The Story of the Birth of Jesus

1. Soþlice on þam dagum wæs geworden gebod fram þam casere Augusto þæt eall ymbehwyrft wære tomearcod.

2. Þeos tomearcodnes wæs þryst geworden fram þam deman Syrige Cirino

3. and ealle hig eodon and syndrie ferdon on hyra ceastre.

4. þa ferde Iosep fram Galilea of þære ceastre Nazareth on Iudeisce ceastre Dauides seo is genemned Bethleem forþam þe he wæs of Dauides huse and hirede,

5. þæt he ferde mid Marian þe him beweddod wæs and wæs geeacnod.

6. Soþlice wæs geworden, þa hi þar wæron, hire dagas wæron gefyllede þæt heo cende,

7. and heo cende hyre frumcennedan sunu and hine mid cildclaþum bewand and hine on binne alede, forþam þe hig næfdon rum on cumena huse.

8. And hyrdas wæron on þam ylcan rice waciende and nihtwæccan healdende ofer heora heorda.

9. þa stod Drihtnes engel wiþ hig and Godes beorhtnes him ymbescean and hi him mycelum ege adredon.

1-. And se engel him to cwæþ, "Nelle ge eow adrædan. Soþlice nu ic eow bodie mycelne gefean se bið eallum folce

11. forþam todæg eow ys hælend acenned se is Drihten Crist on Dauides ceastre.

12. And þis tacen eow byð: Ge gemetað an cild hreglum bewunden and on binne aled."

13. And þa wæs færinga geworden mid þam engle mycelnes heofonlices werodes God heriendra and þus cweþendra:

14. "Gode sy wuldor on heahnesse and on eorðan sybb mannum godes willan."

15. And hit wæs geworden þa þa englas to heofene ferdon, þa hyrdas him betwynan spræcon and cwædon, "Uton faran to Bethleem and geseon þæt word þe geworden is þæt Drihten us ætywde."

16. And hig efstende comon and gemetton Marrian and Iosep and þæt cild on binne aled.

17. þa hi þæt gesawon, þa oncneowon hig be þam worde þe him gesæd wæs be þam cilde.

18. And ealle þa þe gehyrdon wundredon be þam þe him þa hyrdas sædon.

19. Maria geheold ealle þas word on hyre heortan smeagende.

20. þa gewendon ham þa hyrdas God wuldriende and heriende on eallum þam þe hi gehyrdon and gesawon, swa to him gecweden wæs.

21. æfter þam þe eahta dagas gefyllede wæron þæt þæt cild emsnyden wære his nama wæs Hælend se wæs fram engle genemned ær he on innoðe geeacnod wære.

acennan wk verb: give birth to (acenned past part)

adrædan Class 7 weak verb: dread, fear (adredon pl pret indic)

æfter þam þe conj: after

ær conj: before

æryst adv: first

ætywan wk verb: reveal, make known (ætywde 3rd pers sing pret indic)

alecgan wk verb: lay, put down (aled past part; alede 3rd pers sing pret indic)

an numer: one, a

and conj: and

Augustus prop name: Augustus Caesar (Augusto dat sing)

be prep: by, according to, about

beon anom verb: to be (bið, byð 3rd pers sing pres indic; sy 3rd pers sing pres subj; wæs 3rd pers sing pret indic; wære 3rd pers sing pret subj; wæron pl pret indic; ys, is 3rd pers sing pres indic)

beorhtnes fem noun: brightness

betwynan prep: between, among

Bethleem prop name: Bethlehem

beweddod past part adj: married

bewindan Class 3 str verb: wrap (bewand 3rd pers sing pret indic; bewunden past part)

binn fem noun: bin, basket, manger (binne acc/dat sing)

gebod neut noun: command

bodian wk verb: proclaim (bodie 1st pers sing pres indic)

casere masc noun: emperor (casere dat sing)

ceaster fem noun: city (ceastre acc/dat sing)

cennan wk verb: give birth (cende 3rd pers sing pret indic)

cild neut noun: baby, child (cilde dat sing)

cildclaþas masc pl noun: baby clothes (cildclaþum dat pl)

Cirinus prop name: Cirinus (Cirino (Latin) dat sing)

Crist prop name: Christ

cuma masc noun: visitor, guest (cumena gen pl)
cumena hus: guest house, inn

cuman Class 4 str verb: come (comon pl pret indic)

cweðan Class 5 str verb: say (cwædon pl pret indic; cwæð 3rd pers sing pret indic; gecweden past part; cweþendra pres part gen pl)

dæg masc noun: day (dagas nom pl; dagum dat pl)

Dauid prop name: David (Dauides gen sing)

dema masc noun: judge, governor (deman dat sing)

