There are those who say that Jesus Christ can’t be the Son of God,
because the Bible isn’t reliable, because there is no original copy of the
Bible. There are always some who try to disprove that Jesus Is the Son of God,
but it is my goal to research this further to see if their claim “holds
water.”
The claim that the original copy of the Bible doesn’t exist today is
accurate, because the material it was written on deteriorated over all the
years. While it was still in existence, there were those who made copies of the
Bible. Many were the students of the Apostles and their students and scribes,
as well.
In this research experiment, I will primarily use internet resources for
this research project. The Bible will quite often have verses that have both
the words “he” and “him” within the same sentence. I will put within brackets
who is speaking and who is being spoken to, if it isn’t clear by the context,
as well as any footnotes. I will put my analysis, evaluation, comments and
opinions within brackets and will try to let you know when I am doing so.
You can read this complete Biblical Research Project Experiment on
either of the two blogs I felt led to create: Biblical Proof! at https://BiblicalProof.blogspot.com/ and Do Biblical Inconsistencies Really Matter? at https://Biblicalinconsistencies.blogspot.com/
[I thought the information
in this online article was significant related to this research topic. In my
opinion, it would be fun for you to come back to this website at another time,
because they have some humorous Bible Translation errors like: Thou shalt
commit adultery, instead of Thou shalt not commit adultery, etc. I didn’t
include the whole article, because that wasn’t within the scope of this
Biblical Research Project Experiment.]
Humorous Bible Translation
Errors…and What They Mean for Biblical Reliability - The article was written by
Sean McDowell on Josh.org found at:
Jewish and Christian
scribes took inordinate care in copying the Bible from one generation to the
next. For a variety of reasons, we can have great confidence that our present
Bibles have considerable fidelity to the original writings.[1] Hands down, the
Bible is the most carefully preserved book from the ancient world.
And yet throughout the
history of biblical transmission, there have been some intentional and
unintentional changes in the text. Some people think this undermines its reliability,
but that is not necessarily the case. While there were certain scribes with
doctrinal agendas, the vast majority considered it their duty to copy the
scriptures faithfully. And they did so. Typically, when variants are found
across different manuscripts, textual scholars can reconstruct the correct
reading with a high degree of probability.
According to professor Dan
Wallace, one of the leading textual critics in the world, there has not been a
single manuscript discovery that has produced an authentic reading of the New
Testament that tells a totally different story of Jesus.[2]
The reason for this is the
remarkably careful procedures practiced by the scribes. When scribes made a
mistake in copying a Biblical book by hand, it would only produce one flawed
copy. Later scribes would often catch these mistakes by comparing them against
earlier copies to preserve the original reading. Even today, textual scholars
can catch copying mistakes by comparing them with other ancient manuscripts.
[If this is true, I plan to
devise a Biblical Research Project Experiment to simulate how the ancient Bible
Scholars, students and scribes could determine the accuracy and
reliability of the Bible, even though there were variations in the copies.]
[The way I’m going to do my
Biblical Research Project Experiment is to get on www.BibleGateway.org/ They have 60 different
versions of the Bible in English in their drop-down menu, so it’s going to be
an excellent resource for this experiment.]
[I will perform this
experiment by looking up Luke 2:40-52 when Jesus was in the temple at the age
of 12 doing God, His Father’s work, in as many different versions of the
Bible as I can within the time constraints of the normal podcast listener. I’m
not sure that someone has the time to listen to 60 different versions of this
same passage. I will be prayerful about picking a wide variety of Bible
versions of this same passage to compare, but not cherry-picking them to meet
any end goal.]
[First of all, I decided to arbitrarily pick twenty
different versions of the Bible available on the drop-down menu at
BibleGateway.com/ I figured that if there were sixty English versions available
in the drop-down menu, evaluating twenty of them was sampling 33 ⅓% or
one third of the English versions available on the drop-down menu.]
[I guess I could have figured out some type of random
system to select among the various Bible versions. Instead, I
arbitrarily selected the versions I did, because I wanted to pick versions of
the Bible that were very different from each other, while including a few that
were more commonly known to me. I did this by the title of the Bible without
looking at the text, first, I figured that that gave me the most broad spectrum
of writing styles to compare.]
[Then, after copying and
pasting these for this Biblical Research Project Experiment, I will share my
analysis to see if the text in these different versions is basically similar.
