Matthew 2
2
Wise Men Visit the King
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem,#Gn 25:6; 1Kg 4:30; Lk 1:5; 2:4–7 2saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?#Jr 23:5; 30:9; Zch 9:9; Mt 27:11; Lk 19:38; Jn 1:49 For we saw his star at its rising#Nm 24:17; Rv 22:16 and have come to worship him.”#2:2 Or to pay him homage
3When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes#Mt 16:21; 20:18; 21:15; 27:41; Lk 9:22 of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.
5“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”#2:6 Mc 5:2#2Sm 5:2; Mc 5:2; Jn 7:42; 21:16
7Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”#2:8 Or and pay him homage#Mk 5:6; Lk 1:7; Ac 13:6; Rv 1:16
9After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was — the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.#2:11 Or they paid him homage Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.#Ps 72:10; Is 60:6; Mt 1:18; 12:46; Mk 5:6 12And being warned#Mt 27:19; Lk 2:26; Ac 10:22; Heb 8:5; 11:7 in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
The Flight into Egypt
13After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.”#Mt 1:20; 13:49; Mk 11:18; Jms 4:7 14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. 15He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.#2:15 Hs 11:1#Ex 4:22; Nm 24:8; Hs 11:1
The Massacre of the Innocents
16Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.#Is 59:7; Mk 10:34; Ac 13:6; 25:3; Rv 12:4 17Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping, # 2:18 Other mss read Ramah, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they are no more. # 2:18 Jr 31:15 #
Gn 35:19; Jdg 4:5; Jr 31:15; Ac 8:2; 2Co 7:7
The Return to Nazareth
19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,#Mt 1:20; 13:49; Lk 1:11; Jd 5 20saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who intended to kill the child are dead.” 21So he got up, took the child and his mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.#Mt 17:22; Lk 1:5; Ac 27:29; Col 3:21; Heb 8:5 23Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.#Mk 1:24; Lk 1:26; Jn 1:45–46
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Matthew 2
2
The wise men
1When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men#2.1 wise men: People famous for studying the stars. from the east came to Jerusalem 2and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east#2.2 his star in the east: Or “his star rise.” and have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. 4Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”
5They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,
6‘Bethlehem in the land#Mic 5.2.
of Judea,
you are very important
among the towns of Judea.
From your town
will come a leader,
who will be like a shepherd
for my people Israel.’ ”
7Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. 8He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too.”
9The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10They were thrilled and excited to see the star.
11When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshipped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh#2.11 frankincense, and myrrh: Frankincense was a valuable powder that was burnt to make a sweet smell. Myrrh was a valuable sweet-smelling powder often used in perfume. and gave them to him. 12Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.
The escape to Egypt
13After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.”
14That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, 15where they stayed until Herod died. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “I called my son out of Egypt.”#Ho 11.1.
The killing of the children
16When Herod found out that the wise men from the east had tricked him, he was very angry. He gave orders for his men to kill all the boys who lived in or near Bethlehem and were two years old and younger. This was based on what he had learnt from the wise men.
17So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet Jeremiah had said,
18“In Ramah a voice was heard#Jr 31.15.
crying and weeping loudly.
Rachel was mourning
for her children,
and she refused
to be comforted,
because they were dead.”
The return from Egypt
19After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph while he was still in Egypt. 20The angel said, “Get up and take the child and his mother back to Israel. The people who wanted to kill him are now dead.”
21Joseph got up and left with them for Israel. 22But when he heard that Herod's son Archelaus was now ruler of Judea, he was afraid to go there. Then in a dream he was told to go to Galilee, 23and they went to live there in the town of Nazareth. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “He will be called a Nazarene.”#2.23 He will be called a Nazarene: The prophet who said this is not known.#Mk 1.24; Lk 2.39; Jn 1.45.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012