Matthew 2

₁ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, ₂ saying, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and we have come to worship him.” ₃ When Herod the king heard of the child, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him, ₄ and when he gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born. ₅ They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it has been written by the prophet: ₆ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the princes of Judah; for out of you will come a Prince who will shepherd my people, Israel.’” ₇ Then Herod secretly called the wise men and accurately determined from them the time the star appeared. ₈ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. And when you find the child, report to me, so that I may also come and worship him.” ₉ When they heard the king, they departed and, behold, the star which they saw in the east led them forward until it came and stood over where the child was. ₁₀ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ₁₁ After coming into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped him. After they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, ₁₂ and having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed into their country by another route.

Joseph Is Forewarned (2:13–18)

₁₃ After they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a vision and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and tarry there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” ₁₄ Then Joseph arose and took the child and the child’s mother while it was still night and left for Egypt, ₁₅ where he remained until the death of Herod. Thus, it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, who said, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” ₁₆ Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became very enraged, sent soldiers, and slew all the children from two years old and under who were in Bethlehem and all its coasts, according to the time which he accurately determined from the wise men. ₁₇ Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, ₁₈ “There was a voice heard in Ramah, weeping and greatly mourning, Rachel weeping for the loss of her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Holy Family Returns to Israel (2:19–23)

₁₉ After Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a vision to Joseph in Egypt, ₂₀ saying, “Get up, take the child and the child’s mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” ₂₁ And Joseph got up, took the child and the child’s mother, and came into the land of Israel. ₂₂ When he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea instead of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. But having been warned in a vision, he withdrew to the districts of Galilee: ₂₃ and he arrived and lived in a town called Nazareth: so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.