Luke 2:8-28

8That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.

9Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,

10but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

11The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

12And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

17After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.

18All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,

19but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

20The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

21Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

22Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

23The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.”

24So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him

26and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

27That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required,

28Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,