²⁰ But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

God’s Spirit Poured Out

²² But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.^(A)

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah^[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit.^(A)

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) 36} And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.”^{(H) 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.

¹⁹ The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.^(A)

The Return from Egypt

¹⁹ When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ 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)