누가복음 2

The birth of Jesus in David’s town

¹In those days an order went out from Caesar Augustus that a register should be made of the whole empire. ²This was the first registration, and it took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.^{ab 3}Everyone set out to be registered, each in their own town.

⁴So Joseph too went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to David’s town, Bethlehem, since he was from the house and clan of David. ⁵He went to be registered together with Mary, who was engaged to him and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the days of her pregnancy came to an end, ⁷and she bore her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in cloths and laid him in a feeding trough, because the guest room had no space for them.^c

Good news for shepherds

⁸In the same area there were shepherds out in the open country, taking turns to guard their flock through the night. ⁹An angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord blazed around them, and they were struck with great fear. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not fear. I am bringing you good news, a great joy that is for all the people. ¹¹Today, in David’s town, a Savior has been born for you: Christ, the Lord. ¹²The sign for you is this: you will find a baby, wrapped snugly in cloths and lying in a feeding trough.” ¹³All at once the angel was joined by a great crowd of heaven’s army, who praised God and said, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the heights of heaven, and on earth peace to the people he favors!”^d

¹⁵When the angels had gone back into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let us go across to Bethlehem and look at what has taken place, what the Lord has told us.” ¹⁶They made haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the feeding trough. ¹⁷When they saw the child, they told everyone what they had been told about him. ¹⁸All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary kept all these things close and turned them over in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds went back, glorifying God and praising him for all they had heard and seen. It had been just as they were told.

Jesus is named and presented in the temple

²¹Eight days later, when the time came for his circumcision, he was given the name Jesus, as the angel had called him before he was conceived.

²²When the time came for their purification under the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. ²³For it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be called holy to the Lord.” ²⁴They also came to offer the sacrifice that the law of the Lord requires: “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Simeon sees God’s salvation

²⁵Now in Jerusalem there lived a man called Simeon, upright and reverent, who longed for the day God would comfort Israel. The Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶The Holy Spirit had made known to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷Guided by the Spirit, Simeon went into the temple. Jesus’s parents were bringing the child in, to carry out for him what the law’s custom required, ²⁸and Simeon took him up in his arms, blessed God and said, ²⁹“Master, now you are letting your servant go in peace, as you promised, ³⁰because my eyes have seen the salvation that comes from you, ³¹which you have prepared in full view of every people: ³²a light of revelation for the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.” ³³His father and mother stood amazed at what was being said about him.^{e 34}Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “This child is set to make many in Israel fall and rise again. He will be a sign that people oppose, ³⁵and a sword will go through your own soul as well, so that the thoughts of many hearts will come to light.”

Anna speaks of the child

³⁶A prophet was there too, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old. She had married as a young woman and lived with her husband seven years, ³⁷and she had been a widow ever since; she was now eighty-four. She never left the temple, but served God night and day with fasting and prayer.^{f 38}She came up just then, gave thanks to God, and went on speaking about him to everyone who was waiting for God to set Jerusalem free.

The child grows in Nazareth

³⁹When they had carried out everything the law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to Nazareth, their own town.

⁴⁰The child kept growing and gaining strength. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God rested on him.

In his Father’s house

⁴¹Year by year his parents used to go up to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. ⁴²When he was twelve, they went up as the custom of the feast was. ⁴³After the days of the feast were over, as they set off for home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing. ⁴⁴Thinking he was with the others on the road, they travelled for a whole day; then they began hunting for him among their relatives and the people they knew. ⁴⁵Not finding him, they turned back to Jerusalem, still searching for him. ⁴⁶Three days later they found him in the temple, seated among the teachers, listening to them and putting questions to them. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was astounded at how much he understood and at the answers he gave. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him, they were stunned, and his mother said to him, “My child, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been looking for you, sick with worry.” ⁴⁹He said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”^{g 50}But they did not grasp what he meant. ⁵¹So he went back down with them to Nazareth, and he lived under their authority. His mother kept all these things safe in her heart.

⁵²And Jesus advanced in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.