Nearby there were shepherds in the fields who were watching over their flock of sheep by night.
All of a sudden, the angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone all around them.
The shepherds were very afraid, but the angel said to them,
“Don’t be afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all the people. For today, in the city of David, a savior, who is Christ the Lord, has been born.
And this will be the sign: you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, there appeared a host of angels, all praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those men with whom He is well pleased.”
After the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other,
“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
They immediately went and found Mary, Joseph and the baby lying in the manger.
After they saw the baby Jesus, they made known what they had been told by the angels about the child.
Everyone who heard it wondered about the things the shepherds reported.
But Mary kept all these sayings to herself, pondering them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned to their fields, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.
