The Visit of the Wise Men

Now (A)after Jesus was born in (B)Bethlehem of Judea (C)in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from (D)the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born (E)king of the Jews? For we saw (F)his star when it rose[b] and have come to (G)worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where (H)the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

(I)“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will (J)shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, (K)they offered him gifts, (L)gold and (M)frankincense and (N)myrrh. 12 And (O)being warned (P)in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, (Q)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. (R)This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, (S)“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 (T)Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 (U)“A voice was heard in Ramah,
    weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be comforted, because they (V)are no more.”

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 (W)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 (X)being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called (Y)Nazareth, (Z)so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:1 Greek magi; also verses 7, 16
  2. Matthew 2:2 Or in the east; also verse 9

The Visit of the Magi

Now after Jesus was (A)born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of (B)Herod the king, behold, [a]magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born (C)King of the Jews? For we saw (D)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 gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the [b]Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “(E)In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written [c]by [d]the prophet:

(F)And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For from you will come forth a Ruler
Who will (G)shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and determined from them the exact [e]time (H)the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with (I)His mother Mary; and they fell down and [f](J)worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And after being (K)warned by God (L)in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

The Escape to Egypt

13 Now when they had gone, behold, an (M)angel of the Lord *(N)appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”

14 So [g]Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He [h]stayed there until the death of Herod; this happened so that what had been spoken by the Lord through [i]the prophet would be fulfilled: “(O)Out of Egypt I called (P)My Son.”

Herod Slaughters Babies

16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by (Q)the magi, he became very enraged, and sent men and (R)killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity [j]who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18 (S)A voice was heard in Ramah,
Weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
And she refused to be comforted,
Because they were no more.”

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord *(T)appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” 21 So [k]Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into 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. Then after being (U)warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23 and came and settled in a city called (V)Nazareth. This happened so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: “He will be called a (W)Nazarene.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:1 A caste of educated men specializing in astronomy, astrology, and natural science
  2. Matthew 2:4 From Gr Christos, which means Messiah (Heb for Anointed One)
  3. Matthew 2:5 Or through
  4. Matthew 2:5 I.e., Micah
  5. Matthew 2:7 Lit time of the appearing star
  6. Matthew 2:11 Lit prostrated themselves to; i.e., lay face down in a prone position to indicate worship
  7. Matthew 2:14 Lit he
  8. Matthew 2:15 Lit was
  9. Matthew 2:15 I.e., Hosea
  10. Matthew 2:16 Lit from two...and under
  11. Matthew 2:21 Lit he

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw 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 exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee 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 into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:

23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Unos sabios visitan a Jesús

Jesús nació en Belén de Judea, cuando gobernaba el rey Herodes. Después de su nacimiento, llegaron a Jerusalén unos sabios del oriente, y preguntaron:

—¿Dónde está el rey de los judíos recién nacido? Pues vimos su estrella cuando salió y venimos a adorarle.

Cuando el rey Herodes oyó esto, se preocupó mucho al igual que toda la gente de Jerusalén. Fue así como reunió a todos los jefes de los sacerdotes y a los maestros de la ley, y les preguntó dónde iba a nacer el Mesías. Ellos le dijeron:

—En Belén, en la provincia de Judea, porque eso fue lo que escribió el profeta:

(A)“Y tú, Belén, de la tierra de Judá,
    eres importante entre los gobernantes de Judá,
porque de ti saldrá un gobernante
    que guiará como un pastor a mi pueblo Israel”.[a]

Entonces Herodes llamó a los sabios y se reunió en secreto con ellos. Averiguó el tiempo exacto en que había aparecido la estrella. Luego los mandó a Belén y les dijo:

—Vayan y averigüen todo lo que puedan acerca de ese niño y, cuando lo sepan todo, avísenme para que yo también pueda ir a adorarle.

Ellos oyeron al rey y se fueron. La estrella que habían visto salir iba delante de ellos hasta que se detuvo sobre el lugar donde estaba el niño. 10 Cuando ellos vieron la estrella, se alegraron muchísimo. 11 Entraron en la casa y vieron al niño con María, su mamá; y postrándose lo adoraron. Abrieron sus cofres y sacaron unos regalos para él: oro, incienso y mirra. 12 Después, Dios les dijo en un sueño que no volvieran a donde estaba Herodes, así que regresaron a su país por otro camino.

Los padres de Jesús lo llevan a Egipto

13 Después de que los sabios se fueron, un ángel del Señor se le apareció a José en un sueño y le dijo: «Levántate y huye a Egipto con el niño y su mamá. Quédate allá hasta que yo te diga, porque Herodes va a buscar al niño para matarlo».

14 Entonces José se levantó y se fue durante la noche con el niño y la mamá a Egipto. 15 (B)Se quedó allá hasta que Herodes murió. Esto sucedió para que así se cumpliera lo que había dicho el Señor por medio del profeta: «De Egipto llamé a mi hijo».[b]

Herodes manda matar a los niños

16 Cuando Herodes se dio cuenta de que los sabios de oriente lo habían engañado, se enojó muchísimo. Así que tomó en cuenta los cálculos que había averiguado de los sabios y mandó matar a todos los niños varones menores de dos años en Belén y sus alrededores. 17 Entonces se cumplió lo que había dicho el profeta Jeremías:

18 (C)«Se oyó un sonido en Ramá,
    sonido de llanto y de dolor.
Era Raquel que lloraba por sus niños
    y no quería que la consolaran
    porque ellos ya estaban muertos».[c]

Regreso desde Egipto

19 Después de que murió Herodes, un ángel del Señor se le apareció en un sueño a José en Egipto. 20 Le dijo: «Levántate y ve con el niño y su mamá a Israel, porque ya han muerto los que estaban tratando de matar al niño».

21 Entonces José se levantó y llevó al niño y a su mamá a Israel. 22 Pero cuando José supo que el rey de Judea ya no era Herodes, sino su hijo Arquelao, le dio miedo ir allá. Entonces, habiendo sido advertido por Dios en un sueño, se fue a la región de Galilea 23 y se quedó a vivir en el pueblo llamado Nazaret. Esto sucedió para que se cumpliera lo que dijeron los profetas: que el Mesías[d] sería llamado nazareno[e].

Footnotes

  1. 2:6 Cita de Mi 5:2.
  2. 2:15 Cita de Os 11:1.
  3. 2:18 Cita de Jer 31:15.
  4. 2:23 el Mesías Textualmente él. Ver Mesías en el vocabulario.
  5. 2:23 nazareno Este nombre es similar a la palabra hebrea retoño, por lo cual se cree que Mateo podría hacer referencia a la promesa de un retoño de la familia de David. Ver Is 11:1.