2After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory—this was during Herod's kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East.G1161G2424G1080G1722G965G2449G1722G2250G2264G935G2400G3854G3097G575G395G1519G2414 2They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him."G3004G4226G2076G5088G935G2453G1063G1492G846G792G1722G395G2532G2064G4352G846 3When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well.G1161G2264G935G191G5015G2532G3956G2414G3326G846 4Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"G2532G4863G3956G749G2532G1122G2992G4863G4441G3844G846G4226G5547G1080 5They told him, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:G1161G2036G846G1722G965G2449G1063G3779G1125G1223G4396 6It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land, no longer bringing up the rear. From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel."G2532G4771G965G1093G2448G1488G3760G1646G1722G2232G2448G1063G1537G4675G1831G2233G3748G4165G3450G2992G2474 7Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared.G5119G2264G2977G2564G3097G198G3844G846G198G5550G792G5316 8Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, "Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I'll join you at once in your worship."G2532G3992G846G1519G965G2036G4198G1833G199G4012G3813G1161G1875G2147G518G3427G518G3704G2064G4352G846G2504 9Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child.G1161G191G935G4198G2532G2400G792G3739G1492G1722G395G4254G846G2193G2064G2476G1883G3757G3813G2258 10They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!G1161G1492G792G5463G4970G3173G5479 11They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.G2532G2064G1519G3614G2147G1492G3813G3326G3137G846G3384G2532G4098G4352G846G2532G455G846G2344G4374G846G1435G5557G2532G3030G2532G4666 12In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.G2532G5537G2596G3677G344G3361G344G4314G2264G402G1519G846G5561G1223G243G3598 13After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him."G1161G846G402G2400G32G2962G5316G2501G2596G3677G3004G1453G3880G3813G2532G846G3384G2532G5343G1519G125G2532G2468G1563G2193G302G2036G4671G2036G1063G2264G3195G2212G3813G622G846 14Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight.G1161G1453G3880G3813G2532G846G3384G3571G2532G402G1519G125 15They lived in Egypt until Herod's death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: "I called my son out of Egypt."G2532G2258G1563G2193G5054G2264G2443G4137G3588G4483G5259G2962G1223G4396G3004G1537G125G2564G3450G5207 16Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he'd gotten from the scholars.)G5119G2264G1492G3754G1702G5259G3097G3029G2373G2532G649G337G3956G3816G1722G965G2532G1722G3956G3725G846G575G1332G2532G2736G2596G5550G3739G198G3844G3097 17That's when Jeremiah's sermon was fulfilled:G5119G4137G3588G4483G5259G2408G4396G3004 18A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, Her children gone, dead and buried.G1722G4471G191G5456G191G2355G2532G2805G2532G4183G3602G4478G2799G846G5043G2532G2309G3756G3870G3754G1526G3756 19Later, when Herod died, God's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt:G1161G2264G5053G2400G32G2962G5316G2596G3677G2501G1722G125 20"Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead."G3004G1453G3880G3813G2532G846G3384G2532G4198G1519G1093G2474G1063G2348G3588G2212G3813G5590 21Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel.G1161G1453G3880G3813G2532G846G3384G2532G2064G1519G1093G2474 22When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee.G1161G191G3754G745G936G1909G2449G473G846G3962G2264G5399G565G1563G1161G5537G2596G3677G402G1519G3313G1056 23On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, "He shall be called a Nazarene."G2532G2064G2730G1519G4172G3004G3478G3704G4137G3588G4483G1223G4396G3754G2564G3480
The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
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