The Family Line of Jesus Christ

1 This is the list of ancestors of Jesus Christ, descendant of David and Abraham.

¹² After the exile to Babylon,

¹⁷ So there were

The Virgin Birth of Jesus

¹⁸ The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: His mother Mary had been promised to Joseph in marriage. But before they were married, Mary realized that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Her husband Joseph was an honorable man and did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break the marriage agreement with her secretly.

²⁰ Joseph had this in mind when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus [He Saves], because he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this happened so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: ²³ “The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him to do. He took Mary to be his wife. ²⁵ He did not have marital relations with her before she gave birth to a son. Joseph named the child Jesus.

The Wise Men Visit

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea when Herod was king. After Jesus’ birth wise men ^[a] from the east arrived in Jerusalem. ² They asked, “Where is the one who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star rising and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod and all Jerusalem heard about this, they became disturbed. ⁴ He called together all the chief priests and the experts in the Scriptures and tried to find out from them where the Messiah was supposed to be born.

⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet wrote about this:

⁷ Then Herod secretly called the wise men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. ⁸ As he sent them to Bethlehem, he said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you have found him, report to me so that I may go and worship him too.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they started out. The star they had seen rising led them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ They were overwhelmed with joy to see the star. ¹¹ When they entered the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary. So they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.^[b]

¹² God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they left for their country by another road.

The Escape to Egypt

¹³ After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel said to him, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him.”

¹⁴ Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left for Egypt that night. ¹⁵ He stayed there until Herod died. What the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: “I have called my son out of Egypt.”

¹⁶ When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he became furious. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys two years old and younger in or near Bethlehem. This matched the exact time he had learned from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah came true:

From Egypt to Nazareth

¹⁹ After Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. ²⁰ The angel said to him, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to Israel. Those who tried to kill the child are dead.”

²¹ Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, Joseph was afraid to go there. Warned in a dream, he left for Galilee ²³ and made his home in a city called Nazareth. So what the prophets had said came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Luke Writes to Theophilus

1 Many have attempted to write about what had taken place among us. ² They received their information from those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of God’s word from the beginning, and they passed it on to us. ³ I, too, have followed everything closely from the beginning. So I thought it would be a good idea to write an orderly account for Your Excellency, Theophilus. ⁴ In this way you will know that what you’ve been told is true.

The Angel Gabriel Appears to Zechariah

⁵ When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the division of priests named after Abijah. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. ⁶ Zechariah and Elizabeth had God’s approval. They followed all the Lord’s commands and regulations perfectly. ⁷ Yet, they never had any children because Elizabeth couldn’t become pregnant. Both of them were too old to have children.

⁸ Zechariah was on duty with his division of priests. As he served in God’s presence, ⁹ he was chosen by priestly custom to go into the Lord’s temple to burn incense. ¹⁰ All the people were praying outside while he was burning incense.

¹¹ Then, to the right of the incense altar, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. ¹² Zechariah was troubled and overcome with fear.

¹³ The angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you will name him John. ¹⁴ He will be your pride and joy, and many people will be glad that he was born. ¹⁵ As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring many people in Israel back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will go ahead of the Lord with the spirit and power that Elijah had. He will change parents’ attitudes toward their children. He will change disobedient people so that they will accept the wisdom of those who have God’s approval. In this way he will prepare the people for their Lord.”

¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “What proof is there for this? I’m an old man, and my wife is beyond her childbearing years.”

¹⁹ The angel answered him, “I’m Gabriel! I stand in God’s presence. God sent me to tell you this good news. ²⁰ But because you didn’t believe what I said, you will be unable to talk until the day this happens. Everything will come true at the right time.”

²¹ Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were amazed that he was staying in the temple so long. ²² When he did come out, he was unable to speak to them. So they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. He motioned to them but remained unable to talk.

²³ When the days of his service were over, he went home. ²⁴ Later, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and didn’t go out in public for five months. She said, ²⁵ “The Lord has done this for me now. He has removed my public disgrace.”

The Angel Gabriel Comes to Mary

²⁶ Six months after Elizabeth had become pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee. ²⁷ The angel went to a virgin promised in marriage to a descendant of David named Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸ When the angel entered her home, he greeted her and said, “You are favored by the Lord! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ She was startled by what the angel said and tried to figure out what this greeting meant.

³⁰ The angel told her,

³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “How can this be? I’m a virgin.”

³⁵ The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy child developing inside you will be called the Son of God.

³⁶ “Elizabeth, your relative, is six months pregnant with a son in her old age. People said she couldn’t have a child. ³⁷ But nothing is impossible for God.”

