The Christmas Story - The Visit of the Magi - Matt Ch2 v1 to 20 (NIV)

Narrator: Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod. At the time of the birth, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem looking for the Child. Melchior asked in the city.

Melchior: "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." . . .

Narrator: When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. Herod called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law saying. . .

Herod: Tell me where the Christ child is to be born?

Narrator: The Chief Priest replied. . .

Chief Priest: "In Bethlehem in Judea," for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Narrator: Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Herod sent them to Bethlehem and told them: . . .

Herod: "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

Narrator: After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said. . .

Angel: "Get up and take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

Narrator: So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where they stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. . . . After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him: . . .

Angel: "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

A slightly modified version of the Christmas story to be read by children or adults. This version taken from Matthew Ch2 from the NIV.

Iain Morrison