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
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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