Bilingual reading

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,

“Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born.

They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,

‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared.

He 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.”

They, 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.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph 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.”

He arose and took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt,

and 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.”

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly 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.

Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,

“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn’t be comforted, because they are no more.”

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

“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.”

He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

But 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,

and 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 Nazarene.

ولمَّا وُلِدَ يسوعُ في بَيتَ لَحمِ اليهودِيَّة، في أَيَّامِ المَلِكِ هيرودُس، إِذا مَجوسٌ قَدِمُوا أُورَشَليم مِنَ المَشرِقِ (1)

وقالوا: «أَينَ مَلِكُ اليهودِ الَّذي وُلِد؟ فقَد رأَينا نَجمَه في المَشرِق، فجِئْنا لِنَسجُدَ لَه»

فلَمَّا بلَغَ الخَبَرُ المَلِكَ هيرودُس، اِضطَرَبَ وٱضطَرَبَت معَه أُورَشَليمُ كُلُّها

فجَمَعَ عُظَماءَ الكَهَنَةِ وكَتَبَةَ الشَّعْبِ كُلَّهم وٱستَخْبَرَهم أَينَ يُولَدُ المسيح

فقالوا له: «في بَيْتَ لَحْمِ اليَهودِيَّة، فقَد أُوحِيَ إِلى النَّبِيِّ فكَتَب

«وأَنتِ يا بَيتَ لَحمُ، أَرضَ يَهوذا لَسْتِ أَصغَرَ وِلاياتِ يَهوذا فمِنكِ يَخرُجُ الوالي الَّذي يَرْعى شَعْبي إِسرائيل»

فدَعا هيرودُسُ المَجوسَ سِرًّا وتَحقَّقَ مِنْهم في أَيِّ وَقْتٍ ظهَرَ النَّجْم

ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَهم إِلى بَيتَ لَحمَ وقال: «إِذْهَبوا فٱبحَثوا عنِ الطِّفْلِ بَحْثًا دَقيقًا، فإِذا وَجَدْتُموه فأَخبِروني لِأَذهَبَ أَنا أَيضًا وأَسجُدَ له»

فلمَّا سَمِعوا كَلامَ المَلِكِ ذَهَبوا. وإِذا النَّجْمُ الَّذي رأَوهُ في المَشرِقِ يَتَقَدَّمُهم حتَّى بَلَغَ المَكانَ الَّذي فيه الطِّفلُ فوَقَفَ فَوقَه

فلمَّا أَبصَروا النَّجْمَ فَرِحوا فَرَحًا عَظيمًا جِدًّا

ودَخَلوا البَيتَ فرأَوا الطِّفلَ مع أُمِّه مَريم. فجَثَوا له ساجدين، ثُمَّ فتَحوا حَقائِبَهم وأَهْدَوا إِليه ذَهبًا وبَخورًا ومُرًّا

ثُمَّ أُوحِيَ إِلَيهِم في الحُلمِ أَلَّا يَرجِعوا إِلى هيرودُس، فٱنصَرَفوا في طَريقٍ آخَرَ إِلى بِلادِهم

وكانَ بَعدَ ٱنصِرافِهِم أَنْ تَراءَى مَلاكُ الرَّبِّ لِيوسُفَ في الحُلمِ وقالَ لَه: «قُم فَخُذِ الطِّفْلَ وأُمَّه وٱهرُبْ إِلى مِصْرَ وأَقِمْ هُناكَ حَتَّى أُعْلِمَك، لِأَنَّ هيرودُسَ سَيَبْحَثُ عَنِ الطِّفلِ لِيُهلِكَه»

فقامَ فأَخَذَ الطِّفْلَ وأُمَّه لَيلًا ولَجَأَ إِلى مِصر

فأَقامَ هُناكَ إِلى وَفاةِ هيرودُس، لِيَتِمَّ ما قالَ الرَّبُّ على لِسانِ النَّبِيّ: «مِن مِصرَ دَعَوتُ ٱبني»

فلَمّا رأَى هيرودُسُ أَنَّ المَجوسَ سَخِروا مِنه، ٱستَشاطَ غَضَبًا وأَرسَلَ فقَتلَ كُلَّ طِفلٍ في بَيتَ لحمَ وجَميعِ أَراضيها، مِنِ ٱبنِ سَنَتَيْنِ فما دونَ ذلك، بِحَسَبِ الوَقْتِ الَّذي تَحَقَّقَه مِنَ المَجوس

فتمَّ ما قالَ الرَّبُّ على لِسانِ النَّبِيِّ إِرْمِيا

«صَوتٌ سُمِعَ في الرَّامة بُكاءٌ ونَحيبٌ شَديد: راحيلُ تبكي على بَنيها وقَد أَبَتْ أَن تَتَعَزَّى لِأَنَّهم زالوا عَنِ الوُجود»

وما إِن تُوُفِّيَ هيرودُس حتَّى تراءَى ملاكُ الرَّبِّ في الحُلمِ لِيُوسُفَ في مِصرَ

وقالَ له: «قُمْ فَخُذِ الطِّفْلَ وأُمَّه وٱذهَبْ إِلى أَرضِ إِسْرائيل، فقد ماتَ مَن كانَ يُريدُ إِهلاكَ الطِّفْل»

فقامَ فأَخَذَ الطِّفْلَ وأُمَّه ودَخَلَ أَرضَ إِسرائيل

لَكِنَّه سَمِعَ أَنَّ أَرخِلَّاوُسَ خَلَفَ أَباهُ هيرودُسَ على اليَهودِيَّة، فخافَ أَن يَذهَبَ إِليها. فأُوحِيَ إِليه في الحُلم، فلجَأَ إِلى ناحِيَةِ الجَليل

وجاءَ مَدينةً يُقالُ لها النَّاصِرَة فسَكَنَ فيها، لِيَتِمَّ ما قيلَ على لِسانِ الأَنبِياء: إِنَّه يُدعى ناصِريًّا