1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the reign of Herod the Great. [1]
During this time wise men [2] from the east came saying,
Where is the baby who will become the king of the Jews?
We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
When Herod heard about the wise men, it troubled him, along with everyone else in Jerusalem.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
He asked the priests and scribes where Christ would be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
They told him it would be in Bethlehem of Judea, according to the prophet. [
3]
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Herod called the wise men and asked when the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
He sent the wise men to Bethlehem, saying to them,
Go and find the child. When you have found him, tell me where he is so I can come and worship him.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
So the wise men left Jerusalem, and the star that they saw in the east went before them, until it stood over where the child was. [
4]
11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
The wise men came to the house [
5] where they saw the child with Mary, his mother.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
The wise men were warned in a dream [
6] not to return to Herod, so they left for their own country by another way.
13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
After the wise men left, an angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream [
7], saying,
Get up and take the baby and his mother to Egypt, because Herod is going to try to kill him.
I'll tell you when it's safe to come back.
14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. [9]
When Joseph woke up, he took the baby and his mother and left for Egypt [
8] and stayed there until Herod died.
This was to fulfill the prophecy saying, "Out of Egypt I have called my son." [9]
Herod murders the infants in Bethlehem
2:16-18
16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
When the wise men failed to return, Herod ordered the slaughter of all the children in and around Bethlehem from two years old and under. [
10]
17Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
The killing of the infants in Bethlehem fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremy [
11], saying,
In Rama there was a voice of great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children.
2:19-2
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
When Herod died, an angel appeared to Joseph (again) in a dream [
12] telling him to take the child and his mother back to Israel.
21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
So Joseph took the child and his mother back to Israel.
Home in Nazareth of Galilee
22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
But when Joseph heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea after his father's death, he was afraid to go there.
God warned Joseph in another dream [13] to go to Galilee instead.
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
Joseph and his little family settled in Nazareth to fulfill the prophecy saying, "He shall be called a Nazarene." [14]
So, the Holy Ghost impregnates Mary, and Joseph takes the high road and takes care of both wife and son-not-son. Up to this point, an angel has to act as bearer of bizarre, sad news to Joseph because God didn't have the guts to reveal himself to be the baby's father. What's interesting is that in this chapter, the three Wise Men seem to have the news that the new baby king of the Jews has been born and want to come a' worshippin'. How did they find out?
Did an angel tell them? Did God slip the news? If they were astrologers, then they would have read the stars, put two and two together, and figured out that this super baby savior was most certainly born. "We have seen his star in the east." Oh really? It certainly does sound like the pseudoscience of astrology was legitimized in this chapter. Isaiah 47:13-15 gives them credibility, though not necessarily in the positive.