Drihten masc noun: the Lord (Drihtnes gen sing)

geeacnod past part adj: (of a woman) pregnant; (of a fetus) conceived

eahta numeral: eight

eall adj: all (ealle nom/acc pl; eallum dat sing neut)

efstan wk verb: hurry (efstende pres part)

ege masc noun: awe, dread (ege dat sing)

emsniðan Class 1 str verb: circumcise (emsnyden past part)

engel masc noun: angel (englas nom pl; engle dat sing)

eorðe fem noun: earth (eorðan dat sing)

færinga adv: suddenly

faran Class 6 str verb: go, travel

gefea masc noun: joy (gefean acc sing)

feran wk verb: go, travel ( ferde 3rd pers sing pret indic; ferdon pl pret indic)

folc neut noun: people, nation (folce dat sing)

forþam, forþam þe conj: because

fram prep: from, by

frumcenned past part adj: first-born (frumcennedan acc sing masc)

fyllan wk verb: fill, fulfill, complete (gefyllede past part nom pl masc)

Galilea prop name: Galilee

gan anom verb: go (eodon pl pret indic)

ge pron: you (pl.) (eow dat)

God masc noun: God (Gode dat sing; Godes gen sing)
god adj: good (godes gen sing masc)

habban anom verb: to have (næfdon pl pret indic negative: did not have)

hælend masc noun: saviour

ham adv: home

he, heo, hit pers pron: he, she, it (hig, hi nom/acc pl; him dat sing masc; dat pl; hine acc sing masc; hire, hyre dat/gen sing fem; hyra, heora gen pl)

heahnes fem noun: height, highness (heahnesse dat sing)
on heahnesse: (translating Latin in excelsis) in the highest

healdan Class 7 str verb: hold, keep, maintain (healdende pres part; geheold 3rd pers sing pret indic)

heofon masc noun: heaven (heofene dat sing)

heofonlic adj: heavenly (heofonlices gen sing neut)

heord fem noun: herd, flock (heorda acc pl)

heorte fem noun: heart (heortan dat sing)

herian wk verb: praise (heriende pres part; heriendra pres part gen pl)

hired masc noun: household, family (hirede dat sing)

hregl neut noun: clothing, garment (hreglum dat pl)

hus neut noun: house, family (huse dat sing)

gehyran wk verb: hear (gehyrdon pl pret indic)

hyrde masc noun: shepherd (hyrdas nom pl)

ic pron: I

innoð masc noun: womb, entrails, stomach (innoðe dat sing)

Iosep prop name: Joseph

Iudeisc adj: in or of Judaea

mann masc noun: man (mannum dat pl)

Maria prop name: Mary (Marian, Marrian acc/dat sing)

gemetan wk verb: meet (gemetað pl pres indic; gemetton pl pret indic)

mid prep: with

mycel adj: great, much (mycelne acc sing masc; mycelum dat sing masc)

mycelnes fem noun: multitude

nama masc noun: name

nemnan wk verb: name (genemned past part)

Nazareth prop name: Nazareth

nihtwæcce fem noun: night watch (nihtwæccan acc sing)

nu adv: now

of prep: from, out of

ofer prep: over

on prep: on, in; onto, into

oncnawan Class 7 str verb: understand, know, recognize (oncneowon pl pret indic)

rice neut noun: kingdom (rice dat sing)

rum masc noun: room, space

se demonstr: the, that, (in pl.) those (ða, þa nom pl; þære dat sing fem; þæt, ðæt acc sing neut; þam dat pl; dat sing masc/neut)

secgan wk verb: say (gesæd past part; sædon pl pret indic)

geseon Class 5 str verb: see (gesawon pl pret indic)

smeagan wk verb: consider, ponder, reflect (smeagende pres part)

soþlice adv: truly, indeed

sprecan Class 5 str verb: speak (spræcon pl pret indic)

standan Class 6 strong verb: to stand (stod 3rd pers sing pret indic)

sunu masc noun: son

swa adv and conj: as

sybb fem noun: peace, friendship

syndrie adv: separately, individually

Syria prop name: Syria (Syrige (Latin) gen sing)

tacen neut noun: sign

to prep: to

todæg adv: today

tomearcian wk verb: describe, note down (tomearcod past part)
wære tomearcod: should be described (i.e. inventoried)

tomearcodnes fem noun: census

ða, þa adv and conj: then, when

þæt conj: that, so that

þar adv: there

þe, ðe rel pron: who, which, that

þes demonstr: this, (in pl) these (þas acc pl; þeos nom sing fem; þis nom sing neut)

þus adv: thus, in this way

uton idiomatic verb: let us

wacian wk verb: be awake (waciende pres part)

we pron: we (us dat)

gewendan wk verb: to (gewendon pl pret indic)

weorðan Class 3 str verb: happen, come to pass, be, become (geworden past part)
wæs geworden: happened, came to pass
geworden is: has happened

werod neut noun: army, host (werodes gen sing)

willa masc noun: will, purpose, intent (willan gen sing)

willan anom verb: to wish, desire (nelle imper pl: do not)

wuldor neut noun: glory

wuldrian wk verb: praise, glorify (wuldriende pres part)

wundrian wk verb: marvel, wonder (wundredon pl pret indic)

wiþ prep: with, by, near

word neut noun: word, utterance, report, story (word acc pl; worde dat sing)

ylca adj: same (ylcan dat sing neut)

ymbehwyrft masc noun: the circumference (of the world)

ymbescinan Class 1 strong verb: shine around (ymbescean 3rd pers sing pret indic)