1 Now it came about in those days that an order went out from Caesar Augustus that there was to be a numbering of all the world.

2 This was the first numbering, which was made when Quirinius was ruler of Syria.

3 And all men went to be numbered, everyone to his town.

4 And Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the town of Nazareth, into Judaea, to Beth-lehem, the town of David, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 To be put on the list with Mary, his future wife, who was about to become a mother.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

7 And she had her first son; and folding him in linen, she put him to rest in the place where the cattle had their food, because there was no room for them in the house.

8 And in the same country there were keepers of sheep in the fields, watching over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord came to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining round about them: and fear came on them.

10 And the angel said, Have no fear; for truly, I give you good news of great joy which will be for all the people:

11 For on this day, in the town of David, a Saviour has come to birth, who is Christ the Lord.

12 And this is the sign to you: you will see a young child folded in linen, in the place where the cattle have their food.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a great band of spirits from heaven, giving praise to God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on the earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased.

15 And when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the keepers of the sheep said to one another, Let us go now to Beth-lehem, and see this thing which has come about, which the Lord has made clear to us.

16 And they came quickly, and saw Mary and Joseph, and the child in the place where the cattle had their food.

17 And when they saw it, they gave them an account of the things which had been said to them about the child.

18 And all those to whose ears it came were full of wonder at the things said by the keepers of the sheep.

19 But Mary kept all these words in her heart, and gave much thought to them.

20 Then the keepers of the sheep went back, giving glory and praise to God for all the things which had come to their ears and which they had seen, as it had been said to them.

21 And when, after eight days, the time came for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given to him before his birth.