Luke 2

In those days Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, gave an order that everyone in the empire had to be registered and counted.

1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

NoteIn 1611 English "taxed" meant enrolled on an official register, not charged money, though the point of such a register was taxation and manpower. "All the world" translates a phrase meaning the inhabited world, which in Roman usage meant the empire. Caesar Augustus ruled from 27 BC to AD 14.

2This was the first registration made while Cyrenius was governor of Syria.

2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

NoteCyrenius is the KJV spelling of the Latin name Quirinius. Syria was the Roman province from which Judea was overseen. The registration under Quirinius is usually dated to AD 6, which is hard to square with the reign of Herod the Great, who died in 4 BC; the Greek of this verse can also be read as "this registration was before the one when Quirinius was governor," and the question is not settled.

3So everyone went to his own town to be registered.

3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

NoteRoman registrations were normally made where a person lived and held property. A requirement to register in the town of one's family line is unusual, and Luke does not explain it.

4Joseph too went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to David's town, which is called Bethlehem, because he belonged to David's family line.

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

Note"Went up" is about elevation, not direction: Bethlehem lies south of Nazareth but in higher country, and one always "goes up" to Jerusalem. "City" in the KJV means any town, however small. Bethlehem was David's home town, about seventy miles from Nazareth, several days' walk.

5He went to be registered along with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was expecting a child.

5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Note"Espoused" means betrothed. A Jewish betrothal was a binding legal contract, not a modern engagement: the couple were already called husband and wife, and breaking it required a divorce, but they had not yet begun living together.

6While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7She gave birth to her first son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a feeding box for animals, because there was no room for them in the place where travelers stayed.

7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

NoteSwaddling was ordinary newborn care: the baby was wrapped snugly in long strips of cloth, which people believed helped the limbs grow straight. A manger is a feeding trough for animals; in village houses the animals were often kept in the lower part of the same dwelling. The word behind "inn" means a guest room or lodging place; Luke uses a different word for a commercial inn elsewhere.

8There were shepherds staying out in the fields nearby, taking turns guarding their flock through the night.

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Note"Country" here means the surrounding district, not a nation. These shepherds stayed out with the flock through the night rather than returning home, splitting the dark hours into watches.

9An angel of the Lord stood in front of them, and the shining glory of the Lord blazed all around them, and they were terrified.

9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Note"Sore afraid" is 1611 English for extremely frightened; "sore" is an intensifier meaning greatly, with no sense of soreness. "The glory of the Lord" renders a standing phrase from the Hebrew scriptures for the blazing visible brightness that marked God's presence.

10The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. Listen: I am bringing you good news that will make all the people very glad."

10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Note"Tidings" simply means news. The verb behind "bring you good tidings" was also the ordinary word for a public herald's announcement about an emperor. "All people" translates "all the people," a phrase that in Greek usually means the people of Israel specifically, though it can be read more broadly.

11"Today in David's town a Savior has been born for you. He is Christ the Lord."

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Note"Christ" is not a surname but the Greek word for Anointed One, the exact equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. Kings and priests were installed by having oil poured on the head. "Saviour" means rescuer or deliverer, and was also a title given to Roman emperors.

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

12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Note"Sign" here means an identifying mark, the thing by which they would recognize the right baby, not a miracle.

13All at once a huge crowd of the armies of heaven appeared beside the angel, praising God and saying,

13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Note"Host" in 1611 English means an army. "The heavenly host" is a military image: the massed ranks of heaven.

14"Glory to God in the highest place, and on earth peace, and good will toward people."

14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

NoteThe Greek manuscripts differ by a single letter here. One reading gives "good will toward men"; the other gives "peace among people of good will," that is, people on whom God's favor rests. The earliest manuscripts mostly have the second.

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

15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16So they hurried there and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the feeding box.

16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17When they had seen him, they spread the word about what they had been told concerning this child.

17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them.

18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19But Mary held on to all these things and turned them over in her mind.

19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20The shepherds went back, giving glory and praise to God for everything they had heard and seen, which was just as they had been told.

20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

21When eight days had passed and it was time for the child to be circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

21And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

NoteCircumcision is the cutting away of the foreskin of a male child, commanded on the eighth day after birth as the bodily mark of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants. A boy was customarily named at the same ceremony. "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua or Joshua, which means "the LORD saves."

22When the days for her purification were completed, as the law of Moses requires, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

22And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

NoteUnder the law of Moses (Leviticus 12) a woman who had borne a son was ritually unclean for seven days and then waited thirty-three more before coming to the sanctuary, forty days in all. Ritually unclean means temporarily barred from sacred space, not sinful or dirty. Some manuscripts read "their purification" rather than "her purification."

23This was because it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be set apart for the Lord."

23(As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

NoteThe quotation is from Exodus 13. Every firstborn male, of people and of livestock, was counted as belonging to God, and a firstborn son was bought back from that claim by a payment to the priests. "Openeth the womb" means the mother's first child.

24They also came to offer the sacrifice that the law of the Lord calls for: "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

24And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

NoteLeviticus 12 set the offering at a year-old lamb plus a bird, but allowed two birds instead if the family could not afford a lamb. The pair of birds is therefore the cheaper option. A turtledove is a small wild dove; the name has nothing to do with turtles.

