1 I n those days Caesar Augustus sent out word that the name of every person in the Roman nation must be written in the books of the nation.

Naqueles dias saiu um decreto da parte de César Augusto, para que todo o mundo fosse recenseado.

2 T his first writing took place while Quirinius was ruler of Syria.

Este primeiro recenseamento foi feito quando Quirínio era governador da Síria.

3 S o all the people went to their own cities to have their names written in the books of the nation.

E todos iam alistar-se, cada um ã sua própria cidade.

4 J oseph went up from the town of Nazareth in the country of Galilee to the town of Bethlehem. It was known as the city of David. He went there because he was from the family of David.

Subiu também José, da Galiléia, da cidade de Nazaré, ã cidade de Davi, chamada Belém, porque era da casa e família de Davi,

5 J oseph went to have his and Mary’s names written in the books of the nation. Mary was his promised wife and soon to become a mother.

a fim de alistar-se com Maria, sua esposa, que estava grávida.

6 W hile they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth to her baby.

Enquanto estavam ali, chegou o tempo em que ela havia de dar ã luz,

7 H er first son was born. She put cloth around Him and laid Him in a place where cattle are fed. There was no room for them in the place where people stay for the night. The Shepherds Learn of the Birth of Jesus

e teve a seu filho primogênito; envolveu-o em faixas e o deitou em uma manjedoura, porque não havia lugar para eles na estalagem.

8 I n the same country there were shepherds in the fields. They were watching their flocks of sheep at night.

Ora, havia naquela mesma região pastores que estavam no campo, e guardavam durante as vigílias da noite o seu rebanho.

9 T he angel of the Lord came to them. The shining-greatness of the Lord shone around them. They were very much afraid.

E um anjo do Senhor apareceu-lhes, e a glória do Senhor os cercou de resplendor; pelo que se encheram de grande temor.

10 T he angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. See! I bring you good news of great joy which is for all people.

O anjo, porém, lhes disse: Não temais, porquanto vos trago novas de grande alegria que o será para todo o povo:

11 T oday, One Who saves from the punishment of sin has been born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.

É que vos nasceu hoje, na cidade de Davi, o Salvador, que é Cristo, o Senhor.

12 T here will be something special for you to see. This is the way you will know Him. You will find the Baby with cloth around Him, lying in a place where cattle are fed.”

E isto vos será por sinal: Achareis um menino envolto em faixas, e deitado em uma manjedoura.

13 A t once many angels from heaven were seen, along with the angel, giving thanks to God. They were saying,

Então, de repente, apareceu junto ao anjo grande multidão da milícia celestial, louvando a Deus e dizendo:

14 “ Greatness and honor to our God in the highest heaven and peace on earth among men who please Him.” The Shepherds Go to Bethlehem

Glória a Deus nas maiores alturas, e paz na terra entre os homens de boa vontade.

15 T he angels went from the shepherds back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see what has happened. The Lord has told us about this.”

E logo que os anjos se retiraram deles para o céu, diziam os pastores uns aos outros: Vamos já até Belém, e vejamos isso que aconteceu e que o Senhor nos deu a conhecer.

16 T hey went fast and found Mary and Joseph. They found the Baby lying in a place where cattle are fed.

Foram, pois, a toda a pressa, e acharam Maria e José, e o menino deitado na manjedoura;

17 W hen they saw the Child, they told what the angel said about Him.

e, vendo-o, divulgaram a palavra que acerca do menino lhes fora dita;

18 A ll who heard it were surprised at what the shepherds told them.

e todos os que a ouviram se admiravam do que os pastores lhes diziam.

19 B ut Mary hid all these words in her heart. She thought about them much.

Maria, porém, guardava todas estas coisas, meditando-as em seu coração.

20 T he shepherds went back full of joy. They thanked God for all they had heard and seen. It happened as the angel had told them. Jesus Taken to the House of God

E voltaram os pastores, glorificando e louvando a Deus por tudo o que tinham ouvido e visto, como lhes fora dito.

21 W hen eight days were over, they did the religious act of becoming a Jew on the Child. He was named Jesus. This name was given to Him by the angel when Mary was told He was to be born.

Quando se completaram os oito dias para ser circuncidado o menino, foi-lhe dado o nome de Jesus, que pelo anjo lhe fora posto antes de ser concebido.

22 W hen the days were over for her to be made pure as it was written in the Law of Moses, they took Jesus to Jerusalem to give Him to the Lord.

Terminados os dias da purificação, segundo a lei de Moisés, levaram-no a Jerusalém, para apresentá-lo ao Senhor

23 I t is written in the Law of the Lord, “The first-born male born of a woman will be called holy to the Lord.”

(conforme está escrito na lei do Senhor: Todo primogênito será consagrado ao Senhor),

24 T hey were to give a gift of two turtle-doves or two young birds on the altar in worship to the Lord. This was written in the Law of the Lord. Simeon’s Song of Thanks

e para oferecerem um sacrifício segundo o disposto na lei do Senhor: um par de rolas, ou dois pombinhos.

25 T here was a man in Jerusalem by the name of Simeon. He was a good man and very religious. He was looking for the time when the Jewish nation would be saved. The Holy Spirit was on him.

Ora, havia em Jerusalém um homem cujo nome era Simeão; e este homem, justo e temente a Deus, esperava a consolação de Israel; e o Espírito Santo estava sobre ele.

