Matthew 1:18–2:12

The Birth of Jesus Christ

¹⁸Now the birth of ^uJesus Christ⁵ took place in this way. ^vWhen his mother Mary had been betrothed⁶ to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child ^wfrom the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling ^xto put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, ^yan angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and ^zyou shall call his name Jesus, ^afor he will save his people from their sins.” ^22bAll this took place ^cto fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

^23d“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name ^eImmanuel”

(which means, God ^fwith us). ²⁴When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And ^ghe called his name Jesus.

The Visit of the Wise Men

2Now ^hafter Jesus was born in ⁱBethlehem of Judea ^jin the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men¹ from ^kthe east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is he who has been born ^lking of the Jews? For we saw ^mhis star when it rose² and have come to ⁿworship him.” ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where ^othe Christ was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

^6p“ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will ^qshepherd my people Israel.’ ”

⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, ^rthey offered him gifts, ^sgold and ^tfrankincense and ^umyrrh. ¹²And ^vbeing warned ^win a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.