很久以前，大约2000年，当希律王统治犹太人（现在是以色列的一部分）时，神将天使加百列送给住在北方城市拿撒勒的一个年轻女子。女孩的名字是玛丽，她打算和约瑟结婚。
天使加百列对玛丽说：“和平与你同在！上帝祝福你，并且高兴你。玛丽对这个很惊讶，想知道天使的意思。天使对她说：“不要害怕，上帝一直很好爱你。你将被圣灵怀孕，生下一个男孩，你会称他为耶稣。他将是神自己的儿子，他的国将永远不会结束。玛丽非常害怕，但她相信上帝。 “让它发生，因为上帝选择。她回答了天使。加百列还告诉玛丽，她的表弟，伊丽莎白，每个人都认为太老了，没有孩子，会有一个男孩，上帝选择为耶稣准备道路。
玛丽对她的家人和朋友说再见，去拜访她的表弟伊丽莎白和她的丈夫撒迦利亚。伊丽莎白很高兴看到玛丽。她知道玛丽被上帝拣选为他儿子的母亲。一个天使已经告诉撒迦利亚，伊丽莎白的宝贝准备人们欢迎耶稣。他被称为约翰。玛丽住在伊丽莎白约三个月，然后回到拿撒勒。
约瑟担心，当他发现玛丽在婚姻发生前期待着一个婴儿。他想知道他是否应该完全放弃婚礼。然后，天使在梦中向约瑟显现，并说：“不要害怕玛丽成为你的妻子。天使解释说，玛丽被上帝选为是他儿子的母亲，并告诉约瑟，婴孩将被命名为耶稣，这意味着“救主”，因为他会拯救人。当约瑟醒来，他做了天使告诉他做的事，并以玛丽为妻子。
在这个时候，玛丽和约瑟夫居住的土地是罗马帝国的一部分。罗马皇帝奥古斯都希望有一个列表中的所有人在帝国，以确保他们缴纳他们的税。他命令所有人返回他们家人最初来自的城镇，并在那里的登记册（或普查）中输入他们的姓名。玛丽和约瑟夫从拿撒勒到伯利恒走了很长的路（约70英里），因为那是约瑟的家人从哪里来的。大多数人走路，但有些幸运的人有一只驴，以帮助携带旅行所需的货物。约瑟和玛丽旅行非常缓慢，因为玛丽的宝宝很快就要出生了。
当他们到达伯利恒时，他们找到某个地方留下来的问题。很多人在人口普查中登记他们的名字，每个房子都满了，每一张床都在所有的客房里被取走。唯一的住宿，他们可以找到的地方是与动物。人们经常在家里饲养动物，特别是在晚上，使用他们像“中央供暖”！人们通常在升高/上层与下面的动物睡觉，给他们额外的温暖。所以在动物睡觉的地方，玛丽生了耶稣，神的儿子。在那些日子里，这是习惯把新生婴儿紧紧地裹在一个叫做“ling ling的衣服”的长布里。耶稣的床是动物吃干草的马槽。
在伯利恒以外的山丘上，牧羊人在漫长的夜晚照顾他们的羊。当新的一天开始，突然一个天使出现在他们面前，神的荣耀照在他们周围。牧羊人非常非常害怕，但天使说：“不要害怕。我对你和大家都有好消息。今天在伯利恒，救主已经为你出生了。你会发现婴儿躺在马槽里。
然后更多的天使出现，照亮天空。牧羊人听到他们称赞神唱歌：“最高荣耀上帝，地上所有人的和平。当天使们去牧羊人彼此说：“我们去伯利恒看看发生了什么。所以牧羊人去了伯利恒，发现了玛丽和约瑟。孩子耶稣正在躺在一个马槽，因为他们被告知。当他们看到他时，他们告诉大家天使说的话，每个听到这个故事的人都惊讶。然后牧羊人回到他们的羊身上，称赞神差遣他的儿子成为他们的救主。当耶稣出生时，一个全新的明亮的星在天空中出现。遥远的国家的一些聪明人看到了星星，猜测它的意思。他们是非常聪明的人，研究星星，读了非常古老的文字，一个新的明星会出现在一个伟大的国王出生。他们开始找到新的国王，并给他礼物。
智者跟随星星到犹太国，当他们到达耶路撒冷的首都时，他们开始问人们：“出生的孩子是谁是犹太人的王？犹太王，希律听见这话，使他很生气，认为有人可能要取他的国王的地位。希律派了智者来找他。他告诉他们继续跟随星星，直到他们找到了宝贝国王。他说：“当你找到他，让我知道他在哪里，以便我可以去拜他。但希律没有告诉他们，他真的有一个邪恶的计划，以杀死新的国王。圣诞故事 - Wisemen拜访小耶稣. 智者跟着星星走向伯利恒（在那里说，国王将出生在旧的着作中）。它似乎停下来，直接照在耶稣的地方。智者进入他们现在住的房子，用玛丽找到耶稣，他们低下来，崇拜他。智者传播他们在耶稣面前所带来的恩赐。礼物是金，乳香和没药。智者在梦中被神警告，不要回到希律。所以他们以不同的方式回到了他们在东方的国家。圣诞故事 - 玛丽，耶稣和约瑟夫在埃及. 当智者走了，天使在梦中向约瑟显现。 “起来，”天使说，“带耶稣和玛丽，逃到埃及。留在那里，直到我告诉你，因为希律要寻找耶稣杀他。于是约瑟起身，在耶稣和玛丽留给埃及的夜间，在那里住了，直到希律死了。
当希律意识到他被智者欺骗时，他是愤怒的，他命令杀害所有在伯利恒及其周围地区的两岁或两岁以下的男孩。这是试图杀死新的国王，因为他的计划，找到新的国王从智者的位置失败了。希律死后，约瑟又有另一个梦，天使向他显现。天使说：“起来，带耶稣和玛丽，回到以色列，因为那些试图杀了耶稣的人已经死了。于是约瑟起身，带耶稣和玛丽，他们回到以色列。但是当他听说希律的儿子现在是犹太王时，他害怕去那里。所以他们去了加利利，住在他们的老城拿撒勒。
Long ago, about 2000 years, when King Herod ruled Judea (now part of Israel), God sent the angel Gabriel to a young woman who lived in the northern town of Nazareth. The girl's name was Mary and she was engaged to marry Joseph.
The angel Gabriel said to Mary: 'Peace be with you! God has blessed you and is pleased with you.' Mary was very surprised by this and wondered what the angel meant. The angel said to her 'Don't be afraid, God has been very kind to you. You will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to a baby boy and you will call him Jesus. He will be God's own Son and his kingdom will never end.' Mary was very afraid but she trusted God. 'Let it happen as God chooses.' she replied to the angel. Gabriel also told Mary that her cousin, Elizabeth who everyone thought was too old to have children, would have a baby boy whom God had chosen to prepare the way for Jesus.
Mary said goodbye to her family and friends and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. Elizabeth was very happy to see Mary. She knew that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son. An angel had already told Zechariah that Elizabeth's baby would prepare people to welcome Jesus. He was to be called John. Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned home to Nazareth.
Joseph was worried when he found out that Mary was expecting a baby before their marriage had taken place. He wondered if he should put off the wedding altogether. Then an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: 'Don't be afraid to have Mary as your wife.' The angel explained that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son and told Joseph that the baby would be named Jesus which means 'Saviour' because he would save people. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel had told him to do and took Mary as his wife.
At this time, the land where Mary and Joseph lived was part of the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Augustus wanted to have a list of all the people in the empire, to make sure they paid their taxes. He ordered everyone to return to the town where their families originally came from, and enter their names in a register (or census) there. Mary and Joseph traveled a long way (about 70 miles) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, because that is where Joseph's family came from. Most people walked but some lucky people had a donkey to help carry the goods needed for the journey. Joseph and Mary traveled very slowly because Mary's baby was due to be born soon.
When they reached Bethlehem they had problems finding somewhere to stay. So many people had come to register their names in the census, that every house was full and every bed was taken in all of the guest rooms. The only place to stay that they could find was with the animals. People often kept animals in the house, especially at night, and used them like 'central heating'! People normally slept on a raised/upper level with the animals below to give them extra warmth.
So in the place where the animals slept, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God.
In those days it was the custom to wrap newborn babies tightly in a long cloth called 'swaddling clothes'. Jesus' bed was the manger that the animals ate their hay from.
In the hills and fields outside Bethlehem, shepherds looked after their sheep through the long night. As the new day began, suddenly an angel appeared before them and the glory of God shone around them. The shepherds were very, very scared, but the angel said, 'Don't be afraid. I have good news for you and everyone. Today in Bethlehem a Saviour has been born for you. You will find the baby lying in a manger.'.
Then many more angels appeared, lighting up the sky. The shepherds heard them praising God singing: 'Glory to God in highest, and peace to everyone on earth.' When the angels had gone the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem to see what has happened.' So the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph. The baby Jesus was lying in a manger as they had been told. When they saw him, they told everyone what the angel had said and everyone who heard the story were astonished. Then the shepherds returned to their sheep, praising God for sending his Son to be their Saviour.
When Jesus was born, a brand new bright star appeared in sky. Some Wise Men in faraway countries saw the star and guessed what it meant. They were very clever men that studied the stars and had read in very old writings that a new star would appear when a great king was born. They set out to find the new king and bring him gifts.
The Wise Men followed the star towards the country of Judea and when they got to the capital called Jerusalem they began to ask people: 'Where is the child who is born to be king of the Jews?' Herod, the king of Judea, heard this and it made him very angry to think that someone might be going to take his place as king. Herod sent for the Wise Men to come to him. He told them to go on following the star until they had found the baby king. He said: 'When you have found him, let me know where he is, so that I can go and worship him.'. But Herod did not tell them that he really had an evil plan in mind to kill the new king.
The Wise Men followed the star towards Bethlehem (where it said that the king would be born in the old writings). It seemed to stop and shine directly down upon the place where Jesus was.
The Wise Men entered the house where they now lived and found Jesus with Mary, they bowed down and worshipped him. The Wise Men spread the the gifts they had brought before Jesus. The gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Wise Men were warned in a dream, by God, not to go back to Herod. So they returned home to their countries in the East by a different way.
When the Wise Men had gone, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up,' the angel said, 'take Jesus and Mary and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for Jesus to kill him.' So Joseph got up, took Jesus and Mary during the night they left for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod died.
When Herod realized that he had been tricked by the Wise Men, he was furious and he gave orders to kill all the boys aged two or younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. This was to try and kill the new King, as his plan to find the location of the new king from the Wise Men had failed.
After Herod had died, Joseph had another dream in which an angel appeared to him. The angel said, 'Get up, take Jesus and Mary and go back to Israel, for those who were trying kill Jesus are dead.'
So Joseph got up, took Jesus and Mary and they went back to Israel. But when he heard that Herod's son was now king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. So instead they went to Galilee, and lived in their old town of Nazareth.
No comments:
Post a Comment