Matthew 2:13-20

The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, ¹an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, 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."

14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt

15 and remained there until the death of Herod. ²This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ³"Out of Egypt I called my son."

Herod Kills the Children

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

17 ⁴Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 ⁵"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they ⁶are no more."

The Return to Nazareth

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for ⁷those who sought the child's life are dead."

Cross References

• 1. ver. 19; Matthew 1:20; [ver. 12, 22]
• 2. See Matthew 1:22
• 3. Cited from Hosea 11:1
• 4. Matthew 27:9; [Matthew 1:22]
• 5. Cited from Jeremiah 31:15
• 6. Genesis 42:13, 36; Lamentations 5:7
• 7. [Exodus 4:19]