23-01
Mary Was Pregnant [23-01]
Mary was engaged to a righteous man named Joseph. When he heard that Mary was pregnant, he knew it was not his baby. He did not want to shame Mary, so he planned to quietly divorce her. Before he could do that, an angel came and spoke to him in a dream.
约瑟听说玛利亚怀孕了，但他知道那不是他的孩子，所以想私下里休了她。在他行这事之前，天使在梦中向他显现。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- he knew it was not his baby - That is, "he knew that he was not the one who had caused her to be pregnant."
- to shame Mary - That is, "to cause Mary to be publicly disgraced" or "to embarrass Mary publicly." Joseph was merciful to Mary, even though it seemed like she was an adulterer.
- he planned to quietly divorce her - This could also be translated as, "He planned to divorce her without telling others why," or, "He planned to divorce her without telling others about her pregnancy." Because Joseph was righteous, he wanted to resolve the situation in the best way possible, which in this culture would be to divorce her quietly.
- divorce her - For some languages it may be better to say, "break their engagement." Joseph and Mary were engaged or, "pledged to be married." But in Jewish culture a divorce was required in order to break off an engagement.
- in a dream - That is, "while he was asleep and dreaming."
23-02
Take Mary as Your Wife [23-02]
The angel said, “Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The baby that is in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son. Name him Jesus (which means, 'Yahweh saves'), because he will save the people from their sins.”
天使说，“约瑟，不要怕，尽管娶回玛利亚。她乃是从圣灵怀的孕。她将生一个儿子。他的名字是耶稣，因为他将救他的民脱离罪。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife - This can also be translated as, "Stop thinking that you shouldn't marry Mary" or, "Do not hesitate to have Mary as your wife."
- is from the Holy Spirit - That is, "was conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit."
23-03
Joseph Married Mary [23-03]
So Joseph married Mary and took her home as his wife, but he did not sleep with her until she had given birth.
NOT TRANSLATED
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- he did not sleep with her - That is, "he did not have sexual relations with her." He kept her a virgin until the birth of the baby.
23-04
The Trip to Bethlehem [23-04]
When the time was near for Mary to give birth, the Roman government told everyone to go for a census to the town where their ancestors had lived. Joseph and Mary had to make a long journey from where they lived in Nazareth to Bethlehem because their ancestor was David whose hometown was Bethlehem.
玛利亚快生的时候，罗马政府命令人民回到他们祖先居住的地方来报名上册。玛利亚和约瑟走了很长的路，才从他们居住的地方拿撒勒来到了伯利恒。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- When the time was near for Mary to give birth - That is, "When it was near the end of Mary's pregnancy."
- Roman government - Rome had conquered and ruled over Israel at this time.
- for a census - That is, "to be counted for the government record" or, "so that the government could write their names on a list" or, "to be counted by the government." This census was probably made for the purpose of taxing the people.
23-05
The Birth of Jesus [23-05]
When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place to stay. The only room they could find was a place where animals stayed. The baby was born there and his mother laid him in a feeding trough, since they did not have a bed for him. They named him Jesus.
他们到达伯利恒后，已经没有住宿的地方了。只有一个动物呆的地方可供他们歇脚。孩子就在那里出生。因为没有床，他的母亲只能把孩子放在食槽里。他们给他起名叫耶稣。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- no place to stay - That is, "no usual place to stay." Because Bethlehem was so crowded at that time, the usual rooms for guests were already full of people.
- place where animals stayed - This was a place for sheltering animals, not a place where people lived. Translate this with a term that would normally be used for a place where animals were kept.
- feeding trough - That is, "animal feed box" or, "wooden or stone box for feeding animals." The box could have been filled with hay to provide a padded surface for the baby to lie on.
23-06
The Angel and the Shepherds [23-06]
That night, there were some shepherds in a nearby field guarding their flocks. Suddenly, a shining angel appeared to them, and they were terrified. The angel said, “Do not be afraid, because I have some good news for you. The Messiah, the Master, has been born in Bethlehem!”
