Matthew 2
2
Wise Men Visit Jesus
1Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea while Herod was king. Wise men then came from the east to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the child who has been born as the new king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose, and now we’ve come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard about this, he became very concerned, as did everyone else in Jerusalem. 4He called together all the Jewish chief priests and teachers of the law to ask them where the Messiah was going to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “because this is what the prophet has written:
6“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are certainly not the least important of the rulers in Judah.
A ruler will come out of you
who will care for my people Israel like a shepherd.’ ”
7Then Herod spoke privately with the wise men and found out exactly when the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and told them, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, send word to me so I can come and worship him too.”
9After the king had given them these orders, the wise men went on their way. The star they’d seen when it rose went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. 11The wise men went into the house, and there they saw the child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him, and then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12But because they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by a different way.
Jesus’ Family Escapes to Egypt
13After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to come back, because Herod is going to try to find the child and kill him.”
14So Joseph got up in the night and left for Egypt with the child and his mother. 15They all stayed there until King Herod died. This made the words that the Lord had spoken through the prophet come true: “I called my son out of Egypt.”
16When Herod realized that the wise men had tricked him, he became very angry. He gave orders to kill all the boys two years old and younger who were living in Bethlehem and the area around it. This was because the wise men had first seen the star two years earlier. 17This made the words of Jeremiah the prophet come true. He had said,
18“A voice is heard in Ramah,
the sound of crying and deep sadness.
Rachel is crying over her children
and she refuses to be comforted,
because they are gone.”
Jesus’ Family Returns to Nazareth
19After this Herod died, and Joseph, who was still in Egypt, had a dream. An angel of the Lord appeared to him 20and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and go back to the land of Israel, because the people who were trying to kill him are dead.”
21So Joseph got up and took the child and his mother back to the land of Israel. 22But when he learned that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. He was warned in a dream, and he went back to the land of Galilee instead. 23There he lived in a town called Nazareth. The prophets had said that Jesus would be called a Nazarene, and in this way their words came true.
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Matthew 2
2
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod, wise men#2:1. Or “Magi.” These are believed to be religious priest-rulers, probably from Persia, who studied the stars. came from the east to Jerusalem.
2“Where is the King of the Jews who has been born?” they asked. “We saw his star in the east and we've come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard about it, he was very disturbed, and the whole of Jerusalem with him. 4Herod summoned all the chief priests and religious teachers of the people, and asked them where the Messiah was supposed to be born.
5“Bethlehem in Judea,” they told him, “for that's what the prophet wrote: 6‘Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are certainly not the least important of Judah's leading cities,#2:6. “Cities,” implied. for a leader will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.#2:6. Referencing Micah 5:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2.’”
7Then Herod called the wise men and met with them in private and found out from them exactly when the star appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem, telling them, “When you get there, search for the child. Once you find him let me know so that I can come and worship him too.”
9After they had heard what the king had to say they went on their way, and the star which they had seen in the east led them until it stopped right above the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star#2:10. Clearly meaning when they saw the star stop, since they had already seen the star and followed it all the way from their home in the east. they couldn't contain their happiness! 11They went into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. They bowed and worshiped him. Then they opened their bags of treasure and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12Warned by a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by a different route.
13After they'd left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and told him, “Get up, and take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Remain there until I tell you, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14So Joseph got up and took the boy and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt. 15They stayed there until Herod's death. This fulfilled what the Lord said through the prophet, “I called my son out of Egypt.”#2:15. Quoting Hosea 11:1.
16When Herod realized he'd been fooled by the wise men, he got very angry. He sent men to kill all the young boys in Bethlehem and the regions nearby who were two years old and under. This was based on the time frame he'd discovered from the wise men.#2:16. In other words, it had been up to two years previously that the star had first appeared to the wise men. 17In this way Jeremiah's prophecy was fulfilled: 18“The sound of terrible weeping and mourning was heard in Rama, Rachel crying for her children. They are dead, and she can't be comforted.”#2:18. Quoting Jeremiah 31:15.
19After Herod died the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and told him, 20“Get up! Take the child and his mother, and return to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21So Joseph got up and took the boy and his mother, and returned to the land of Israel. 22But Joseph was afraid to go there after he learned that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea. Warned in a dream, Joseph went to the Galilee area 23and settled down in Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said, “He will be called a Nazarene.”#2:23. Referring to Jesus. Matthew is not citing one specific prophecy here.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com