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Luke 2:1
ESV In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
NIV In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
NASB Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
CSB In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered.
NLT At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
KJV And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
NKJV And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

What does Luke 2:1 mean?

As part of his "orderly account," Luke establishes a timeframe for the events of Jesus' birth. He ties this to the general time of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:57). This begins by referring to Augustus, the Roman Emperor from 27 BC to AD 14. The order is a census: a counting of people. As in modern times, this was used for taxes, military conscription, and other government purposes. This verse uses the common metaphorical sense of "the earth," in this case meaning the entire Roman Empire.

The following verse will refer to Quirinius, governing Syria, leading to some questions about the best interpretation of Luke's Greek phrasing.

Readers of Scripture should keep in mind that the BC / AD dating system is not directly taken from the Bible. Although it is based on the birth of Christ, the year "AD 1" was originally placed using inaccurate information. Most likely, Jesus was born several years prior to then. Ironically, that would mean Jesus was born in a year secular calendars label as "before Christ."
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