If not, I will share that, as well. This is going to take some time, so I need
to get started...]
Luke 2:40-52 New
International Version: 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was
filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. 41 Every year Jesus’
parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was
twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43
After the festival was over, his parents were returning home, the boy
Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he
was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for
him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him,
they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him
in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking
them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and
his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said
to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been
anxiously searching for you.”49 “Why were you searching
for me?” he asked. “Didn’t
you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[a] [ Or be about my Father’s business]
50 But they did not
understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with
them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her
heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Footnotes: Luke 2:49 Or be about my Father’s business
Luke
2:40-52 21st Century King James Version: 40 And the Child grew and waxed
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. 41 Now
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And
when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom
of the Feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the
child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and His mother knew not of
it. 44 But they, supposing Him to have been in the company, went a day’s
journey; and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. 45
And when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
46 And it came to pass that after three days they found Him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them
questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and
answers. 48 And when they saw Him they were amazed, and His mother said unto
Him, “Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? Behold, Thy father and I have
sought Thee sorrowing.” 49 And He said unto them, “How is it that ye sought Me? Knew ye not that I
must be about My Father’s business?” 50 And they understood not the saying which He spoke unto them. 51 And
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them. But His
mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and man.
Luke
2:40-52 American Standard Version: 40 And the child grew, and waxed
strong, [a][Greek becoming full of wisdom] filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was
upon him. 41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the
passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up after the custom of
the feast; 43 and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the
boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not; 44 but
supposing him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey; and they sought
for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance: 45 and when they found
him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him. 46 And it came to pass,
after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the [b] [Or, doctors.] teachers, both hearing them, and asking them
questions: 47 and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his
answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said
unto him, [c] [Greek Child] Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold,
thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I
must be [d [Or, about my Father’s business. Greek in
the things of my Father.] in my Father’s house? 50 And they understood not the saying which he
spake unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and he
was subject unto them: and his mother kept all these [e] [Or, things] sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus advanced in
wisdom and [f] [Or, age] stature, and in [g] [Or, grace] favor with God and men. Footnotes a.Luke 2:40
Greek becoming full of wisdom.b. Luke 2:46
Or, doctors. c. Luke 2:48
Greek Child. d. Luke 2:49
Or, about my Father’s business. Greek in the things of my Father.
e.Luke 2:51
Or, things f. Luke 2:52
Or, age g. Luke 2:52
Or, grace
Luke
2:40-52 Complete Jewish Bible: 40 The child grew and became strong
and filled with wisdom — God’s favor was upon him. 41 Every year Yeshua’s
parents went to Yerushalayim for the festival of Pesach. 42 When he was
twelve years old, they went up for the festival, as custom required. 43 But
after the festival was over, when his parents returned, Yeshua remained in
Yerushalayim. They didn’t realize this; 44 supposing that he was somewhere in
the caravan, they spent a whole day on the road before they began searching for
him among their relatives and friends. 45 Failing to find him, they
returned to Yerushalayim to look for him. 46 On the third day they found him —
he was sitting in the Temple court among the rabbis, not only listening to them
but questioning what they said; 47 and everyone who heard him was astonished at
his insight and his responses. 48 When his parents saw him, they were shocked;
and his mother said to him, “Son! Why have you done this to us? Your father and
I have been terribly worried looking for you!” 49 He said to them, “Why did you have to look for me? Didn’t you
know that I had to be concerning myself with my Father’s affairs?” 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant. 51
So he went with them to Natzeret and was obedient to them. But his mother
stored up all these things in her heart. 52 And Yeshua grew both in wisdom and
in stature, gaining favor both with other people and with God.
Luke 2:40-52 Disciples’
Literal New Testament: 40 And the Child was growing and becoming strong,
while being filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was
upon Him. 41 And His parents were going to Jerusalem yearly for the
Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He became twelve years old—
they going up in accordance with the custom of the Feast, and having
completed the days— during their returning, the boy Jesus stayed-behind in
Jerusalem. And His parents did not know it, 44 but having thought that
He was in the caravan [a] [Or, travel-group], they went a day’s journey. And they were searching-for Him
among the relatives and the acquaintances. 45 And not having found Him,
they returned to Jerusalem, searching-for Him. 46 And it came about after three
days that they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of
the teachers, both listening-to them and questioning them. 47 And all the ones
listening-to Him were astonished at His understanding and His answers.
