1 En in daardie dae het daar 'n bevel uitgegaan van keiser Augustus dat die hele wêreld ingeskryf moes word.
2 Hierdie eerste inskrywing het plaasgevind toe Cir,nius goewerneur van S¡rië was.
3 En almal het gegaan om ingeskryf te word, elkeen na sy eie stad.
4 En Josef het ook opgegaan van Galil,a, uit die stad N saret, na Jud,a, na die stad van Dawid, wat Betlehem genoem word, omdat hy uit die huis en geslag van Dawid was,
5 om hom te laat inskrywe saam met Maria, die vrou aan wie hy hom verloof het, wat swanger was.
6 En terwyl hulle daar was, is die dae vervul dat sy moes baar;
7 en sy het haar eersgebore Seun gebaar en Hom toegedraai in doeke en Hom in die krip neergelê, omdat daar vir hulle geen plek in die herberg was nie.
8 En daar was herders in dieselfde landstreek, wat in die oop veld gebly en in die nag oor hulle skape wag gehou het.
9 En meteens staan daar 'n engel van die Here by hulle, en die heerlikheid van die Here het rondom hulle geskyn en groot vrees het hulle oorweldig.
10 En die engel sê vir hulle: Moenie vrees nie, want kyk, ek bring julle 'n goeie tyding van groot blydskap wat vir die hele volk sal wees,
11 dat vir julle vandag in die stad van Dawid gebore is die Saligmaker wat Christus, die Here, is.
12 En dit is vir julle die teken: julle sal 'n Kindjie vind wat in doeke toegedraai is en wat in die krip lê.
13 En skielik was daar saam met die engel 'n menigte van die hemelse leërskare wat God prys en sê:
14 Eer aan God in die hoogste hemele en vrede op aarde, in die mense 'n welbehae!
15 En toe die engele van hulle weggegaan het na die hemel, sê die herders vir mekaar: Laat ons dan na Betlehem gaan en hierdie ding sien wat gebeur het, wat die Here aan ons bekend gemaak het.
16 En hulle het met haas gegaan en Maria en Josef gevind en die kindjie wat in die krip lê.
17 En toe hulle dit gesien het, het hulle oral die woord bekend gemaak wat aan hulle van die Kindjie vertel is.
18 En almal wat dit gehoor het, was verwonderd oor wat deur die herders aan hulle vertel is;
19 maar Maria het al hierdie woorde bewaar en in haar hart oordink.
20 En die herders het teruggegaan en God verheerlik en geprys oor alles wat hulle gehoor en gesien het, net soos aan hulle gesê is.
21 En toe agt dae vervul was, dat hulle die Kindjie sou besny, het hulle Hom Jesus genoem, die naam wat deur die engel gegee is voor sy ontvangenis in die moederskoot.
22 En nadat die dae van haar reiniging volgens die wet van Moses vervul was, het hulle Hom na Jerusalem gebring om Hom aan die Here voor te stel,
23 soos geskrywe is in die wet van die Here: Elke manlike kind wat die moederskoot open, sal heilig vir die Here genoem word;
24 en om die offer te gee volgens wat gesê is in die wet van die Here: 'n paar tortelduiwe of twee jong duiwe.
25 En daar was 'n man in Jerusalem met die naam van S¡meon; en hierdie man was regverdig en vroom en het die vertroosting van Israel verwag, en die Heilige Gees was op hom.
26 En aan hom was dit deur die Heilige Gees geopenbaar dat hy die dood nie sou sien voordat hy die Christus van die Here gesien het nie.
27 En hy het deur die Gees in die tempel gekom; en toe die ouers die Kindjie Jesus inbring om met Hom te handel volgens die gebruik van die wet,
28 het hy Hom in sy arms geneem en God geloof en gesê:
29 Nou laat U, Here, u dienskneg gaan in vrede volgens u woord,
30 omdat my oë u heil gesien het,
31 wat U berei het voor die oë van al die volke --
32 'n lig tot verligting van die nasies en tot heerlikheid van u volk Israel.
33 En Josef en sy moeder het hulle verwonder oor die dinge wat van Hom gesê is.
34 En S¡meon het hulle geseënen aan Maria, sy moeder, gesê: Kyk, hierdie Kind is bestemd tot 'n val en 'n opstanding van baie in Israel en tot 'n teken wat weerspreek sal word --
35 ja, 'n swaard sal deur jou eie siel gaan -- sodat die gedagtes uit baie harte openbaar kan word.
36 En daar was Anna, 'n profetes, die dogter van F nuel, uit die stam van Aser. Sy was op baie ver gevorderde leeftyd en het van haar maagdom af sewe jaar lank met haar man saamgelewe;
37 en sy was 'n weduwee van omtrent vier en tagtig jaar. Sy het nie weggebly van die tempel nie, en met vaste en gebede God gedien, nag en dag.
38 En sy het in dieselfde uur daar gekom en die Here geprys en van Hom gespreek met almal in Jerusalem wat die verlossing verwag het.
39 En toe hulle alles volbring het wat volgens die wet van die Here was, het hulle teruggegaan na Galil,a, na hulle stad N saret.
40 En die Kindjie het gegroei en sterk geword in die Gees en vol van wysheid. En die genade van God was op Hom.
41 En sy ouers was gewoond om elke jaar met die paasfees na Jerusalem te gaan.
42 En toe Hy twaalf jaar oud was, het hulle, volgens die gebruik van die fees, na Jerusalem opgegaan.
43 En nadat die feesdae vir hulle verby was, en terwyl hulle teruggaan, het die Kind Jesus in Jerusalem agtergebly; en Josef en sy moeder het dit nie geweet nie.
