The Life of Jesus

When the time came for their purification according to the Torah of Moshe, they took him up to Yerushalayim to present him to ADONAI

(as it is written in the Torah of ADONAI, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to ADONAI")

and also to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons,h as required by the Torah of ADONAI.

There was in Yerushalayim a man named Shim`on. This man was a tzaddik, he was devout, he waited eagerly for God to comfort Isra'el, and the Ruach HaKodesh was upon him.

It had been revealed to him by the Ruach HaKodesh that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah of ADONAI.

Prompted by the Spirit, he went into the Temple courts; and when the parents brought in the child Yeshua to do for him what the Torah required,

Shim`on took him in his arms, made a b'rakhah to God, and said,

"Now, ADONAI, according to your word, your servant is at peace as you let him go;

for I have seen with my own eyes your yeshu`ah,

which you prepared in the presence of all peoples --

a light that will bring revelation to the Goyim and glory to your people Isra'el."

Yeshua's father and mother were marvelling at the things Shim`on was saying about him.

Shim`on blessed them and said to the child's mother, Miryam, "This child will cause many in Isra'el to fall and to rise, he will become a sign whom people will speak against;

moreover, a sword will pierce your own heart too. All this will happen in order to reveal many people's inmost thoughts."

There was also a prophet named Hannah Bat-P'nu'el, of the tribe of Asher. She was a very old woman -- she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage

and had remained a widow ever since; now she was eighty-four. She never left the Temple grounds but worshipped there night and day, fasting and praying.

She came by at that moment and began thanking God and speaking about the child to everyone who was waiting for Yerushalayim to be liberated.

When Yosef and Miryam had finished doing everything required by the Torah of ADONAI, they returned to the Galil, to their town Natzeret.

The child grew and became strong and filled with wisdom -- God's favor was upon him.

Every year Yeshua's parents went to Yerushalayim for the festival of Pesach.

When he was twelve years old, they went up for the festival, as custom required.

But after the festival was over, when his parents returned, Yeshua remained in Yerushalayim. They didn't realize this;

supposing that he was somewhere in the caravan, they spent a whole day on the road before they began searching for him among their relatives and friends.

Failing to find him, they returned to Yerushalayim to look for him.

On the third day they found him -- he was sitting in the Temple court among the rabbis, not only listening to them but questioning what they said;