48 And having seen Him, they were astounded. And His mother said to Him,
“Child, why did you do [b][Or, act toward us] us like this? Behold— Your father and I were looking-for You,
while suffering-pain”. 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking-for Me? Did you not know
that I must be in [c][That is, engaged in the
interests or business of My Father (answering the stated ‘Why’ question); or,
located in the possessions or house of My Father (answering the implied ‘Where’
question)] the things of My [d] [Note the contrast
with ‘your father’ in v 48.] Father? 50 And they did not
understand the thing which He spoke to them. 51 And He went down with
them, and came to Nazareth, and was being subject to them. And His
mother was keeping all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus was
advancing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people. Footnotes a. Luke 2:44 Or, travel-group. b. Luke 2:48 Or, act toward us. c. Luke 2:49 That is, engaged in the interests or business of My Father (answering
the stated ‘Why’ question); or, located in the possessions or house of My
Father (answering the implied ‘Where’ question). d. Luke 2:49 Note the contrast with ‘your father’ in v 48.
Luke 2:40-52 Douay-Rheims
1899 American Edition: 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of
wisdom; and the grace of God was in him. 41 And his parents went every year to
Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch, 42 And when he was twelve years old,
they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, 43 And
having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in
Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not. 44 And thinking that he was in the
company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and
acquaintance. 45 And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking
him. 46 And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them
questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his
answers. 48 And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why
hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49
And he said to them: How is it that you sought me?
did you not know, that I must be about my father's business? 50 And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. 51 And he
went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his
mother kept all these words in her heart. 52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and
age, and grace with God and men.
Luke 2:40-52 Young's
Literal Translation: 40 and the child grew and was strengthened in spirit,
being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 41 And his parents
were going yearly to Jerusalem, at the feast of the passover, 42 and when he
became twelve years old, they having gone up to Jerusalem, according to the
custom of the feast, 43 and having finished the days, in their returning the
child Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother did not
know, 44 and, having supposed him to be in the company, they went a day's
journey, and were seeking him among the kindred and among the acquaintances,
45 and not having found him, they turned back to Jerusalem seeking him. 46 And
it came to pass, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the
midst of the teachers, both hearing them and questioning them, 47 and all those
hearing him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And, having
seen him, they were amazed, and his mother said unto him, `Child, why didst
thou thus to us? lo, thy father and I, sorrowing, were seeking thee.' 49 And he
said unto them, `Why [is it] that ye were
seeking me? did ye not know that in the things of my Father it behoveth me to
be?' 50 and they did not understand the saying that
he spake to them, 51 and he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and he
was subject to them, and his mother was keeping all these sayings in her heart,
52 and Jesus was advancing in wisdom, and in stature, and in favour with God
and men.
Luke 2:40-52 The
Voice: 40 There Jesus grew up, maturing in physical strength and increasing
in wisdom, and the grace of God rested on Him. 41 Every year during Jesus’
childhood, His parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration.
42 When Jesus was 12, He made the journey with them. 43 They spent several days
there, participating in the whole celebration. When His parents left for home,
Jesus stayed in Jerusalem, but Joseph and Mary were not aware. 44 They assumed
Jesus was elsewhere in the caravan that was traveling together. After
they had already traveled a full day’s journey toward home, they began
searching for Him among their friends and relatives. 45 When no one had
seen the boy, Mary and Joseph rushed back to Jerusalem and searched for Him. 46
After three days of separation, they finally found Him—sitting among a group of
religious teachers in the temple—asking them questions, listening to their answers.
47 Everyone was surprised and impressed that a 12-year-old boy could have such
deep understanding and could answer questions with such wisdom. 48 His
parents, of course, had a different reaction. Mary: Son, why have You treated
us this way? Listen, Your father and I have been sick with worry for the
last three days, wondering where You were, looking everywhere for You.
