Nå skjedde Jesu fødsel i Betlehem i Judea, i dagene da Herodes var konge. Da kom det vise menn fra øst til Jerusalem.

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,

De sa: Hvor er jødenes konge som nå er født? Vi har sett stjernen hans i øst og har kommet for å tilbe ham.

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.

Da Herodes kongen hørte dette, ble han urolig, og hele Jerusalem med ham.

And when it came to the ears of Herod the king, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Han samlet alle folkets yppersteprester og skriftlærde og spurte dem hvor Kristus skulle bli født.

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.

De svarte: I Betlehem i Judea; for slik står det skrevet hos profeten:

And they said to him, In Beth-lehem of Judaea; for so it is said in the writings of the prophet,

Du Betlehem i Juda land, er slett ikke den minste blant høvdingene i Juda: Fra deg skal det komme en hersker, som skal være hyrde for mitt folk Israel.

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.

Så tilkalte Herodes de vise menn i hemmelighet og forhørte seg nøye om når stjernen hadde vist seg.

Then Herod sent for the wise men privately, and put questions to them about what time the star had been seen.

Han sendte dem til Betlehem og sa: Dra av sted og finn nøye ut hvor barnet er, og når dere har funnet ham, gi meg beskjed, så jeg også kan komme og tilbe ham.

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.

Da de hadde hørt kongen, dro de av sted. Og stjernen som de hadde sett i øst, gikk foran dem inntil den ble stående over stedet der barnet var.

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.

Da de så stjernen, ble de fylt av stor glede.

And when they saw the star they were full of joy.

De gikk inn i huset og så barnet med Maria, moren hans, og falt ned og tilba ham. De åpnet sine skatter og ga ham gaver: gull, røkelse og myrra.

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.

Men Gud ga dem beskjed i en drøm om ikke å vende tilbake til Herodes, og de tok veien hjem til sitt land en annen vei.

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.

Da de var reist, viste Herrens engel seg for Josef i en drøm og sa: Stå opp, ta med deg barnet og moren, flykt til Egypt og bli der til jeg gir deg beskjed, for Herodes vil lete etter barnet for å drepe det.

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.

Så tok han barnet og moren med seg om natten og dro til Egypt.

So he took the young child and his mother by night, and went into Egypt;

Der ble de til Herodes var død, for at det skulle bli oppfylt som Herren hadde sagt ved profeten: Fra Egypt kalte jeg min sønn.

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.

Da Herodes så at han var blitt lurt av de vise menn, ble han rasende. Han sendte folk av sted og lot drepe alle guttebarn i Betlehem og i hele området rundt, fra to år og nedover, i henhold til den tiden han hadde fått vite av de vise menn.

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.

Da ble det oppfylt som var sagt ved profeten Jeremia:

Then the word of Jeremiah the prophet came true,

I Rama hørtes skrik, gråt og mye klage, Rakel gråt over barna sine og ville ikke la seg trøste, for de var ikke mer.

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.

Da Herodes var død, viste Herrens engel seg for Josef i en drøm i Egypt.

But when Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord came in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

Og sa: Stå opp, ta med deg barnet og moren og dra til Israels land; for de som søkte å ta barnets liv, er døde.

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.

Da sto han opp, tok med seg barnet og moren og dro til Israels land.

And he got up, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

Men da han fikk høre at Arkelaos regjerte i Judea etter sin far Herodes, torde han ikke dra dit. Etter å ha blitt advart av Gud i en drøm, reiste han bort til Galilea.

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.

Der slo han seg ned i en by som heter Nasaret, så det som var talt ved profetene skulle bli oppfylt: Han skal kalles en nasareer.

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.