Mateus 2

After some astrologers saw an unusual star, they traveled westwards to find the place where the infant Jesus was. King Herod helped direct them, but then an angel told them not to go back to King Herod.

1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem town in Judea province during the time [MTY] that King Herod the Great ruled there. Some time after Jesus was born, some men who studied the stars and who lived in a country east of Judea came to Jerusalem. 2 They asked people, "Where is the one who has been born in order that he might be the king of you Jews? We believe that your new king has been born, because we have seen the star that we believe indicated that he has been born. We saw it while we were in our country east of here. So we have come to worship him."

3 When King Herod heard what those men were asking, he became worried that someone else might be proclaimed {people might proclaim someone else} king of the Jews to replace him. Many of the people of Jerusalem [MTY, HYP] also became worried because they were afraid of what King Herod might do. 4 Then Herod gathered together all the ruling priests and men who taught the people the Jewish laws and he asked them where the prophets had predicted that the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, "He will be born in Bethlehem, here in Judea province, because it was written by the prophet Micah {the prophet Micah wrote} long ago what God said: 6 ‘You who live in Bethlehem [APO], in Judea province, your town is certainly very important [LIT], because a man from your town will become a ruler. He will guide my people who live in Israel.’"

7 Then King Herod secretly summoned those men who studied the stars. He asked them exactly when the star first appeared. By what they told him, he was able to know the approximate age of the baby. 8 Then he concealed what he really planned to do and said to them, "Go to Bethlehem and inquire thoroughly where the infant is. When you have found him, come back and report to me so that I, myself, can go there and worship him, too."

9 After the men heard what the king told them, they went toward Bethlehem. To their surprise, the star that they had seen while they were in the eastern country went ahead of them again until it stood above the house where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced greatly and followed it. 11 They found the house and entered it and saw the child and his mother, Mary. They bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure boxes [MTY] and they gave gold, costly frankincense, and myrrh to him. 12 Because God knew that King Herod planned to kill Jesus, in a dream the men who studied the stars were warned {he warned the men who studied the stars} that they should not return to King Herod. So they returned to their country, but instead of traveling back on the same road, they went on a different road.