Matthew 2:1–23
2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem1 in Judea, in the time2 of King Herod,3 wise men4 from the East came to Jerusalem5 2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose6 and have come to worship him.” 2:3 When King Herod7 heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 2:4 After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law,8 he asked them where the Christ9 was to be born. 2:5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet:
2:6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,
for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”10
2:7 Then Herod11 privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the star had appeared. 2:8 He12 sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well.” 2:9 After listening to the king they left, and once again13 the star they saw when it rose14 led them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 2:10 When they saw the star they shouted joyfully.15 2:11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down16 and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense,17 and myrrh.18 2:12 After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod,19 they went back by another route to their own country.
2:13 After they had gone, an20 angel of the Lord21 appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod22 is going to look for the child to kill him.” 2:14 Then he got up, took the child and his mother during23 the night, and went to Egypt. 2:15 He stayed there until Herod24 died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”25
2:16 When Herod26 saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men27 to kill all the children in Bethlehem28 and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men. 2:17 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud wailing,29
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she did not want to be comforted, because they were30 gone.”31
2:19 After Herod32 had died, an33 angel of the Lord34 appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 2:20 saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 2:21 So35 he got up and took the child and his mother and returned to the land of Israel. 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus36 was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod,37 he was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee. 2:23 He came to a town called Nazareth38 and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus39 would be called a Nazarene.40