1 Jesus nasceu na cidade de Belém, na Judeia, durante o reinado de Herodes. Por aquela altura, chegaram a Jerusalém, vindos de terras do Oriente, uns homens sábios que liam nas estrelas, e que inquiriram:
2 Onde está o rei dos judeus que acaba de nascer? Pois vimos a sua estrela lá no Oriente, e viemos para o adorar.
3 O rei Herodes ficou muito preocupado ao ouvir isto, e toda a cidade de Jerusalém também. Então o rei mandou reunir os sacerdotes judaicos e os mestres da lei e perguntou-lhes onde havia de nascer o Messias.
7 Então Herodes enviou um recado secreto àqueles sábios do Oriente, pedindo que lhe fossem falar; e soube pela boca deles a altura exacta em que tinham visto a estrela pela primeira vez.
8 Vão a Belém e procurem bem por esse menino. Quando o encontrarem, venham dizer-me, para que eu também possa ir adorá-lo!
9 Terminado o encontro, os sábios retomaram o caminho. E a estrela que tinham visto no oriente ia adiante deles, parando sobre o lugar em que estava o menino. Ao tornar a ver a estrela, a alegria deles foi grande.
11 Entrando na casa onde estavam o bebé e Maria, sua mãe, inclinaram-se diante dele em adoração e seguidamente ofereceram-lhe ouro, incenso e mirra. Todavia, quando regressaram à sua terra, não passaram por Jerusalém para informar Herodes, visto que Deus os avisara, por meio de um sonho, de que deveriam voltar por outro caminho.
13 Depois de terem partido, um anjo do Senhor avisou José em sonhos: Levanta-te e foge para o Egipto com o menino e sua mãe, e fica por lá até eu te dizer que voltes, pois o rei Herodes vai procurar matá-lo.
14 Naquela mesma noite José partiu para o Egipto com Maria e o menino, e lá ficou até à morte do rei Herodes, assim se cumprindo as palavras do profeta: Chamei o meu filho do Egipto.
16 Herodes ficou furioso ao saber que os sábios o tinham enganado. Mandou então soldados a Belém com ordem para matar todas as crianças até aos dois anos de idade, tanto na cidade como nos arredores, visto haver dois anos que os sábios tinham dito que a estrela lhes aparecera pela primeira vez. Este acto deu cumprimento à profecia de Jeremias:
18 Gritos de aflição vêm de Ramá; um choro sem fim; Raquel inconsolável, lamenta os seus filhos, porque estão mortos.
19 Quando Herodes morreu, o anjo do Senhor apareceu de novo em sonhos a José, no Egipto:de Abraão. Isso nada prova! Deus até pode transformar estas pedras em filhos de Abraão!e
20 Levanta-te e leva outra vez a criancinha e sua mãe para Israel, pois já morreram aqueles que procuravam a morte do menino.
21 José voltou então para Israel com Jesus e sua mãe.
22 Mas pelo caminho assustou-se ao saber que o novo rei era Arquelau, filho de Herodes. Contudo, num outro sonho foi avisado de que não se dirigisse para a Judeia, antes seguisse para a Galileia, ficando a morar em Nazaré. Cumpriu-se, assim, a predição dos profetas acerca do Messias: Chamar-se-á nazareno.
1 Now, when, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, in the days of Herod the king, lo! wise men from eastern parts, came into Jerusalem:
2 sayingWhere is he that hath been born king of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and have come to bow down to him.
3 But, when King Herod heard, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and, assembling all the high-priests and scribes of the people, he was enquiring of themWhere is, the Christ, to be born?
5 And, they, said to him, In Bethlehem of Judaea,for, so, is it written through the prophet:
6 And, thou, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means least, art thou, among the governors of Judah,For, out of thee, shall one come forth to govern, Who shall shepherd my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, privately, calling the wise men, ascertained from them the time of the appearing star;
8 and sending them to Bethlehem, saidGo search out accurately concerning the child,and, as soon as ye find it, bring report unto me, that, I also, may come and bow myself down to it.
9 Now, they, hearing the king, went, and lo! the star which they had seen in the east, was going before them, until it went and stood over where the child was;
10 and, seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy;
11 and, coming into the house, they saw the child, with Mary its mother,and, falling down, prostrated themselves unto it, and, opening their treasures, offered unto it giftsgold and frankincense and myrrh;
12 and, being instructed by dream, not to return unto Herod, by another way, retired they unto their own country.
13 Now, when they had retired, lo! a messenger of the Lord, appeareth by dream unto Joseph, saying, Arise, take unto thee the child and its mother, and flee into Egypt, and be there, until I tell thee,for Herod is about to seek the child, to destroy it.
14 And, he, arising, took unto him the child and its mother, by night, and retired into Egypt;
15 and was there, until the death of Herod,that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt, called I my son.
16 Then Herod, seeing that he had been mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly enraged,and sent and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all its bounds, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled, that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 A voice, in Ramah, was heard, weeping and great mourning,Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted,because they are not.
19 But, when Herod was, dead, lo! a messenger of the Lord, appeareth by dream unto Joseph in Egypt;
20 sayingArise! and take unto thee the child and its mother, and be journeying into the land of Israel,for they are dead, who were seeking the life of the child.
21 And, he, arising, took unto him the child and its mother, and entered into the land of Israel.
22 Hearing, however, that, Archelaus, was reigning over Judaea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid, thither, to go,and so, being instructed by dream, he retired into the parts of Galilee;
23 and came and fixed his dwelling in a city called Nazareth,that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophetsA Nazarene, shall he be called.