Study Desk

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,^(a)

saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?^(b) For we saw His star in the east^[a](c) and have come to worship Him."^[b]

When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes^(d) of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

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

And 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. "^(e)[c]

Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.

He 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."^[d](f)

After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen in the east!^[e] It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.

Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him.^[f] Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.^(g)

And being warned^(h) in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

After 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."⁽ⁱ⁾

So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.

He 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. ^(j)[g]

Then 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 years^[h] old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.^(k)

Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, ^[i] and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more. ^(l)[j]

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,^(m)

saying, "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."

So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus^[k] 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.⁽ⁿ⁾

Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.^(o)