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UST MAT Chapter 2

2 Mary gave birth to Jesus in the town of Bethlehem in the region of Judea. During that time, Herod was the king there. Some time after Mary gave birth to Jesus, some scholars who studied the stars traveled from eastern countries to the city of Jerusalem! 2 They were asking people, “Where is the child who will be the king over the Jewish people? We saw a star appear in the sky that indicated that his mother had given birth to him. We traveled here so that we can worship him.”

3 When King Herod learned what these men were asking, he was upset. Many people in the city of Jerusalem also were upset. 4 So, King Herod summoned all the Jewish ruling priests and teachers of the Jewish law. He asked them about where the Messiah’s mother would give birth to him. 5 They answered him, “His mother will give birth to him in the town of Bethlehem in the region of Judea. We know that because of what the prophet Micah wrote. 6 ‘You who live in the town of Bethlehem in the land of Judah, your town is one of the important towns in Judah. That is because someone from your town will become a leader. That person will rule God’s people, the Israelites.’ ”

7 After that, King Herod summoned the scholars who studied the stars to talk with him privately. He asked them about exactly when they first saw the special star. 8 After that, he told them, “Go to the town of Bethlehem and look for the child. When you are sure that you know who he is, come back and tell me who he is. That way, I too can go and worship him.” Then, he sent them away.

9 The scholars listened to the king, and then they traveled to Bethlehem. The star which they saw when it appeared in the sky guided them! It moved in the sky until it was directly above the place where the child, Jesus, was living. 10 When they saw how the star moved and then stopped, they were extremely happy. 11 They went into the house above which the star had stopped. There, they saw the child Jesus and his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then, they unpacked the valuable things that they had brought with them. They gave Jesus gold, incense, and valuable tree resin. 12 After that, God used a dream to tell them not to go back to King Herod. So, they went home on a different road than the one on which they had come.

13 After the scholars who studied the stars went home, Joseph saw an angel from the Lord while he was sleeping! The angel told him, “King Herod wants to find the child so that he can kill him. So, when you wake up, escape to the land of Egypt with the child and his mother, your wife. Stay there until I tell you that you can return home.” 14 Then Joseph woke up. During that night, he left for the land of Egypt with the child and the child’s mother, his wife. 15 They lived in the land of Egypt while King Herod ruled. So, what the Lord said by speaking through the prophet Hosea came true:

“I have told my son to leave Egypt.”

16 When the scholars who studied the stars did not come back to King Herod, he realized that they had fooled him. He became furious. He had some of his soldiers go to the city of Bethlehem and the areas around it and kill every male child who was two years old or younger. He picked those ages because of what the scholars who studied the stars told him about the exact time when they first saw the star. 17 At that time, what God said by speaking through the prophet Jeremiah came true:

18 “People heard women in the town of Ramah lamenting loudly.

It was the descendants of Rachel mourning for their children.

Because their children were dead, they would not stop mourning.”

19 During this time, Joseph and his family were living in the land of Egypt. After Herod died, Joseph saw an angel from the Lord while he was sleeping! 20 The angel told him, “Everyone who wanted to kill the child has died. So, when you wake up, return to the country of Israel with the child and his mother, your wife.” 21 Then Joseph woke up. He went back to the country of Israel with the child and the child’s mother, his wife.

22 However, Joseph heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father, King Herod, as king over the region of Judea. So, he was afraid to live there. Further, while Joseph was sleeping, God instructed him to live somewhere else. So, Joseph decided to live in the region of Galilee. 23 When he and his family arrived in Galilee, they lived in the town of Nazareth. In that way, what God said by speaking through the prophets came true: “People will say that the Messiah is from Nazareth.”

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