Zion’s Coming Salvation
1 oFor Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet,
puntil her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
2 qThe nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
rand you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3 You shall be sa crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 tYou shall no more be termed uForsaken,1
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,2
rbut you shall be called vMy Delight Is in Her,3
and your land Married;4
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman,
so wshall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so xshall your God rejoice over you.
6 On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set ywatchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it za praise in the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn aby his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give byour grain
to be food for your enemies,
cand foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
9 but dthose who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and dthose who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”5
10 Go through, go through the gates;
eprepare the way for the people;
fbuild up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
glift up a signal over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
hSay to the daughter of Zion,
i“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
12 jAnd they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
kand you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
1 In those days la decree went out from mCaesar Augustus that all the world should be nregistered. 2 This was the first nregistration when1 Quirinius owas governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up pfrom Galilee, from the town of qNazareth, to Judea, to rthe city of David, which is called sBethlehem, tbecause he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,2 who was with child. 6 And twhile they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and uwrapped him in swaddling cloths and vlaid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in wthe inn.3
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord xappeared to them, and ythe glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all zthe people. 11 For aunto you is born this day in bthe city of David ca Savior, who is dChrist ethe Lord. 12 And fthis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby gwrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel ha multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 i“Glory to God jin the highest,
jand on earth kpeace lamong those with whom he is pleased!”4
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby mlying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But nMary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, oglorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
