⁸ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(A)I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince^[a] over my people Israel. ^9 (B)And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel ^(C)and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place ^(D)and be disturbed no more. ^(E)And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ^11 (F)from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And ^(G)I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that ^(H)the Lord will make you a house. ^12 (I)When your days are fulfilled and ^(J)you lie down with your fathers, ^(K)I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (L)He shall build a house for my name, and ^(M)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (N)I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, ^(O)I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, ^15 (P)but my steadfast love will not depart from him, ^(Q)as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ^16 (R)And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.^{[b] (S)}Your throne shall be established forever.’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days ^(A)a decree went out from ^(B)Caesar Augustus that all the world should be ^(C)registered. ² This was the first ^(D)registration when^[a] Quirinius ^(E)was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up ^(F)from Galilee, from the town of ^(G)Nazareth, to Judea, to ^(H)the city of David, which is called ^(I)Bethlehem, ^(J)because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^[b] who was with child. ⁶ And ^(K)while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and ^(L)wrapped him in swaddling cloths and ^(M)laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in ^(N)the inn.^[c]