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While Joseph ·thought about [considered; decided; resolved to do] these things, [L look; T behold] an angel of the Lord ·came [appeared] to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, ·descendant [son] of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because ·the baby [L what is conceived] in her is from the Holy Spirit.
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She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins [C the name Jesus means “the Lord saves”].”
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“[L Look; T Behold] The virgin will ·be pregnant [L conceive in her womb; Is. 7:14]. She will ·have [give birth to] a son, and they will name him Immanuel,” which [C in Hebrew] means “God is with us.”
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When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel had ·told [commanded] him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife,
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but he did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And ·Joseph [L he] named him Jesus.
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They asked, “Where is the ·baby who was born to be the king [or newborn king] of the Jews? We saw his star ·in the east [or when it rose] and have come to ·worship him [pay him homage].”
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He sent the ·wise men [astrologers; magi] to Bethlehem, saying, “·Look [Go and search] carefully for the child. When you find him, ·come tell [report to] me so I can [L go and] ·worship [pay homage to] him too.”
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They ·came to [entered] the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they ·bowed down [knelt; L fell] and ·worshiped [paid homage to] him. They opened their ·gifts [treasure chests; treasures] and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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Jesus’ Parents Take Him to Egypt
After they left, an angel of the Lord ·came [appeared] to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and ·escape [flee] to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is ·starting [intending; going] to ·look [search] for the child so he can kill him.”
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Herod Kills the Baby Boys
When Herod saw that the ·wise men [astologers; magi] had ·tricked [outwitted; outsmarted] him, he was furious. So he ·gave an order [or sent soldiers] to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the surrounding area who were two years old or younger. This was ·in keeping with [based on] the time he learned from the ·wise men [astologers; magi].
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The angel said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, because the people who were ·trying to kill [L seeking the life of] the child are now dead.”
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·John the Baptist [L For this] is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said: “This is a voice of one who ·calls out [shouts; cries out] in the ·desert [wilderness]: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make ·the road straight [a clear path] for him [Is. 40:3].’”
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Jesus Is Baptized by John
·At that time [Then] Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River ·and wanted John to baptize him [L to be baptized by John].
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But John tried to ·stop [deter; dissuade; prevent] him, saying, “·Why do [Do] you come to me to be baptized? I need to be baptized by you!”
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As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then ·heaven [the sky/heavens] opened, and he saw God’s Spirit ·coming down [descending and lighting/settling] on him like a dove [C either in the form of a dove, or in bird-like descent].
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And a voice from heaven said, “This is my ·Son, whom I love [dearly beloved Son; Ps. 2:7; Gen. 22:2], and I am ·very [well] pleased with him [Is. 42:1].”
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The ·devil came to Jesus to tempt him [L tempter/tester came to Jesus], saying, “If you are the Son of God, ·tell [command] these rocks to ·become bread [turn into loaves].”
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Then the devil ·led [took] Jesus to the holy city [C Jerusalem] and put him on ·a high place [the highest point; the pinnacle] of the Temple.
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Jesus answered him, “It also says in the Scriptures, ‘Do not test the Lord your God [Deut. 6:16].’”
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·Then [Again] the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and all their ·splendor [glory].
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Jesus said to him, “·Go away from me [Get out of here; Be gone], Satan! [L For] It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him [Deut. 6:13].’”
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So the devil left Jesus, and angels came and ·took care of [served; ministered to] him.
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So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.
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As Jesus ·continued walking by Lake Galilee [went on from there], he saw two other brothers, ·James and John, the sons of Zebedee [L James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John]. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, ·mending [or preparing] their nets. Jesus ·told them to come with him [called them].
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The ·news [fame] about Jesus spread ·all over [or as far as] Syria, and people brought all the sick to him. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases. Some were in great pain, some ·had demons [were demon-possessed], some were epileptics, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed all of them.