Matthew 2
The Message
Scholars from the East
2 1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory—this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”
3-4 When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5-6 They told him, “Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:
It’s you, Bethlehem, in Judah’s land,
no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel.”
7-8 Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, “Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I’ll join you at once in your worship.”
9-10 Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!
11 They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.
12 In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.
* * *
13 After the scholars were gone, God’s angel showed up again in Joseph’s dream and commanded, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.”
14-15 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod’s death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: “I called my son out of Egypt.”
16-18 Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he’d gotten from the scholars.) That’s when Jeremiah’s revelation was fulfilled:
A sound was heard in Ramah,
weeping and much lament.
Rachel weeping for her children,
Rachel refusing all solace,
Her children gone,
dead and buried.
19-20 Later, when Herod died, God’s angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: “Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead.”
21-23 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Mattityahu 2
Orthodox Jewish Bible
2 Now after Yehoshua was born in Beit-Lechem Yehudah, in the days of Herod [the Great, the Roman client] king‖hinei!‖chachamim from eretz Mizrach (the land of the East) arrived in Yerushalayim,
2 saying, Where is he that is born Melech HaYehudim? For we have seen his KOCHAV (star, Num 24:17) in the Mizrach and come to fall down before him.
3 Because Herod the king heard this, he was terribly shaken, and all Yerushalayim with him.
4 And assembling all the Rashei Hakohanim and Sofrim of the people, he inquired of them the place where Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was to be born.
5 They told him, In Beit-Lechem Yehudah; because so it stands written by the Navi:
6 And YOU, BEIT-LECHEM, (Bethlehem, Mic 5:1[2]) in eretz Yehudah are by no means least among the shtetlach (towns) or ruling [alafim] of Yehudah; because out of you will come a Moshel (Ruler) who will be the Ro’eh Ami Yisroel.
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the chachamim and ascertained from them the exact date of the manifestation of the KOCHAV.
8 Then he sent them to Beth-Lechem, saying, Go and make a thorough search for the yeled (child); as soon as you have found him, report to me, so that I, as you, may come and fall down before him.
9 After they heard the king, they departed, and hinei! The KOCHAV they had seen in the Mizrach (East) was going ahead of them until it came and stood above the place where the yeled was.
10 When they saw the KOCHAV, they rejoiced with exceedingly great nachas (joy).
11 And, entering the bais (house), they beheld the yeled with Miryam, his Em, and prostrated themselves before him. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a chalom (dream) not to return to Herod, they took refuge in their own country by another way.
13 And when they’d gone—hinei! –a malach Hashem appeared to Yosef [Ben Dovid] in a chalom (dream), saying, Arise, and take the yeled and his Em, and flee to Eretz Mitzrayim (Egypt), and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is about to seek the yeled to destroy him.
14 So, having got up, Yosef [ben Dovid] took the yeled, and his Em by night and departed for Eretz Mitzrayim.
15 And Yosef [ben Dovid] was there until the mot Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by Hashem through the Navi, UMIMITZRAYIM KARATI LIVNI (Out of Egypt have I called my Son, HOSHEA 11:1).
16 When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the chachamim, he was greatly enraged, and he ordered the slaughter of all the yeladim in Beit-Lechem and its vicinity who were two years old or under, in accordance with the time that he had learned from the chachamim.
17 Then came the fulfillment of what was spoken through Yirmeyah HaNavi:
18 KOL BRAMAH NISHMAH (A voice was heard in Ramah, Jer 31:14[15]), a voice of bitter weeping and mourning. Rachel is crying for her yeladim; she refuses to be comforted, because they are no more.
19 When Herod died, hinei, in Eretz Mitzrayim a malach Hashem appeared to Yosef [ben Dovid] in a chalom (dream),
20 saying, Arise, and take the yeled and his Em and go to Eretz Yisroel, for those seeking the life of the yeled are dead.
21 And Yosef [ben Dovid] arose and took the yeled and his Em, and entered Eretz Yisroel.
22 And when Yosef [ben Dovid] heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Yehudah, Yosef [ben Dovid] was afraid to go there. And, having been warned in a chalom, he departed into the districts of the Galil.
23 And Yosef [ben Dovid] made his home in the shtetl (Jewish village) called Natzeret, so that which was spoken by the Neviim might be fulfilled: He will be called a Natzri [i.e., Moshiach the Netzer,Tzemach, Isa 11:1; Jer 23:5; Zech 3:8; Isa 53:2; Zech 6:11-12].
馬太福音 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
智者來朝拜
2 希律王執政期間，耶穌降生在猶太的伯利恆城。
當時有幾位智者[a]從東方來到耶路撒冷， 2 問道：「那生來做猶太人之王的在哪裡呢？我們在東方看見祂的星，特來朝拜祂。」
3 希律王聽後，心裡不安，全城的人都感到不安。 4 希律王就召來祭司長和律法教師，問他們：「基督在哪裡降生呢？」
5 他們回答說：「在猶太的伯利恆，因為先知這樣記載，
6 『猶大地區的伯利恆啊！
你在猶大各城中並不是最小的，
因為有一位君王要從你那裡出來，
牧養我的以色列子民。』」
7 於是，希律暗中召見那幾位智者，仔細查問那星出現的準確時間， 8 然後派他們去伯利恆，並吩咐道：「你們去仔細尋訪那個小孩，找到了，就回來報信，我也好去朝拜祂。」
9 他們聽了王的吩咐，就去了。忽然，那顆曾在東方出現的星又出現在他們前面，引領他們來到小孩耶穌所在的地方，便停下來。 10 他們看見那顆星，喜出望外。
11 他們進了屋子，看見孩子和祂母親瑪麗亞，就俯伏在地上拜祂，並打開盛寶物的盒子獻上黃金、乳香和沒藥作禮物。 12 他們在夢中得到指示不可回希律那裡，便改道返回了家鄉。
逃往埃及
13 他們離開之後，主的天使在夢中向約瑟顯現，說：「起來，帶著小孩子和祂母親逃往埃及，住在那裡等候我的通知，因為希律要尋找這孩子，殺害祂。」 14 於是，約瑟起來帶著孩子和祂母親連夜逃往埃及， 15 並在那裡一直住到希律死了。這就應驗了主藉著先知所說的話：「我把兒子從埃及召出來。」
16 希律見自己被智者愚弄，大為惱怒，便照著智者所說的時間推算，下令把伯利恆附近兩歲以下的男孩殺光。 17 這正應驗了耶利米先知的話：
18 「在拉瑪有痛哭哀號的聲音，
是拉結在為兒女哀慟，
不肯接受安慰，
因為他們都死了！」
定居拿撒勒
19 希律死後，主的天使在夢中向在埃及的約瑟顯現，說： 20 「起來，帶著孩子和祂母親回以色列去吧！因為要殺害孩子的人已經死了。」 21 約瑟就起來，帶著孩子和祂母親返回以色列。
22 但約瑟聽聞亞基勞繼承父親希律的王位統治猶太，就不敢回猶太。這時，他在夢中得到主的指示，便前往加利利地區， 23 定居在拿撒勒鎮。這應驗了先知的話：「祂將被稱為拿撒勒人。」
Footnotes
- 2·1 「智者」或譯「占星家」下同7節和16節。
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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