Luke 2:20-46

²⁰Then the keepers of the sheep went back, giving glory and praise to God for all the things which had come to their ears and which they had seen, as it had been said to them.

²¹And when, after eight days, the time came for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given to him before his birth.

²²And when the necessary days for making them clean by the law of Moses had come to an end, they took him to Jerusalem to give him to the Lord

²³(As it says in the law of the Lord, Every mother's first male child is to be holy to the Lord),

²⁴And to make an offering, as it is ordered in the law of the Lord, of two doves or other young birds.

²⁵And there was then in Jerusalem a man whose name was Simeon; and he was an upright man, fearing God and waiting for the comfort of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was on him.

²⁶And he had knowledge, through the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ.

²⁷And full of the Spirit he came into the Temple; and when the father and mother came in with the child Jesus, to do with him what was ordered by the law,

²⁸Then he took him in his arms and gave praise to God and said,

²⁹Now you are letting your servant go in peace, O Lord, as you have said;

³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation,

³¹Which you have made ready before the face of all nations;

³²A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.

³³And his father and mother were full of wonder at the things which were said about him.

³⁴And Simeon gave them his blessing and said to Mary, his mother, See, this child will be the cause of the downfall and the lifting up of great numbers of people in Israel, and he will be a sign against which hard words will be said;

³⁵(And a sword will go through your heart;) so that the secret thoughts of men may come to light.

³⁶And there was one, Anna, a woman prophet, the daughter of Phanuel, of the family of Asher (she was very old, and after seven years of married life

³⁷She had been a widow for eighty-four years); she was in the Temple at all times, worshipping with prayers and going without food, night and day.

³⁸And coming up at that time, she gave praise to God, talking of him to all those who were waiting for the freeing of Jerusalem.

³⁹And when they had done all the things which were ordered by the law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to Nazareth, the town where they were living.

⁴⁰And the child became tall and strong and full of wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

⁴¹And every year his father and mother went to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.

⁴²And when he was twelve years old, they went up, as their way was, to the feast;

⁴³And when the days of the feast came to an end and they were going back, the boy Jesus was still in Jerusalem, but they had no knowledge of it:

⁴⁴And in the belief that he was with some of their number, they went a day's journey; and after looking for him among their relations and friends,

⁴⁵And seeing that he was not there, they went back to Jerusalem, to make search for him.

⁴⁶And after three days they came across him in the Temple, seated among the wise men, giving ear to their words and putting questions to them.