Matthew 2

1Once Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the time of King Herod, magi from the east made their way to Jerusalem

2and asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? For we saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3King Herod was disturbed when he heard this, and so was all Jerusalem along with him.

4He brought together all the chief priests and scribes of the people and questioned them about the place where the Messiah would be born.

5“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said to him, “for this is what has been written through the prophet:

6‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are not at all the least among the governors of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7Then Herod privately summoned the magi and questioned them to pin down when the star had appeared.

8Sending them to Bethlehem, he said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. Once you have found him, bring me word, so that I also can come and worship him.”

9When they had heard the king out, they set off, and there was the star they had seen as it rose, leading them on until it came and halted over the place where the child was.

10At the sight of the star, they rejoiced with very great joy.

11They went into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling down, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12Warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own land by a different road.

13Once they had left, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I give you word, because Herod is about to hunt for the child to destroy him.”

14So Joseph got up, and during the night he took the child and his mother and went away to Egypt.

15He remained there until Herod died, so that the word spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16Then Herod, seeing that the magi had made a fool of him, flew into a rage. He sent orders and had every boy in Bethlehem and all its surrounding districts killed, from two years old down, in line with the time he had pinned down from the magi.

17At that time the word spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning. Rachel was weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

19After Herod’s death, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream while he was in Egypt

20and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought to take the child’s life have died.”

21Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and entered the land of Israel.

22But he heard that Archelaus was ruling as king of Judea in place of his father Herod, and he was afraid to go there. Warned in a dream, he withdrew into the districts of Galilee.

23He came to a town called Nazareth and made his home there, so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled—that he would be called a Nazarene.