Luke 2:22–52

²²And when ^othe days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, ^pthey brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ^qEvery male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, ^rA pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

²⁵And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and ^sdevout, ^twaiting for the ^uconsolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. ²⁶And it was ^xrevealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not ^ysee death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷And he came ^zby the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, ^ato do for him after the custom of the law, ²⁸then took he him up in his arms, and ^bblessed God, and said,

^29cLord, now ^dlettest thou thy servant depart

In peace, ^eaccording to thy word:

³⁰For mine eyes ^fhave seen thy salvation,

^31gWhich thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

^32hA light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory ⁱof thy people Israel.

³³And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. ³⁴And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child ^kis set for the ^lfall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign ^mwhich shall be spoken against; ³⁵(yea, a ⁿsword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that ^othe thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

³⁶And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of ^pAser: she ^qwas of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; ³⁷and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but ^sserved God with ^rfastings and ^rprayers ^snight and day. ³⁸And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that ^tlooked for ^uredemption in Jerusalem. ³⁹And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into ^wGalilee, to ^xtheir own city Nazareth. ^40yAnd the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

⁴¹Now his parents went to Jerusalem ^zevery year ^aat the feast of the passover. ⁴²And when he was twelve years old, ^bthey went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. ⁴³And when they had fulfilled ^cthe days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. ⁴⁴But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him ^damong their kinsfolk and ^ddacquaintance. ⁴⁵And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. ⁴⁶And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, ^esitting in the midst of the ^fdoctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And ^gall that heard him ^hwere astonished at his ⁱunderstanding and answers. ⁴⁸And when they saw him, they were ^gamazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, ^kthy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. ⁴⁹And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about ^kmy Father’s business? ⁵⁰And ^lthey understood not the saying which he spake unto them. ⁵¹And he went down with them, and came to ^mNazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother ⁿkept all these sayings in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus ^oincreased in wisdom and ^pstature, and ^qin favour with God and man.

III.