God With Us

Luke 2:1-20

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

2 Around this time, Emperor Augustus issued an order for a census to be taken throughout the Empire. ² This registration, the first of its kind, took place when Quirinius was governing in Syria. ³ Everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ So Yosef, because he was a descendant of David, went up from the town of Natzeret in the Galil to the town of David, called Beit-Lechem, in Y’hudah, ⁵ to be registered, with Miryam, to whom he was engaged, and who was pregnant. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to give birth; ⁷ and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in cloth and laid him down in a feeding trough, because there was no space for them in the living-quarters.

⁸ In the countryside nearby were some shepherds spending the night in the fields, guarding their flocks, ⁹ when an angel ofAdonai appeared to them, and the Sh’khinahof Adonai shone around them. They were terrified; ¹⁰ but the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am here announcing to you Good News that will bring great joy to all the people. ¹¹ This very day, in the town of David, there was born for you a Deliverer who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² Here is how you will know: you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”¹³ Suddenly, along with the angel was a vast army from heaven praising God:

¹⁴ “In the highest heaven, glory to God!
And on earth, peace among people of good will!”

¹⁵ No sooner had the angels left them and gone back into heaven than the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go over to Beit-Lechem and see this thing that has happened, that Adonai has told us about.” ¹⁶ Hurrying off, they came and found Miryam and Yosef, and the baby lying in the feeding trough.¹⁷ Upon seeing this, they made known what they had been told about this child; ¹⁸ and all who heard were amazed by what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ Miryam treasured all these things and kept mulling them over in her heart. ²⁰ Meanwhile, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen; it had been just as they had been told.