2:16a–b

So they hurried off: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces the result of the shepherds’ discussion. In some languages a conjunction may not be needed. For example:

They went quickly (God’s Word)

Connect this verse to 2:15 in a natural way in your language.

they hurried off: The phrase they hurried off indicates that the shepherds went quickly. They did not hesitate to go and see the baby whom the angel had told them about. Some other ways to translate this are:

the shepherds went quickly (New Century Version)
-or-
they came in a hurry (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
they came as fast as they could (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby: The shepherds found Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus. The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as found implies that the shepherds searched for Mary, Joseph, and the baby before finding them.

who was lying in the manger: The baby Jesus was lying in the manger, as the angel had told them (2:12). For a description of manger, see the note for 2:7c.

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