Matthew 2:18-23

Easy-to-Read Version

¹⁸“A sound was heard in Ramah—
    bitter crying and great sadness.
Rachel cries for her children,
    and she cannot be comforted,
    because her children are gone.” ^(A)

Joseph and Mary Return From Egypt

¹⁹While Joseph was in Egypt, Herod died. An angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream ²⁰and said, “Get up! Take the child with his mother and go to Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are now dead.”

²¹So Joseph took the child and the mother and went to Israel. ²²But he heard that Archelaus was now king in Judea. Archelaus became king when his father Herod died. So Joseph was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he went away to the area of Galilee. ²³He went to a town called Nazareth and lived there. This gave full meaning to what God said through the prophets. God said the Messiah^[a] would be called a Nazarene.^[b]

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Footnotes

Matthew 2:23 the Messiah Literally, “he.” See “Messiah” in the Word List.
Matthew 2:23 Nazarene A person from the city of Nazareth. This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “branch.” So Matthew may be referring to the promise of a “branch” of David’s family. See Isa. 11:1.