Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.^{(A) 19} Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce^(B) her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel^(C) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream^(D) and said, “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. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c](E) because he will save his people from their sins.”^(F)

²² All this took place to fulfill^(G) what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[d](H) (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel^(I) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.^(J)

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you^[a] a sign:^(A) The virgin^[b](B) will conceive and give birth to a son,^(C) and^[c] will call him Immanuel.^[d](D)

³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.^{(A) 32} He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.^(B) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,^{(C) 33} and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom^(D) will never end.”^(E)

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,^(F) and the power of the Most High^(G) will overshadow you. So the holy one^(H) to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God.^(I)

¹⁴ The Word became flesh^(A) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,^(B) the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace^(C) and truth.^(D)

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel,^(A) because it is the power of God^(B) that brings salvation to everyone who believes:^(C) first to the Jew,^(D) then to the Gentile.^(E)

⁴ But when the set time had fully come,^(A) God sent his Son,^(B) born of a woman,^(C) born under the law,^{(D) 5} to redeem^(E) those under the law, that we might receive adoption^(F) to sonship.^[a](G)

¹⁴ Since the children have flesh and blood,^(A) he too shared in their humanity^(B) so that by his death he might break the power^(C) of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil^(D)— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear^(E) of death. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.^{(F) 17} For this reason he had to be made like them,^[a](G) fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful^(H) and faithful high priest^(I) in service to God,^(J) and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.^(K)

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world,^(A) he said: