Story 10 of 15; Mary Ponders The Shepherds' Words In Her Heart_Luke 2:15-20

Luke 2:15-20     THE CHILDREN'S NEW TESTAMENT
The Shepherds Go To Bethlehem
     15 The angels went from the shepherds back to heaven.  The shepherds said to each other, "Let us go to the town of Bethlehem and see what has happened.  The Lord has told us about this."  16 They went fast and found Mary and Joseph.  They found the Baby lying in a place where cattle are fed.  17 When they saw the Child, they told what the angel said about Him.  18 All who heard it were surprised at what the shepherds told them.  19 But Mary hid all these words in her heart.  She thought about them much.  20 The shepherds went back full of joy.  They thanked God for all they had heard and seen.  It happened as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:15-20 New King James Version (NKJV)

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made [a]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:17 NU omits widely

Luke 2:15-20 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things[a] in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:19 Lit these words

Luke 2:15-20 English Standard Version (ESV)

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2:15-20 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:15-20 Good News Translation (GNT)

15 When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. 17 When the shepherds saw him, they told them what the angel had said about the child. 18 All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said. 19 Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them. 20 The shepherds went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen; it had been just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:15-20 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

15 The angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this great event the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they went running and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the feeding box. 17 When they saw the baby, they told what the angels said about this child. 18 Everyone was surprised when they heard what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary continued to think about these things, trying to understand them. 20 The shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them.

Luke 2:15-20 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the [a]manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:16 Or feeding trough

Luke 2:15-20 Lexham English Bible (LEB)

15 And it happened that when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began to say[a] to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has revealed to us!” 16 And they went hurrying and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. 17 And when they[b] saw it,[c] they made known the statement that had been told to them about this child. 18 And all who heard it[d] were astonished concerning what had been said to them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering them[e] in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:15 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to say”)
2. Luke 2:17 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
3. Luke 2:17 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
4. Luke 2:18 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
5. Luke 2:19 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

Luke 2:15-20 New International Version (NIV)

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:15-20 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

15 The angels left and went into heaven. Then the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby. The baby was lying in the manger. 17 After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child. 18 All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. She thought about them over and over. 20 The shepherds returned. They gave glory and praise to God. Everything they had seen and heard was just as they had been told.

Luke 2:15-20 New English Translation (NET Bible)

15 When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger. 17 When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said. 19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean. 20 So the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told.

Story 9 of 15; Angels & Shepherds_Luke 2:8-15

Wow.  Unboxing some versions of the Bible that I've never read before has helped me make some distinctions, but I can't remember any as significant as the Wycliffe Bible's (WYC) Luke 2:13 below.  I have never heard a host of angels being referred to as a heaven knighthood.  At first, the contrast between human knights and heavenly angels makes me think that this is a terrible way of describing a heavenly host, but then I consider the way that we celebrate Christmas.  The angels that we use as decorations, and more importantly the character associated with angels in general, is more akin to butterflies, Tinkerbell, or the tooth-fairy, than the sword-wielding, firstborn-killing angels that we see so often throughout the Bible, who are indeed mighty warriors from heaven, complete with swords (even flaming swords) and all.  Whether or not we call them heavenly knights, the WYC challenges us to portray angels accurately.  They did praise God in Luke 2:13-14, but that doesn't make them a choir.  The presence of these angels struck fear into the hearts of men almost every time that they showed up.  If we fail to see who these angels were, God may use a braying donkey to humble us before He opens our eyes.

Luke 2:8-15 Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

8 And shepherds were in the same country, waking and keeping the watches of the night on [upon] their flock.

9 And lo! the angel of the Lord stood beside them, and the clearness of God shined about them [and the clearness of God shone about them]; and they dreaded with great dread.

10 And the angel said to them, Do not ye dread; for lo! I preach to you a great joy [lo! soothly I evangelize to you a great joy], that shall be to all people.

11 For a Saviour is born to day to you, that is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.

12 And this is a token to you; ye shall find a young child wrapped in `clothes, and laid in a feed-trough [and put in a cratch].

