The Miraculous Birth of Yeshua

¹⁸ Now the birth of Yeshua the Messiah happened this way. When His mother Miriam was engaged to Joseph but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Ruach ha-Kodesh. ¹⁹ And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, made up his mind to dismiss her secretly. ²⁰ But while he considered these things, behold, an angel of Adonai appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Miriam as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Ruach ha-Kodesh. ²¹ She will give birth to a son; and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.”

²² Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by Adonai through the prophet, saying, ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”^[a]

²⁴ When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of Adonai commanded him and took Miriam as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not know her intimately until she had given birth to a Son. And he called His name Yeshua.

Wise Men Follow His Star

2 Now after Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”^[b]

³ When King Herod heard, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ And when he had called together all the ruling kohanim and Torah scholars, he began to inquire of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ So they told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:

⁷ Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child. And when you have found Him, bring word back to me so that I may come and worship Him as well.”

⁹ After listening to the king, they went their way. And behold, the star they had seen in the east went on 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 gladness. ¹¹ And when they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Miriam; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ^{[d] 12} And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another way.

The Angel of Adonai Appears

¹³ Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of Adonai appears to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the Child, to kill Him.”^[e]

¹⁴ So he got up, took the Child and His mother during the night, and went to Egypt. ¹⁵ He stayed there until Herod’s death. This was to fulfill what was spoken by Adonai through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My son.”^[f]

¹⁶ Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became furious. And he sent and killed all boys in Bethlehem and in all its surrounding area, from two years old and under, according to the time he had determined from the magi. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of Adonai appears 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 seeking the Child’s life are dead.”

²¹ So he got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel. ²² But hearing that Archelaus was king of Judea in place of his father Herod, he became afraid to go there. Then after being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of the Galilee. ²³ And he went and lived in a city called Natzeret,^[h] to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that Yeshua shall be called a Natzrati.