Matthew Chapter 1 Part 2

 18¶^aNow the ^bbirth of Jesus Christ was ^con this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick ^aexample, was ^bminded to ^cput her away privily.

Deuteronomy 24:1 When a man hath taken a ^awife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some ^buncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of ^cdivorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

 20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a ^adream, saying, Joseph, thou son of ^bDavid, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the ^cHoly Ghost.

 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his ^aname ^bJesus: for he shall ^csave his people from their sins.

 22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

 23^aBehold, a ^bvirgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his ^cname ^dEmmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

 24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his ^awife:

 25And knew her not till she had brought forth her ^afirstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

The Great Jehovah Comes to Earth

Mary was espoused to Joseph. They were not married but were promised to each other under the strictest terms. Mary was virtually regarded as the wife of Joseph, and unfaithfulness on her part during the espousal period was punishable by death ( Deuteronomy 22:23, 24 ). During the espousal period, the bride-elect lived with her family or friends, and all communication between herself and her promised husband was carried on through a friend. When Joseph learned of Mary’s prospective maternity and knew he was not the father, he had two alternatives: (1) he could demand that Mary submit to a public trial and judgment, which even at that late point in Jewish history may have resulted in Mary’s death; or (2) he could privately sever the espousal contract before witnesses. Joseph obviously chose the most merciful of the two alternatives. He could have reacted selfishly and with bitterness when he learned that Mary was expecting, and it is a profound witness to Joseph’s character that he chose to annul the espousal privately. Of this, Elder James E. Talmage has written:

“Joseph was a just man, a strict observer of the law, yet no harsh extremist; moreover he loved Mary and would save her all unnecessary humiliation, whatever might be his own sorrow and suffering. For Mary’s sake he dreaded the thought of publicity; and therefore determined to have the espousal annulled with such privacy as the law allowed.” ( Jesus the Christ, p. 84.) It may be that the Lord designed such an experience to test Joseph, and if that be the case, Joseph proved faithful. After Joseph had made his decision, then the angel visited him and directed that he should proceed and take Mary as his wife. Mary’s high station was known before she was born ( Mosiah 3:8 ; Alma 7:10 ; 1 Nephi 11:15, 18–21 ; Isaiah 7:14 ), and Joseph no doubt was foreordained to the honored station that he held, for the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was.” ( Teachings, p. 365. Italics added.) Surely Joseph was a noble soul in premortality to be blessed with the signal honor of coming to earth and acting as the legal guardian of the Son of the Eternal Father in the flesh.

Matthew Chapter 1 Part 1

1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of ^aDavid, the son of Abraham.

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

 2^aAbraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat ^bJudas and his brethren;

Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from ^aJudah, nor a ^blawgiver from between his feet, until ^cShiloh come; and unto him shall the ^dgathering of the people be.

 3And Judas begat ^aPhares and ^bZara of Thamar; and Phares begat ^cEsrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

 4And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and ^aNaasson begat Salmon;

 5And Salmon begat ^aBooz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

 6And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat ^aSolomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

1 Sam 17:12 Now ^aDavid was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

2 Sam 12:24 And David ^acomforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name ^bSolomon: and the Lord loved him.

 7And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

 8And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

 9And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

 10And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

 11And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to ^aBabylon:

 12And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat ^aZorobabel;

 13And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

 14And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

 15And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

 16And Jacob begat ^aJoseph the husband of ^bMary, of whom was born ^cJesus, ^dwho is called ^eChrist.

 17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen ^agenerations.

 There are two genealogies in the four Gospels. Matthew’s account lists the legal successors to David’s throne. It is not necessarily a genealogical list in a strict father-to-son sense, for, as is true in many kingly histories, the eldest surviving heir may be a grandson, a great-grandson, or even a nephew or other relative of the reigning monarch. Luke’s record, however, is a father-to-son listing linking Joseph to King David. Of course, Jesus was not Joseph’s son, but Joseph’s genealogy is essentially Mary’s genealogy, for they were cousins; Jesus inherited from his mother, Mary, the blood of David and therefore the right to David’s throne. Jesus was born in the royal line, and as Elder James E. Talmage has explained, “Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”