Visitors from the East
1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. 4 He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”
5 “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they answered. “For this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah;
for from you will come a leader
who will guide my people Israel.’”
7 So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9-10 And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 11 They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.
12 Then they returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.
The Escape to Egypt
13 After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him. So get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave.”
14 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until Herod died. This was done to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, “I called my Son out of Egypt.”
The Killing of the Children
16 When Herod realized that the visitors from the East had tricked him, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old and younger—this was done in accordance with what he had learned from the visitors about the time when the star had appeared.
17 In this way what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true:
18 “A sound is heard in Ramah,
the sound of bitter weeping.
Rachel is crying for her children;
she refuses to be comforted,
for they are dead.”
The Return from Egypt
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to kill the child are dead.” 21 So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went back to Israel.
22 But when Joseph heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. He was given more instructions in a dream, so he went to the province of Galilee 23 and made his home in a town named Nazareth. And so what the prophets had said came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Gudrie no austrumiem
1 Kad Jēzus piedzima Jūdejas Betlēmē ķēniņa Hēroda laikā, redzi, no austrumiem Jeruzālemē ieradās gudri vīri un jautāja: 2 “Kur ir jaunpiedzimušais jūdu Ķēniņš? Mēs viņa zvaigzni redzējām austrumos un atnācām viņu pielūgt.” 3 To dzirdējis, ķēniņš Hērods ļoti uztraucās un visa Jeruzāleme līdz ar viņu. 4 Sapulcinājis visus tautas virspriesterus un rakstu mācītājus, viņš izjautāja tos par vietu, kur Kristum bija jāpiedzimst. 5 Tie viņam sacīja: “Jūdejas Betlēmē, jo Kungs caur pravieti ir sacījis:
6 un tu, Betlēme, Jūdas zemē,
tu nebūt neesi mazākā starp Jūdas galvenajām pilsētām,
jo no tevis nāks Valdnieks,
kas ganīs manu tautu – Israēlu. ”
7 Tad Hērods, slepeni ataicinājis gudros, rūpīgi tos iztaujāja par zvaigznes parādīšanās laiku. 8 Un viņš tos sūtīja uz Betlēmi un sacīja: “Ejiet un visu izjautājiet par šo bērnu. Kad jūs viņu atradīsiet, pavēstiet to man, lai arī es varu iet viņu pielūgt.” 9 Uzklausījuši ķēniņu, tie aizgāja. Un, redzi, zvaigzne, ko tie bija redzējuši austrumu zemē, gāja tiem pa priekšu, līdz nonāca un apstājās virs tās vietas, kur bija bērns. 10 Kad tie zvaigzni ieraudzīja, tos pārņēma milzīgs prieks. 11 Iegājuši tajā namā, tie redzēja bērnu kopā ar Mariju, viņa māti, un, nokrituši ceļos, tie viņu pielūdza. Tie atvēra savas dārgumu lādes un pienesa viņam dāvanas: zeltu, vīraku un mirres. 12 Sapnī brīdināti pie Hēroda neatgriezties, tie devās atpakaļ pa citu ceļu uz savu zemi.
Bēgšana uz Ēģipti
13 Bet, kad tie bija aizgājuši, redzi, Kunga eņģelis parādījās Jāzepam sapnī un sacīja: “Celies, ņem bērnu un viņa māti un bēdz uz Ēģipti, un paliec tur, kamēr es tevi saukšu atpakaļ; jo Hērods meklē bērnu, lai viņu nonāvētu.” 14 Un uzcēlies viņš ņēma bērnu un viņa māti un naktī devās prom uz Ēģipti. 15 Tur viņš palika līdz Hēroda nāvei, lai piepildītos tas, ko Kungs ir runājis caur pravieti: no Ēģiptes es savu Dēlu aicināju .
Bērnu apkaušana Betlēmē
16 Kad Hērods redzēja, ka gudrie viņu piemānījuši, viņš ļoti apskaitās un nosūtīja pavēli apkaut visus bērnus Betlēmē un visā tās apkārtnē – divus gadus vecus un jaunākus, pēc tā laika, ko viņš bija uzzinājis no gudrajiem. 17 Tad piepildījās, ko Kungs caur pravieti Jeremiju ir sacījis: 18 balss dzirdama Rāmā, raudas un daudz vaimanu. Rāhēle apraud savus bērnus un nealkst mierinājuma, jo viņu vairs nav.
Atgriešanās no Ēģiptes
19 Bet, kad Hērods nomira, redzi, Kunga eņģelis parādījās Jāzepam sapnī Ēģiptē 20 un sacīja: “Celies, ņem bērnu un viņa māti un dodies uz Israēla zemi, jo tie, kas tīkoja pēc bērna dzīvības, ir miruši.” 21 Un cēlies viņš ņēma bērnu un viņa māti un atnāca uz Israēla zemi. 22 Bet, izdzirdējis, ka Jūdejā Arhelajs valda sava tēva Hēroda vietā, viņš baidījās turp doties un, sapnī brīdināts, devās uz Galilejas apgabalu. 23 Turp atnācis, viņš apmetās Nācaretē. Tā piepildījās, ko Kungs ir runājis caur praviešiem: viņu sauks par Nācarieti.
