Matthew 2:1 - Plain English Version

¹ Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea country. At that time, the big boss over that country was called Herod. There were some wise men in a country to the east of Judea. They always looked at the stars, and one night they saw a special star in the sky. So they went west to Jerusalem, the city in Judea country.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

¹ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

¹ NOW WHEN Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men [astrologers] from the east came to Jerusalem, asking,

American Standard Version (1901)

¹ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,

Common English Bible

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem.

Catholic Public Domain Version

¹ And so, when Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of king Herod, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,

Matthew 2:1 Cross References

Genesis 10:30

All of those people were born into Joktan’s family. Their country was in the mountains in the east, the country you see if you go from Mesha all the way to Sefar.

Genesis 25:6

But Abraham wanted to be good to his other sons too, those sons that he had with his other wives. So Abraham gave presents to those other sons. Then he sent them to go and live in a country to the east, a long way away from his son Isaac.

Genesis 41:8

The next morning, Pharaoh felt very worried, because he didn’t know what those 2 dreams meant. So he said to some of his workers, “You know, there are some men here in Egypt country that can do magic, and there are some other men that are really wise. Go and get all those men, and bring them here. I want somebody to tell me what my dreams mean.” So Pharaoh’s workers went and got all those men, and they brought them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh told them about those 2 dreams that he had. But none of those men understood what the dreams meant.

Genesis 49:10

Judah’s tribe will always be important and powerful. Leaders and big bosses will come from his tribe. People from other countries will bring them gifts. And people from different nations will respect them and do what they say.

Matthew 1:25

But he did not sleep with her, like a man does with his wife, until after her son was born. And he named the baby Jesus.

Matthew 2:16

At the time when Joseph, Mary and Jesus were going to Egypt, Herod waited for those wise men to come back, but they tricked him. They didn’t come back to him. Then he got really angry. He remembered their story about when they first saw the star, so he sent his soldiers to Bethlehem, and he told them to kill all the little boys up to 2 years old. So they killed all the little boys around Bethlehem. Herod wanted to make sure that Jesus was dead.

Matthew 2:19

Some time later, Herod died. Then, in Egypt, Joseph had another dream. He heard God’s angel messenger say,

Matthew 2:3

Herod was the big boss over that country, and somebody told him that these wise men were talking about another big boss. Herod got very worried. He thought this other person might fight against him and take over his job. A lot of other people in Jerusalem were worried about it too.

Matthew 2:5

They said, “He will be born in Bethlehem, in Judea country. You see, a long time ago, God told one of his men to write about it. He wrote this in God’s book,

Matthew 2:7

So Herod sent for those wise men to come and meet him, but he didn’t tell anyone else about the meeting. He asked them, “When did you first see that star?”

Luke 1:5

When Herod was the big boss over Judea country, there was a man there that was called Zekariah. He was one of the men that looked after the Jewish ceremonies. There were different groups that did the Jewish ceremonies for the people at different times. He was in the group called the Abijah mob. His wife belonged to a family of Jewish ceremony people too. Her name was Elizabeth.

Luke 2:11

Today a young woman had a baby boy over there in Bethlehem, in the place where David grew up. Go there, and you will find him. He is wrapped up in cloth, and lying in an animal’s food box. Then you will know that this message is true. He is the one that is going to save you people. He is the Christ, the man that God promised to send to you, to be your leader.”

Luke 2:15

Then the angels went back to heaven, and the men said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this baby that God just told us about.”

John 7:42

God’s book says that he will be from David’s family, and that he will be born in the town called Bethlehem, where David lived, in Judea country.”