³⁸ Mary answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me.”

Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ Soon afterward, Mary hurried to a city in the mountain region of Judah. ⁴⁰ She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard the greeting, she felt the baby kick. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² She said in a loud voice, “You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child that you will have. ⁴³ I feel blessed that the mother of my Lord is visiting me. ⁴⁴ As soon as I heard your greeting, I felt the baby jump for joy. ⁴⁵ You are blessed for believing that the Lord would keep his promise to you.”

Mary Praises God

⁴⁶ Mary said,

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.

John Is Born

⁵⁷ When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her, and they shared her joy.

⁵⁹ When the child was eight days old, they went ⌞to the temple⌟ to circumcise him. They were going to name him Zechariah after his father. ⁶⁰ But his mother spoke up, “Absolutely not! His name will be John.”

⁶¹ Their friends said to her, “But you don’t have any relatives with that name.”

⁶² So they motioned to the baby’s father to see what he wanted to name the child. ⁶³ Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was amazed.

⁶⁴ Suddenly, Zechariah was able to speak, and he began to praise God.

⁶⁵ All their neighbors were filled with awe. Throughout the mountain region of Judea, people talked about everything that had happened. ⁶⁶ Everyone who heard about it seriously thought it over and asked, “What does the future hold for this child?” It was clear that the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

⁸⁰ The child John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared to the people of Israel.

Jesus Is Born

2 At that time the Emperor Augustus ordered a census of the Roman Empire. ² This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ All the people went to register in the cities where their ancestors had lived.

⁴ So Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem. Joseph, a descendant of King David, went to Bethlehem because David had been born there. ⁵ Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant.

⁶ While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child. ⁷ She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there wasn’t any room for them in the inn.

Angels Announce the Birth of Jesus

⁸ Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. ⁹ An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. ¹¹ Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city. ¹² This is how you will recognize him: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, a large army of angels appeared with the angel. They were praising God by saying,

¹⁵ The angels left them and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. ¹⁷ When they saw the child, they repeated what they had been told about him. ¹⁸ Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was amazed.

¹⁹ Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them.

²⁰ As the shepherds returned to their flock, they glorified and praised God for everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel had told them.

Jesus’ Parents Obey Moses’ Teachings

²¹ Eight days after his birth, the child was circumcised and named Jesus. This was the name the angel had given him before his mother became pregnant.

²² After the days required by Moses’ Teachings to make a mother clean ^[c] had passed, Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem. They took Jesus to present him to the Lord. ²³ They did exactly what was written in the Lord’s Teachings: “Every firstborn boy is to be set apart as holy to the Lord.” ²⁴ They also offered a sacrifice as required by the Lord’s Teachings: “a pair of mourning doves or two young pigeons.”

Simeon’s Prophecy

²⁵ A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He lived an honorable and devout life. He was waiting for the one who would comfort Israel. The Holy Spirit was with Simeon ²⁶ and had told him that he wouldn’t die until he had seen the Messiah, whom the Lord would send.

²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, Simeon went into the temple courtyard. Mary and Joseph were bringing the child Jesus into the courtyard at the same time. They brought him so that they could do for him what Moses’ Teachings required. ²⁸ Then Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God by saying,

³³ Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “This child is the reason that many people in Israel will be condemned and many others will be saved. He will be a sign that will expose ³⁵ the thoughts of those who reject him. And a sword will pierce your heart.”

Anna’s Prophecy

³⁶ Anna, a prophet, was also there. She was a descendant of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was now very old. Her husband had died seven years after they were married, ³⁷ and she had been a widow for 84 years. Anna never left the temple courtyard but worshiped day and night by fasting and praying. ³⁸ At that moment she came up to Mary and Joseph and began to thank God. She spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for Jerusalem to be set free.

³⁹ After doing everything the Lord’s Teachings required, Joseph and Mary returned to their hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. ⁴⁰ The child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor ^[d] was with him.

Mary and Joseph Find Jesus with the Teachers in the Temple Courtyard

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents would go to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. ⁴² When he was 12 years old, they went as usual.

⁴³ When the festival was over, they left for home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it. ⁴⁴ They thought that he was with the others who were traveling with them. After traveling for a day, they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

⁴⁶ Three days later, they found him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ His understanding and his answers stunned everyone who heard him.

⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!”

⁴⁹ Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you realize that I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they didn’t understand what he meant.

⁵¹ Then he returned with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them.

His mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵² Jesus grew in wisdom and maturity. He gained favor from God and people.