Matthew 2

Now when ‘ISA1 was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men2 from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2“Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star3 in the east, and have come to worship him.” 3When Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where AL-MASIH4 would be born. 5They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet,

6‘But you Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are in no way least among the rulers of Judah: Out of you will come forth a RULER, Who will shepherd my people Israel.'” 5

7Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”

9They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with very great joy. 11They came into the house and saw the young child with Maryam, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12Being warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.

13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Yusuf in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”

14He arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, 15and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 

“Out of Egypt I called my SON.” 6

16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was very angry, and sent out, and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men. 17Then that which was spoken by Armiya the prophet was fulfilled, saying,

18“A voice is heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted, Because they are no more.” 7

19But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Yusuf in Egypt, saying, 20“Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child’s life are dead.”

21He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee, 23and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he will be called a Nasrani.8

Next Page

  1. 2:1 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH SAVES.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
  2. 2:1 wise men, the Greek word for “wise men” (magi) can also mean teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, or sorcerers. ↩︎
  3. 2:2 his star, the wise men from the east believed the star indicated the birth of the king of the Jews, just as Balaam had predicted over 1,400 years previously. This was recorded in the Taurat by Prophet Musa in Numbers 24:17, which says: “I see him, but not now; I see him, but not near. There shall come forth a star out of Yaqub, a scepter shall rise out of Israel, shall strike through the corners of Moab, break down all the sons of tumult.” ↩︎
  4. 2:4 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH.  Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
  5. 2:6 Quoting the Taurat, Micah 5:2, which says, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are small among the rulers of Judah, Out of you will come forth to me one who is to be ruler over Israel; Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” See also 2 Samuel 5:2 where similar words were said of Prophet/King Dawud (David), the forefather of ‘ISA Ibn Maryam. ↩︎
  6. 2:15 Quoting the Taurat, Hosea 11:1, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, And out of Egypt I called my SON.” ↩︎
  7. 2:18 Quoting the Taurat, Armiya 31:15, “Thus says YAHWEH: A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted, because her children are no more.” ↩︎
  8. 2:23 Nasrani, derived from the Greek text of the Injil which says “Nazoraios“, the meaning of which is connected with “Nazareth”. Nazareth is an ancient city in northern Israel. ↩︎