Matthew 2

1In the days of Herod the king, after Jesus' birth in Bethlehem of Judea, behold, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem.

2Saying, “Where is the king of the Jews who was born? For we saw his star in the east, and came to worship him.”

3When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4Having assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ is born.

5They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea—for thus it stands written through the prophet.”

6And you, Bethlehem in Judah's land, are by no means least among Judah's rulers, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.

7Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and inquired of them diligently the time of the star's appearing.

8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go search carefully for the child; when you find him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship him."

9After hearing the king, they departed; look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it came and stood over where the child was.

10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

11Coming into the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, prostrated themselves before him in worship, then opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12And warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their country by another way.

13After they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt; stay there until I tell you, for Herod is about to seek the child to destroy him."

14Then he arose, took the child and his mother by night, and withdrew into Egypt.

15He stayed there until Herod's death, so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

16Then Herod, seeing that he had been mocked by the wise men, became greatly enraged, sent, and killed all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its borders, from two years old and younger, according to the time he had ascertained precisely from the wise men.

17Then what was said through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,

18A voice sounded in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and unwilling to be comforted, because they are no more.

19But after Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream in Egypt.

20Saying, get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the child's life are dead.

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

22But hearing that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there; but warned in a dream, he withdrew into the regions of Galilee.

23And he came and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.