Jesus: 49 Why did you need to look for Me? Didn’t you
know that I must be working for My Father? Little is recorded about Jesus’ life between His birth and the age of
30. But this one episode tells so much. First, Jesus’ family life is a lot like
anyone’s—full of mishaps and misunderstandings. Second, as Jesus enters young
adulthood, He begins manifesting an extraordinary sense of identity. (Remember,
a 12-year-old isn’t “just a kid” in Israel—he is becoming a man.) He isn’t just
“Mary’s boy” or “Joseph’s stepson.” He has a direct relationship with God as
His Father, and He knows His life will follow a path of working for God. 50
Neither Mary nor Joseph really understood what He meant by this. 51 Jesus went
back to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. His mother continued to
store these memories like treasures in her heart. 52 And Jesus kept on
growing—in wisdom, in physical stature, in favor with God, and in favor with
others.
Luke 2:40-52 Tree
of Life Version: 40 The Child kept growing and became strong, filled with
wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him. 41 Now His parents were going every
year to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. [a] 42 When He became twelve
years old, they were going up according to festival custom. 43 As they headed
home after completing the days, the boy Yeshua remained in Jerusalem,
but His parents didn’t know. 44 Supposing He was in the caravan, they went a
day’s journey, then began looking for Him among relatives and friends.
45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. 46
After three days they found Him in the Temple, sitting in the center of the
teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all those hearing
Him were astonished at His understanding and His answers. 48 When His parents
saw Yeshua, they were overwhelmed. And His mother said to Him, “Child,
why did you do this to us? Look! Your father and I were searching for You
frantically!” 49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for
Me? Didn’t you know that I must be about the things of My Father?” 50 But they did not grasp the message He was telling them. 51 Then He
went down with them to Natzeret and was obedient to them. But His mother
treasured all these words in her heart. 52 And Yeshua kept increasing in
wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Footnotes a.Luke 2:42 cf. Exod.
23:15; Lev.
23:4-8; Deut.
16:1-8.
Luke 2:40-52 Revised Standard Version:
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of
God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast
of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to
custom; 43 and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus
stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him
to be in the company they went a day’s journey, and they sought him among their
kinsfolk and acquaintances; 45 and when they did not find him, they
returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 After three days they found him in the
temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them
questions; 47 and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his
answers. 48 And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to
him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been
looking for you anxiously.” 49 And he said to them, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my
Father’s house?” 50 And they did not
understand the saying which he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and
came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these
things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature,[a] [Or, years] and in favor with God and man.
Footnotes: a. Luke 2:52 Or years
Lukas 2:40-52 Orthodox Jewish Bible: 40
And the yeled continued growing and was given chozek (strength), being filled
with chochmah (wisdom), and the Chen vChesed Hashem was upon him. 41 And his
horim (parents) used to make aliyah leregel (pilgrimage) to Yerushalayim shanah
bshanah (year by year) for Chag HaPesach (the Feast of Pesach). [SHEMOT
23:15; DEVARIM
16:1-8] 42 And when he became a
bocher of twelve years of age, they made aliyah leregel (pilgrimage), as usual,
according to the mitzvah and minhag of the Chag. 43 And as they were returning,
having fulfilled the prescribed number of yamim (days), the bocher Yehoshua
stayed behind in Yerushalayim. And his horim (parents) did not have daas
(knowledge) of this, 44 But supposed him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s
journey. And they began looking for him among the krovim (relatives) and
acquaintances. 45 And, not having found him, they returned to Yerushalayim,
looking for him. 46 And it came about, that after shlosha yamim (three days)
they found him in the courts of the Beis HaMikdash, sitting in the midst of the
rabbis, both listening to them and asking them she’elot (kashes, questions). 47
And all the ones listening to him where amazed at his binah and at his teshuvot
(answers). 48 And when his horim (parents) saw him, they were astounded, and
his Em (mother) said to him, Beni, why did you do thus to us? Hinei, your abba
and I were anxiously looking for you. 49 And he said to them, Why is it that you were looking for me? Did you not have daas that I
must be in the Beis Avi [i.e., dealing with His affairs]? 50 And they did not have binah of the dvar which he spoke to them. 51
And he went down with them, and they came to Natzeret; and he continued in
mishmaat (obedience) to his horim (parents). And his Em (mother) was treasuring
all these things in her lev (heart). 52 And Yehoshua kept increasing in
chochmah VGADEL VATOV GAM IM HASHEM VGAM IM ANASHIM (and stature and favor with
Hashem and men, SHMUEL
ALEF 2:26).
