Matthew 1:19

King James Version (KJV)

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

Translations

Matthew 1:19 - Amplified Bible

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.

Matthew 1:19 - American Standard Version

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

Matthew 1:19 - Bible in Basic English

And Joseph, her husband, being an upright man, and not desiring to make her a public example, had a mind to put her away privately.

Matthew 1:19 - Darby Bible

But Joseph, her husband, being [a] righteous [man], and unwilling to expose her publicly, purposed to have put her away secretly;

Matthew 1:19 - English Standard Version

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Matthew 1:19 - King James Version

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

Matthew 1:19 - La Biblia de las Americas

Y José su marido, siendo un hombre justo y no queriendo difamarla, quiso abandonarla en secreto.

Matthew 1:19 - The Message

Matthew 1:19 - New American Standard Bible

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned (Or {to divorce her}) to send her away secretly.

Matthew 1:19 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Entonces José su marido, siendo un hombre justo y no queriendo denunciarla pùblicamente, quiso abandonarla (O divorciarse de ella) en secreto.

Matthew 1:19 - World English Bible

Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly.

Matthew 1:19 - Young's Living Translation

and Joseph her husband being righteous, and not willing to make her an example, did wish privately to send her away.

Matthew 1:19 - Additional Comments

Mary has already been visited by the angel Gabriel, and so she must have explained her situation to him. It appears he did not take Mary's word for truth, since the truth was too remarkable, too much beyond possibility. God's truth is not always easy to accept or comprehend.
Joseph could have responded to the news in many different ways to the news. He certainly had the right to divorce her, but chose what would be most beneficial (see 1 Cor 6:12). The choice he made set him to be the unsung hero of the Christmas story.
He chooses to divorce her quietly, so she is not humiliated. Joseph was a righteous man, and this shows his tremendous care and compassion for her. Do we respect our own wives in the same way? He wanted to make sure she looked good in the eyes of all others, despite the fact that he saw her as having severely wronged her. He didn't love her because of who she had become, but in spite of that. This also shows how we are to react in any traumatic event - with patience and caring for the others involved.
See notes on Eph 5:25.

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