Matthew 2

The Visit of the Wise Men

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2saying, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” 3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet,

6‘But yoʋ Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from yoʋ will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7Then Herod secretly called the wise men and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I too may go and worship him.” 9They listened to the king and went on their way, and behold, the star they had seen in the east went before them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11As they came into the house and asaw the child with his mother Mary, they fell down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.

The Escape to Egypt

13After they were gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell yoʋ, for Herod is about to seek the child, to destroy him.” 14So Joseph rose, took the child and his mother by night, and departed for Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

The Massacre of the Innocent Children

16When Herod saw that he had been fooled by the wise men, he was greatly enraged and sent men to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and in its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17Then what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18“A voice was heard in Ramah,

bwailing, weeping, and great lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children,

and she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19After Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead.” 21So Joseph rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee 23and came and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”