Matthew 2 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Circa 6-4 BC, during the reign of Herod the Great
Location
Jerusalem and Bethlehem in Judea
Audience
Jewish Christians in the late 1st century AD
Situation
After Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, Magi from the East visit Jerusalem seeking the newborn 'king of the Jews,' alerting the paranoid King Herod, who orders the massacre of infants in Bethlehem; Joseph flees with Mary and Jesus to Egypt on divine instruction.
Key Background
Herod the Great, a Roman client king, was infamous for his cruelty, including executing family members to secure his throne. The Magi's star likely indicated an astronomical sign of a royal birth, drawing Gentile attention to the Messiah. The flight to Egypt and return fulfill prophecies like Hosea 11:1, highlighting God's protection and Jesus as the new Moses amid Herod's tyranny.
After Jesus was born in in during the reign of who the arrived in Jerusalem from the east.
"Where is the newborn of the they asked. "We saw rise in the east, and we've come to
When King Herod heard this, it — and all of with
He called together all the and of the people and demanded to know where The was supposed to be born.
"In Bethlehem in Judea," they told him. "Here's what the wrote:
'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah — you are definitely not the least important among Judah's leaders. Because out of you will come a who will be the of my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the in and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go for the child. When you find report back to me so I can go too."
After listening to the king, they set out. And there it was — the star they had seen rising of them until it the place where the child was.
When they saw the star had stopped, they were with
They went into the and saw the child with his mother Mary. They down and Then they opened their treasure chests and gave gifts — gold, and
Then, in a not to go back to Herod, they went home by a different route.
After they left, an of appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said. "Take the child and his mother and escape to Stay there until I tell you, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
So Joseph got up in the of the took the child and his mother, and left for Egypt.
He stayed there until Herod died. This what God had spoken through the prophet: "Out of I my
When Herod realized the star-scholars had he was He ordered the of every and in Bethlehem and all the surrounding area, based on the timing he had gotten from the star-scholars.
This is what was spoken through the prophet
"A voice was heard in — weeping and crying for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are gone."
an angel of God appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
"Get up," the angel said. "Take the and his mother and go back to the of The who were to the are
So Joseph up, took the child and his mother, and went back to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After being in a he withdrew to the region of
He settled in a town called This what was spoken through the prophets: "He will be called a