13 And suddenly there was made with the angel a multitude of heavenly knighthood, praising God, and saying,

14 Glory be in the highest things to God, and in earth peace be to men of good will. [Glory in the highest things to God, and in earth peace to men of good will.]

15 And it was done, as the angels passed away from them into heaven, the shepherds spake together, and said, Go we over [till] to Bethlehem, and see we this word that is made, which the Lord hath made, and showed to us.

Luke 2:8-15     THE CHILDREN'S NEW TESTAMENT
The Shepherds Learn Of The Birth Of Jesus
     8 In the same country there were shepherds in the fields.  They were watching their flocks of sheep at night.  9 The angel of the Lord came to them.  The shining greatness of the Lord shone around them.  They were very much afraid.
     10 The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  Listen!  I bring you good news of great joy which is for all people.  11 Today, One Who saves from the penalty of sin has been born in the city of David.  He is Christ the Lord.  12 There will be something special for you to see.  This is the way you will know Him.  You will find the Baby with cloth around Him, lying in a place where cattle are fed."
     13 At once many angels from heaven were seen, along with the angel, giving thanks to God.  They were saying,  14 "Greatness and honor to our God in the highest heaven and peace on earth among men who please Him."

The Shepherds Go To Bethlehem
     15 The angels went from the shepherds back to heaven.  The shepherds said to each other, "Let us go to the town of Bethlehem and see what has happened.  The Lord has told us about this."

Luke 2:8-15 New International Version (NIV)

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:8-15 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is [a]Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a [b]manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men [c]with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:11 I.e. Messiah
2. Luke 2:12 Or feeding trough
3. Luke 2:14 Lit of good pleasure; or of good will

Luke 2:8-15 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”[a]

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:14 Some manuscripts peace, good will among men

Luke 2:8-15 Good News Translation (GNT)

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, 10 but the angel said to them, “Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. 11 This very day in David's town your Savior was born—Christ the Lord! 12 And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.”

Luke 2:8-15 Common English Bible (CEB)

Announcement to shepherds

8 Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. 9 The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.

10 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. 11 Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, 14 “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”

15 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.”

Luke 2:8-15 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

The Shepherds

8 That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. 9 All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”

13 Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:

14 “Praise God in heaven!
Peace on earth to everyone
    who pleases God.”

15 After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:8-15 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”[a]

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:14 Some manuscripts peace, good will among men

Luke 2:8-15 Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT)

Angels Announce The Birth of The Savior To Shepherds In The Field

8 And shepherds were in the same region, living-in-the-fields and watching over their flock for watches of the night. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shined around them, and they feared a great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be fearing. For behold— I am announcing-as-good-news to you a great joy which will be for all the people, 11 because[a] a Savior was born for you today in the city of David, Who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby having been wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”. 13 And suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host was with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest [heavens]. And peace on earth among people of [b] [His] good-will[c]”. 15 And it came about that when the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds were saying to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing having taken place which the Lord made-known to us”.

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:11 Or, that.
2. Luke 2:14 That is, people who are recipients or objects of His good-will, people with whom He is pleased; or, people characterized by good-will toward God. Some manuscripts say ‘earth, good-will among people’.
3. Luke 2:14 Or, good-pleasure, favor.

Luke 2:8-15 Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

8 There were in the same country shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified! 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people: 11 Today in the town of David, a Savior was born for you. He is Christ[a] the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude from the heavenly army, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.”[b]

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Now let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:11 Christ is the Greek word for Anointed One. The Hebrew/Aramaic word is Messiah.
2. Luke 2:14 A few witnesses to the text read among people of his goodwill.

Luke 2:8-15 King James Version (KJV)

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Luke 2:8-15 New King James Version (NKJV)

Glory in the Highest

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And [a]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a [b]manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill[c] toward men!”

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:9 NU omits behold
2. Luke 2:12 feed trough
3. Luke 2:14 NU toward men of goodwill