2:1 - At that point, Caesar Augustus decreed that taxes be levied on everyone.
2:2 - (The governor of Syria was Cyrenius who first made this taxing happen.
2:3 - And everyone had to go to his home city to be taxed.
2:4 - And Joseph left Galilee, traveling from Nazareth into Judaea until he reached Bethlehem, the city of David. This was because David was an ancestor of Joseph.
2:5 - To register with Mary, the woman he was engaged to marry, who was pregnant.
2:6 - And while they were there, the time came when she was ready to have her baby.
2:7 - She brought forward the first son she had, covered and wrapped him in old cloths, laid him down in a manger; because there wasn’t any space for them in the inn.
2:8 - And in the same area there were shepherds working in the field, keeping an eye on their flock at night.
2:9 - God’s angel appeared and God’s glory was visible everywhere. Seeing the angel and God’s glory made the shepherds feel very afraid.
2:10 - The angel spoke to them and told them not to be afraid for he was there not to instill fear but to tell them that a savior had been born who was meant for all people.
2:11 - Through you, will born the Christ our Lord, in the city of David a savior.
2:12 - This will be the sign; you’ll find a newborn baby, swaddled, lying in a manger.
2:13 - And all of a sudden came an angel with a huge throng of the heaving beings giving praise to God and stating,
2:14 - Give praise to God and be nice to each other so that ther will be peace on earth.
2:15 - As the angels disappeared into the heavens, the shepherds told each other, We should go immediately to Bethlehem to see this event that the Lord has shown us.
2:16 - And they arrived quickly to find Mary and Joseph with the baby lying in a manger.
2:17 - After they’d seen it, they spread the word that they’d heard about this kid.
2:18 - Everyone who heard it wondered about what the shepherds had told them.
2:19 - Mary remembered all these things and gave them serious consideration.
2:20 - And the shepherds returned, praising Glory to God for all they had heard and seen, and related what they had learned as it was told to them.
2:21 - After the eight days had passed and the child could be circumcised, he was given the name Jesus, which was chosen for him by the angel before his conception.
2:22 - When her days of purification were over (completed according to traditional law), they took him to Jerusalem, to show him to God;
2:23 - According to the Laws made by the Lord, Each male that comes from the mother’s womb, will be known as holy to the Lord.
2:24 - The Lord says to offer a sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
2:25 - There was a man named Simeon in Jerusalem; this man was righteous and deeply religious, waiting for Israel to be consoled: and the Holy Spirit was in him.
2:26 - So the Holy Ghost said to him that you will not see death until you have seen the Lord’s Christ
2:27 - The Holy Spirit led him into the temple: when his mom and dad brought in Jesus, as was customary under the law,
2:28 - In his arms he took him, God blessed, then said,
2:29 - Master, please let me leave peacefully, as you have promised:
2:30 - For I have seen you come to my rescue,
2:31 - That you’ve already prepared in front of this crowd;
2:32 - This is a light to shine on all Gentiles, with the glory of the people of Israel.
2:33 - Joseph and his mother were incredulous when they heard what was being said about him.
2:34 - Simeon gave them his blessing and told his mother Mary, They will speak against him, for he is a sign of the coming turbulence in Israel.
2:35 - And a sword will pierce your heart, such that the thoughts of many will be revealed.
2:36 - There was a female prophet named Anna who was the daughter of Phanuel and from the Aser tribe: She was an old woman and had lived with her husband since she was young.
2:37 - She was a widow who was about 84 years old, who never left the temple, but instead prayed and fasted before God night and day.
2:38 - At that moment, she expressed her thanks to God, and talked to Him about everyone in Jerusalem who needed saving.
2:39 - When they finished preparing everything according to the Lord’s laws, they went back to their own city Nazareth, in Galilee.
2:40 - The child aged and grew stronger and smarter and moved with blessing from above.
2:41 - His parents traveled to Jerusalem every year during the passover feast.
2:42 - The year he turned twelve, they took him up to Jerusalem, which was the usual tradition.
2:43 - The time had come to return and Joseph and his mother began their journey, but Jesus, despite his youth, lingered without their knowing in Jerusalem.
2:44 - But they, assuming he was with them, journeyed for a day; and they looked for him among their family and the people they knew.
2:45 - When he wasn’t there, they went back to Jerusalem to find him.
2:46 - Three days later he was discovered sitting in the temple amid the doctors to whom he was asking questions as well as listening to their answers.
2:47 - Everyone who heard him was amazed by his knowledge.
2:48 - When the parents caught sight of him, they stopped in amazement: his mother asked, Son, why would you do this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you and crying.
2:49 - He asked them, Why were you looking for me? Why didn’t you assume I would be carrying out my Father’s work?
2:50 - They did not understand what he said to them.
2:51 - He left with them when they went to Nazareth, and he obeyed them. His mother did not tell him her secrets.
2:52 - Jesus’ wisdom grew, and he was looked upon favorably by God and man.
