Top Ten Scripture Stories

The Infancy Narratives Matthew 1:18-25; 2:1-12 Luke 2:1-20

The Text Matthew Luke 18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His 1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but census should be taken of the entire Roman world. before they came together, she was found to be with child 2(This was the first census that took place while through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to to his own town to register. public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth 20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of because he belonged to the house and line of David. David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, 5He went there to register with Mary, who was because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. pledged to be married to him and was expecting a 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the child. 6While they were there, the time came for the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a sins.” son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said manger, because there was no room for them in the through the prophet: 23“The virgin will be with child and inn. will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”– The Shepherds and the Angels which means, “God with us.” 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields 24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the 1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the people. 11Today in the town of David a Saviour has time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to lying in a manger.” worship him.” 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host 3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the 14“Glory to God in the highest, people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked and on earth peace to men on whom his favour them where the Christ was to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in rests.” Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has 15When the angels had left them and gone into written: 6“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, out of you will come a ruler which the Lord has told us about.” who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’ ” 16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, 7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them they had seen him, they spread the word concerning to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for what had been told them about this child, 18and all the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said too may go and worship him.” to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and 9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things until it stopped over the place where the child was. they had heard and seen, which were just as they had 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On been told. coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.