the liberation of the city of Jerusalem.

39 When Joseph and Mary had fulfilled all that the law of God required, they returned to Galilee, to their town, Nazareth. 40 The child continued to grow and become strong, filled with wisdom; and God's blessing was on him.

Jesus at Age Twelve

41 The parents of [Jesus] would go to Jerusalem every year during the Passover festival.* 42 When he was twelve years old, they went to the festival as usual. 43 When the festival days ended and his parents headed back, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, but they didn't notice; 44 rather, they assumed that he was among the group of travelers. They traveled the whole day, then started looking for him among relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him.

46 After three days, they found him at the Temple complex, sitting among the experts in religion, listening to them, and posing questions to them. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “My son, why have you done this to us? Your father* and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49 He said to them, “But why were you searching for me? Didn't you know that I should be in my Father's house?”* 50 But they did not understand what he said to them.

51 Then he went with them and returned to Nazareth, and he was obedient to them. His mother kept all these matters in her heart. 52 And Jesus continued to grow and to mature in wisdom, and the favor of God and of people toward him kept increasing.

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Definitions

 *2:1 In those days: This is a reference to the days when Mary was pregnant with Jesus the Messiah.

 *2:1 Caesar Augustus: the ruler of the Roman Empire from 27 BC to AD 14. The empire included all the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

 *2:1 census: a registration of people and their property.

 *2:2 when: Or before. The original Greek text can be understood to mean that this census took place either before Quirinius was governor or while he was governor. This particular census took place soon after the birth of the prophet John son of Zechariah around 5 BC. Years later, in AD 6, Qurinius became governor of Syria and ordered another census, this time to tax the people, and it provoked riots.

 *2:4 the town of David: the place where the prophet David was born and where many of his descendants still lived.

 *2:4 Judea: Here and in the rest of Luke,  the term Judea means the region around Jerusalem which had been settled by the descendants of Judah, who was one of the twelve sons of the prophet Jacob.

 *2:11 the Messiah: the person God had promised to send to save people from sin, guide them in the way of righteousness, and rule them forever both in this world and in the next. God foretold the coming of the Messiah in the Torah, in the Psalms of David and in the Writings of the Prophets. See Messiah in the glossary.

 *2:21 See Torah, Genesis17:11-12, 23.

 *2:23 See Torah, Exodus 13:2, 12-13.

 *2:24 See Torah, Leviticus 12:6-8.

 *2:27 the Temple complex: The Temple of God was surrounded by a courtyard in which priests presented to God the offerings that people had brought. That courtyard was surrounded by three more courtyards, with additional buildings. In these courtyards a choir sang Psalms in praise of God, people prayed, scholars taught religion, and people discussed topics of interest. All of this was built on a hill that in English is called “the Temple Mount” but in Arabic الحرم الشريف al-Haram al-Sharif. In English, all these things together are called the Temple complex. See the illustration.

 *2:33 His father: Joseph was the stepfather of Jesus and his custodial parent, not his biological father. But in agreement with the laws and customs prevailing at that time, a man was regarded as the father of a child if he was married to child’s biological mother at the time she gave birth, regardless of who was responsible for its procreation, and also if he adopted the child. (And this law still applies today in Western countries.) If a man married a woman who had a child, as Joseph did, then he became a father to the child. They describe this relationship in modern English with the word stepfather, but in Arabic such a man is normally called the husband of the mother. In most cases, it is possible to describe these kinds of fatherhood in Arabic with the word walī (وليّ) “custodial parent,” and in Greek with the word patēr (πατήρ), which is the word used in the Gospel. So in the Injil Sharif, the Arabic word ab (اب) describes the man who functions in the role of the father in a family, even if he is not the biological father responsible for the procreation of the child. See family in the glossary.

 *2:41 Passover festival: a festival that the Children of Israel held in Jerusalem every spring to celebrate the time when God freed their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.

 *2:48 your father: Or your custodial parent, or your stepfather. See footnote at Luke 2:33.

 *2:49 my Father: God, with regard to his compassionate care for his people. In contrast to the Arabic word أب, the common Greek, Hebrew, and English words for father are used for any relationship that is like a relationship between a loving father and his children. In the Book of Psalms 103:13 it says, “As a father has compassion on his children, God has compassion on those who are devoted to him.” The Gospel says God is like a father to those whom he loves because he is their creator and their compassionate guardian and the one who trains and cares for them like the head of a household. Devoted believers spoke of God respectfully as “our Father,” meaning ربنا الرحمن. In this verse Jesus says “my Father,” indicating his uniquely close relationship to God.