The Visit of the Wise Men
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Now 1after Jesus was born in 2Bethlehem of Judea 3in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise mena from 4the east came to Jerusalem,
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saying, "Where is he who has been born 5king of the Jews? For we saw 6his star when it roseb and have come to 7worship him."
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When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
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and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where 8the Christ was to be born.
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They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
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9"'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will 10shepherd my people Israel.'"
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Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
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And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."
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After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
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When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
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And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, 11they offered him gifts, 12gold and 13frankincense and 14myrrh.
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And 15being warned 16in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The Flight to Egypt
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Now when they had departed, behold, 17an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."
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And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
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and remained there until the death of Herod. 18This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 19"Out of Egypt I called my son."
Herod Kills the Children
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Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
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20Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
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21"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they 22are no more."
The Return to Nazareth
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But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
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saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for 23those who sought the child's life are dead."
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And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.
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But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and 24being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)