Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt

46 So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to ^(A)Beersheba, and offered sacrifices ^(B)to the God of his father Isaac. ² And God spoke to Israel ^(C)in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” ³ Then he said, “I am God, ^(D)the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will ^(E)make you into a great nation. ⁴ I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also ^(F)bring you up again, and ^(G)Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.”

⁵ Then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons ^(H)that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ⁶ They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and ^(I)came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, ⁷ his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters. All his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

Suffering as a Christian

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at ^(A)the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice ^(B)insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad ^(C)when his glory is revealed. ^14 (D)If you are insulted ^(E)for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory^[a] and of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ But ^(F)let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or ^(G)as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet ^(H)if anyone suffers as a ^(I)Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God ^(J)in that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment ^(K)to begin at the household of God; and ^(L)if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who ^(M)do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And

¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will ^(O)entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

The Flight to Egypt

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, ^(A)an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. ^(B)This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ^(C)“Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ^17 (D)Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

The Return to Nazareth

¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for ^(G)those who sought the child's life are dead.” ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and ^(H)being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³ And he went and lived in a city called ^(I)Nazareth, ^(J)so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.