 The Birth of Jesus 1At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus,
decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman
Empire. 2(This was the first census taken when Quirinius was
governor of Syria.) 3All returned to their own ancestral towns
to register for this census. 4And because Joseph was a
descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea,
David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of
Nazareth in Galilee. 5He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who
was now obviously pregnant. 6And while they were there, the time
came for her baby to be born. 7She gave birth to her first
child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid
him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for
them. The Shepherds and Angels 8That night there were shepherds
staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the
radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were
terrified, 10but the angel reassured them. “Don