The Wise Men
1 When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. 4 Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”
5 They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,
6 ‘Bethlehem in the land
of Judea,
you are very important
among the towns of Judea.
From your town
will come a leader,
who will be like a shepherd
for my people Israel.’ ”
7 Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. 8 He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I also want to go and worship him.”
9 The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 They were thrilled and excited to see the star.
11 When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him. 12 Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.
The Escape to Egypt
13 After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.”
14 That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, 15 where they stayed until Herod died. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “I called my son out of Egypt.”
The Killing of the Children
16 When Herod found out that the wise men from the east had tricked him, he was very angry. He gave orders for his men to kill all the boys who lived in or near Bethlehem and were two years old and younger. This was based on what he had learned from the wise men.
17 So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet Jeremiah had said,
18 “In Ramah a voice was heard
crying and weeping loudly.
Rachel was mourning
for her children,
and she refused
to be comforted,
because they were dead.”
The Return from Egypt
19 After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph while he was still in Egypt. 20 The angel said, “Get up and take the child and his mother back to Israel. The people who wanted to kill him are now dead.”
21 Joseph got up and left with them for Israel. 22 But when he heard that Herod's son Archelaus was now ruler of Judea, he was afraid to go there. Then in a dream he was told to go to Galilee, 23 and they went to live there in the town of Nazareth. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “He will be called a Nazarene.”
المجوس
1 ولمّا وُلِدَ يَسوعُ في بَيتَ لَحْمِ اليَهودِيّةِ، على عَهْدِ المَلِكِ هِيرودُسَ، جاءَ إلى أُورُشليمَ مَجوسٌ مِنَ المَشرقِ 2 وقالوا: «أينَ هوَ المَولودُ، مَلِكُ اليَهودِ؟ رَأَيْنا نَجْمَهُ في المَشْرِقِ فَجِئْنا لِنَسْجُدَ لَه».
3 وسَمِعَ المَلِكُ هِيرودُسُ، فاَضْطَرَبَ هوَ وكُلّ أُورُشليمَ. 4 فجَمَعَ كُلّ رُؤساءِ الكَهَنةِ ومُعَلّمي الشّعْبِ وسألَهُم: «أينَ يولَدُ المَسيحُ؟» 5 فأجابوا: «في بَيتَ لَحْمِ اليَهودِيّةِ، لأنّ هذا ما كَتَبَ النَبيّ:
6 «يا بَيتَ لَحْمُ، أرضَ يَهوذا،
ما أنتِ الصّغْرى في مُدُنِ يَهوذا،
لأنّ مِنكِ يَخْرُجُ رَئيسٌ
يَرعى شَعْبي إِسرائيلَ».
7 فَدَعا هيرودُسُ المَجوسَ سِرّا وتَحقّقَ مِنْهُم مَتى ظَهَرَ النّجْمُ، 8 ثُمّ أرسَلَهُم إلى بَيتَ لَحْمَ وقالَ لَهُم: «اَذْهَبوا واَبْحَثوا جيّدًا عَنِ الطّفلِ. فإذا وجَدْتُموهُ، فأَخْبِروني حتى أذهَبَ أنا أيضًا وأسْجُدَ لَه».
9 فلمّا سَمِعوا كلامَ المَلِكِ اَنْصَرَفوا. وبَينَما هُمْ في الطّريقِ إذا النّجْمُ الذي رَأَوْهُ في المَشْرقِ، يَتَقَدّمُهُمْ حتى بَلَغَ المكانَ الذي فيهِ الطِفلُ فوَقَفَ فَوْقَه. 10 فلمّا رَأوا النّجْمَ فَرِحوا فَرَحًا عَظيمًا جِدّا، 11 ودَخَلوا البَيتَ فوَجَدوا الطّفْلَ معَ أُمّهِ مَرْيَمَ. فرَكَعوا وسَجَدوا لَه، ثُمّ فَتَحوا أَكْياسَهُمْ وأهْدَوْا إلَيهِ ذَهَبًا وبَخورًا ومُرّا.
12 وأنْذَرَهُمُ اللهُ في الحُلُمِ أنْ لا يَرجِعوا إلى هيرودُسَ، فأخَذوا طَريقًا آخَرَ إلى بِلادِهِم.
الهرب إلى مصر
13 وبَعدَما اَنْصرَفَ المَجوسُ، ظَهَرَ مَلاكُ الرّبّ لِيوسفَ في الحُلُمِ وقالَ لَه: «قُمْ، خُذِ الطِفْلَ وأُمّهُ واَهربْ إلى مِصْرَ وأقِمْ فيها، حتى أقولَ لكَ متى تَعودُ، لأنّ هيرودُسَ سيَبحَثُ عَنِ الطّفْلِ ليَقتُلَهُ». 14 فقامَ يوسفُ وأخذَ الطّفْلَ وأُمّهُ ليلاً ورحَلَ إلى مِصْرَ. 15 فأقامَ فيها إلى أنْ ماتَ هيرودُسُ، ليتِمّ ما قالَ الربّ بِلسانِ النبيّ: «مِنْ مِصْرَ دَعَوْتُ اَبني».
مقتل أولاد بيت لحم
16 فَلمّا رَأى هيرودُسُ أنّ المَجوسَ اَستهزَأوا بِه، غَضِبَ جدّا وأمرَ بقَتلِ كُلّ طِفْلٍ في بَيتَ لحمَ وجِوارِها، مِنِ اَبنِ سَنَتَينِ فَما دونَ ذلِكَ، حسَبَ الوَقتِ الّذي تحقّقَهُ مِنَ المَجوسِ، 17 فتَمّ ما قالَ النبيّ إرْميا:
18 «صُراخٌ سُمِعَ في الرّامَةِ،
بُكاءٌ ونَحيبٌ كثيرٌ،
راحيلُ تَبكي على أولادِها
ولا تُريدُ أنْ تَتَعزّى،
لأنّهُم زالوا عَنِ الوجودِ».
الرجوع من مصر إلى الناصرة
19 ولمّا ماتَ هِيرودُسُ ظهَرَ ملاكُ الرّبّ ليوسفَ في الحُلمِ، وهوَ في مِصْرَ 20 وقالَ لَه: «قُمْ، خُذِ الطّفْلَ وأُمّهُ واَرجعْ إلى أرضِ إِسرائيلَ، لأنّ الّذينَ أرادوا أنْ يَقتُلوهُ ماتوا». 21 فقامَ وأخَذَ الطّفْلَ وأُمّهُ ورَجَعَ إلى أرضِ إِسرائيلَ. 22 لكِنّهُ سَمِعَ أنّ أرخيلاوُسَ يَملِكُ على اليَهودِيّةِ خلَفًا لأبيهِ هِيرودُسَ، فخافَ أن يذهَبَ إلَيها. فأَنذَرَهُ اللهُ في الحُلُمِ، فلَجأَ إلى الجَليلِ. 23 وجاءَ إلى مدينةٍ اَسمُها النّاصِرَةُ فسكَنَ فيها، لِيتمّ ما قالَ الأنبياءُ: «يُدعى ناصِريًّا».