The Nativity of the Messiah

¹⁸ The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged^[a] to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.^{(A) 19} So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man,^(B) and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.^(C)

²⁰ But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.^{(D) 21} She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus,^(E) because he will save his people from their sins.”^(F)

²² Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

which is translated “God is with us.”^(G)

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her^{(H) 25} but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son.^[c] And he named him Jesus.^(I)

¹¹ Today in the city of David a Savior^(A) was born for you, who is the Messiah,^(B) the Lord.^(C)

¹⁶ For God loved^(A) the world in this way:^[a] He gave^[b] his one and only^(B) Son,^(C) so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.^{(D) 17} For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn^(E) the world, but to save the world through him.

⁴² And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior^(A) of the world.”^[a]