Wise Men Seek the King

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King •Herod, •wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,a 2saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?b For we saw His star in the eastc, d and have come to worship Him.”e

3When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4So he assembled all the •chief priests and •scribesf of the people and asked them where the •Messiah would be born.

5“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

6And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the leaders of Judah:

because out of you will come a leader

who will shepherd My people Israel.”g, h

7Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.”i, j

9After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was — the star they had seen in the east!k It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. 11Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him.l Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.m 12And being warnedn in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

The Flight into Egypt

13After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.”o 14So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. 15He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.p, q

The Massacre of the Innocents

16Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two yearsr old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.s 17Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping,t and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children;

and she refused to be consoled,

because they were no more.u, v

The Holy Family in Nazareth

19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,w 20saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelausx was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.y 23Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a •Nazarene.z