The Burning Bush

1 ^uNow Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, ^vthe mountain of God. 2 And ^wthe angel of the Lord ^xappeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

11 ^mBut Moses said to God, ⁿ“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be ^owith you, and ^pthis shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, ^qyou shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ^r‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, ^s“I am who I am.”¹ And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ^t‘The Lord,² the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ ^uThis is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

22 And when the time came for their ^fpurification according to the Law of Moses, they ^gbrought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ^h“Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ⁱ“a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, ^jwaiting for the ^kconsolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen ^lthe Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.² She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with ^pfasting and prayer ^qnight and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the ^rredemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 ^sAnd the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the ^tfavor of God was upon him.