Mateus 2

¹ Now whenChrist a poor child, laid down in a crib, and though given no attention by his own people, receives nonetheless a noble witness of his divinity from heaven, and of his kingly estate from strangers: which his own people unknowingly let happen, although they did not acknowledge him.Jesus was born in Bethlehem ofFor there was another in the tribe of Zebulun.Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there cameWise and learned men: It is a Persian word which they use frequently.wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

² Saying, Where is that King of the Iewes that is borne? For wee haue seene his starre in the East, and are come to worship him.

³ When Herod the king had heard [these things], he wasWas much moved, for he was a foreigner, and became ruler by force; and the Jews were troubled; for wickedness is mad and raging.troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴ And when he had gathered all theThe chief priests, that is, such as were of Aaron's family, who were divided into twenty-four orders. (1Ch_24:5; 2Ch_36:14).chief priests andThey that expound the law to the people, for the Hebrews take this word for another, which means as much as to expound and to declare.scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

⁵ And they saide vnto him, At Beth-leem in Iudea: for so it is written by the Prophet,

⁶ And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not theThough you are a small town, yet you will be very famous and notable through the birth of the Messiah, who will be born in you.least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, thatThat will rule and govern: for kings are rightly called leaders and shepherds of the people.shall rule my people Israel.

⁷ Then Herod priuily called the Wisemen, and diligently inquired of them the time of the starre that appeared,

⁸ And sent them to Beth-leem, saying, Goe, and searche diligently for the babe: and when ye haue founde him, bring mee worde againe, that I may come also, and worship him.

⁹ So when they had heard the King, they departed: and loe, the starre which they had seene in the East, went before them, till it came and stoode ouer the place where the babe was.

¹⁰ And when they sawe the starre, they reioyced with an exceeding great ioy,

¹¹ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, andA kind of humble and lovely reverence.fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened theirThe rich and costly presents, which they brought him.treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

¹² And beingGod warned and told them of it, even though they did not ask him.warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

¹³ Christ having just been born, begins to be crucified for us, both in himself, and also in his members.And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

¹⁴ So he arose and tooke the babe and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt,

¹⁵ And was there vnto the death of Herod, that that might be fulfilled, which is spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, saying, Out of Egypt haue I called my sonne.

¹⁶ Then Herod, seeing that he was mocked of the Wisemen, was exceeding wroth, and sent foorth, and slew all the male children that were in Beth-leem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two yeere old and vnder, according to the time which he had diligently searched out of the Wisemen.

¹⁷ Then was fulfilled that which was spokenFor God speaketh by the mouth of the prophets.by Jeremy the prophet, saying,

¹⁸ In Rama was thereA voice of lamenting, weeping and howling.a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,That is to say, All who live around Bethlehem: for Rachel, Jacob's wife who died in childbirth, was buried by the road that leads to this town, which is also called Ephratah, because of the fruitfulness of the soil, and the plentifulness of corn.Rachel weeping [for] her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

¹⁹ Christ is brought up in Nazareth, after the death of the tyrant by God's providence: that by the very name of the place it might plainly appear to the world that he is the Lord's true Nazarite.But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

²⁰ Saying, Arise, and take the babe and his mother, and goe into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the babes life.

²¹ Then he arose vp and tooke the babe and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²² But whe he heard that Archelaus did reigne in Iudea in stead of his father Herod, he was afraide to go thither: yet after he was warned of God in a dreame, he turned aside into the parts of Galile,

²³ And went and dwelt in a citie called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets, which was, That hee should be called a Nazarite.