Luke 2

The TorahRooted Bible (TRB), translated directly from the Hebrew and Greek.

The birth of Yeshua

¹ And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³ So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. ⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Miriam, his betrothed wife, who was with child. ⁶ And it came to pass, while they were there, that the days were completed for her to give birth. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the guest room.

The shepherds and the angels

⁸ Now there were shepherds in the same country living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And see, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for see, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising Elohim and saying: ¹⁴ "Glory to Elohim in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." ¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Miriam and Joseph, and the Baby lying in the manger. ¹⁷ Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Miriam kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising Elohim for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Yeshua presented in the temple

²¹ And when eight days were completed for His circumcision, His name was called Yeshua, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. ²² Now when the days of their purification according to the Torah of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, ²³ as it is written in the Torah of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord," ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Torah of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

²⁵ And see, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. ²⁷ So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Yeshua, to do for Him according to the custom of the Torah, ²⁸ he took Him up in his arms and blessed Elohim and said: ²⁹ "Now, Master, You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen Your salvation, ³¹ which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, ³² a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of Your people Israel."

³³ And Joseph and His mother marveled at the things which were spoken about Him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Miriam His mother, "See, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against, ³⁵ and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

³⁶ Now there was Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, ³⁷ and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served with fastings and prayers night and day. ³⁸ And coming in that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who were waiting for redemption in Jerusalem.

³⁹ So when they had completed all things according to the Torah of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of Elohim was upon Him.

The boy Yeshua in the temple

⁴¹ His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. ⁴³ When they had finished the days, as they returned, the boy Yeshua lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴ but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. ⁴⁶ And it came to pass after three days that they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and His answers. ⁴⁸ So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? See, Your father and I have been searching for You anxiously." ⁴⁹ And He said to them, "Why is it that you were seeking Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father's house?" ⁵⁰ But they did not understand the saying which He spoke to them.

⁵¹ Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them; but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart. ⁵² And Yeshua increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with Elohim and men.

Notes

• 2:2 Caesar Augustus ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BC to AD 14. Quirinius is known to have governed Syria from AD 6, when he carried out a census of Judea that Josephus describes, which seems later than a birth "in the days of Herod" (1:5; Matthew 2:1). Scholars propose several solutions, such as an earlier enrollment while Quirinius held another office, or reading "first" as "before" ("this census took place before Quirinius governed Syria"); the question remains open.
• 2:7 "Firstborn" (prōtotokos) prepares for the Torah's law of the firstborn in verses 22-23. A manger is a feeding trough for animals. The word for the place where there was no room, kataluma, is the word Luke uses again for the guest room in which Yeshua asked to eat the Passover with His disciples (22:11), so many think that a relatives' house in Bethlehem had no room left in its guest room and the Child was laid where the animals were kept, often in the lower part of the same house; the familiar "inn" is also possible.
• 2:14 The TRB follows the Majority Text, "on earth peace, goodwill toward men" (eudokia). Many modern Bibles follow early manuscripts that read eudokias, "peace among men with whom He is pleased" or "among people of goodwill." Either way the peace announced comes from the favor of Elohim, the shalom the prophets promised with the coming Son of David (Isaiah 9:6-7).
• 2:23 Two laws of the Torah stand behind verses 22-24. After a birth the mother waited forty days for a son, and then brought her offerings to the priest (Leviticus 12:2-6); a family who could not afford a lamb brought "two turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Leviticus 12:8), as Joseph and Miriam did. And every firstborn son belonged to Yahweh (Exodus 13:2, 12) and was redeemed for five shekels of silver (Numbers 18:15-16). Verse 23 sums up Exodus 13 in its own words; here "the Lord" stands for the name Yahweh in the Hebrew text quoted (Exodus 13:12 says "to Yahweh"), and the TRB writes "the Lord" where the New Testament does.
• 2:42 The Torah calls every man to appear before Yahweh three times a year, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16), and in the first century whole families went up together in large caravans of relatives and neighbors, which explains how Yeshua's parents could travel a day before missing Him (verse 44). Later Jewish tradition set thirteen as the age at which a boy takes on the commandments (Mishnah Avot 5:21, written down about AD 200); at twelve Yeshua was close to that age.
• 2:49 These are Yeshua's first recorded words. The Greek says literally "in the things of My Father," which can mean "in My Father's house," the temple, or "about My Father's business"; the TRB follows the first, since His parents had been searching for where He was. Miriam had said "Your father and I" (verse 48), and Yeshua answers by speaking of His Father in heaven. In verses 33 and 43 the TRB follows the Majority Text, "Joseph and His mother"; many modern Bibles follow manuscripts that read "His father and mother" and "His parents."

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