26 T he Holy Spirit made it known to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen God’s Chosen One.

E lhe fora revelado pelo Espírito Santo que ele não morreria antes de ver o Cristo do Senhor.

27 H e came to the house of God being led by the Holy Spirit. The parents took Jesus to the house of God. They came to do what the Law said must be done.

Assim pelo Espírito foi ao templo; e quando os pais trouxeram o menino Jesus, para fazerem por ele segundo o costume da lei,

28 T hen Simeon took Jesus in his arms. He gave honor to Him and thanked God, saying,

Simeão o tomou em seus braços, e louvou a Deus, e disse:

29 “ Lord, now let me die in peace, as You have said.

Agora, Senhor, despedes em paz o teu servo, segundo a tua palavra;

30 M y eyes have seen the One Who will save men from the punishment of their sins.

pois os meus olhos já viram a tua salvação,

31 Y ou have made Him ready in the sight of all nations.

a qual tu preparaste ante a face de todos os povos;

32 H e will be a light to shine on the people who are not Jews. He will be the shining-greatness of Your people the Jews.”

luz para revelação aos gentios, e para glória do teu povo Israel.

33 J oseph and the mother of Jesus were surprised and wondered about these words which were said about Jesus.

Enquanto isso, seu pai e sua mãe se admiravam das coisas que deles se diziam.

34 S imeon honored them and said to Mary the mother of Jesus, “See! This Child will make many people fall and many people rise in the Jewish nation. He will be spoken against.

E Simeão os abençoou, e disse a Maria, mãe do menino: Eis que este é posto para queda e para levantamento de muitos em Israel, e para ser alvo de contradição,

35 A sword will cut through your soul. By this the thoughts of many hearts will be understood.” Anna Gives Thanks for Jesus

sim, e uma espada traspassará a tua própria alma, para que se manifestem os pensamentos de muitos corações.

36 A nna was a woman who spoke God’s Word. She was the daughter of Phanuel of the family group of Asher. Anna was many years old. She had lived with her husband seven years after she was married.

Havia também uma profetisa, Ana, filha de Fanuel, da tribo de Aser. Era já avançada em idade, tendo vivido com o marido sete anos desde a sua virgindade;

37 H er husband had died and she had lived without a husband eighty-four years. Yet she did not go away from the house of God. She served God day and night, praying and going without food so she could pray better.

e era viúva, de quase oitenta e quatro anos. Não se afastava do templo, servindo a Deus noite e dia em jejuns e orações.

38 A t that time she came and gave thanks to God. She told the people in Jerusalem about Jesus. They were looking for the One to save them from the punishment of their sins and to set them free. They Return to Nazareth

Chegando ela na mesma hora, deu graças a Deus, e falou a respeito do menino a todos os que esperavam a redenção de Jerusalém.

39 W hen Joseph and Mary had done everything the Law said to do, they went back to Nazareth in Galilee.

Assim que cumpriram tudo segundo a lei do Senhor, voltaram ã Galiléia, para sua cidade de Nazaré.

40 T he Child grew and became strong in spirit. He was filled with wisdom and the loving-favor of God was on Him.

E o menino ia crescendo e fortalecendo-se, ficando cheio de sabedoria; e a graça de Deus estava sobre ele.

41 H is parents went to Jerusalem every year for the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt.

Ora, seus pais iam todos os anos a Jerusalém, ã festa da páscoa.

42 W hen He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem as they had done before.

Quando Jesus completou doze anos, subiram eles segundo o costume da festa;

43 W hen the days of the special supper were over, they started back to their town. But the boy Jesus was still in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it.

e, terminados aqueles dias, ao regressarem, ficou o menino Jesus em Jerusalém sem o saberem seus pais;

44 T hey thought Jesus was with the others of the group. They walked for one day. Then they looked for Him among their family and friends.

julgando, porém, que estivesse entre os companheiros de viagem, andaram caminho de um dia, e o procuravam entre os parentes e conhecidos;

45 W hen they could not find Jesus, they turned back to Jerusalem to look for Him.

e não o achando, voltaram a Jerusalém em busca dele.

46 T hree days later they found Him in the house of God. He was sitting among the teachers. He was hearing what they said and asking questions.

E aconteceu que, passados três dias, o acharam no templo, sentado no meio dos doutores, ouvindo-os, e interrogando-os.

47 A ll those who heard Him were surprised and wondered about His understanding and at what He said.

E todos os que o ouviam se admiravam da sua inteligência e das suas respostas.

48 W hen His parents saw Him, they were surprised. His mother said to Him, “My Son, why have You done this to us? See! Your father and I have had much sorrow looking for You.”

Quando o viram, ficaram maravilhados, e disse-lhe sua mãe: Filho, por que procedeste assim para conosco? Eis que teu pai e eu ansiosos te procurávamos.

49 H e said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Do you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?”

Respondeu-lhes ele: Por que me procuráveis? Não sabíeis que eu devia estar na casa de meu Pai?

50 T hey did not understand the things He said to them.

Eles, porém, não entenderam as palavras que lhes dissera.

51 H e went with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. But His mother kept all these words in her heart.

Então, descendo com eles, foi para Nazaré, e era-lhes sujeito. E sua mãe guardava todas estas coisas em seu coração.

52 J esus grew strong in mind and body. He grew in favor with God and men.

E crescia Jesus em sabedoria, em estatura e em graça diante de Deus e dos homens.