The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus(A) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.(B) (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)(C) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem(D) the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him(E) and was expecting a child.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:2 Or This census took place before

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

Now in those days a decree went out from [the emperor] [a]Caesar Augustus, that all the inhabited world (the Roman Empire) should be [b]registered [in a census]. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to register for the census, each to his own city. So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register with Mary, who was [c]betrothed to him, and was with child.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:1 Augustus, Rome’s first and possibly greatest emperor was born Gaius Octavius in 63 b.c. He was the great-nephew, adopted son and heir of the dictator, Julius Caesar. Under Augustus’ intelligent leadership (27 b.c.-a.d. 14) Rome entered the period of peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana.
  2. Luke 2:1 This was the first general census conducted outside Rome that included the people of the Roman provinces.
  3. Luke 2:5 See note 1:27.