[a]Bethlehem Ephrathah,(A)
you are small among the clans of Judah;
One will come from you(B)
to be ruler over Israel for Me.(C)
His origin[b] is from antiquity,(D)
from eternity.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 5:2 Mc 5:1 in Hb
  2. Micah 5:2 Lit His going out
  3. Micah 5:2 Or from ancient times

“But you, Bethlehem(A) Ephrathah,(B)
    though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler(C) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,(D)
    from ancient times.”(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 5:2 Or rulers

Wise Men Seek the King

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,(A) saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?(B) For we saw His star in the east[a](C) and have come to worship Him.”[b]

When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes(D) of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the leaders of Judah:
because out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd My people Israel.(E)[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:2 Or star at its rising
  2. Matthew 2:2 Or to pay Him homage
  3. Matthew 2:6 Mc 5:2

The Magi Visit the Messiah

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,(A) during the time of King Herod,(B) Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 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.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 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. “In Bethlehem(E) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘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)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
  2. Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4

The Birth of Jesus

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus[a](A) that the whole empire[b] should be registered. This first registration took place while[c] Quirinius was governing Syria.(B) So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David,(C) to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him[d] and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:1 Emperor who ruled the Roman Empire 27 b.c.–a.d. 14; also known as Octavian, he established the peaceful era known as the Pax Romana; Caesar was a title of Roman emperors.
  2. Luke 2:1 Or the whole inhabited world
  3. Luke 2:2 Or This registration was the first while, or This registration was before
  4. Luke 2:5 Other mss read was his engaged wife

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus(A) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.(B) (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)(C) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem(D) the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him(E) and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:2 Or This census took place before