Christ Born of Mary(A)

18 Now the (B)birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child (C)of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being [a]a just man, and not wanting (D)to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, (E)for that which is [b]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 (F)And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name [c]Jesus, (G)for He will save His people from their sins.”

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 (H)“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and [d]did not know her till she had brought forth (I)her[e] firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Wise Men from the East

Now after (J)Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [f]wise men (K)from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, (L)“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen (M)His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all (N)the chief priests and (O)scribes of the people together, (P)he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But(Q) you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
(R)Who will shepherd My people Israel.’

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the [g]wise men, determined from them what time the (S)star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, (T)they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned (U)in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

The Flight into Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 1:19 an upright
  2. Matthew 1:20 Lit. begotten
  3. Matthew 1:21 Lit. Savior
  4. Matthew 1:25 Kept her a virgin
  5. Matthew 1:25 NU a Son
  6. Matthew 2:1 Gr. magoi
  7. Matthew 2:7 Gr. magoi

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.(A) 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce(B) her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel(C) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream(D) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c](E) because he will save his people from their sins.”(F)

22 All this took place to fulfill(G) what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d](H) (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel(I) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.(J)

The Magi Visit the Messiah

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,(K) during the time of King Herod,(L) Magi[e] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?(M) We saw his star(N) when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem(O) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[f](P)

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.(Q) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts(R) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned(S) in a dream(T) not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel(U) of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.(V) “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”(W)

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 1:18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this
  2. Matthew 1:19 Or was a righteous man and
  3. Matthew 1:21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves.
  4. Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14
  5. Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
  6. Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4