1And it was don in tho daies, a maundement wente out fro the emperour August, that al the world schulde be discryued.

2This firste discryuyng was maad of Cyryn, iustice of Sirie.

3And alle men wenten to make professioun, ech in to his owne citee.

4And Joseph wente vp fro Galilee, fro the citee Nazareth, in to Judee, in to a citee of Dauid, that is clepid Bethleem, for that he was of the hous and of the meyne of Dauid,

5that he schulde knouleche with Marie, his wijf, that was weddid to hym, and was greet with child.

6And it was don, while thei weren there, the daies weren fulfillid, that sche schulde bere child.

7And sche bare hir first borun sone, and wlappide hym in clothis, and leide hym in a cratche, for ther was no place to hym in no chaumbir.

8And scheepherdis weren in the same cuntre, wakynge and kepynge the watchis of the nyyt on her flok.

9And lo! the aungel of the Lord stood bisidis hem, and the cleernesse of God schinede aboute hem; and thei dredden with greet drede.

10And the aungel seide to hem, Nyle ye drede; for lo! Y preche to you a greet ioye, that schal be to al puple.

11For a sauyoure is borun to dai to you, that is Crist the Lord, in the citee of Dauid.

12And this is a tokene to you; ye schulen fynde a yong child wlappid in clothis, and leid in a cratche.

13And sudenli ther was maad with the aungel a multitude of heuenli knyythod, heriynge God,

14and seiynge, Glorie be in the hiyeste thingis to God, and in erthe pees be to men of good wille.

15And it was don, as the `aungelis passiden awei fro hem in to heuene, the scheephirdis spaken togider, and seiden, Go we ouer to Bethleem, and se we this word that is maad, which the Lord hath `maad, and schewide to vs.

16And thei hiyynge camen, and founden Marie and Joseph, and the yong child leid in a cratche.

17And thei seynge, knewen of the word that was seid to hem of this child.

18And alle men that herden wondriden, and of these thingis that weren seid to hem of the scheephirdis.

19But Marie kepte alle these wordis, berynge togider in hir herte.

20And the scheepherdis turneden ayen, glorifyinge and heriynge God in alle thingis that thei hadden herd and seyn, as it was seid to hem.

21And aftir that the eiyte daies weren endid, that the child schulde be circumcided, his name was clepid Jhesus, which was clepid of the aungel, bifor that he was conceyued in the wombe.

22And aftir that the daies of the purgacioun of Marie weren fulfillid, aftir Moyses lawe, thei token hym into Jerusalem, to offre hym to the Lord, as it is writun in the lawe of the Lord,

23For euery male kynde openynge the wombe, schal be clepid holi to the Lord; and that thei schulen yyue an offryng,

24aftir that it is seid in the lawe of the Lord, A peire of turturis, or twei culuer briddis.

25And lo! a man was in Jerusalem, whos name was Symeon; and this man was iust and vertuous, and aboode the coumfort of Israel; and the Hooli Goost was in hym.

26And he hadde takun an answere of the Hooli Goost, that he schulde not se deeth, but he sawy first the Crist of the Lord.

27And he cam in spirit into the temple. And whanne his fadir and modir ledden the child Jhesu to do aftir the custom of the lawe for hym,

28he took hym in to hise armes, and he blesside God,

29and seide, Lord, now thou leuyst thi seruaunt aftir thi word in pees;

30for myn iyen han seyn thin helthe,

31which thou hast maad redi bifor the face of alle puplis;

32liyt to the schewyng of hethene men, and glorie of thi puple Israel.

33And his fadir and his modir weren wondrynge on these thingis, that weren seid of hym.

34And Symeon blesside hem, and seide to Marie, his modir, Lo! this is set in to the fallyng doun and in to the risyng ayen of many men in Israel, and in to a tokene, to whom it schal be ayenseid.

35And a swerd schal passe thorou thin owne soule, that the thouytis ben schewid of many hertis.

36And Anna was a prophetesse, the douytir of Fanuel, of the lynage of Aser. And sche hadde goon forth in many daies, and hadde lyued with hir hosebonde seuene yeer fro hir maydynhode.

37And this was a widewe to foure scoor yeer and foure; and sche departide not fro the temple, but seruyde to God nyyt and dai in fastyngis and preieris.

38And this cam vpon hem in thilk our, and knoulechide to the Lord, and spak of hym to alle that abiden the redempcioun of Israel.

39And as thei hadden ful don alle thingis, aftir the lawe of the Lord, thei turneden ayen in to Galilee, in to her citee Nazareth.

40And the child wexe, and was coumfortid, ful of wisdom; and the grace of God was in hym.

41And his fadir and modir wenten ech yeer in to Jerusalem, in the solempne dai of pask.

42And whanne Jhesus was twelue yeer oold, thei wenten vp to Jerusalem, aftir the custom of the feeste dai.

43And whanne the daies weren don, thei turneden ayen; and the child abood in Jerusalem, and his fadir and modir knewen it not.

44For thei gessynge that he hadde be in the felowschip, camen a daies iourney, and souyten hym among hise cosyns and hise knouleche.

45And whanne thei founden hym not, thei turneden ayen in to Jerusalem, and souyten hym.

46And it bifelle, that aftir the thridde dai thei founden hym in the temple, sittynge in the myddil of the doctours, herynge hem and axynge hem.

47And alle men that herden hym, wondriden on the prudence and the answeris of hym.

48And thei seyn, and wondriden. And his modir seide to hym, Sone, what hast thou do to vs thus? Lo! thi fadir and Y sorewynge han souyte thee.

49And he seide to hem, What is it that ye souyten me? wisten ye not that in tho thingis that ben of my fadir, it behoueth me to be?

50And thei vndurstoden not the word, which he spak to hem.

51And he cam doun with hem, and cam to Nazareth, and was suget to hem. And his moder kepte togidir alle these wordis, and bare hem in hir herte.

52And Jhesus profitide in wisdom, age, and grace, anentis God and men.