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OET (OET-LV) And having_withdrawn from_them, see, an_messenger of_the_master is_appearing in a_dream to_ the _Yōsaʸf/(Yōşēf) saying:
Having_been_raised, take the little_child and the mother of_him, and be_fleeing into Aiguptos/(Miʦrayim), and be there until wishfully I_may_tell to_you, because/for Haʸrōdaʸs is_going to_be_seeking the little_child which to_destroy him.
OET (OET-RV) After they’d departed, one of Yahweh’s messengers appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, “Get up and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt (Mitsrayim). Remain there until I tell you, because King Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.”
In this section, Matthew showed how God protected Jesus by warning Joseph to take him to Egypt. Matthew also showed how the move to Egypt fulfilled scripture.
Egypt is a country to the south of Judea. 1,500 years before Jesus’ time, the people of Israel had lived in Egypt (Exodus 12:40). Then Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt. Many years later, God said, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1). This prophecy referred back to when God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 12:41–42). This prophecy also referred ahead to the time when God would call his Son Jesus out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15).
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus’ Parents Take Him to Egypt (NCV)
The escape to Egypt
When the Magi had gone,
¶ After they left,
¶ Then after the men who studied the stars had gone,
When the Magi had gone: This section begins with a time clause that the BSB translates as When the Magi had gone. This clause refers to the wise men leaving Mary and Joseph and Jesus to return to their own country.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
After they had left (GNT)
After the wise men had gone (CEV)
an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
an angel of the Lord God unexpectedly appeared to Joseph in a dream
Joseph went to sleep and he was dreaming. Suddenly he saw an angel from the Lord God.
The Greek of 2:13b begins with a words that is often translated as “behold.” It literally means “look” or “see.” This word focuses attention on what follows and indicates that it is important, unexpected, or amazing. In this passage, an angel unexpectedly appeared to Joseph in a dream. If you have a term that gets the attention of people that is natural in this context, you should consider using it here.
Here are some ways to translate this:
behold, (ESV)
Unexpectedly
Then strangely
This same word occurs in 2:1c and 2:9b.
an angel of the Lord: The phrase an angel of the Lord refers here to an angel that the Lord (God) sent.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
an angel who came from the Lord God
an angel who was sent by God
This same phrase occurs in 1:20.
angel: The Greek word that the BSB translates as angel means “messenger.” It refers to a supernatural, spiritual being who serves God.
Here are some ways to translate this term:
Use a descriptive word or phrase. For example:
messenger from God
holy spirit-being
Use a local term that fits the biblical meaning.
In some areas the churches may already be using a borrowed term or a transliterated word for angel. Be sure that this term fits the biblical meaning. If some people do not understand the right meaning from this term, you may need to indicate the meaning in some way. For example:
an angelos messenger from God
a sacred angelos spirit
See angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary for more information.
the Lord: The Greek word that the BSB translates as the Lord refers here to God.
appeared to Joseph: The Greek word that the BSB translates as appeared can also mean “became visible” or “was revealed.” The angel appeared to Joseph while he was dreaming. This indicates that in his dream, Joseph saw an angel.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
showed/revealed himself to Joseph
Joseph saw an angel
in a dream: Joseph was sleeping, and he saw the angel while he was dreaming.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
in a dream while he slept
He dreamed that an angel of the Lord appeared to him
“Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt.
and said, “Get up and take the child and his mother and flee to the country of Egypt!
The angel said, “Arise, take the young child and the child’s mother, and go quickly to the land of Egypt!
In some languages, it may be more natural to put 2:13c after 2:13e. See the General Comment after 2:13e for an example.
Get up!: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Get up! refers to rising from a bed or rising after being asleep. Another way to translate this word is:
Get up (NIV)
Take the Child and His mother: The phrase His mother refers to Jesus’ mother Mary.
Here are some ways to make this clearer:
take the child and the child’s mother
take the child and your wife
take Mary and Jesus
and flee: The Greek word that the BSB translates as flee refers to moving quickly away from danger.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
escape (NIV)
go quickly
hurry and go
to Egypt: The word Egypt is the name of a country located south and west of Judea. It was at least 240 kilometers from Bethlehem to the border of Egypt. It took more than a week to walk there.
