Matthew 1:19 - Plain English Version

¹⁹ Joseph found out that Mary was going to have a baby, and he was not happy. He knew that the baby wasn’t his, so he wanted to leave Mary. But he was a good man, and he didn’t want to shame her. So he thought, “I will just leave her quietly, without any argument.”

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

¹⁹ And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly.

American Standard Version (1901)

¹⁹ And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

Common English Bible

¹⁹ Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly.

Catholic Public Domain Version

¹⁹ Then Joseph, her husband, since he was just and was not willing to hand her over, preferred to send her away secretly.

Matthew 1:19 Cross References

Genesis 38:24

3 months later, somebody said to Judah, “Your dead son’s wife Tamar, she did a bad thing. She slept with a man that isn’t her husband. And now there is a baby growing inside her.” Judah wanted to punish Tamar for doing that. So he said, “Go and get her. Put her on a fire, and burn her until she dies.”

Genesis 6:9

This is the story about Noah and his family. Noah was a good man. He didn’t do anything wrong. He was God’s friend, and he spent a lot of time with God.

Mark 10:4

The Pharisee mob said, “Moses wrote a law like this, ‘A man can split up from his wife. That man has to write a divorce letter to say she is not his wife any more. He has to give that letter to his wife, and then he can force her to go away.’ ”

Luke 2:25

There was an old man in Jerusalem at that time. His name was Simeon. He was a good man that lived God’s way, and he was waiting for God to make the Israel people happy again. And the Holy Spirit used to tell him things.

Acts 10:22

They said, “Cornelius sent us. He is a boss in the Roman army. He is a good man, and he respects God. All the Jewish people say he is a good man too. God sent one of his angel messengers to Cornelius and told him to ask you to come to his house and talk to him.”

Acts 27:39

Then the day-light came, and we saw the land. The ship-men didn’t know that place, but they could see a bay with a beach, and they reckoned, “Maybe we can steer the ship on to that beach.”