Matthew 1:18–2:6
18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been * engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. w 19 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, x and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. y
20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. z 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, a b because He will save His people from their sins.” c
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name Him Immanuel, d
which is translated “God is with us.” e
24 When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her f 25 but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. g And he named Him Jesus. h
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King * Herod, * wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, i 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? j For we saw His star in the east k l and have come to worship Him.” m
3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the * chief priests and * scribes n 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:
6 And 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