Luke 2:40-52 New Life Version: 40
The Child grew and became strong in spirit. He was filled with wisdom and the
loving-favor of God was on Him. 41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year for
the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. 42 When He
was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem as they had done before. 43
When 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. 44 They
thought Jesus was with the others of the group. They walked for one day. Then
they looked for Him among their family and friends. 45 When they could
not find Jesus, they turned back to Jerusalem to look for Him. 46 Three 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. 47 All those who heard Him
were surprised and wondered about His understanding and at what He said. 48
When 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.” 49 He said to them, “Why
were you looking for Me? Do you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” 50 They did not understand the things He said to them. 51 He went with
them to Nazareth and obeyed them. But His mother kept all these words in her
heart. 52 Jesus grew strong in mind and body. He grew in favor with God and
men.
Luke 2:40-52 The Message: 39-40
When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to
Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and
wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him. 41-45 Every year Jesus’
parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When he was twelve
years old, they went up as they always did for the Feast. When it was over and
they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents
didn’t know it. Thinking he was somewhere in the company of pilgrims, they
journeyed for a whole day and then began looking for him among relatives and
neighbors. When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking
for him. 46-48 The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the
teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite
taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents
were not impressed; they were upset and hurt. His mother said, “Young man, why
have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds
looking for you.” 49-50 He said, “Why were you looking for
me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my
Father?” But they had no idea what he was talking about.
51-52 So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them.
His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured,
growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.
Luke 2:40-52 Living
Bible: 40 There the child became a strong, robust lad, and was known for
wisdom beyond his years; and God poured out his blessings on him. 41-42 When
Jesus was twelve years old, he accompanied his parents to Jerusalem for the
annual Passover Festival, which they attended each year. 43 After the
celebration was over they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him the first day, 44 for they assumed he
was with friends among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that
evening, they started to look for him among their relatives and friends;
45 and when they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for
him there. 46-47 Three days later they finally discovered him. He was in the
Temple, sitting among the teachers of Law, discussing deep questions with them
and amazing everyone with his understanding and answers. 48 His parents didn’t
know what to think. “Son!” his mother said to him. “Why have you done this to
us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” 49 “But why did you need to search?” he
asked. “Didn’t you realize that I would be here at the
Temple, in my Father’s House?” 50 But they didn’t
understand what he meant. 51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was
obedient to them; and his mother stored away all these things in her heart. 52
So Jesus grew both tall and wise, and was loved by God and man.
Luke 2:40-52 Jubilee
Bible 2000: 40 And the child grew and was comforted of the Spirit,
filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him. 41 ¶ And his parents went
to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve
years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And
having completed the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in
Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they,
supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey, and they
sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. 45 And when
they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it
came to pass that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the
midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. 47 And all
that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when
they saw him, they were amazed; and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast
thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought
me? Knew ye not that it behooves me to be about my Father’s business? 50 And they understood not the word which he spoke unto them. 51 And he
went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them, but his
mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and
in age and in grace with God and men.
Luke 2:40-52 J.B.
Phillips New Testament: 39-40 When they had completed all the requirements
of the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of
Nazareth. The child grew up and became strong and full of wisdom. And God’s
blessing was upon him. 41-48 Every year at the Passover festival Jesus’ parents
used to go to Jerusalem. When he was twelve years old they went up to the city
as usual for the festival. When it was over they started back home, but the boy
Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, without his parents’ knowledge. They went a
day’s journey assuming that he was somewhere in their company, and then they
began to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. They
failed to find him, however, and turned back to the city, looking for him as
they went. Three days later, they found him—in the Temple, sitting among the
teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All those who heard him
were astonished at his powers of comprehension and at the answers that he gave.
When Joseph and Mary saw him, they could hardly believe their eyes, and his
mother said to him, “Why have you treated us like this, my son? Here have your
father and I been very worried, looking for you everywhere!” 49 And Jesus
replied, “But why were you looking for me? Did you not
know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
50-52 But they did not understand his reply. Then he went home with them to
Nazareth and was obedient to them. And his mother treasured all these things in
her heart. And as Jesus continued to grow in body and mind, he grew also in the
love of God and of those who knew him.
