All scripture is the New International Reader’s Version.
This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)
Many people have attempted to write about the things that have taken place among us. Reports of these things were handed down to us. There were people who saw these things for themselves from the beginning. They saw them and then passed the word on.
With this in mind, I myself have carefully looked into everything from the beginning. So I also decided to write down an orderly report of exactly what happened. I am doing this for you [because] I want you to know that the things you have been taught are true. (Luke 1:1-4)
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He was sent to a virgin. The girl was engaged to a man named Joseph. He came from the family line of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel greeted her and said, “The Lord has blessed you in a special way. He is with you.”
Mary was very upset because of his words. She wondered what kind of greeting this could be.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a Son. You must call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make Him a king like His father David of long ago. The Son of the Most High God will rule forever over His people... That kingdom will never end.”
“How can this happen?” Mary asked the angel. “I am a virgin.”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy One that is born will be called the Son of God... What God says will always come true.”
“I serve the Lord,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me just as you said it would.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-35, 37-38)
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This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. His mother Mary and Joseph had promised to get married. But before they started to live together, it became clear that she was going to have a baby. She became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Her husband Joseph was faithful to the law. But he did not want to put her to shame in public. So he planned to divorce her quietly. But as Joseph was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. She is going to have a Son. You must give Him the name Jesus. That’s because He will save His people from their sins.”
Joseph woke up. He did what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do. He took Mary home as his wife. But he did not sleep with her until she gave birth to a Son. And Joseph gave Him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-21, 24-25)
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In those days, Caesar Augustus made a law. It required that a list be made of everyone in the whole Roman world. Everyone went to their own town to be listed. So Joseph went also. He went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea. That is where Bethlehem, the town of David, was. Joseph went there because he belonged to the family line of David. He went there with Mary to be listed. Mary was engaged to him. She was expecting a baby.
While Joseph and Mary were there, the time came for the Child to be born. She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped Him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed Him in a manger. That’s because there was no guest room where they could stay.
There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were taking care of their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. It will bring great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a Baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a large group of angels from heaven also appeared. They were praising God. They said, “May glory be given to God in the highest heaven! And may peace be given to those He is pleased with on earth!” The angels left and went into heaven.
Then the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby. The Baby was lying in the manger. After the shepherds had seen Him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this Child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. The shepherds returned and gave glory and praise to God. Everything they had seen and heard was just as they had been told.
But Mary kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. She thought about them over and over. (Luke 2:1, 3-17)
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Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. This happened while Herod was king of Judea.
After Jesus’ birth, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the Child who has been born to be king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose. Now we have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard about it, he was very upset. Everyone in Jerusalem was troubled too.
So Herod called together all the chief priests of the people. He also called the teachers of the law. He asked them where the Messiah was going to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied. “This is what the prophet has written. He said, “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are certainly not the least important among the towns of Judah. A ruler will come out of you. He will rule my people Israel like a shepherd.’ ” (Micah 5:2)
Then Herod secretly called for the Wise Men. He found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem. He said, “Go and search carefully for the Child. As soon as you find him, report it to me. Then I can go and worship Him too.”
After the Wise Men had listened to the king, they went on their way. The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them. It finally stopped over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. The Wise Men went to the house. There they saw the Child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures. They gave Him gold, frankincense and myrrh. But God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they returned to their country on a different road.
When the Wise Men had left, Joseph had a dream. In the dream an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the Child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to come back. Herod is going to search for the Child. He wants to kill Him.”
So Joseph got up. During the night, he left for Egypt with the Child and His mother Mary. They stayed there until King Herod died. (Matthew 2:1-15)
His mother kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. Jesus became wiser and stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to God and to people. (Luke 2:51-52)
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