Matthew 2
1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem [town] in Judea [province] during the time [MTY] that King Herod [the Great ruled there. Some time] after Jesus was born, some men who studied the stars and who lived in a [country] east [of Judea] came to Jerusalem.
Kwathi uJesu esezelwe eBhethelehema yeJudiya, ensukwini zikaHerodi inkosi, khangela, kwafika izazi eJerusalema zivela empumalanga,
2 They asked [people], “Where is the one who has been born [in order that he might be] the king of [you] Jews? [We believe that your new king] has been born, because we have seen the star [that we believe indicated that] he has been [born]. [We saw it while we were in our country] east [of here]. So we have come to worship him.”
zisithi: Ungaphi ozelwe eyinkosi yamaJuda? Ngoba sibonile inkanyezi yakhe empumalanga, njalo sesize ukumkhonza.
3 When King Herod heard [what those men were asking], he became worried [that someone else might be proclaimed] {[people might proclaim someone else]} [king of the Jews to replace him]. Many [of the people] of Jerusalem [MTY, HYP] [also] became worried [because they were afraid of what King Herod might do].
Ngakho uHerodi inkosi esezwile wakhathazeka, leJerusalema yonke kanye laye.
4 Then Herod gathered together all the ruling priests and men who taught the people the [Jewish] laws and he asked them where [the prophets had predicted that] the Messiah was to be born.
Esebuthanisile bonke abapristi abakhulu lababhali babantu, wabuza kubo ukuthi uKristu uzazalelwa ngaphi.
5 They said to him, “[He will be born] in Bethlehem, [here] in Judea [province], because it was written by the prophet [Micah] {the prophet [Micah] wrote} [long ago what God said]:
Basebesithi kuye: EBhethelehema yeJudiya; ngoba kulotshiwe ngokunjalo ngumprofethi ukuthi:
6 ‘You [who live in] Bethlehem [APO], in Judea [province], your town is certainly very important [LIT], because a man from your [town] will become a ruler. He will guide my people [who live in] Israel.’”
Lawe, Bhethelehema, lizwe lakoJuda, kawusuye omncinyane lakanye phakathi kwababusi bakoJuda; ngoba kuzavela kuwe umbusi, ozakwelusa abantu bami uIsrayeli.
7 Then [King] Herod secretly summoned those men who studied the stars. He asked them exactly when the star [first] appeared. [By what they told him, he was able to know the approximate age of the baby].
Khona uHerodi, esezibizile izazi ensitha, wabuzisisa kuzo isikhathi sokubonakala kwenkanyezi.
8 Then he [concealed what he really planned to do and] said to them, “Go to Bethlehem and inquire thoroughly [where] the infant is. When you have found him, [come back and] report to me so that I, myself, can go [there and] worship him, too.”
Wasezithuma eBhethelehema wathi: Hambani libuzisise ngomntwana omncinyane; kuzakuthi nxa limtholile, libike kimi, ukuze lami ngiye ngimkhonze.
9 After the men heard what the king [told them], they went [toward Bethlehem]. To their surprise, the star that they had seen while they were in the eastern [country] went ahead of them [again] until it stood above [the house] where the child was.
Kwathi seziyizwile inkosi zasuka zahamba; njalo khangela, inkanyezi, ezayibona empumalanga, yahamba phambi kwazo, yaze yafika yema phezu kwalapho usane olwalukhona.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced greatly [and followed it].
Zathi ukuyibona inkanyezi zathokoza ngentokozo enkulu kakhulu.
11 They [found] the house and entered it and saw the child and his mother, Mary. They bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure [boxes] [MTY] and they gave gold, [costly] frankincense, and myrrh to him.
Zasezingena endlini, zabona usane kanye loMariya unina, zawela phansi zalukhonza, zavula impahla zazo eziligugu zalukhunga ngezipho, igolide lempepha lemure.
12 [Because] God [knew that King Herod planned to kill Jesus], in a dream the men who studied the stars were warned {he warned the men who studied the stars} that they should not return to [King] Herod. So they returned to their country, [but instead of traveling back on the same road, they] went on a different road.
Kwathi sezilayiwe nguNkulunkulu ephutsheni ukuthi zingabuyeli kuHerodi, zasuka zabuyela elizweni lakizo ngenye indlela.
