Matthew 2
2
Wise Men Come to Visit Jesus
1Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2They asked people, “Where is the child who has been born to be the king of the Jews? We saw the star that shows he was born. We saw it rise in the sky in the east and have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard about this, it upset him as well as everyone else in Jerusalem. 4Herod called a meeting of all the leading Jewish priests and teachers of the law. He asked them where the Messiah would be born. 5They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, just as the prophet wrote:
6‘Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are important among the rulers of Judah.
Yes, a ruler will come from you,
and that ruler will lead Israel, my people.’” Micah 5:2
7Then Herod had a private meeting with the wise men from the east. He learned from them the exact time they first saw the star. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem. He said, “Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, come tell me. Then I can go worship him too.”
9After the wise men heard the king, they left. They saw the same star they had seen in the east, and they followed it. The star went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 10They were very happy and excited to see the star.
11The wise men came to the house where the child was with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened the boxes of gifts they had brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they went home to their own country a different way.
Jesus’ Parents Take Him to Egypt
13After the wise men left, an angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream. The angel said, “Get up! Take the child with his mother and escape to Egypt. Herod wants to kill the child and will soon start looking for him. Stay in Egypt until I tell you to come back.”
14So Joseph got ready and left for Egypt with the child and the mother. They left during the night. 15Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. This gave full meaning to what the Lord said through the prophet: “I called my son to come out of Egypt.”#Quote from Hos. 11:1.
Herod Kills the Baby Boys in Bethlehem
16Herod saw that the wise men had fooled him, and he was very angry. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and the whole area around Bethlehem. Herod had learned from the wise men the time the baby was born. It was now two years from that time. So he said to kill all the boys who were two years old and younger. 17This gave full meaning to what God said through the prophet Jeremiah:
18“A sound was heard in Ramah—
bitter crying and great sadness.
Rachel cries for her children,
and she cannot be comforted,
because her children are gone.” Jeremiah 31:15
Joseph and Mary Return From Egypt
19While Joseph was in Egypt, Herod died. An angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream 20and said, “Get up! Take the child with his mother and go to Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are now dead.”
21So Joseph took the child and the mother and went to Israel. 22But he heard that Archelaus was now king in Judea. Archelaus became king when his father Herod died. So Joseph was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he went away to the area of Galilee. 23He went to a town called Nazareth and lived there. This gave full meaning to what God said through the prophets. God said the Messiah#2:23 the Messiah Literally, “he.” See “Messiah” in the Word List. would be called a Nazarene.#2:23 Nazarene A person from the city of Nazareth. This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “branch.” So Matthew may be referring to the promise of a “branch” of David’s family. See Isa. 11:1.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Matthew 2
2
Wise Men Come to Visit Jesus
1Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. When Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2They asked, “Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, as were all the people in Jerusalem. 4Herod called a meeting of all the leading priests and teachers of the law and asked them where the Christ would be born. 5They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet wrote about this in the Scriptures:
6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are not just an insignificant village in Judah.
A ruler will come from you
who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”#Micah 5:2
7Then Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men and learned from them the exact time they first saw the star. 8He sent the wise men to Bethlehem, saying, “Look carefully for the child. When you find him, come tell me so I can worship him too.”
9After the wise men heard the king, they left. The star that they had seen in the east went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 10When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. 11They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their own country by a different way.
Jesus’ Parents Take Him to Egypt
13After they left, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, because Herod is starting to look for the child so he can kill him. Stay in Egypt until I tell you to return.”
14So Joseph got up and left for Egypt during the night with the child and his mother. 15And Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. This happened to bring about what the Lord had said through the prophet: “I called my son out of Egypt.”
Herod Kills the Baby Boys
16When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he was furious. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the surrounding area who were two years old or younger. This was in keeping with the time he learned from the wise men. 17So what God had said through the prophet Jeremiah came true:
18“A voice was heard in Ramah
of painful crying and deep sadness:
Rachel crying for her children.
She refused to be comforted,
because her children are dead.”#Jeremiah 31:15
Joseph and Mary Return
19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream while he was in Egypt. 20The angel said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, because the people who were trying to kill the child are now dead.”
21So Joseph took the child and his mother and went to Israel. 22But he heard that Archelaus was now king in Judea since his father Herod had died. So Joseph was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee, 23to a town called Nazareth, and lived there. And so what God had said through the prophets came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.