Chapter 2: Reality

Now Mary arose with haste and went into the hill country, to a city of Judah,  and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Then she spoke with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.  Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

 And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

 Now Elizabeth’s time of delivery came, and she brought forth a son.  When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.

 On the eighth day they came together to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.  His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”

 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”  So they made signs to his father—‘what would you have him called?’

 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.” So they all marveled.  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.  Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.  And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
 To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
 To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
 Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Meanwhile, Mary was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.  But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,  and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

 Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.  While they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered, but there was no room for them in the inn. So she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger. And Joseph called His name Jesus.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.  Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.  And all those who heard it marveled at the things the shepherds told them.  But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.  Then the shepherds returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.

 And when eight days were completed, the Child was circumcised, and His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.