¹⁹ So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man,^(A) and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.^(B)

The Birth of Jesus

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus^(A) that the whole empire^[a] should be registered. ² This first registration took place while^[b] Quirinius was governing Syria.^{(B) 3} So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

⁴ Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth^(C) in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,^(D) because he was of the house and family line of David,^{(E) 5} to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him^[c] and was pregnant. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger,^[d] because there was no guest room available for them.