Luke 2 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

1. Jesus is born in the city of Bethlehem ([2:1–20](../02/01.md))2. Joseph and Mary dedicate Jesus, and Simeon and Anna speak about him ([2:21–40](../02/21.md))3. Jesus goes to Jerusalem with his parents for Passover ([2:41–52](../02/41.md))Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. ULT does this with the poetry in the song of the angels about Jesus’ birth in [2:14](../02/14.md) and in Simeon’s song about Jesus in [2:29–32](../02/29.md).

Textual Issues in This Chapter

“his father and mother”

In [2:33](../02/33.md), the most accurate ancient manuscripts read “his father and mother.” ULT follows that reading. Some other ancient manuscripts read “Joseph and his mother.” That reading indicates that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, since Mary conceived him as a virgin. However, Joseph was the adoptive father of Jesus, and so the reading “his father and mother” is not incorrect. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it has. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading in ULT. (See: translate-textvariants)