25There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He did what was right and took God seriously, and he was waiting for the comfort God had promised to Israel. The Holy Spirit rested on him.

25And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

Note"Just" here means upright, doing what is right, not a judge. "Devout" means careful about religious duty. "The consolation of Israel" was a set phrase for the comfort and restoration of the nation that prophets such as Isaiah had promised. "Holy Ghost" is not a spook: in 1611 "ghost" simply meant spirit.

26The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ, the one God had chosen and appointed.

26And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Note"He should not see death" is a Hebrew way of saying he would not die. "The Lord's Christ" means the Lord's Anointed One.

27Led by the Spirit, he came into the temple. The parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the law required by custom.

27And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

Note"The temple" means the whole walled complex of courts in Jerusalem where ordinary worshipers gathered and met, not the inner sanctuary, which only priests entered.

28Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

28Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29"Lord, now you are letting your servant go in peace, just as you said you would."

29Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

NoteThe word translated "Lord" here is not the usual one; it is the word for a master who owns slaves. "Lettest thou thy servant depart" is the language of a master formally releasing a slave, or of a sentry being discharged from his post.

30"For my own eyes have seen the salvation you have provided,"

30For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31"which you have made ready where all peoples can see it:"

31Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32"a light to give light to the nations who are not Jews, and glory for your people Israel."

32A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Note"Gentiles" is the KJV word for all peoples other than Israel.

33Joseph and the child's mother were amazed at the things being said about him.

33And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

NoteSome manuscripts read "Joseph and his mother" here, as the KJV has it; others read "his father and his mother."

34Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, the child's mother, "Listen: this child is appointed to cause the fall and the rise of many people in Israel, and to be a sign that people will speak against,"

34And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

Note"Set for" means appointed or destined for. The Greek can be read as describing two groups, some falling and others rising, or as one sequence, a fall followed by a rise, for the same people; it is not resolved either way. "Spoken against" means contradicted or opposed.

35"so that what many people are really thinking will come out into the open. And a sword will pierce through your own soul too."

35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

NoteThe KJV puts this line in parentheses in the middle of the sentence; in the Greek the clause about the sword stands just before "that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed," so the two lines belong together. The word for sword means a large broad blade, not a small dagger.

36There was also a prophet named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. She was very old. She had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,

36And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

NoteA prophetess is a woman who speaks messages from God, a recognized role in Israel. "Aser" is the KJV spelling of Asher, one of the twelve tribes, settled in the far north. "From her virginity" means from when she was first married as a young unmarried woman.

37and then had been a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but served God with fasting and prayer, night and day.

37And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

Note"Fourscore" is eighty; a score is twenty. The Greek can mean either that she was eighty-four years old or that she had been a widow for eighty-four years. "Fastings" means going without food for set periods as a religious practice.

38Coming up at that very moment, she also gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to everyone who was waiting for Jerusalem to be set free.

38And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Note"Redemption" is a commercial word meaning buying back or ransoming, the term used for freeing a slave or a prisoner by payment. Applied to Jerusalem it means the liberation of the city and nation.

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

39And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

40The child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God's favor was on him.

40And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Note"Waxed strong" means grew strong; "wax" is the old opposite of "wane." The words "in spirit" are absent from the earliest manuscripts. "Grace" here means favor or kindness shown by God.

41Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.

41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.

NotePassover was the yearly festival remembering Israel's escape from slavery in Egypt. It was one of three festivals at which Jewish men were expected to travel to Jerusalem, and it ran into the week-long feast of Unleavened Bread.

42When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem as the custom of the festival required.

42And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

NoteTwelve was near the age at which a Jewish boy began to be held responsible for keeping the law himself; the formal coming-of-age ceremony known later as bar mitzvah did not yet exist.

43When the days of the festival were over and they were heading home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother did not know it.

43And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.

Note"When they had fulfilled the days" means once the festival days, normally about a week, were over. "Tarried behind" means stayed behind.

44Thinking he was somewhere in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

44But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

Note"The company" is the caravan. Whole villages traveled to and from Jerusalem together for safety, so a child could easily be assumed to be somewhere else in the group. "Kinsfolk" means relatives; "acquaintance" means the people they knew.

45When they could not find him, they turned around and went back to Jerusalem to search for him.

45And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

46And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

Note"Doctors" here means teachers, the scholars who taught and interpreted the law; it has nothing to do with medicine. "After three days" most likely counts from their leaving Jerusalem: a day out, a day back, and the day they found him.

47Everyone who heard him was amazed at how much he understood and at the answers he gave.

47And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

48When his parents saw him, they were stunned. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been searching for you and worrying."

48And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know that I had to be about my Father's business?"

49And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

Note"Wist ye not" means did you not know; "wist" is the past tense of an old English verb for knowing. The Greek says literally "in the ... of my Father," leaving the noun out, so it can mean either "in my Father's house" or "busy with my Father's affairs." The KJV takes the second; both readings are possible.

50But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

50And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

51He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and he obeyed them. His mother held on to all these things in her heart.

51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

Note"Was subject unto them" means he placed himself under their authority and obeyed them.

52And Jesus kept growing in wisdom and in size, and in favor with God and with people.

52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Note"Stature" means bodily height, though the Greek word can also mean length of life, that is, age. "Favour" means good regard and standing.