Matiu 2
1 Mgbe a mụchara Jisọs na Betlehem nke Judịa nʼoge Herọd bụ eze, ndị amamihe si ọwụwa anyanwụ bịaruru Jerusalem,
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.
2 na-ajụ ajụjụ sị, “Olee ebe ọ nọ, bụ onye a mụrụ ịbụ eze ndị Juu? Anyị hụrụ kpakpando ya nʼọwụwa anyanwụ, ma bịa ịkpọ isiala nye ya.”
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.”
3 Mgbe eze Herọd nụrụ nke a, obi lọrọ ya mmiri nke ukwuu, ya na ndị niile bi na Jerusalem.
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].
4 Mgbe ọ kpọkọtara ndịisi nchụaja na ndị ozizi iwu niile, ọ jụrụ ha, olee ebe e kwuru na a ga-amụ Kraịst ahụ.
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.
5 Ha zara ya sị, “Na Betlehem nke Judịa. Nʼihi na otu a ka onye amụma ahụ dere nʼakwụkwọ sị,
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]:
6 “‘Ma gị onwe gị, Betlehem, dị nʼala Juda, ị dịghị nta karịchasịa nʼetiti ndị ọchịchị Juda, nʼihi na ọ bụ site na gị ka onye ọchịchị ga-esi pụta, onye ga-achị ndị nke m Izrel.’”
‘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.’”
7 Mgbe ahụ Herọd kpọrọ ndị amamihe ahụ na nzuzo jụpụta ha banyere oge kpakpando ahụ ji pụta ìhè.
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].
8 O zipụrụ ha ije Betlehem sị ha, “Gaanụ lee anya nke ọma chọpụta ebe nwantakịrị ahụ nọ. Mgbe unu chọtara ya, bịanụ mee ka m mara, ka m gaakwa kpọọ isiala nye ya.”
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.”
9 Mgbe ha nụrụ okwu eze, ha pụrụ gawa, ma kpakpando ahụ ha hụrụ nʼọwụwa anyanwụ pụtakwara ọzọ, na-aga nʼihu ha ruo mgbe ọ bịara guzo nʼelu ebe nwantakịrị ahụ nọ.
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.
10 Ha ṅụrịrị ọṅụ nke ukwuu mgbe ha hụrụ kpakpando ahụ.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced greatly [and followed it].
11 Ka ha banyere nʼụlọ ahụ, ha hụrụ nwantakịrị ahụ na nne ya Meri, ha gburu ikpere nʼala ma kpọọrọ ya isiala. Ha meghere akpa akụ ha nye ya onyinye ọlaedo na ọkpụrụkpụ eso osisi na-esi isi ụtọ a na-akpọ frankisens, ya na máá.
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.
12 Nʼihi na a dọrọ ha aka na ntị na nrọ ka ha ghara ịlaghachikwuru Herọd, ha sitere nʼụzọ ọzọ laghachi obodo ha.
[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.
13 Mgbe ndị amamihe ahụ lasịrị, mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị mere ka Josef hụ ya na nrọ, ọ sịrị ya, “Bilie ọsịịsọ kpọrọ nwantakịrị a na nne ya gbalaa Ijipt. Alọghachikwala tutu ruo mgbe m ga-agwa gị, nʼihi na Herọd na-achọ nwantakịrị a ka o gbuo ya.”
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.”
14 Nʼoge abalị, Josef biliri kpọrọ Meri na nwantakịrị ahụ gbalaa Ijipt.
So Joseph got up, he took the child and his mother [that] night, and they fled to Egypt.
15 Ebe ahụ ka ha nọgidere tutu ruo mgbe Herọd nwụrụ. Nke a mere ka okwu ahụ Onyenwe anyị kwuru site nʼọnụ onye amụma mezuo. “Ọ bụkwa site nʼIjipt ka m kpọpụtara nwa m.”
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.
16 Iwe were Herọd nke ukwuu mgbe ọ chọpụtara na ndị amamihe ahụ aghọọla ya aghụghọ. Nʼihi ya, o nyere iwu banyere Betlehem na obodo nta ndị ọzọ gbara ya gburugburu, ka ha gbuo ụmụntakịrị niile nọ nʼobodo ndị a, bụ ndị gbara site nʼafọ abụọ gbadaa, dị ka ihe ọ nụtara site nʼọnụ ndị amamihe si dị.
[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].
17 E sitekwara otu a mezuo amụma ahụ Jeremaya buru sị,
[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,
18 “A nụrụ otu olu na Rema, ịkwa akwa na oke iru ụjụ dị, Rechel na-akwa akwa nʼihi ụmụ ya; ọ dịghị nkasiobi ọbụla dịrị ya, nʼihi na ha adịghịkwa.”
[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.
19 Mgbe Herọd nwụrụ, mmụọ ozi Onyenwe anyị bịakwutere Josef na nrọ nʼIjipt
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.
20 sị ya, “Bilie, kpọrọ nwantakịrị ahụ na nne ya laghachi nʼala Izrel nʼihi na ndị na-achọ igbu ya anwụọla.”
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.”
21 Ya mere, o biliri, kpọọrọ nwantakịrị ahụ na nne ya, laghachi nʼala Izrel.
So Joseph took the child and his mother, and they went back to Israel.
22 Mgbe ọ nụrụ na eze ọhụrụ gbanwere Herọd na Judịa bụ nwa ya a na-akpọ Akelus, egwu tụrụ Josef ịlaghachi ebe ahụ. Ma nʼihi na adọwo ya aka na ntị na nrọ, ọ wezugara onwe ya gaa nʼakụkụ Galili.
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]
23 Ọ gara biri nʼobodo a na-akpọ Nazaret. E sitekwara otu a mezuo okwu ọnụ ndị amụma sị na, “A ga-akpọ ya onye Nazaret.”
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}.
