The Visit of the Magi

Now after Jesus was (A)born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of (B)Herod the king, behold, [a]magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born (C)King of the Jews? For we saw (D)His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the [b]Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “(E)In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written [c]by [d]the prophet:

(F)And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For from you will come forth a Ruler
Who will (G)shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and determined from them the exact [e]time (H)the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with (I)His mother Mary; and they fell down and [f](J)worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And after being (K)warned by God (L)in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:1 A caste of educated men specializing in astronomy, astrology, and natural science
  2. Matthew 2:4 From Gr Christos, which means Messiah (Heb for Anointed One)
  3. Matthew 2:5 Or through
  4. Matthew 2:5 I.e., Micah
  5. Matthew 2:7 Lit time of the appearing star
  6. Matthew 2:11 Lit prostrated themselves to; i.e., lay face down in a prone position to indicate worship

Magi Arrive Seeking The Newborn King. King Herod Sends Them To Bethlehem

Now Jesus having been born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod[a] the king, behold— magi[b] from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying “Where is the One having been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east[c] and came to pay-homage to Him”. And having heard it, King Herod was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. And having gathered-together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he was inquiring from them as to where the Christ was [to be] born. And the ones said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea. For thus it has been written through the prophet [in Mic 5:2]: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For One ruling[d] will come out of you Who will shepherd My people Israel’”. Then Herod, having called the magi secretly, learned-accurately from them the time of the appearing of the star. And having sent them to Bethlehem, he said, “Having gone, search-out accurately[e] concerning the Child. And when you find Him, report to me so that I also, having come, may pay-homage to Him”.

A Star Leads Them To The Child, To Whom They Give Gifts

And the ones, having heard the king, proceeded. And behold— the star which they saw in the east was going-ahead-of them, until having come, it stood[f] over where the Child was. 10 And having seen the star, they rejoiced an extremely great rejoicing. 11 And having come into the house[g], they saw the Child with Mary His mother. And having fallen-down, they paid homage to Him. And having opened their treasure-chests, they offered gifts to Him— gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their country by another way.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:1 That is, Herod the Great, king of Israel from 37 to 4 b.c.
  2. Matthew 2:1 That is, wise men/priests/seers/astrologers at least similar (their country is not given) to those in Daniel 2:48. Perhaps their knowledge came from Daniel’s prophecies.
  3. Matthew 2:2 That is, while they were in the east.
  4. Matthew 2:6 Or, leading, governing.
  5. Matthew 2:8 Or, carefully.
  6. Matthew 2:9 Or, stopped, stood still.
  7. Matthew 2:11 Joseph would have moved his family from the stable (Lk 2:7) to a house as soon as possible.