The Pilgrimage of the Magi (Micah 5:1–6)
2 UST They were asking people,“Where is the child who will be the king over the Jewish people? We saw a star appear in the sky{ that indicated that his mother had given birth to} him. We traveled here so that we can worship him.” BSB BSB: asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
3 UST When King Herod learned{ what these men were asking}, he was upset. Many people in the city of Jerusalem were also upset. BSB BSB: When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 UST So, King Herod summoned all the Jewish ruling priests and teachers of the Jewish law. He asked them about where the Messiah’ s mother would give birth to him. BSB BSB: And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
5 UST They answered him,“{ His mother will give birth to him} in the town of Bethlehem in the region of Judea.{ We know that} because of what the prophet{ Micah} wrote. BSB BSB: “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 UST ‘You who live in the town of Bethlehem in the land of Judah, your town is one of the important towns in Judah.{ That is} because someone from your town will become a leader. That person will rule God’ s people, the Israelites.’” BSB BSB: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’”
7 UST After that, King Herod summoned the scholars who studied the stars{ to talk with him} privately. He asked them about exactly when they first saw the{ special} star. BSB BSB: Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8 UST After that, he told them,“Go to the town of Bethlehem and look for the child. When you are sure that you know who he is,{ come back and} tell me{ who he is}. That way, I too can go and worship him.” Then he sent them away. BSB BSB: And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”
9 UST The scholars listened to the king, and then they traveled{ to Bethlehem}. The star which they saw when it appeared in the sky guided them! It moved{ in the sky} until it was directly above the place where the child{, Jesus,} was living. BSB BSB: After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was.
10 UST When they saw how the star moved and then stopped, they were extremely happy. BSB BSB: When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight.
11 UST They went into the house{ above which the star had stopped}. There, they saw the child{ Jesus} and his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then, they unpacked the valuable things that they had brought with them. They gave Jesus gold, incense, and valuable tree resin. BSB BSB: On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12 UST After that, God used a dream to tell them not to go back to King Herod. So, they went home on a different road{ than the one on which they had come}. BSB BSB: And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.
The Flight to Egypt (Hosea 11:1–7)
13 UST After the scholars who studied the stars went home, Joseph saw an angel from the Lord while he was sleeping! The angel told him,“King Herod wants to find the child so that he can kill him. So, when you wake up, escape to the land of Egypt with the child and his mother{, your wife}. Stay there until I tell you{ that you can return home}.” BSB BSB: When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
14 UST Then Joseph woke up. During that night, he left for the land of Egypt with the child and the child’ s mother{, his wife}. BSB BSB: So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt,
Weeping and Great Mourning (Jeremiah 31:1–25)
16 UST When{ the scholars who studied the stars did not come back to King Herod}, he realized that they had fooled him. He became furious. He had some of his soldiers go to the city of Bethlehem and the areas around it and kill every male child who was two years old or younger.{ He picked those ages} because of what the scholars who studied the stars told him about the exact time{ when they first saw the star}. BSB BSB: When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
17 UST At that time, what God said by speaking through the prophet Jeremiah came true: BSB BSB: Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 UST “People heard women in the town of Ramah lamenting loudly. It was the descendants of Rachel mourning for their children. Because their children were dead, they would not stop mourning.” BSB BSB: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
The Return to Nazareth (Luke 2:39–40)
20 UST The angel told him,“Everyone who wanted to kill the child has died. So, when you wake up, return to the country of Israel with the child and his mother{, your wife}.” BSB BSB: “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.”
21 UST Then Joseph woke up. He went back to the country of Israel with the child and the child’ s mother{, his wife}. BSB BSB: So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel.
22 UST However, Joseph heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father, King Herod, as king over the region of Judea. So, he was afraid to live there. Further, while Joseph was sleeping, God instructed him{ to live somewhere else}. So, Joseph decided to live in the region of Galilee. BSB BSB: But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,