44 Maar omdat hulle gedink het dat Hy by die reisgeselskap was, het hulle 'n dagreis ver gegaan en Hom onder die familie en onder die bekendes gesoek.
45 En toe hulle Hom nie vind nie, het hulle teruggegaan na Jerusalem en Hom gesoek.
46 En n drie dae het hulle Hom in die tempel gevind, terwyl Hy in die midde van die leraars sit en na hulle luister en hulle uitvra.
47 En almal wat Hom gehoor het, was verbaas oor sy verstand en sy antwoorde.
48 En toe hulle Hom sien, was hulle verslae. En sy moeder sê vir Hom: Kind, waarom het jy so met ons gemaak? Kyk, jou vader en ek het jou met angs gesoek.
49 En Hy sê vir hulle: Waarom het u My gesoek? Het u nie geweet dat Ek in die dinge van my Vader moet wees nie?
50 En hulle het die woord wat Hy aan hulle gesê het, nie verstaan nie.
51 En Hy het saam met hulle gegaan en in N saret gekom, en Hy was hulle onderdanig. En sy moeder het al hierdie dinge in haar hart bewaar.
52 En Jesus het toegeneem in wysheid en grootte en in genade by God en die mense.
1 Now it came about in those days that an order went out from Caesar Augustus that there was to be a numbering of all the world.
2 This was the first numbering, which was made when Quirinius was ruler of Syria.
3 And all men went to be numbered, everyone to his town.
4 And Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the town of Nazareth, into Judaea, to Beth-lehem, the town of David, because he was of the house and family of David,
5 To be put on the list with Mary, his future wife, who was about to become a mother.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
7 And she had her first son; and folding him in linen, she put him to rest in the place where the cattle had their food, because there was no room for them in the house.
8 And in the same country there were keepers of sheep in the fields, watching over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord came to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining round about them: and fear came on them.
10 And the angel said, Have no fear; for truly, I give you good news of great joy which will be for all the people:
11 For on this day, in the town of David, a Saviour has come to birth, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this is the sign to you: you will see a young child folded in linen, in the place where the cattle have their food.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a great band of spirits from heaven, giving praise to God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on the earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased.
15 And when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the keepers of the sheep said to one another, Let us go now to Beth-lehem, and see this thing which has come about, which the Lord has made clear to us.
16 And they came quickly, and saw Mary and Joseph, and the child in the place where the cattle had their food.
17 And when they saw it, they gave them an account of the things which had been said to them about the child.
18 And all those to whose ears it came were full of wonder at the things said by the keepers of the sheep.
19 But Mary kept all these words in her heart, and gave much thought to them.
20 Then the keepers of the sheep went back, giving glory and praise to God for all the things which had come to their ears and which they had seen, as it had been said to them.
21 And when, after eight days, the time came for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given to him before his birth.
22 And when the necessary days for making them clean by the law of Moses had come to an end, they took him to Jerusalem to give him to the Lord
23 (As it says in the law of the Lord, Every mother's first male child is to be holy to the Lord),
24 And to make an offering, as it is ordered in the law of the Lord, of two doves or other young birds.
25 And there was then in Jerusalem a man whose name was Simeon; and he was an upright man, fearing God and waiting for the comfort of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was on him.
26 And he had knowledge, through the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And full of the Spirit he came into the Temple; and when the father and mother came in with the child Jesus, to do with him what was ordered by the law,
28 Then he took him in his arms and gave praise to God and said,
29 Now you are letting your servant go in peace, O Lord, as you have said;
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 Which you have made ready before the face of all nations;
32 A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.
33 And his father and mother were full of wonder at the things which were said about him.
34 And Simeon gave them his blessing and said to Mary, his mother, See, this child will be the cause of the downfall and the lifting up of great numbers of people in Israel, and he will be a sign against which hard words will be said;
35 (And a sword will go through your heart;) so that the secret thoughts of men may come to light.
36 And there was one, Anna, a woman prophet, the daughter of Phanuel, of the family of Asher (she was very old, and after seven years of married life
37 She had been a widow for eighty-four years); she was in the Temple at all times, worshipping with prayers and going without food, night and day.
38 And coming up at that time, she gave praise to God, talking of him to all those who were waiting for the freeing of Jerusalem.
39 And when they had done all the things which were ordered by the law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to Nazareth, the town where they were living.
40 And the child became tall and strong and full of wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
41 And every year his father and mother went to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up, as their way was, to the feast;
43 And when the days of the feast came to an end and they were going back, the boy Jesus was still in Jerusalem, but they had no knowledge of it:
44 And in the belief that he was with some of their number, they went a day's journey; and after looking for him among their relations and friends,
45 And seeing that he was not there, they went back to Jerusalem, to make search for him.
46 And after three days they came across him in the Temple, seated among the wise men, giving ear to their words and putting questions to them.
47 And all to whose ears it came were full of wonder at his knowledge and the answers which he gave.
48 And when they saw him they were surprised, and his mother said to him, Son, why have you done this to us? see, your father and I have been looking for you with sorrow.
49 And he said to them, Why were you looking for me? was it not clear to you that my right place was in my Father's house?
50 And his words seemed strange to them.
51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth; and did as he was ordered: and his mother kept all these words in her heart.
52 And Jesus was increasing in wisdom and in years, and in grace before God and men.