Bible Stories/The Birth of Jesus

When Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant, he knew it was not his baby, so he planned to quietly divorce her. Before he could do that, an angel appeared to him in a dream.

The angel said, "Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. What is in her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son. Name him Jesus, because he will save the people from their sins."

So Joseph married her and took her home as his wife, but he did not sleep with her until she had given birth.

About the time Mary was to give birth, the Roman government told everyone to go to the town of their ancestors for a census. Mary and Joseph had to make a long journey from where they lived in Nazareth to Bethlehem.

When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place to stay. The only room they could find was a place where animals stayed. The baby was born there and his mother laid him in a feeding trough, since they did not have a bed for him. They named him Jesus.

That night, there were some shepherds in a nearby field watching their flocks. Suddenly, a shining angel appeared to them, and they were terrified. The angel said, "Do not be afraid, because I have some good news for you. The Messiah has been born!"

"Go search for the baby, and you will find him wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a manger." Suddenly, the skies were filled with angels singing and praising God, saying, "Glory to God in heaven and peace on earth to the people He favors!"

When the shepherds arrived at the place where Jesus was, they found him lying in a manger, just as the angel had told them. They were very excited. Mary was very happy, too. The shepherds returned to the fields, praising God for all they had heard and seen.

Some time later, wise men from countries far to the east saw an unusual star in the sky. They realized it meant a new king of the Jews was born. So, they traveled a great distance to see this king. They came to Bethlehem and found the place where Jesus was living.

When they saw Jesus with his mother, they fell down and worshiped him. They gave Jesus expensive gifts. Then they returned home.

Reference

• Matthew 1; Luke 2

External link

• http://en.door43.org/wiki/Stories:The_Birth_of_Jesus