Here is another way to translate this word:
the country/land of Egypt
Stay there until I tell you,
Stay there until I tell you(sing) to come back,
You(sing) must remain there until I tell you to return.
In some languages, it may be more natural to put 2:13d after 2:13e. See the General Comment after 2:13e for an example.
Stay there until I tell you: The angel will one day tell Joseph to return. It may be more natural in your language to include that implied information. For example:
Stay there until I tell you to return (CEV)
for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
because Herod will soon look for the child in order to kill him.”
The reason is that King Herod intends to send soldiers to search soon for the child in order to kill him.”
In some languages, it may be more natural to put 2:13e before 2:13c–d. See the General Comment below for an example.
for: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as for introduces the basis for the command that they should flee to Egypt and stay there. 13c–dEscape to Egypt and stay there 13efor/because Herod wants to kill the child.
Here are some other ways to translate this conjunction:
because
The reason is
Herod is going to search for the Child: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as is going to search for indicates that Herod intended to search soon for the Child. Herod would not do the actual searching, but would send his soldiers to do it for him.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Herod intends to search for the child (NJB)
Herod is about to send his soldiers to search for the child
to kill Him: The phrase to kill Him means “in order to kill him.” It tells Herod’s purpose in searching for Jesus.
In some languages, it may be more natural to put the basis (in 2:13e) before the command (in 2:13c–d). For example:
He said, 13e“Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. 13cSo get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. 13dStay there until I tell you.”
Note 1 topic: writing-newevent
δὲ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀναχωρησάντων Δέ αὐτῶν ἰδού ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται κατʼ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσήφ λέγων Ἐγερθείς παράλαβε τό παιδίον καί τήν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καί φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον καί ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἄν εἴπω σοί μέλλει γάρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τό παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό)
Here, the word Now introduces the next major event in the story. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces the next event, or you could leave Now untranslated. Alternate translation: [Next,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἰδοὺ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀναχωρησάντων Δέ αὐτῶν ἰδού ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται κατʼ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσήφ λέγων Ἐγερθείς παράλαβε τό παιδίον καί τήν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καί φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον καί ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἄν εἴπω σοί μέλλει γάρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τό παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό)
The word behold draws the attention of the audience and asks them to listen carefully. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express behold with a word or phrase that asks the audience to listen, or you could draw the audience’s attention in another way. Alternate translation: [hear me] or [pay attention]
Note 3 topic: translate-tense
φαίνεται
˓is˒_appearing
To call attention to a development in the story, Matthew uses the present tense in past narration. If it would not be natural to do that in your language, you could use the past tense in your translation. Alternate translation: [appeared]
Note 4 topic: writing-quotations
λέγων
saying
Consider natural ways of introducing direct quotations in your language. Alternate translation: [and he commanded him]
Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
ἐγερθεὶς, παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἂν εἴπω σοι; μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀναχωρησάντων Δέ αὐτῶν ἰδού ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται κατʼ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσήφ λέγων Ἐγερθείς παράλαβε τό παιδίον καί τήν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καί φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον καί ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἄν εἴπω σοί μέλλει γάρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τό παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό)
If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these clauses, since the last clause gives the reason for the command in the first clauses. Alternate translation: [Because Herod is going to seek the young child to kill him, having gotten up, take the young child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you.]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἕως ἂν εἴπω σοι
until (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀναχωρησάντων Δέ αὐτῶν ἰδού ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται κατʼ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσήφ λέγων Ἐγερθείς παράλαβε τό παιδίον καί τήν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καί φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον καί ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἄν εἴπω σοί μέλλει γάρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τό παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό)
Here the angel implies that he will tell Joseph that it is safe to return to his home. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [until I tell you it is safe to come back]
OET (OET-LV) And having_withdrawn from_them, see, an_messenger of_the_master is_appearing in a_dream to_ the _Yōsaʸf/(Yōşēf) saying:
Having_been_raised, take the little_child and the mother of_him, and be_fleeing into Aiguptos/(Miʦrayim), and be there until wishfully I_may_tell to_you, because/for Haʸrōdaʸs is_going to_be_seeking the little_child which to_destroy him.
OET (OET-RV) After they’d departed, one of Yahweh’s messengers appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, “Get up and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt (Mitsrayim). Remain there until I tell you, because King Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.”
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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