那晚，有一些牧羊人在附近的田里看管羊群。突然，一个耀眼的天使向他们显现，他们非常害怕。天使说，“不要怕，因我带来了好消息给你们。弥赛亚已经降生了！”
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- guarding their flocks - A "flock" is a group of sheep. The shepherds were caring for their sheep, and protecting them from harm or theft.
- a shining angel - This could also be translated as, "an angel surrounded by a bright light." The shining light would have seemed even brighter in contrast to the darkness of the night.
- they were terrified - The appearance of the supernatural angel was extremely frightening.
- Do not be afraid - This often means, "stop being afraid." The shepherds were very afraid when they saw the angel so he was telling them they did not need to be afraid.
23-07
The Angels Praised God [23-07]
“Go search for the baby, and you will find him wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” Suddenly, the skies were filled with angels praising God, saying, “Glory to God in heaven and peace on earth to the people he favors!”
“去寻找那孩子，你们会发现他被几块布包裹，躺在食槽里。”突然，空中满是天使歌唱，赞美神，说，“荣耀归于神，和平归向全地，和他所宠爱的人！”
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- (The angel continued speaking.)
- wrapped in pieces of cloth - The custom of that time was to tightly wrap newborn babies in long strips of cloth. It may be necessary to say, "wrapped in long strips of cloth, in the customary way."
- feeding trough - That is, "animal feeding box." Also see how you translated this in [[:zh:obs:notes:frames:23-05|[23-05]]].
- filled with angels - This means that there were so many angels that they seemed to fill the sky.
- Glory to God - This can also be translated as, "Let us all give glory to God!" or, "Our God deserves all glory and honor!" or, "We all give glory to God!"
- peace on earth - Another way to say this would be, "may there be peace on earth."
- the people he favors - This might be translated as, "people that God looks upon with favor, delight, or good will."
23-08
The Shepherds Visited Jesus [23-08]
The shepherds soon arrived at the place where Jesus was and they found him lying in a feeding trough, just as the angel had told them. They were very excited. Mary was very happy, too. The shepherds returned to the fields where their sheep were, praising God for all they had heard and seen.
牧羊人找到耶稣的时候，发现他正躺在食槽里，就如天使所说的。他们非常兴奋。玛利亚也很开心。牧羊人回到田里，为所看见和所听见的赞美神。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- all they had heard and seen - That is, "for everything they had heard and seen." This included the glorious angels and their amazing message, as well as seeing the newborn Messiah himself.
23-09
The Wise Men Visited Jesus [23-09]
Sometime later, wise men from countries far to the east saw an unusual star in the sky. T__hey realized__ it meant a new king of the Jews had been born. So, they traveled a great distance to see this king. They came to Bethlehem and found the house where Jesus and his parents were staying.
一些日子后，东方的国里有博士看到天空中有异常的星，就知道犹太人里有新王诞生了。他们走了很长的路来朝拜新王。他们来到伯利恒，找到了耶稣居住的地方。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- Sometime later - It is not clear how long it was after the birth of Jesus before the wise men saw the star, but it may have taken as long as two years for them to prepare for the trip and then travel to Bethlehem.
- wise men - The "wise men" were probably astrologers who studied the stars. They may also have had access to the Old Testament prophets' writings that predicted the birth of the Messiah.
- unusual star - The star that they noticed was not a normal star. It was something that appeared at the time of Jesus' birth.
- They realized - Some languages may add, "From their studies, these scholars realized."
- the house - They were no longer staying in the place for animals where he was born.
23-10
Worship for the Baby [23-10]
When the__ wise men__ saw Jesus with his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They gave Jesus expensive gifts. Then they returned home.
当看到耶稣和他的母亲时，他们跪下敬拜他。他们给了耶稣贵重的礼物。然后就回去了。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- wise men - See how you translated this term in [[:zh:obs:notes:frames:23-09|[23-09]]].
- bowed down - That is, "bowed low to the ground." At that time, this was the customary way of showing great respect or reverence.
- expensive - That is, "very valuable."
- A Bible story from - These references may be slightly different in some Bible translations.