Matthew 1:18–2:12

¹⁸And of Jesus Christ, the birth was thus: For his mother Mary having been betrothed to Joseph, before their coming together she was found to have conceived from the Holy Spirit, ¹⁹and Joseph her husband being righteous, and not willing to make her an example, did wish privately to send her away. ²⁰And on his thinking of these things, lo, a messenger of the Lord in a dream appeared to him, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, thou mayest not fear to receive Mary thy wife, for that which in her was begotten is of the Holy Spirit, ²¹and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.’ ²²And all this hath come to pass, that it may be fulfilled that was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ²³‘Lo, the virgin shall conceive, and she shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,’ which is, being interpreted ‘With us he is God.’ ²⁴And Joseph, having risen from the sleep, did as the messenger of the Lord directed him, and received his wife, ²⁵and did not know her till she brought forth her son—the first-born, and he called his name Jesus.

Chapter 2

¹And Jesus having been born in Beth-Lehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, lo, mages from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, ‘Where is he who was born king of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and we came to bow to him.’ ³And Herod the king having heard, was stirred, and all Jerusalem with him, ⁴and having gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he was inquiring from them where the Christ is born. ⁵And they said to him, ‘In Beth-Lehem of Judea, for thus it hath been written through the prophet, ⁶And thou, Beth-Lehem, the land of Judah, thou art by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for out of thee shall come one leading, who shall feed My people Israel.’ ⁷Then Herod, privately having called the mages, did inquire exactly from them the time of the appearing star, ⁸and having sent them to Beth-Lehem, he said, ‘Having gone—inquire ye exactly for the child, and whenever ye may have found, bring me back word, that I also having come may bow to him.’

⁹And they, having heard the king, departed, and lo, the star, that they did see in the east, did go before them, till, having come, it stood over where the child was. ¹⁰And having seen the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy, ¹¹and having come to the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and having fallen down they bowed to him, and having opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh, ¹²and having been divinely warned in a dream not to turn back unto Herod, through another way they withdrew to their own region.