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
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 #
Mic 5.2. ‘Bethlehem in the land
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 also want to go and worship him.”
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 worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh#2.11 frankincense, and myrrh: Frankincense was a valuable powder that was burned 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, 15#Ho 11.1. where 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.”
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 learned from the wise men.
17So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet Jeremiah had said,
18 #
Jr 31.15. “In Ramah a voice was heard
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, 23#Mk 1.24; Lk 2.39; Jn 1.45. and 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.
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