Luke 2-5

1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire.

2This was the first census to take place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.

5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child.

6While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born.

7And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

9Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

11Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!

12And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:

14“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger.

17After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him.

18And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.

21When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.

22And when the time of purification according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”),

24and to offer the sacrifice specified in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary under the Law,

28Simeon took Him in his arms and blessed God, saying:

29“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.

30For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

31which You have prepared in the sight of all people,

32a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”

33The Child’s father and mother were amazed at what was spoken about Him.

34Then Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary: “Behold, this Child is appointed to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,

35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed— and a sword will pierce your soul as well.”

36There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years,

37and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

38Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

39When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

40And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.

41Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.

42And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the Feast.

43When those days were over and they were returning home, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware He had stayed.

44Assuming He was in their company, they traveled on for a day before they began to look for Him among their relatives and friends.

45When they could not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him.

46Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

47And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers.

48When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. “Child, why have You done this to us?” His mother asked. “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.”

49“Why were you looking for Me?” He asked. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

50But they did not understand the statement He was making to them.

51Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

3He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

4as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.

5Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth.

6And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’”

7Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

9The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”

11John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”

12Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13“Collect no more than you are authorized,” he answered.

14Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” “Do not take money by force or false accusation,” he said. “Be content with your wages.”

15The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ.

16John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

17His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

18With these and many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.

19But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done,

20Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened,

22and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

23Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

24the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,

26the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,

27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

29the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

30the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

31the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

32the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,

33the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,

36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,

38the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

1Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.

3The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

6“I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,” he said. “For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.

7So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.”

8But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

9Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.

10For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You carefully,

11and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

12But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.

15He taught in their synagogues and was glorified by everyone.

16Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,

17the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:

18“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,

19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,

21and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

22All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

23Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”

24Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

25But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.

26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.

27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

28On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.

29They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.

30But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.

31Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.

32They were astonished at His teaching, because His message had authority.

33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice,

34“Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

35But Jesus rebuked the demon. “Be silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without harming him.

36All the people were overcome with amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”

37And the news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding region.

38After Jesus had left the synagogue, He went to the home of Simon, whose mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever. So they appealed to Jesus on her behalf,

39and He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and began to serve them.

40At sunset, all who were ill with various diseases were brought to Jesus, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them.

41Demons also came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Christ.

42At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place, and the crowds were looking for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving.

43But Jesus told them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because that is why I was sent.”

44And He continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.

1On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

2He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

3Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

4When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

5“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear.

7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”

9For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,

10and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”

11And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.

12While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

13Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

14“Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him. “But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

15But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

16Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

17One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.

18Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus,

19but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

20When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

22Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

23Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

24But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

25And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.

26Everyone was taken with amazement and glorified God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him,

28and Levi got up, left everything, and followed Him.

29Then Levi hosted a great banquet for Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there, along with others who were eating with them.

30But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

31Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

33Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”

34Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?

35But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

36He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will tear the new garment as well, and the patch from the new will not match the old.

37And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined.

38Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.

39And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”