1 Now when the birth of Jesus took place in Beth-lehem of Judaea, in the days of Herod the king, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is the King of the Jews whose birth has now taken place? We have seen his star in the east and have come to give him worship.
3 And when it came to the ears of Herod the king, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And he got together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, questioning them as to where the birth-place of the Christ would be.
5 And they said to him, In Beth-lehem of Judaea; for so it is said in the writings of the prophet,
6 You Beth-lehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the chiefs of Judah: out of you will come a ruler, who will be the keeper of my people Israel.
7 Then Herod sent for the wise men privately, and put questions to them about what time the star had been seen.
8 And he sent them to Beth-lehem and said, Go and make certain where the young child is; and when you have seen him, let me have news of it, so that I may come and give him worship.
9 And after hearing the king, they went on their way; and the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the young child was.
10 And when they saw the star they were full of joy.
11 And they came into the house, and saw the young child with Mary, his mother; and falling down on their faces they gave him worship; and from their store they gave him offerings of gold, perfume, and spices.
12 And it was made clear to them by God in a dream that they were not to go back to Herod; so they went into their country by another way.
13 And when they had gone, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream, saying, Get up and take the young child and his mother, and go into Egypt, and do not go from there till I give you word; for Herod will be searching for the young child to put him to death.
14 So he took the young child and his mother by night, and went into Egypt;
15 And was there till the death of Herod; so that the word of the Lord through the prophet might come true, Out of Egypt have I sent for my son.
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was very angry; and he sent out, and put to death all the male children in Beth-lehem and in all the parts round about it, from two years old and under, acting on the knowledge which he had got with care from the wise men.
17 Then the word of Jeremiah the prophet came true,
18 In Ramah there was a sound of weeping and great sorrow, Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted for their loss.
19 But when Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord came in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Get up and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: because they who were attempting to take the young child's life are dead.
21 And he got up, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when it came to his ears that Archelaus was ruling over Judaea in the place of his father Herod, he was in fear of going there; and God having given him news of the danger in a dream, he went out of the way into the country parts of Galilee.
23 And he came and was living in a town named Nazareth: so that the word of the prophets might come true, He will be named a Nazarene.
1 ORA, essendo Gesù nato in Betleem di Giudea, a’ dì del re Erode, ecco, de’ magi d’Oriente arrivarono in Gerusalemme, dicendo:
2 Dov’è il Re de’ Giudei, che è nato? Poichè noi abbiamo veduta la sua stella in Oriente, e siam venuti per adorarlo.
3 E il re Erode, udito questo, fu turbato, e tutta Gerusalemme con lui.
4 Ed egli, raunati tutti i principali sacerdoti, e gli scribi del popolo, s’informò da loro dove il Cristo dovea nascere.
5 Ed essi gli dissero: In Betleem di Giudea; perciocchè così è scritto per lo profeta:
6 E tu, Betleem, terra di Giuda, non sei punto la minima fra i capi di Giuda; perciocchè di te uscirà un Capo, il qual pascerà il mio popolo Israele.
7 Allora Erode, chiamati di nascosto i magi, domandò loro del tempo appunto, che la stella era apparita.
8 E, mandandoli in Betleem, disse loro: Andate, e domandate diligentemente del fanciullino; e quando l’avrete trovato, rapportatemelo, acciocchè ancora io venga, e l’adori
9 Ed essi, udito il re, andarono; ed ecco, la stella che aveano veduta in Oriente, andava dinanzi a loro, finchè giunta di sopra al luogo dov’era il fanciullino, vi si fermò.
10 Ed essi, veduta la stella, si rallegrarono di grandissima allegrezza.
11 Ed entrati nella casa, trovarono il fanciullino, con Maria, sua madre; e gettatisi in terra, adorarono quello; ed aperti i lor tesori, gli offerirono doni: oro, incenso, e mirra.
12 Ed avendo avuta una rivelazione divina in sogno, di non tornare ad Erode, per un’altra strada si ridussero nel lor paese
13 ORA, dopo che si furono dipartiti, ecco, un angelo del Signore apparve in sogno a Giuseppe, dicendo: Destati, e prendi il fanciullino, e sua madre, e fuggi in Egitto, e sta’ quivi finch’io non tel dica; perciocchè Erode cercherà il fanciullino, per farlo morire.
14 Egli adunque, destatosi, prese il fanciullino, e sua madre, di notte, e si ritrasse in Egitto.
15 E stette quivi fino alla morte di Erode; acciocchè si adempiesse quello che fu detto dal Signore per lo profeta, dicendo: Io ho chiamato il mio figliuolo fuori di Egitto
16 Allora Erode, veggendosi beffato dai magi, si adirò gravemente, e mandò a fare uccidere tutti i fanciulli che erano in Betleem, ed in tutti i suoi confini, d’età da due anni in giù, secondo il tempo, del quale egli si era diligentemente informato da’ magi.
17 Allora si adempiè quello che fu detto dal profeta Geremia, dicendo:
18 Un grido è stato udito in Rama, un lamento, un pianto, ed un gran rammarichìo; Rachele piange i suoi figliuoli, e non è voluta esser consolata, perciocchè non son più
19 ORA, dopo che Erode fu morto, ecco, un angelo del Signore apparve in sogno a Giuseppe, in Egitto, dicendo:
20 Destati, e prendi il fanciullino, e sua madre, e vattene nel paese d’Israele; perciocchè coloro che cercavano la vita del fanciullino son morti.
21 Ed egli, destatosi, prese il fanciullino, e sua madre, e venne nel paese d’Israele.
22 Ma, avendo udito che Archelao regnava in Giudea, in luogo di Erode, suo padre, temette di andar là; ed avendo avuta una rivelazione divina in sogno, si ritrasse nelle parti della Galilea.
23 Ed essendo venuto là, abitò in una città detta Nazaret, acciocchè si adempiesse quello che fu detto da’ profeti, ch’egli sarebbe chiamato Nazareo