Matthew Chapter 2
Showing all 23 verses for Matthew Chapter 2.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, "
"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod, some wise men (astrologers) arrived in Jerusalem from a country to the east."
The people who first recognised something significant in my birth weren't religious insiders - they were outsiders who followed the evidence they had, from a completely different culture. Don't assume that only people who look and think like you can recognise what's true and worth honouring.
"Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. "
"They asked, 'Where is the child who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star rise and have come to worship him.'"
These travellers were willing to ask an uncomfortable, even risky question in the wrong room, simply because they were being honest about what they'd seen and believed. Don't be afraid to voice what you genuinely believe is true, even somewhere it's unwelcome.
"When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. "
"When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed - and so was everyone in Jerusalem."
Even before I could speak or walk, the mere possibility of who I might be already threatened a man clinging tightly to power. Real, unshakeable strength doesn't need to fear other people's growth or potential - if you find yourself threatened by someone else rising, ask honestly what you're really protecting.
"And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. "
"Herod called together all the chief priests and religious scholars of the people and asked them where the Messiah was supposed to be born."
The very people who could quote the scripture about where I'd be born never bothered to come and see me. Knowing the right answer means very little if you don't actually let it move you to act.
"And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, "
"They told him, 'In Bethlehem in Judea, because this is what the prophet wrote:'"
Even my birthplace wasn't left to chance - it matched exactly what had been written centuries earlier. When you look closely, the details of your own life often line up with far more purpose and pattern than random chance alone could explain.
"And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. "
"'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means the least significant among the leading towns of Judah - for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
I chose to begin my life in one of the smallest, least impressive towns anyone could name - greatness was never about the size of the stage. Wherever you are starting from, however small or overlooked it seems, it can still be exactly the right place for something important to begin.
"Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. "
"Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and carefully questioned them about exactly when the star had first appeared."
Herod's cruelty wasn't a sudden loss of temper - it was carefully, quietly planned in advance, hidden behind a polite request. Watch not just what people say to your face, but what they're actually doing behind it; real character shows in the private moments, not the public performance.
"And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. "
"He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, come back and tell me, so that I can go and worship him too.'"
Herod used the very language of worship to disguise a plan for murder. Learn to look past someone's words to their actual intentions and pattern of behaviour - kind-sounding language is not proof of a kind heart.
"When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. "
"After hearing the king, they set off, and remarkably, the star they had seen rise now went ahead of them until it stopped directly over the place where the child was."
These travellers followed the light available to them, one step at a time, and it led them exactly where they needed to be. You don't need the whole path mapped out in advance - honestly following what light you do have is often enough to get you to the next right place.
"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. "
"When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy."
Notice how much joy these travellers felt simply from getting confirmation they were on the right path, before they'd even arrived. Let yourself feel real joy in the small signs that you're heading in the right direction, not just at the final destination.
"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. "
"When they entered the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they knelt down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Wise, wealthy strangers knelt before me while I was just a small child in an ordinary house with nothing to offer them back. True honour isn't about status matching status - it's given freely to what's genuinely worth honouring, wherever it's found.
"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. "
"After being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned home by a different route."
A small, unremarkable change of plan - just taking a different road home - was enough to protect me from a king's murderous scheme. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is a quiet, ordinary act of obedience to what you know is right, with no need for drama.
"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. "
"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 escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.'"
I had to flee for my life as a small child, protected by my parents' quick, obedient action in the middle of the night. Even people entrusted with real purpose aren't immune to real danger - sometimes the wisest response to threat is simply to get to safety and wait.
"When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: "
"So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother that same night, and left for Egypt."
Joseph never argued or delayed - he simply acted, in the middle of the night, to protect me. When you're given clear guidance about what protects someone vulnerable, don't wait for a convenient moment - act straight away.
"And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. "
"They stayed there until Herod died, fulfilling what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'I called my son out of Egypt.'"
My own early life retraced my nation's own history - even my journey to Egypt and back echoed what my people had already lived through centuries before. Your own story is often connected to a bigger pattern than you first realise, even in details that seem coincidental.
"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. "
"When Herod realised the wise men had outwitted him, he flew into a rage and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and the surrounding area who were two years old and under, based on the time he had learned from the wise men."
My arrival cost the lives of children who never even met me, killed by a ruler terrified of losing power. I know, from the very start of my life, exactly what unchecked abuse of power does to the innocent - and it's part of why I came to challenge it.
"Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, "
"This fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:"
Even ancient words of grief written centuries before found new meaning in what happened around my birth. Your own pain is rarely as isolated as it feels - others have walked through something like it before you, and that connection can be part of what carries you through.
"In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. "
"'A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud mourning - Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are gone.'"
I don't ask anyone to pretend real grief isn't real, or to move past loss too quickly. When you are mourning something or someone you've lost, you don't need to be comforted before you're ready - there's a place for grief to simply be grief.
"But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, "
"After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, who was still in Egypt."
The tyrant who hunted me eventually died, exactly as all corrupt power eventually does, while the quiet plan protecting me simply continued. However threatening a dangerous situation looks right now, it is not permanent - keep going.
"Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. "
"The angel said, 'Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because the people who wanted to kill the child are dead now.'"
The same careful guidance that led me away from danger also led me safely back once the danger had genuinely passed. There's a right time to retreat and a right time to return - trust that both moments will become clear when they come.
"And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. "
"So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and returned to the land of Israel."
Joseph's obedience was never loud or dramatic - it was steady, repeated, and consistent, every single time he was given clear direction. Consistency in doing the right thing, even quietly and without recognition, is worth far more than one dramatic gesture.
"But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: "
"But when Joseph heard that Archelaus was now ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. So, being warned in a dream, he went instead to the region of Galilee."
Joseph combined honest fear of a real threat with ongoing guidance, rather than ignoring either one. Trust your own reasonable read of a dangerous situation - wisdom and caution are not the opposite of faith, they can work together.
"And he came and in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"And he went and settled in a town called Nazareth, fulfilling what had been said through the prophets: 'He will be called a Nazarene.'"
I grew up known by the name of an unimpressive small town that people even used as an insult. Where you come from, and what people assume about you because of it, has no power to determine what you actually become.