13 After the men who studied the stars left [Bethlehem], an angel [from] the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. He said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you [(sg) that you should leave], because [King] Herod is about [to send soldiers] to look for the child so that they can kill him.”
Kwathi sezisukile, khangela, ingilosi yeNkosi ibonakala kuJosefa ephutsheni, isithi: Vuka uthathe usane lonina, ubusubalekela eGibhithe, ube khona ngize ngikutshele; ngoba uHerodi uzaludinga usane, ukuze alubulale.
14 So Joseph got up, he took the child and his mother [that] night, and they fled to Egypt.
Wavuka-ke wathatha usane lonina ebusuku wasuka waya eGibhithe,
15 They stayed there until [King] Herod died, [and then they left Egypt]. By doing that, it was {they} fulfilled what the prophet [Hosea] wrote, which had been said by the Lord {which the Lord had said}, I have told my son to come out of Egypt.
wasehlala khona kwaze kwaba yikufa kukaHerodi; ukuze kugcwaliswe okwakhulunywa yiNkosi ngomprofethi isithi: Ngiyibizile indodana yami iphume eGibhithe.
16 [While King] Herod [was still living], because he realized that he had been tricked by the men who studied the stars {the men who studied the stars had tricked him}, he became furious. Then, [assuming that Jesus was still in Bethlehem or the surrounding regions], Herod sent [soldiers there] to kill all the boy babies two years old and younger. [Herod calculated how old the baby was], according to what the men who studied the stars told him [about when the star first appeared].
Kwathi uHerodi, esebonile ukuthi uphicwe yizazi, wathukuthela kakhulu, wathuma wabulala abantwana bonke ababeseBhethelehema lemingceleni yayo yonke, kusukela eminyakeni emibili langaphansi, njengesikhathi abebuzisise ngaso kuzazi.
17 [Because Bethlehem and Ramah towns were in the area where the descendants of Jacob’s wife Rachel lived, when soldiers killed the infant boys], they fulfilled what Jeremiah the prophet wrote,
Kwasekugcwaliseka okwakhulunywa nguJeremiya umprofethi, ukuthi:
18 [Women] in Ramah were weeping and wailing loudly. [Women who were the descendants] of Rachel, [the ancestor of the women there] [SYN], were grieving for [what happened to] their children. [Even though people tried to comfort them], they would not be comforted {stop mourning}, because their children were dead.
Kwezwakala ilizwi eRama, ukukhala lokulila lokudabuka okukhulu, uRasheli elilela abantwana bakhe, njalo engavumi ukududuzwa, ngoba bengasekho.
19 After Herod died [and while Joseph and his family were still in Egypt], an angel that the Lord [had sent] appeared to Joseph in Egypt in a dream.
Kodwa kwathi esefile uHerodi, khangela, ingilosi yeNkosi yabonakala ephutsheni kuJosefa eGibhithe,
20 He said to Joseph, “Take the child and his mother and go back to Israel [to live], because the people who were looking for the child [in order to kill him] have died.”
isithi: Vuka uthathe umntwana omncinyane lonina, uye elizweni lakoIsrayeli; ngoba sebefile ababedinga umphefumulo womntwana omncinyane.
21 So Joseph took the child and his mother, and they went back to Israel.
Wavuka-ke wathatha umntwana omncinyane lonina wasefika elizweni lakoIsrayeli.
22 When Joseph heard that Archaelaus now ruled in Judea [district] instead of his father, [King] Herod [the Great], he was afraid to go there. Because he was warned {[God] warned Joseph} in a dream [that it was still dangerous for them to live in Judea], he [and Mary and Jesus] went to Galilee [District]
Kodwa esezwile ukuthi uAkelawu usebusa eJudiya esikhundleni sikaHerodi uyise, wesaba ukuya khona; kodwa esexwayisiwe nguNkulunkulu ephutsheni, wasuka waya kungxenye zeGalili,
23 to Nazareth [to live there]. The result was that what had been said by the ancient prophets {what the ancient prophets had said} [about the Messiah], that he would be called {people would call him} a Nazareth-man, was fulfilled {came true}.
wasefika wahlala emzini othiwa yiNazaretha; ukuze kugcwaliseke okwakhulunywa ngabaprofethi ukuthi: Uzabizwa ngokuthi ngumNazaretha.
