Matthew 2

1 When Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, look, magicians from the east arrived in Jerusalem, [a] 2 saying, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to bow down to him.” [b] †

3 When Herod the king heard it he was shaken, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and gathering all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is how it has been written through the prophet:

7 Then Herod called the magicians secretly and found out from them exactly the time of the star that had appeared, 8 and he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search out carefully about the child; and when you find him, report to me, so that I too may come and bow down to him.”

9 They listened to the king and went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star they rejoiced with very great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and bowed to him; and opening their treasures they offered him gifts — gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they withdrew to their own country by another road.

13 When they had withdrawn, look, a messenger of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is about to look for the child, to destroy him.” [d] 14 So he got up and took the child and his mother by night and withdrew to Egypt, 15 and he was there until the death of Herod, so that what was said by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” [e]

16 Then Herod, seeing that he had been tricked by the magicians, was furious, and he sent and killed all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its borders, from two years old and under, according to the time he had found out exactly from the magicians. 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

19 When Herod had died, look, a messenger of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life have died.” 21 So he got up and took the child and his mother and came into the land of Israel.

22 But hearing that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there; and having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the parts of Galilee, 23 and he came and settled in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: that he will be called a Nazorean. [g]