1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, during the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem.
2 They asked, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw the rising of his star in the east and have come to honor him."
3 When Herod heard this he was greatly disturbed and with him all Jerusalem.
4 He immediately called a meeting of all high-ranking priests and those who taught the people of God his Law, and asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea," they told him, "for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the clans of Judah, for from you will come a leader, the one who is to shepherd my people Israel."
7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men and asked them the precise time the star appeared.
8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem with the instruction, "Go and get precise information about the child. As soon as you have found him, report to me, so that I too may go and honor him."
9 After the meeting with the king, they set out. The star that they had seen in the East went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.
10 The wise men were overjoyed on seeing the star again.
11 They went into the house and when they saw the child with Mary his mother, they knelt and worshiped him. They opened their bags and offered him their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.
12 In a dream they were warned not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their home country by another way.
13 After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you for Herod will soon be looking for the child in order to kill him."
14 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left that night for Egypt,
15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. In this way, what the Lord had said through the prophet was fulfilled: I called my son out of Egypt.
16 When Herod found out that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old or under. This was done in line with what he had learned from the wise men about the time when the star appeared.
17 In this way, what the prophet Jeremiah had said was fulfilled:
18 A cry is heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation: Rachel weeps for her children. She refuses to be comforted, for they are no more.
19 After Herod's death, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said,
20 "Get up, take the child and his mother and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to kill the child are dead."
21 So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.
22 But when Joseph heard that Archilaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. He was given further instructions in a dream, and went to the region of Galilee.
23 There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way what was said by the prophets was fulfilled: He shall be called a Nazorean.
Versículos relacionados com Matthew, 2:
St. Matthew 2 narrates the story of the east wizards who visited Jesus after his birth, following a star that guided them to Belém. They ask about the birth of the "king of the Jews," which worries King Herod, who tries to deceive them to find out Jesus' location and kill him. The wizards, however, are warned in a dream so as not to return to Herod and return to their homes on the other way. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in São Matthew 2:
St. John 1:9 - "The true light, which illuminates every man, was coming into the world." This passage speaks of the coming of Jesus as the true light that illuminates everyone, which relates to the star that guided the wizards to him.
Isaiah 60:3 - "The nations will walk in your light, and the kings, to the glow of your dawn." This verse talks about the light that will shine about Jerusalem, attracting the nations and kings. This relates to the wizards, who came from another country to find Jesus, the king of the Jews.
Jeremiah 31:15 - "Thus says the Lord, A voice is heard in Ramá, lamentation and great weeping: Rachel cries her children; she refuses to be comforted, because they no longer exist." This verse speaks of the lament of mothers for their children, which relates to the Herod massacre of the children of Bethlehem, as described in St. Matthew 2:16-18.
Hosea 11:1 - "When Israel was a boy, I loved him; and from Egypt I called my son." This verse speaks of God's call to Israel, but can be interpreted as a prefiguration of God's call to Jesus as his beloved Son. This relates to the escape of the family of Jesus to Egypt to escape the persecution of Herod.
Micah 5:2 - "And you, Bethlehem -Frata, too small to appear as a group of thousands of Judah, will come out to me that will reign in Israel, and whose origins have been since ancient times, since the days of eternity . " This verse prophesies that a king would emerge from Bethlehem, who relates to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, as described in St. Matthew 2:1.
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