Luke 2:40-52 GOD’S
WORD Translation: 40 The child grew and became strong. He was filled
with wisdom, and God’s favor [a] [Or “grace] was with him. 41 Every year Jesus’ parents would go to Jerusalem for the
Passover festival. 42 When he was 12 years old, they went as usual. 43 When the
festival was over, they left for home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents didn’t know it. 44 They thought that he was with the others who
were traveling with them. After traveling for a day, they started to look for
him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they didn’t find him,
they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 Three days later, they found
him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting among the teachers, listening to
them, and asking them questions. 47 His understanding and his answers stunned
everyone who heard him. 48 When his parents saw him, they were shocked. His
mother asked him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have
been worried sick looking for you!” 49 Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you realize that I had to be in my
Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t
understand what he meant. 51 Then he returned with them to Nazareth and was
obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus
grew in wisdom and maturity. He gained favor from God and people. Footnotes: a. Luke 2:40 Or “grace.”
Luke 2:40-52 English Standard Version
Anglicised: 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.
And the favour of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every
year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they
went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were
returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know
it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then
they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45
and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were
amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents [a] [Greek they] saw him, they were
astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so?
Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49
And he said to them, “Why were you looking for
me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” [b] [Or about my Father's business] 50 And they did not
understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and
came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all
these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature [c] [Or years] and in favour with God and
man. Footnotes: a. Luke 2:48 Greek they b. Luke 2:49 Or about my Father's business c. Luke 2:52 Or years
Luke 2:40-52 Good
News Translation: 40 The child grew and became strong; he was full of
wisdom, and God's blessings were upon him. 41 Every year the parents of Jesus
went to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years
old, they went to the festival as usual. 43 When the festival was over, they
started back home, but the boy Jesus stayed in Jerusalem. His parents did not
know this; 44 they thought that he was with the group, so they traveled a whole
day and then started looking for him among their relatives and friends.
45 They did not find him, so they went back to Jerusalem looking for him. 46 On
the third day they found him in the Temple, sitting with the Jewish teachers,
listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his
intelligent answers. 48 His parents were astonished when they saw him, and his
mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have
been terribly worried trying to find you.” 49 He answered them, “Why did you have to look for me? Didn't you know that I had to be in
my Father's house?” 50 But they did not
understand his answer. 51 So Jesus went back with them to Nazareth, where he
was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52
Jesus grew both in body and in wisdom, gaining favor with God and people.
Luke 2:40-52 1599
Geneva Bible: 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in Spirit, [a] [As Christ grew up in age,
so the virtue of his Godhead showed itself more and more] and was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was with him. 41 ¶ [b] [The Scribes and Pharisees
are stirred up to hear the wisdom of Christ in his time, by an extraordinary
deed.] Now his parents went to Jerusalem, every year,
at the feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, and they
were come up to Jerusalem, after the custom of the feast, 43 And had finished
the days thereof, as they returned, the child Jesus remained in
Jerusalem, and Joseph knew not, nor his mother, 44 But they supposing that he
had been in the company, went a day’s journey, and sought him among their
kinsfolk, and acquaintances. 45 And when they found him not, they turned
back to Jerusalem, and sought him. 46 And it came to pass three days after,
that they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both
hearing them, and asking them questions: 47 And all that heard him, were
astonied at his understanding and answers. 48 [c] [All duties which we owe to
men as they were not to be neglected, so are they according to our vocation,
not to be preferred before the glory of God.] So when they saw him, they were amazed, and his mother said unto him,
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought
thee with very heavy hearts. 49 Then said he unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must go about my
Father’s business? 50 But they understood not
the word that he spake to them. 51 [d] [Christ very man is made
like unto us in all things, except sin.]
Then he went down with
them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them: and his mother kept all
these sayings in her heart.52 And Jesus increased in wisdom, and stature, and
in favor with God and men. Footnotes: a. Luke 2:40 As Christ grew up in age, so the virtue of his Godhead showed itself
more and more. b. Luke 2:41 The Scribes and Pharisees are stirred up to hear the wisdom of Christ
in his time, by an extraordinary deed. c. Luke 2:48 All duties which we owe to men as they were not to be neglected, so are
they according to our vocation, not to be preferred before the glory of God. d.Luke 2:51 Christ very man is made like unto us in all things, except sin.
