Matthew 2

Visitors from the East

2Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men

from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,G1161G2424G1080G1722G965G2449G1722G2250G2264G935G2400G3854G3097G575G395G1519G24142"Where is the newborn king of the Jews—We saw his star as it rose

, and we have come to worship him."G3004G4226G2076G5088G935G2453G1063G1492G846G792G1722G395G2532G2064G4352G8463King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.G1161G2264G935G191G5015G2532G3956G2414G3326G8464He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"G2532G4863G3956G749G2532G1122G2992G4863G4441G3844G846G4226G5547G10805"In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote.G1161G2036G846G1722G965G2449G1063G3779G1125G1223G43966'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities

of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'"G2532G4771G965G1093G2448G1488G3760G1646G1722G2232G2448G1063G1537G4675G1831G2233G3748G4165G3450G2992G24747Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.G5119G2264G2977G2564G3097G198G3844G846G198G5550G792G53168Then he told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!"G2532G3992G846G1519G965G2036G4198G1833G199G4012G3813G1161G1875G2147G518G3427G518G3704G2064G4352G846G25049After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.G1161G191G935G4198G2532G2400G792G3739G1492G1722G395G4254G846G2193G2064G2476G1883G3757G3813G225810When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!G1161G1492G792G5463G4970G3173G547911They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.G2532G2064G1519G3614G2147G1492G3813G3326G3137G846G3384G2532G4098G4352G846G2532G455G846G2344G4374G846G1435G5557G2532G3030G2532G466612When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.G2532G5537G2596G3677G344G3361G344G4314G2264G402G1519G846G5561G1223G243G3598

The Escape to Egypt

13After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said. "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."G1161G846G402G2400G32G2962G5316G2501G2596G3677G3004G1453G3880G3813G2532G846G3384G2532G5343G1519G125G2532G2468G1563G2193G302G2036G4671G2036G1063G2264G3195G2212G3813G622G84614That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother,G1161G1453G3880G3813G2532G846G3384G3571G2532G402G1519G12515and they stayed there until Herod's death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: "I called my Son out of Egypt."

G2532G2258G1563G2193G5054G2264G2443G4137G3588G4483G5259G2962G1223G4396G3004G1537G125G2564G3450G520716Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men's report of the star's first appearance.G5119G2264G1492G3754G1702G5259G3097G3029G2373G2532G649G337G3956G3816G1722G965G2532G1722G3956G3725G846G575G1332G2532G2736G2596G5550G3739G198G3844G309717Herod's brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah.G5119G4137G3588G4483G5259G2408G4396G300418"A cry was heard in Ramah—weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead."

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The Return to Nazareth

19When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.G1161G2264G5053G2400G32G2962G5316G2596G3677G2501G1722G12520"Get up!" the angel said. "Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead."G3004G1453G3880G3813G2532G846G3384G2532G4198G1519G1093G2474G1063G2348G3588G2212G3813G559021So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother.G1161G1453G3880G3813G2532G846G3384G2532G2064G1519G1093G247422But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod's son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee.G1161G191G3754G745G936G1909G2449G473G846G3962G2264G5399G565G1563G1161G5537G2596G3677G402G1519G3313G105623So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: "He will be called a Nazarene."G2532G2064G2730G1519G4172G3004G3478G3704G4137G3588G4483G1223G4396G3754G2564G3480