ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Luke 2.10-11

Book: Luke · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"8. And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 9. And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid."

"10. And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: 11. for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."

"12. And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. 13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying," (Luke 2:8-13, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"8. There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 9. Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified."

"10. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. 11. For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

"12. This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.” 13. Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying," (Luke 2:8-13, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"8. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. watch: or, the night watches 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," (Luke 2:8-13, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"8. And there were shepherds in the same region, lodging in the field, and keeping the night-watches over their flock, 9. and lo, a messenger of the Lord stood over them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared a great fear."

"10. And the messenger said to them, 'Fear not, for lo, I bring you good news of great joy, that shall be to all the people, 11. because there was born to you to-day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David,"

"12. and this [is] to you the sign: Ye shall find a babe wrapped up, lying in the manger.' 13. And suddenly there came with the messenger a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying," (Luke 2:8-13, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: Luke the physician (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
  • Audience: Theophilus + Gentile Christian audience (companion to Acts)
  • Location: first-century Palestine (events); composition possibly Caesarea or Rome
  • Time period: events c. 4 BC, AD 30/33; composed c. AD 60-80

Theological reading

Key words

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.