[I’d like to give you an example of something that
played into the analysis of these Bible passages in the twenty different
versions of the Bible I selected from the BibleGateway.com/ When I was
reading over all Luke 2:40-52 from all the versions of the Bible selected, I
noticed that there is no way that I could compare every word variant. Here’s an
example:]
[Each Bible version recorded that after a day’s
journey, Mary and Joseph sought Jesus among their…
7 Bible versions said … among their relatives and
friends
7 Bible versions said … among their kinsfolk and
acquaintances
1 Bible version said … among their kindred and
acquaintances
2 Bible versions said … among their relatives and
acquaintances
1 Bible version said … among their family and friends
1 Bible version said … among their relations and
friends
1 Bible version said … among their relatives and
neighbors]
[If you look at all of this data, you will realize
that all twenty versions were saying the same basic thing, so analyzing every
word variant isn’t productive to the analysis of this Biblical Research Project
Experiment. Instead, I grouped it in the following way:]
[I realized that there were twelve major aspects of
the text in Luke 2:40-52, although paraphrased. They are:
1. The Child/Jesus grew and became strong in spirit,
filled with wisdom and grace and God was upon Him.
2. His parents went to Jerusalem every year according
to the Feast of the Passover.
3. When He/Jesus was twelve, his parents took Him up
to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
4. When his parents returned, He/ the boy/Jesus
lingered behind in Jerusalem and His parents didn’t know and thought He was
within the group/company.
5. After a day’s journey, His parents looked for Jesus
and couldn’t find Him and returned to Jerusalem.
6. After three days, his parents found him in the
church/temple/synagogue in the midst of teachers/doctors listening to them and
asking questions.
7. All who heard Him were astonished at Jesus’
understanding and answers.
8. Jesus’ parents were amazed when they saw Him, and
Mary asked Jesus how He could have done this to them, because they were
worried.
9. Jesus responds by asking, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s
business/house?”
10. His parents didn’t understand what He said to them
or the significance of it.
11. Jesus went with them back to Nazareth and was
subject/obedient to them and His mother kept all these things in her heart.
12. Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favor
with God and men.
……………………………………………………………………………
The Data I Collected on
These Twelve Aspects of the 20 Versions of the Bible
[1. The Child/Jesus grew and became strong in spirit,
filled with wisdom and grace and God was upon Him. Although I put tally marks for every version of the Bible I read related
to this aspect, they all basically said the same thing.
2. His parents went to Jerusalem every year according
to the Feast of the Passover. Although I put tally marks
for every version of the Bible I read related to this aspect, they all
basically said the same thing.
3. When He/Jesus was twelve, his parents took Him up
to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. Although I put tally marks for every version of the Bible I read related
to this aspect, they all basically said the same thing.
4. When his parents returned, He/ the boy/Jesus
lingered behind in Jerusalem and His parents didn’t know and thought He was
within the group/company. Although I put tally marks
for every version of the Bible I read related to this aspect, they all
basically said the same thing.
5. After a day’s journey, His parents looked for Jesus
and couldn’t find Him and returned to Jerusalem. Although I put tally marks for every version of the Bible I read related
to this aspect, they all basically said the same thing.
6. After three days, his parents found him in the
church/temple/synagogue in the midst of teachers/doctors listening to them and
asking questions. Although I put tally marks
for every version of the Bible I read related to this aspect, they all
basically said the same thing.
7. All who heard Him were astonished at Jesus’
understanding and answers. Although I put tally marks
for every version of the Bible I read related to this aspect, they all
basically said the same thing.
8. Jesus’ parents were amazed when they saw Him, and
Mary asked Jesus how He could have done this to them, because they were
worried. Although I put tally marks for every version of the
Bible I read related to this aspect, they all basically said the same thing.
9. Jesus responds by asking, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s
business/house?” Although I put tally marks
for every version of the Bible I read related to this aspect, they all
basically said the same thing.
10. His parents didn’t understand what He said to them
or the significance of it. Although I put tally marks
for every version of the Bible I read related to this aspect, they all basically
said the same thing.
11. Jesus went with them back to Nazareth and was
subject/obedient to them and His mother kept all these things in her heart. Although I put tally marks for every version of the Bible I read related
to this aspect, they all basically said the same thing.
12. Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favor
with God and men. Although I put tally marks
for every version of the Bible I read related to this aspect, they all
basically said the same thing.]
[As you can tell, they all basically said the
same thing, except for the few things I’ve noted after these comments. I
actually thought that I would have variations about the age that Jesus was when
He went to the temple to do God, His Father’s work, but every source I examined
said He was twelve. I was surprised by this consistency across Bible versions.]
