The Birth of Jesus

2 ¹At that time, Augustus Caesar* sent out an order to all people in the countries that were under Roman rule. The order said that all people must write their name in a book (register). ²This was the first registration.* It happened while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³All people traveled to their own towns to be registered. ⁴So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This town was known as the town of David.* Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. ⁵Joseph registered with Mary because she was engaged to marry him. (Mary was now pregnant.) ⁶While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby. ⁷She gave birth to her first son (Jesus). There was not enough room for them in the house. So Mary wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid the baby in a box where cattle are fed.

Some Shepherds Hear About Jesus

⁸That night, some shepherds were in the fields there watching their sheep. ⁹An angel of the Lord (God) stood before the shepherds. The glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds became very afraid. ¹⁰The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, because I am telling you some good news. It will make all the people very happy. ¹¹Today your Savior was born in David's town. He is Christ,* the Lord. ¹²This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box." ¹³Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All the angels were praising God, saying: ¹⁴"Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people that please God." ¹⁵The angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, "We will go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. We will see this thing the Lord (God) told us about." ¹⁶So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph. The baby was lying in the feeding box. ¹⁷The shepherds saw the baby. Then they told what the angels said about this child. ¹⁸Everyone was surprised when they heard what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹Mary hid these things in her heart; she continued to think about them. ²⁰The shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything that they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them. ²¹When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised,* and he was named Jesus. This name was given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary.

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

²²The time came for Mary and Joseph to do the things the law of Moses taught about being made pure.* Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to Jerusalem so they could present him to the Lord (God). ²³It is written in the law of the Lord (God): "When a mother's first baby is a boy, he shall be called 'special for the Lord.'"* ²⁴The law of the Lord also says that the people must give a sacrifice*: "You must sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons."* So Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem to do this.

Caesar The name given to the emperor (ruler) of Rome. registration Census. A counting of all the people and the things they own. David King of Israel about 1000 years before Christ. Christ The "anointed one" (Messiah) or chosen one of God. circumcised To have the foreskin cut off. This was done to every Jewish baby boy. It was a mark of the agreement that God made with Abraham (Gen. 17:9-14). pure The law of Moses said that 40 days after a Jewish woman gave birth to a baby, she must be cleansed by a ceremony at the temple. Read Lev. 12:2-8. "When ... the Lord'" See Ex. 13:2, 12. sacrifice An offering or gift to God. "You must ... pigeons" Quote from Lev. 12:8.