Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.^{(A) 19} Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce^(B) her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel^(C) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream^(D) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c](E) because he will save his people from their sins.”^(F)

²² All this took place to fulfill^(G) what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[d](H) (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel^(I) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.^(J)

¹⁴ The Word became flesh^(A) and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,^(B) the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace^(C) and truth.^(D)

⁹ Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.”^(A) He sets aside the first to establish the second.

John Testifies About Jesus

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God,^(A) who takes away the sin of the world!^(B)

2 My dear children,^(A) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate^(B) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,^(C) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.^(D)

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back^(A) and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.^(B)

¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,^(A) will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.^{(B) 16} For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,^(C) with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel^(D) and with the trumpet call of God,^(E) and the dead in Christ will rise first.^{(F) 17} After that, we who are still alive and are left^(G) will be caught up together with them in the clouds^(H) to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord^(I) forever.

¹¹ “Men of Galilee,”^(A) they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back^(B) in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”