Sunday, December 26, 2010

First Day of Christmas!

Here's the Amplified version from the Book of Matthew . . .  (yesterday's was from the NIV version)

How to read this:   note that the words in brackets [like this]or parenthesis (like this) are "added" to amplify what the original text says.    

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances:  When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit.   And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly.   

But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,  Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit.   She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].  

All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet,  Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us.   

Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him:   he took [her to his side as] his wife.  But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.

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