How Far to Bethlehem?

Melchior had never seen anything like it; the star was so bright, so
full of tragedy and glory. He knew at once that it was his task to find
the child and warn its parents. But Melchior was old, poor and
unwise in the ways of men. Providence took him to the barbarian
king, Gaspar, who wanted to know if this great King in the East
would be a threat to his empire. It was Balthazar, the escaped slave
with a wonderful knowledge of languages, who helped them find
their way across hazardous and violent country to Judea.
Just as the three men began their journey, a young girl stood bravely
before her betrothed husband in Nazareth trying to find the words
to tell him that she was pregnant. Not only was the child not his but
she had never known a man. How could she make him understand
that their destiny was to raise the Christ-child together?

Norah Lofts 1965 classic novel weaves together all the characters of
the Nativity, from the gentle strength of Mary and the kindness and
loyalty of Joseph through the tempestuous journey of the three wise
men and the tragedy of the shepherds to the misery of the the
innkeeper and his wife. As the day of the miraculous birth drew
closer, all those who were to take part in in the greatest story ever
told were given the choice whether to sink beneath their fear or to
seek salvation