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The Blue Letter Bible

Luke 2 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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The Birth of Jesus
(Mat 1:18–25 )

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:1

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:1 - At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:2

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:2 - (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:3

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:3 - All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:4

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:4 - And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:5

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:5 - He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:6

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:6 - And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:7

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:7 - She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
The Shepherds and Angels

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:8

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:8 - That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:9

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:9 - Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:10

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:10 - but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:11

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:11 - The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:12

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:12 - And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:13

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:13 - Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:14

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:14 - “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:15

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:15 - When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:16

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:16 - They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:17

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:17 - After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:18

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:18 - All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:19

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:19 - but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:20

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:20 - The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:21

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:21 - Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:22

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:22 - Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:23

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:23 - The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the LORD.”[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:24

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:24 - So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”[fn]
The Prophecy of Simeon

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:25

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:25 - At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:26

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:26 - and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:27

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:27 - That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:28

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:28 - Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:29

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:29 - “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:30

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:30 - I have seen your salvation,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:31

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:31 - which you have prepared for all people.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:32

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:32 - He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:33

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:33 - Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:34

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:34 - Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:35

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:35 - As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
The Prophecy of Anna

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:36

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:36 - Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:37

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:37 - Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four.[fn] She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:38

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:38 - She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:39

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:39 - When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:40

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:40 - There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.
Jesus Speaks with the Teachers

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:41

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:41 - Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:42

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:42 - When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:43

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:43 - After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first,

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:44

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:44 - because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:45

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:45 - When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:46

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:46 - Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:47

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:47 - All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:48

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:48 - His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:49

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:49 - “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”[fn]

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:50

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:50 - But they didn’t understand what he meant.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:51

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:51 - Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

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Unchecked Copy Box Luk 2:52

Unchecked Copy BoxLuk 2:52 - Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Exod 13:2.
Lev 12:8.
Or She had been a widow for eighty-four years.
Or “Didn’t you realize that I should be involved with my Father’s affairs?”
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Luke Chapter 2 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Morphological Greek New Testament Textus Receptus Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras