智者來朝拜
1希律王執政期間,耶穌降生在猶太的伯利恆城。
當時有幾位智者2·1 「智者」或譯「占星家」下同7節和16節。從東方來到耶路撒冷, 2問道:「那生來做猶太人之王的在哪裡呢?我們在東方看見祂的星,特來朝拜祂。」
3希律王聽後,心裡不安,全城的人都感到不安。 4希律王就召來祭司長和律法教師,問他們:「基督降生在哪裡呢?」
5他們回答說:「在猶太的伯利恆,因為先知這樣記載,
6「『猶大地區的伯利恆啊!
你在猶大各城中並不是最小的,
因為有一位君王要從你那裡出來,
牧養我的以色列子民。』2·6 彌迦書5·2、4。」
7於是,希律暗中召見那幾位智者,仔細查問那星出現的準確時間, 8然後派他們去伯利恆,並吩咐道:「你們去仔細尋訪那個小孩,找到了,就回來報信,我也好去朝拜祂。」
9他們聽了王的吩咐,就去了。忽然,那顆曾在東方出現的星在前引領他們,一直來到小孩所在的地方,然後停在上空。 10他們看見那顆星,喜出望外。
11他們進了屋子,看見孩子和祂母親瑪麗亞,就俯伏在地上拜祂,並打開盛寶物的盒子獻上黃金、乳香和沒藥作禮物。 12他們在夢中得到指示,不可回希律那裡,便改道返回了家鄉。
逃往埃及
13他們離開之後,主的天使在夢中向約瑟顯現,說:「起來,帶著小孩子和祂母親逃往埃及,住在那裡等候我的通知,因為希律要尋找這孩子,殺害祂。」 14於是,約瑟起來帶著孩子和祂母親連夜逃往埃及, 15並在那裡一直住到希律死了。這就應驗了主藉著先知所說的話:「我把兒子從埃及召出來。」2·15 何西阿書11·1。
16希律見自己被智者愚弄,大為惱怒,便照著智者所說的時間推算,下令把伯利恆及附近兩歲以下的男孩殺光。 17這正應驗了耶利米先知的話:
18「在拉瑪有痛哭哀號的聲音,
是拉結在為兒女哀慟,
不肯接受安慰,
因為他們都死了!」2·18 耶利米書31·15。
定居拿撒勒
19希律死後,主的天使在夢中向在埃及的約瑟顯現,說: 20「起來,帶著孩子和祂母親回以色列去吧!因為要殺害孩子的人已經死了。」 21約瑟就起來,帶著孩子和祂母親返回以色列。
22但約瑟聽說亞基勞繼承他父親希律的王位統治猶太,就不敢回那裡。這時,他在夢中得到主的指示,便前往加利利地區, 23定居在拿撒勒鎮。這應驗了先知的話:「祂將被稱為拿撒勒人。」
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.