HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1231
M ATTHEW 2
page 861
17 All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from
the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His
mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while
she was still a virgin, she became pregnant
through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph,
to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man
and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he
decided to break the engagement* quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take
Mary as your wife. For the child within her was
conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will
have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,* for
he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,*
which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel
of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his
wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with
her until her son was born. And Joseph named
him Jesus.
Visitors from the East
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time
some wise men* from eastern lands arrived in
Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king
of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,* and we
have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he
heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He
called a meeting of the leading priests and
teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is
the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this
is what the prophet wrote:
2
6
‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities* of
Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people
Israel.’*”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with
the wise men, and he learned from them the time
when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them,
1:19 Greek to divorce her. 1:21 Jesus means “The Lord
saves.” 1:23 Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (Greek version). 2:1 Or royal
astrologers; Greek reads magi; also in 2:7, 16. 2:2 Or star in
the east. 2:6a Greek the rulers. 2:6b Mic 5:2; 2 Sam 5:2.
2:15 Hos 11:1. 2:18 Jer 31:15.
“Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the
child. And when you find him, come back and
tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went
their way. And the star they had seen in the
east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead
of them and stopped over the place where the
child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were
filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw
the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed
down and worshiped him. Then they opened
their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to
their own country by another route, for God had
warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
The Escape to Egypt
13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the
Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee
to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel
said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because
Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the
child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed
there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the
Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called
my Son out of Egypt.”*
16 Herod was furious when he realized that
the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based
on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what
God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18
“A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”*
• Worship
M ATTHE W 2:11
The wise men traveled hundreds of miles
to see the king of the Jews. When they
finally found him, they responded with
joy, worship, and gifts. How different
from the approach we often take today!
We expect God to come looking for us,
explain himself, prove who he is, and give
us gifts. Those who are wise still seek
Jesus because they suspect that he is
unlike any other person, sent for a special
purpose. Do you really know who he is?
How important is it to you to discover him
for yourself?