God sent the angel Gabriel to see Mary, who said to her

"Greetings, the Lord is with you."

"Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favor with God."

"You will be with child and give birth to a son

and you are to give him the name Jesus."

"He will be great and will be called

the son of the most high."

"His kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered,

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the most high will overshadow you."

"For nothing is impossible with God."

Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph.

Because Joseph was a righteous man,

he did not want to expose her to public disgrace.

He had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph

in a dream, saying

"Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,

because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."

"She will give birth to a son,

and you are to give him the name, Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins."

When Joseph woke up,

he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took Mary home as his wife.

In those days, Cesar Agustus issued a decree

that a census should be taken over the entire Roman world

and everyone went to his own town to register.

Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to register.

Because there was no room for them in the inn,

the innkeeper let them stay in a stable.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born.

Mary wrapped baby Jesus in cloths

and placed him in the manger.

At this time, there were shepherds living out in the fields

nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them,

and the Glory of the Lord shone all around them,

and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them,

"Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all the people."

"Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you."

"He is Christ the Lord."

"This will be a sign to you. You will find the baby

wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host

appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest!"

And on earth, peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels left and went to heaven,

the shepherds said to one another,

"Let's go to Bethlehem, and see this thing

that has happened which the Lord has told us about."

They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph

and baby Jesus who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word

concerning what they had been told about this child.

And all who heard it were amazed at what

the shepherds said to them.

Mary treasured up all these things

and pondered them in her heart.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem,

during the time of King Herod,

Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked,

"Where is the one who has been born

the king of the Jews?"

"We saw the star in the East

and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed

and he called together all the people's chief priests

and teachers of the law,

asking them where the Christ was to be born.

"In Bethlehem, in Judea." they replied.

Herod called the Magi secretly and said to them,

"Go to Bethlehem, and make a careful search

for the child. As soon as you find him,

report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

The Magi went on their way,

and the star went ahead of them

until it stopped over the place where the child was.

On coming to the house, they saw the child

with his mother, Mary.

Overjoyed, they bowed down and worshiped him.

They opened their treasures and presented him with

gifts of gold, of incense, and of myrrh.

Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod,

they returned to their country by another route.

Jesus grew to be a man,

and later, died on a cross to save us from our sins.