Matthew 2:16-18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Massacre of the Innocents
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years[a] old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.(A) 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping,[b] and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more.(B)[c]
Footnotes
- Matthew 2:16 Lit were from two years
- Matthew 2:18 Other mss read Ramah, lamentation, and weeping,
- Matthew 2:18 Jr 31:15
Matthew 2:16-18
New Living Translation
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.”[a]
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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.