When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the ceremony of consecration of the firstborn son , Simeon was there , and he took Jesus into his arms and said the words which are now known as the Nunc dimittis . When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the ceremony of consecration of the firstborn son ( not the circumcision , but rather after the time of Mary 's purification : at least 40 days after the birth ) , Simeon was there , and he took Jesus into his arms and uttered words rendered variously as follows .