New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
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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 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."
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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 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;
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And when it came to the ears of Herod the king, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
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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 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
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And they said to him, In Beth-lehem of Judaea; for so it is said in the writings of the prophet,
6 "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.' "
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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 secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.
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Then Herod sent for the wise men privately, and put questions to them about what time the star had been seen.
8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage."
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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 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.
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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 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
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And when they saw the star they were full of joy.
11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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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 having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
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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 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."
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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 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt,
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So he took the young child and his mother by night, and went into Egypt;
15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."
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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 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.
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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 was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
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Then the word of Jeremiah the prophet came true,
18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
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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 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,
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But when Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord came in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead."
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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 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
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And he got up, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.
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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 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."
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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.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.