Luke 2:24-26 New English Translation

²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves^[a] or two young pigeons.^[b]

The Prophecy of Simeon

²⁵Now^[c] there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was righteous^[d] and devout, looking for the restoration^[e] of Israel, and the Holy Spirit^[f] was upon him. ²⁶It^[g] had been revealed^[h] to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die^[i] before^[j] he had seen the Lord’s Christ.^[k]

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Footnotes

Luke 2:24 sn The offering of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, instead of a lamb, speaks of the humble roots of Jesus’ family—they apparently could not afford the expense of a lamb.
Luke 2:24 sn A quotation from Lev 12:8; 5:11 (LXX).
Luke 2:25 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Luke 2:25 tn Grk “This man was righteous.” The Greek text begins a new sentence here, but this was changed to a relative clause in the translation to avoid redundancy.
Luke 2:25 tn Or “deliverance,” “consolation.”sn The restoration of Israel refers to Simeon’s hope that the Messiah would come and deliver the nation (Isa 40:1; 49:13; 51:3; 57:18; 61:2; 2 Bar. 44:7).
Luke 2:25 sn Once again, by mentioning the Holy Spirit, Luke stresses the prophetic enablement of a speaker. The Spirit has fallen on both men (Zechariah, 1:67) and women (Elizabeth, 1:41) in Luke 1-2 as they share the will of the Lord.
Luke 2:26 tn Grk “And it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 2:26 tn The use of the passive suggests a revelation by God, and in the OT the corresponding Hebrew term represented here by κεχρηματισμένον (kechrēmatismenon) indicated some form of direct revelation from God (Jer 25:30; 33:2; Job 40:8).
Luke 2:26 tn Grk “would not see death” (an idiom for dying).
Luke 2:26 tn On the grammar of this temporal clause, see BDF §§383.3; 395.
Luke 2:26 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn The revelation to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ is yet another example of a promise fulfilled in Luke 1-2. Also, see the note on Christ in 2:11.

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