Matthew 2
Christian Standard Bible
Wise Men Visit the King
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem,(A) 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?(B) For we saw his star at its rising(C) and have come to worship him.”[a]
3 When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes(D) of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.
5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”[b](E)
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”[c](F)
9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.[d] Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.(G) 12 And being warned(H) in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
The Flight into Egypt
13 After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.”(I) 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.[e](J)
The Massacre of the Innocents
16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.(K) 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping,[f] and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they are no more.[g](L)
The Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,(M) 20 saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who intended to kill the child are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.(N) 23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.(O)
Matthew 2
Lexham English Bible
Wise Men Visit Jesus
2 Now after[a] Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star at its rising[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 And when[c] King Herod heard it,[d] he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and after[e] calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired from them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you will go out a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”[f]
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and[g] determined precisely from them the time when[h] the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and[i] said, “Go, inquire carefully concerning the child, and when you have found him, report to me so that I also may come and[j] worship him.” 9 After[k] they listened to the king, they went out, and behold, the star which they had seen at its rising[l] led them until it came and[m] stood above the place where the child was. 10 Now when they[n] saw the star, they rejoiced with very great joy. 11 And when they[o] came into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and[p] worshiped him. And opening their treasure boxes, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.
Joseph, Mary, and Jesus Escape to Egypt
13 Now after they had gone away, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to seek the child to destroy him.” 14 So he got up and[q] took the child and his mother during the night and went away to Egypt. 15 And he was there until the death of Herod, in order that what was said by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,
“Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Herod Has Innocent Children Murdered
16 Then Herod, when he[r] saw that he had been deceived by the wise men, became very angry, and he sent soldiers[s] and[t] executed all the children in Bethlehem and in all the region around it from the age of two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined precisely from the wise men. 17 Then what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying,
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she did not want to be comforted,
because they exist no longer[u].”[v]
Joseph, Mary, and Jesus Return to Nazareth
19 Now after[w] Herod had died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the life of the child are dead.” 21 So he got up and[x] took the child and his mother and entered[y] the land of Israel. 22 But when he[z] heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream, he took refuge in the regions of Galilee. 23 And he came and[aa] lived in a town called Nazareth, in order that what was said by the prophets would be fulfilled:[ab] “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Footnotes
- Matthew 2:1 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“was born”)
- Matthew 2:2 Or, “when it rose”; traditionally rendered “in the east” by many English versions
- Matthew 2:3 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 2:3 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 2:4 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“calling together”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 2:6 A quotation from Mic 5:2
- Matthew 2:7 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“summoned”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:7 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“appeared”)
- Matthew 2:8 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sent”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:8 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“may come”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:9 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“listened to”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 2:9 Or, “when it rose”; traditionally rendered “in the east” by many English versions
- Matthew 2:9 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:10 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 2:11 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 2:11 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“fell down”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:14 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“got up”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:16 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 2:16 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Matthew 2:16 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“sent”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:18 Literally “they are not”
- Matthew 2:18 A quotation from Jer 31:15
- Matthew 2:19 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had died”)
- Matthew 2:21 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“got up”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:21 Literally “entered into”
- Matthew 2:22 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Matthew 2:23 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Matthew 2:23 Literally “that”; the conjunction could be understood (1) to introduce a direct quotation, serving a function similar to modern English quotation marks, and thus not translated; or (2) to introduce an indirect quotation, in which case it could be translated “that he would be called a Nazarene”
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