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Matthew 2
Lexham English Bible
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”
Matthew 2
New International Version
Matthew 2
New International Version
The Magi Visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,(A) during the time of King Herod,(B) Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?(C) We saw his star(D) when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 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. 5 “In Bethlehem(E) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘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.’[b]”(F)
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 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.”
9 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.(G) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts(H) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned(I) in a dream(J) 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(K) of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.(L) “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.”(M)
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled(N) what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[c](O)
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:(P)
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel(Q) weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”[d](R)
The Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel(S) of the Lord appeared in a dream(T) to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”(U)
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream,(V) he withdrew to the district of Galilee,(W) 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.(X) So was fulfilled(Y) what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.(Z)
Footnotes
- Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
- Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4
- Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1
- Matthew 2:18 Jer. 31:15
Matthew 2
New Living Translation
Matthew 2
New Living Translation
Visitors from the East
2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[a] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[b] and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[d]”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
The Escape to Egypt
13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”[e]
16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”[f]
The Return to Nazareth
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.