Study Desk

The^(a) historical record^[a](b) of Jesus Christ, the Son of David,^(c) the Son of Abraham:^(d)

Abraham fathered^[b] Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers,^(e)

Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Aram,^(f)

Aram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon,

Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse,^(g)

and Jesse fathered King David. Then^[c] David fathered Solomon by Uriah's wife,^(h)

Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa,^[d]

Asa^[e] fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram,^[f] Joram fathered Uzziah,⁽ⁱ⁾

Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah,

Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon,^[g] Amon fathered Josiah,^(j)

and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.^(k)

Then after the exile to Babylon Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor,^(l)

Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud,

Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob,

and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to^[h] Jesus who is called the Messiah.^(m)

So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations.⁽ⁿ⁾

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.^(o)

So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man,^(p) and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.^(q)

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.^(r)

She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus,^[i](s) because He will save His people from their sins."^(t)

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel ,^[j] which is translated "God is with us."^(u)

When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord's angel had commanded him. He married her^(v)

but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son.^[k] And he named Him Jesus.^(w)

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,^(a)

saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?^(b) For we saw His star in the east^[a](c) and have come to worship Him."^[b]

When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes^(d) of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

"In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him, "because this is what was written by the prophet:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel. "^(e)[c]

Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him."^[d](f)

After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen in the east!^[e] It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.

Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him.^[f] Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.^(g)

And being warned^(h) in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him."⁽ⁱ⁾

So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.

He stayed there until Herod's death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son. ^(j)[g]

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years^[h] old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.^(k)

Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, ^[i] and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more. ^(l)[j]

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,^(m)

saying, "Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child's life are dead."

So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus^[k] was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.⁽ⁿ⁾

Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.^(o)