Matthew 2:1-12

Wise Men Visit Jesus

1 Now [after]^[a] Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,

2 saying, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star at its rising^[b] and have come to worship him."

3 And [when]^[c] King Herod heard [it],^[d] he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him,

4 and [after] calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired from them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you will go out a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men [and] determined precisely from them the time [when] the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem [and] said, "Go, inquire carefully concerning the child, and when you have found [him], report to me so that I also may come [and] worship him."

9 [After] they listened to the king, they went out, and behold, the star which they had seen at its rising led them until it came [and] stood above [the place] where the child was.

10 Now [when they] saw the star, they rejoiced [with] very great joy.

11 And [when they] came into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down [and] worshiped him. And opening their treasure boxes, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their [own] country by another route.

Footnotes

• [a] *Here "[after]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("was born")
• [b] Or, "when it rose"; traditionally rendered "in the east" by many English versions
• [c] *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("heard") which is understood as temporal
• [d] *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [e] *Here "[after]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("calling together") which is understood as temporal
• [f] A quotation from Mic 5:2
• [g] *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("summoned") has been translated as a finite verb
• [h] *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("appeared")
• [i] *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("sent") has been translated as a finite verb
• [j] *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("may come") has been translated as a finite verb
• [k] *Here "[after]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("listened to") which is understood as temporal
• [l] Or, "when it rose"; traditionally rendered "in the east" by many English versions
• [m] *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("came") has been translated as a finite verb
• [n] *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("saw") which is understood as temporal
• [o] *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("came") which is understood as temporal
• [p] *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("fell down") has been translated as a finite verb