Ang Pagdalaw ng mga Taong Galing sa Silangan
1Ipinanganak si Jesus sa bayan ng Betlehem sa lalawigan ng Judea noong si Herodes ang hari. Isang araw, dumating sa Jerusalem ang ilang taong dalubhasa2:1 dalubhasa: sa Griego, magoi. Hindi sigurado kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng magoi. Pero posibleng dalubhasa sa pag-aaral ng mga bituin. galing sa silangan. 2Nagtanong sila, “Saan ba ipinanganak ang hari ng mga Judio? Nakita namin ang kanyang bituin sa silangan, at naparito kami upang sambahin siya.”
3Nang mabalitaan ito ni Herodes, nabagabag siya at pati na rin ang buong Jerusalem. 4Kaya ipinatawag ni Herodes ang lahat ng namamahalang pari at mga tagapagturo ng Kautusan, at tinanong sila kung saan isisilang ang Cristo. 5Sumagot sila, “Sa Betlehem na sakop ng Juda, dahil ganito ang isinulat ng propeta:
6‘Ikaw, Betlehem sa lupain ng Juda,
hindi ka huli sa mga pangunahing bayan ng Juda;
dahil magmumula sa iyo ang isang pinuno
na magsisilbing pastol ng mga mamamayan kong Israelita.’ ”2:6 Micas 5:2.
7Nang marinig ito ni Herodes, palihim niyang ipinatawag ang mga taong galing sa silangan at inalam kung kailan talaga nila unang nakita ang bituin. 8Pagkatapos, pinapunta niya sila sa Betlehem. Ibinilin niya sa kanila, “Lumakad na kayo at hanaping mabuti ang sanggol. At kapag nakita ninyo, balitaan nʼyo ako kaagad upang makapunta rin ako at makasamba sa kanya.” 9-10Pagkatapos nilang marinig ang bilin ng hari, umalis na sila. Habang sila ay naglalakbay, muling lumitaw ang bituin na nakita nila sa silangan, at lubos ang kanilang kagalakan. Nanguna sa kanila ang bituin hanggang makarating sila sa kinaroroonan ng sanggol. 11Pagpasok nila sa bahay, nakita nila ang sanggol at ang ina nitong si Maria. Lumuhod sila at sumamba sa sanggol. Inilabas din nila at inihandog sa sanggol ang mga dala nilang ginto, insenso at pabangong mira.
12Nang pauwi na sila, binalaan sila ng Dios sa pamamagitan ng isang panaginip na huwag nang bumalik kay Herodes. Kaya nag-iba na sila ng daan pauwi.
Ang Pagtakas Patungo sa Egipto
13Nang makaalis na ang mga taong galing sa silangan, nagpakita kay Jose sa panaginip ang isang anghel ng Panginoon. Sinabi ng anghel sa kanya, “Bumangon kaʼt dalhin ang bata at ang kanyang ina sa Egipto. Doon muna kayo hanggaʼt hindi ko sinasabing bumalik kayo, dahil hinahanap ni Herodes ang sanggol para patayin.”
14Kaya nang gabi ring iyon, umalis papuntang Egipto si Jose, kasama ang bata at ang ina nitong si Maria. 15At nanatili sila roon hanggang sa mamatay si Herodes.
Sa gayon, natupad ang sinabi ng Panginoon sa pamamagitan ng propeta, “Tinawag ko mula sa Egipto ang aking anak.”2:15 Hos. 1:1.
Ipinapatay ni Herodes ang mga Batang Lalaki
16Galit na galit si Herodes nang malaman niyang nilinlang siya ng mga taong galing sa silangan. Kaya iniutos niyang patayin ang lahat ng batang lalaki sa Betlehem at sa mga lugar sa paligid nito, mula dalawang taong gulang pababa. Sapagkat ayon sa nalaman niya sa mga taong galing sa silangan, dalawang taon na ang nakalipas mula nang una nilang makita ang bituin.
17Sa ginawang kalupitan ni Herodes, natupad ang sinabi ni Propeta Jeremias,
18“May narinig na iyakan at malakas na panaghoy sa Rama.
Iniiyakan ni Raquel ang pagkamatay ng kanyang mga anak,
at ayaw niyang magpaaliw
dahil patay na ang mga ito.”2:18 Jer. 31:15.
Ang Pagbabalik Mula sa Egipto
19Nang mamatay na si Herodes, ang anghel ng Panginoon ay muling nagpakita sa panaginip ni Jose doon sa Egipto 20at sinabi nito sa kanya, “Bumangon kaʼt iuwi na ang bata at ang kanyang ina sa bayan ng Israel, dahil patay na ang mga nagtatangka sa buhay ng bata.” 21Kaya bumangon si Jose, at dinala ang mag-ina pauwi sa Israel.
22Pero nang malaman ni Jose na si Arkelaus ang naghahari sa Judea kapalit ng ama nitong si Herodes, natakot siyang pumunta roon. Binalaan siyang muli ng Dios sa pamamagitan ng panaginip, kaya tumuloy siya sa lalawigan ng Galilea, 23at nanirahan sila sa bayan ng Nazaret. Kaya natupad ang sinabi ng mga propeta na tatawagin ang Cristo na Nazareno.
The Wise Men Visit Jesus
1Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. This happened while Herod was king of Judea. After Jesus’ birth, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2They asked, “Where is the child who has been born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose. Now we have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard about it, he was very upset. Everyone in Jerusalem was troubled too. 4So Herod called together all the chief priests of the people. He also called the teachers of the law. He asked them where the Messiah was going to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied. “This is what the prophet has written. He said,
6“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are certainly not the least important among the towns of Judah.
A ruler will come out of you.
He will rule my people Israel like a shepherd.’ ” (Micah 5:2)
7Then Herod secretly called for the Wise Men. He found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem. He said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report it to me. Then I can go and worship him too.”
9After the Wise Men had listened to the king, they went on their way. The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them. It finally stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. 11The Wise Men went to the house. There they saw the child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures. They gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12But God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they returned to their country on a different road.
Jesus’ Family Escapes to Egypt
13When the Wise Men had left, Joseph had a dream. In the dream an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to come back. Herod is going to search for the child. He wants to kill him.”
14So Joseph got up. During the night, he left for Egypt with the child and his mother Mary. 15They stayed there until King Herod died. So the words the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true. He had said, “I brought my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1)
16Herod realized that the Wise Men had tricked him. So he became very angry. He gave orders about Bethlehem and the area around it. He ordered all the boys two years old and under to be killed. This agreed with the time when the Wise Men had seen the star. 17In this way, the words Jeremiah the prophet spoke came true. He had said,
18“A voice is heard in Ramah.
It’s the sound of crying and deep sadness.
Rachel is crying over her children.
She refuses to be comforted,
because they are gone.” (Jeremiah 31:15)
Jesus’ Family Returns to Nazareth
19After Herod died, Joseph had a dream while he was still in Egypt. In the dream an angel of the Lord appeared to him. 20The angel said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother. Go to the land of Israel. The people who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21So Joseph got up. He took the child and his mother Mary back to the land of Israel. 22But then he heard that Archelaus was king of Judea. Archelaus was ruling in place of his father Herod. This made Joseph afraid to go there. Joseph had been warned in a dream. So he went back to the land of Galilee instead. 23There he lived in a town called Nazareth. So what the prophets had said about Jesus came true. They had said that he would be called a Nazarene.
