Luke 2:21-27

²¹The law of Moses said that they had to do a young man’s operation on all baby boys as soon as they were 8 days old. So they did that to him, and they gave him his name, Jesus, at that time. That’s the name God’s messenger told Mary to call him, before she started to carry that baby inside her.

²²The Jewish law is like this, a woman’s first baby boy belongs to God. And after a baby boy is born the mother can’t go into God’s ceremony house or do any of their ceremonies for the next 40 days. It is like she is not clean. Then, after 40 days, she has to go to God’s ceremony house in Jerusalem, and kill 2 pigeons and burn them there, and let the smoke go up to God. This will make her clean again for Jewish ceremonies. So Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem at the right time to follow that law. They took baby Jesus with them.

²⁵There was an old man in Jerusalem called Simeon. He was a good man that lived God’s way, and he was waiting for God to make the Israel people happy again. And the Holy Spirit was with him.

²⁶Before this time the Holy Spirit told him, “You will stay alive till you see the person God will send to help the Israel people.”

²⁷On that same day, as Joseph and Mary took Jesus to God’s ceremony house, the Holy Spirit told Simeon to go there too, so he was there when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus in.