Matthew 2
2
The Wise Men Visit Jesus
1Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. This happened while Herod was king of Judea. After Jesus’ birth, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2They asked, “Where is the child who has been born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose. Now we have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard about it, he was very upset. Everyone in Jerusalem was troubled too. 4So Herod called together all the chief priests of the people. He also called the teachers of the law. He asked them where the Messiah was going to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied. “This is what the prophet has written. He said,
6“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are certainly not the least important among the towns of Judah.
A ruler will come out of you.
He will rule my people Israel like a shepherd.’ ” (Micah 5:2)
7Then Herod secretly called for the Wise Men. He found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem. He said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report it to me. Then I can go and worship him too.”
9After the Wise Men had listened to the king, they went on their way. The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them. It finally stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. 11The Wise Men went to the house. There they saw the child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures. They gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12But God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they returned to their country on a different road.
Jesus’ Family Escapes to Egypt
13When the Wise Men had left, Joseph had a dream. In the dream an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to come back. Herod is going to search for the child. He wants to kill him.”
14So Joseph got up. During the night, he left for Egypt with the child and his mother Mary. 15They stayed there until King Herod died. So the words the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true. He had said, “I brought my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1)
16Herod realized that the Wise Men had tricked him. So he became very angry. He gave orders about Bethlehem and the area around it. He ordered all the boys two years old and under to be killed. This agreed with the time when the Wise Men had seen the star. 17In this way, the words Jeremiah the prophet spoke came true. He had said,
18“A voice is heard in Ramah.
It’s the sound of crying and deep sadness.
Rachel is crying over her children.
She refuses to be comforted,
because they are gone.” (Jeremiah 31:15)
Jesus’ Family Returns to Nazareth
19After Herod died, Joseph had a dream while he was still in Egypt. In the dream an angel of the Lord appeared to him. 20The angel said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother. Go to the land of Israel. The people who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21So Joseph got up. He took the child and his mother Mary back to the land of Israel. 22But then he heard that Archelaus was king of Judea. Archelaus was ruling in place of his father Herod. This made Joseph afraid to go there. Joseph had been warned in a dream. So he went back to the land of Galilee instead. 23There he lived in a town called Nazareth. So what the prophets had said about Jesus came true. They had said that he would be called a Nazarene.
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Matthew 2: NIrV
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Matthew 2
2
Wise Men Seek the King
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly 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 in the east # Or star at its rising # Nm 24:17; Rv 22:16 and have come to worship Him.” # 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:
6And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the leaders of Judah:
because out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd My people Israel.” # 2Sm 5:2; Mc 5:2; Jn 7:42; 21:16 # Mc 5:2
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.” # 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 in the east! # Or star . . . 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 overjoyed beyond measure. 11Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. # 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 suddenly 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 destroy 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. # Ex 4:22; Nm 24:8; Hs 11:1 # Hs 11:1
The Massacre of the Innocents
16Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years # Lit were from 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:
18A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping, # Other mss read Ramah, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more. # Gn 35:19; Jdg 4:5; Jr 31:15; Ac 8:2; 2Co 7:7 # Jr 31:15
The Holy Family in Nazareth
19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly 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 sought the child’s life are dead.” 21So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus # A son of Herod the Great who ruled a portion of his father’s kingdom 4 b.c.–a.d. 6 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 will be called a Nazarene. # Mk 1:24; Lk 1:26; Jn 1:45-46
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