Luke 2; Luke 3

Luke 2

1 At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order that all people in the countries under Roman rule must list their names in a register.

2 This was the first registration; it was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And all went to their own towns to be registered.

4 So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David.

5 Joseph registered with Mary, to whom he was engagedn and who was now pregnant.

6 While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby,

7 and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a box where animals are fed.

8 That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep.

9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened.

10 The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people.

11 Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord.

12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box."

13 Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel, praising God and saying:

14 "Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace among the people who please God."

15 When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem. Let's see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about."

16 So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a feeding box.

17 When they had seen him, they told what the angels had said about this child.

18 Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19 But Mary treasured these things and continued to think about them.

20 Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. It had been just as the angel had told them.

21 When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised and was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary.

22 When the time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the law of Moses taught about being made pure, they took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

23 (It is written in the law of the Lord: "Every firstborn male shall be given to the Lord.")

24 Mary and Joseph also went to offer a sacrifice, as the law of the Lord says: "You must sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons."

25 In Jerusalem lived a man named Simeon who was a good man and godly. He was waiting for the time when God would take away Israel's sorrow, and the Holy Spirit was in him.

26 Simeon had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he saw the Christ promised by the Lord.

27 The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple to do what the law said they must do,

28 Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God:

29 "Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant, die in peace as you said.

30 With my own eyes I have seen your salvation,

31 which you prepared before all people.

32 It is a light for the non-Jewish people to see and an honor for your people, the Israelites."

33 Jesus' father and mother were amazed at what Simeon had said about him.

34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, "God has chosen this child to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept

35 so that the thoughts of many will be made known. And the things that will happen will make your heart sad, too."

36 There was a prophetess, Anna, from the family of Phanuel in the tribe of Asher. Anna was very old. She had once been married for seven years.

37 Then her husband died, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. Anna never left the Temple but worshiped God, going without food and praying day and night.

38 Standing there at that time, she thanked God and spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything the law of the Lord commanded, they went home to Nazareth, their own town in Galilee.

40 The little child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God's goodness was upon him.

41 Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.

42 When he was twelve years old, they went to the feast as they always did.

43 After the feast days were over, they started home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.

44 Thinking that Jesus was with them in the group, they traveled for a whole day. Then they began to look for him among their family and friends.

45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him there.

46 After three days they found Jesus sitting in the Temple with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and answers.

48 When Jesus' parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why did you do this to us? Your father and I were very worried about you and have been looking for you."

49 Jesus said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?"

50 But they did not understand the meaning of what he said.

51 Jesus went with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them. But his mother kept in her mind all that had happened.

52 Jesus became wiser and grew physically. People liked him, and he pleased God.

Luke 3

1 It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. These men were under Caesar: Pontius Pilate, the ruler of Judea; Herod, the ruler of Galilee; Philip, Herod's brother, the ruler of Iturea and Traconitis; and Lysanias, the ruler of Abilene.

2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.

3 He went all over the area around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins.

4 As it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet: "This is a voice of one who calls out in the desert: 'Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.

5 Every valley should be filled in, and every mountain and hill should be made flat. Roads with turns should be made straight, and rough roads should be made smooth.

6 And all people will know about the salvation of God!'"

7 To the crowds of people who came to be baptized by John, he said, "You are all snakes! Who warned you to run away from God's coming punishment?

8 Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives. Don't begin to say to yourselves, 'Abraham is our father.' I tell you that God could make children for Abraham from these rocks.

9 The ax is now ready to cut down the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

10 The people asked John, "Then what should we do?"

11 John answered, "If you have two shirts, share with the person who does not have one. If you have food, share that also."

12 Even tax collectors came to John to be baptized. They said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

13 John said to them, "Don't take more taxes from people than you have been ordered to take."

14 The soldiers asked John, "What about us? What should we do?" John said to them, "Don't force people to give you money, and don't lie about them. Be satisfied with the pay you get."

15 Since the people were hoping for the Christ to come, they wondered if John might be the one.

16 John answered everyone, "I baptize you with water, but there is one coming who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

17 He will come ready to clean the grain, separating the good grain from the chaff. He will put the good part of the grain into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out."

18 And John continued to preach the Good News, saying many other things to encourage the people.

19 But John spoke against Herod, the governor, because of his sin with Herodias, the wife of Herod's brother, and because of the many other evil things Herod did.

20 So Herod did something even worse: He put John in prison.

21 When all the people were being baptized by John, Jesus also was baptized. While Jesus was praying, heaven opened

22 and the Holy Spirit came down on him in the form of a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "You are my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with you."

23 When Jesus began his ministry, he was about thirty years old. People thought that Jesus was Joseph's son. Joseph was the sonn of Heli.

24 Heli was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi. Levi was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Jannai. Jannai was the son of Joseph.

25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Amos. Amos was the son of Nahum. Nahum was the son of Esli. Esli was the son of Naggai.

26 Naggai was the son of Maath. Maath was the son of Mattathias. Mattathias was the son of Semein. Semein was the son of Josech. Josech was the son of Joda.

27 Joda was the son of Joanan. Joanan was the son of Rhesa. Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the grandson of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the son of Neri.

28 Neri was the son of Melki. Melki was the son of Addi. Addi was the son of Cosam. Cosam was the son of Elmadam. Elmadam was the son of Er.

29 Er was the son of Joshua. Joshua was the son of Eliezer. Eliezer was the son of Jorim. Jorim was the son of Matthat. Matthat was the son of Levi.

30 Levi was the son of Simeon. Simeon was the son of Judah. Judah was the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Jonam. Jonam was the son of Eliakim.

31 Eliakim was the son of Melea. Melea was the son of Menna. Menna was the son of Mattatha. Mattatha was the son of Nathan. Nathan was the son of David.

32 David was the son of Jesse. Jesse was the son of Obed. Obed was the son of Boaz. Boaz was the son of Salmon. Salmon was the son of Nahshon.

33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab. Amminadab was the son of Admin. Admin was the son of Arni. Arni was the son of Hezron. Hezron was the son of Perez. Perez was the son of Judah.

34 Judah was the son of Jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham. Abraham was the son of Terah. Terah was the son of Nahor.

35 Nahor was the son of Serug. Serug was the son of Reu. Reu was the son of Peleg. Peleg was the son of Eber. Eber was the son of Shelah.

36 Shelah was the son of Cainan. Cainan was the son of Arphaxad. Arphaxad was the son of Shem. Shem was the son of Noah. Noah was the son of Lamech.

37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah. Methuselah was the son of Enoch. Enoch was the son of Jared. Jared was the son of Mahalalel. Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.

38 Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. Adam was the son of God.