[The Complete Jewish Bible called Jesus/Jeshua,
Jerusalem/Yerushalayim, Passover/Pesach, and Nazareth/Natzeret. I found that
when I looked back at the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible that I
personally use or at any of the other versions of the Bible I have used in this
research experiment to figure out what those terms meant. It seemed somewhat
similar to what the ancient students and scribes must have gone through
comparing the previous copies of the Bible, since the original was no longer in
existence. When I compared these against other versions of the Bible, it became
very clear what each variation mentioned, meant by the way it was used in the
sentence and/or compared with the rest of the text. All the following were
similar except for the ones I will address later.]
The Disciple’s Literal New Testament had
instead of “they went up”, it said, “they going up,” but I could figure it by
the context and comparison of variations of Bibles.
The Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition called
Passover/pasch, but I could figure it by the context and comparison of
variations of Bibles.
The Young’s Literal Translation called you/ye,
your/thy, have you do this to us?/why didst thou thus to us?, and I must be about my Father’s business as/ Did ye not know that in
the things of my Father it behoveth me to be? Although this took a little longer, I could figure it by the context and
comparison of variations of Bibles.
The Tree of Life Version had instead of
Jesus/Yeshua, Nazareth/Natzeret, but I could figure it by the context and
comparison of variations of Bibles.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible had instead of
Luke/Lukas, child/yeld, Jesus/Yehoshua, Jerusalem/Yerushalayim, Passover/ Ha
Pesach, my son/ beni, we together/Hine, wisdom, understanding and
knowledge/bine, father/Abba, to know/daas, Nazareth/Natzeret, and the Grace of
God/*Chen vChesed Hashem.
[I had to look this up, because the sentence said:
when he became a bocher of twelve years of age. Actually, I would have
figured from the context of the sentence that it was: when He/Jesus was a boy
of twelve years of age. Because I was sharing this with you as a Biblical
Research Project Experiment, I wanted to make sure I gave you the accurate meaning
for bocher. I looked it up on Jewish English Lexicon on https://jel.jewish-languages.org/words/1370, it said that bocher/boucher was a young unmarried man.]
[I also looked this up because they had mitzvah and
minhag of the Chag instead of: according to the custom of the feast
[Passover]. Again, I could basically tell by the placement of the words
and the context, but wanted to make sure I was giving you the correct
definitions for these words.]
[As you can tell, all these differences are minor, at
best, and no way disprove that Jesus was in the Temple at twelve doing God, His
Father’s work or that Jesus Is the Son of God!]
[This analysis of these
twenty different versions of the Bible has been sort of exhilarating, in that
it gives me a deeper appreciation of what the ancient Bible Scholars, students
and scribes must have done to insure the accuracy of the copies they were
writing. Of course, just like me, they paraphrased things and inadvertently
have misspellings or spell things according to the particular area they live
in. But, when they went back and looked at these copies compared with the
others, the Ancient Scholars were able to verify what they were saying and
clarify any human inaccuracies, finding out the Bible we have today is accurate
with a high degree of probability!]
What to Say When Someone Says “The Bible Has Errors”
So,
when someone asserts that the Bible has errors, we can reply by saying:
Yes,
our Bible translations do have errors—let me tell you about them. But as you
can see, less than 1% of them are meaningful and those errors don’t affect the
major teachings of the Christian faith. In fact, there are a thousand times
more manuscripts of the Bible than the most documented Greco-Roman historian by
Suetonius. So,
if we’re going to be skeptical about ancient books, we should be a thousand
times more skeptical of the Greco-Roman histories. The Bible is, in fact,
incredibly reliable.
Contrary
to popular assertion, that as time rolls on we get further and further away
from the original with each new discovery, we actually get closer and closer to
the original text. As Wallace puts it, we have “an embarrassment of riches when
it comes to the biblical documents.” Therefore, we can be confident that what
we read in our modern translations of the the ancient texts is approximately
99% accurate. It is very reliable.
[It’s important that we
don’t let others undermine our faith in Jesus, by saying that the Bible isn’t
reliable. After our Biblical Research Project Experiment, we got a small look
into how many different versions of the Bible can say basically the same
thing!]
Remember John 3:16-21 says:
“For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does
not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of
the only begotten Son of God. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not
come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. “But he who does the truth
comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been
done in God.”
Follow Jesus, our Light that provides our Salvation!
