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These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

Another Account of the Creation

In the day that the Lord[a] God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no vegetation of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground,(A) but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground[b] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.(B) And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.(C) Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 2.4 Heb YHWH, as in other places where “Lord” is spelled with capital letters (see also Ex 3.14–15 with notes)
  2. 2.7 In Heb the word for ground resembles the word for man

Adam and Eve

This is the account(A) of the heavens and the earth when they were created,(B) when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[a] and no plant had yet sprung up,(C) for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth(D) and there was no one to work the ground, but streams[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed(E) a man[c](F) from the dust(G) of the ground(H) and breathed into his nostrils the breath(I) of life,(J) and the man became a living being.(K)

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden;(L) and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees(M) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life(N) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(O)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 2:5 Or land; also in verse 6
  2. Genesis 2:6 Or mist
  3. Genesis 2:7 The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah); it is also the name Adam (see verse 20).

The Peaceful Kingdom

11 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow[a] out of his roots.(A)
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 11.1 Cn Compare Syr: Heb bear fruit

The Branch From Jesse

11 A shoot(A) will come up from the stump(B) of Jesse;(C)
    from his roots a Branch(D) will bear fruit.(E)
The Spirit(F) of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom(G) and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,(H)
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord

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The wolf shall live with the lamb;
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed[a] together,
    and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 11.6 Q ms Gk Syr: MT and the fatted calf

The wolf will live with the lamb,(A)
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
    and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.(B)
The infant(C) will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s(D) nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy(E)
    on all my holy mountain,(F)
for the earth(G) will be filled with the knowledge(H) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,(A) 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.(B) 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”[a](C) 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.(D) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.(E) 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”(F) 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”[b] 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[c] will be holy; he will be called Son of God.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.28 Other ancient authorities add Blessed are you among women
  2. 1.34 Gk I do not know a man
  3. 1.35 Other ancient authorities add of you

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel(A) to Nazareth,(B) a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,(C) a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,(D) Mary; you have found favor with God.(E) 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.(F) 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.(G) The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,(H) 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom(I) will never end.”(J)

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,(K) and the power of the Most High(L) will overshadow you. So the holy one(M) to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.(N)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:35 Or So the child to be born will be called holy,

38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

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38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

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The Birth of Jesus

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

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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)

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All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.(A) He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 2.7 Or their room

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(A) 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(B) and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

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The Shepherds and the Angels

Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:(A) 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,[a] the Lord.(B) 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”(C) 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying,(D)

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”[c](E)

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger.

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Footnotes

  1. 2.11 Or the Christ
  2. 2.13 Gk army
  3. 2.14 Other ancient authorities read peace, goodwill among people

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel(A) of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.(B) I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior(C) has been born to you; he is the Messiah,(D) the Lord.(E) 12 This will be a sign(F) to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace(G) to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into 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.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.(H)

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The Visit of the Magi

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem,(A) asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east[b] and have come to pay him homage.”(B) When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:(C)

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’ ”(D)

Then Herod secretly called for the magi[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 2.1 Or astrologers
  2. 2.2 Or at its rising
  3. 2.4 Or the Christ
  4. 2.6 Or rule
  5. 2.7 Or astrologers
  6. 2.9 Or at its rising
  7. 2.10 Gk saw the star

The Magi Visit the Messiah

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,(A) during the time of King Herod,(B) Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?(C) We saw his star(D) when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem(E) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b](F)

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.(G) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts(H) of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
  2. Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4

The Word Became Flesh

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.(A) He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being(B) in him was life,[a] and the life was the light of all people.(C) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.[b](D)

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.(E) 11 He came to what was his own,[c] and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,(F) 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.(G)

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,[d] full of grace and truth.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.4 Or . . . through him. And without him not one thing came into being that has come into being. In him was life
  2. 1.9 Or He was the true light that enlightens everyone coming into the world
  3. 1.11 Or to his own home
  4. 1.14 Or the Father’s only Son

The Word Became Flesh

In the beginning was the Word,(A) and the Word was with God,(B) and the Word was God.(C) He was with God in the beginning.(D) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.(E) In him was life,(F) and that life was the light(G) of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness,(H) and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.(I)

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.(J) He came as a witness to testify(K) concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.(L) He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light(M) that gives light to everyone(N) was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,(O) the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.(P) 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed(Q) in his name,(R) he gave the right to become children of God(S) 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.(T)

14 The Word became flesh(U) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,(V) the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace(W) and truth.(X)

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Footnotes

  1. John 1:5 Or understood