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Jesus' Story · Event 6 of 78

Wise Men Worship the Child

Birth · Bethlehem

Matthew 2:11

Matthew 2:1–12

1Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of King Herod. Around that time, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2asking, "Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star rise in the east and have come to worship him." 3When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and so was everyone in Jerusalem. 4He called together all the chief priests and scribes and demanded to know where the Christ was supposed to be born. 5They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, because the prophet wrote: 6And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means the least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a Governor who will rule my people Israel. 7Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and pressed them for the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I can go and worship him too." 9After hearing the king, they set out. And there it was — the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped directly over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with extremely great joy. 11They entered the house and saw the young child with his mother Mary. They fell down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their own country by a different route.

Read Matthew 2

About this event

What happened?

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked where the child born King of the Jews was, because they had seen his star. King Herod sent them to Bethlehem. They found the child with Mary his mother, worshiped him, and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went home another way.

Who is here?

  • Wise men from the east
  • King Herod
  • Mary

Where did this happen?

Bethlehem

A town in Judea, called the city of David.

Where this fits

Event 6 of 7 in Birth: The angel's message to Mary, Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, and his first days.

Good to know

The Bible does not say how many wise men there were. It names three kinds of gifts.

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