OET-RV MAT Chapter 2

2 After Yeshua had been born in Bethlehem in the province of Yudea during the time of King Herod, watchers of signs arrived in Yerusalem from the east 2 and asked, “Where is the one born as king of the Jews, because we saw his star in the east and we came to worship him.”

3 Now when King Herod heard this, he was upset and all of Yerusalem as well. 4 He gathered together all of the chief priests and those who teach the religious law to the people and asked them where the Messiah was expected to be born.

5 And they told him, “It’ll be in Bethlehem in Yudea because the prophet wrote:[ref]

6 ‘You Bethlehem in the land of Yudah,

are not the most insignificant of the leaders of Yudah.

For a leader will come from you

who will guide my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod sent for the watchers of signs and met secretly with them to determine when the star had first appeared. 8 Then he sent them on to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go on and carefully investigate about the child and when you find him, report back to me so that I can also come and worship him.”

9 So when the king had finished speaking, they departed and the star which they could see in the east went ahead of them and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 Seeing this, the watchers of signs were very happy indeed. 11 As they entered the house, the saw the child with his mother Maria. They bowed low and worshipped him, then they opened their chests and presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 But because they had been warned in a dream not to return to King Herod, they went home again to their own country.

13 After they had departed, a messenger of the Lord appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, “Get up and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Remain there until I tell you because King Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.”

14 So Yosef got up during the night and took the child and his mother and departed for Egypt. 15 [ref]They stayed there until the death of Herod, in order to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “I called my son out of Egypt.”

16 When King Herod realised that he had been tricked by the watchers of signs, he got very angry and gave orders that all the sons in Bethlehem and its districts that were two years old and younger be killed, because that was the period that he had found out from the watchers of signs.

17 That fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah which said:

18 [ref]The sound of great weeping and mourning was heard in Ramah;

Rachel weeping for her children and she didn’t want to be comforted

because her children were no more.

19 After King Herod died, a messenger of the Lord appeared to Yosef in Egypt in a dream 20 and said, “Get up and take the child and his mother and go back to the land of Israel, because the ones wanting to kill him have died.” 21 So Yosef got up and took the child and his mother and went back to Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Yudea instead of his father Herod, and also having been warning in a dream, he left Yudea and went to the Galilee area. 23 [ref]Once they got there, he settled into the town of Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”