¹ イエスがヘロデ王の代に、ユダヤのベツレヘムでお生れになったとき、見よ、東からきた博士たちがエルサレムに着いて言った、

² 「ユダヤ人の王としてお生れになったかたは、どこにおられますか。わたしたちは東の方でその星を見たので、そのかたを拝みにきました」。

³ ヘロデ王はこのことを聞いて不安を感じた。エルサレムの人々もみな、同様であった。

⁴ そこで王は祭司長たちと民の律法学者たちとを全部集めて、キリストはどこに生れるのかと、彼らに問いただした。

⁵ 彼らは王に言った、「それはユダヤのベツレヘムです。預言者がこうしるしています、

⁶ 『ユダの地、ベツレヘムよ、おまえはユダの君たちの中で、決して最も小さいものではない。おまえの中からひとりの君が出て、わが民イスラエルの牧者となるであろう』」。

⁷ そこで、ヘロデはひそかに博士たちを呼んで、星の現れた時について詳しく聞き、

⁸ 彼らをベツレヘムにつかわして言った、「行って、その幼な子のことを詳しく調べ、見つかったらわたしに知らせてくれ。わたしも拝みに行くから」。

⁹ 彼らは王の言うことを聞いて出かけると、見よ、彼らが東方で見た星が、彼らより先に進んで、幼な子のいる所まで行き、その上にとどまった。

¹⁰ 彼らはその星を見て、非常な喜びにあふれた。

¹¹ そして、家にはいって、母マリヤのそばにいる幼な子に会い、ひれ伏して拝み、また、宝の箱をあけて、黄金・乳香・没薬などの贈り物をささげた。

¹² そして、夢でヘロデのところに帰るなとのみ告げを受けたので、他の道をとおって自分の国へ帰って行った。

¹³ 彼らが帰って行ったのち、見よ、主の使が夢でヨセフに現れて言った、「立って、幼な子とその母を連れて、エジプトに逃げなさい。そして、あなたに知らせるまで、そこにとどまっていなさい。ヘロデが幼な子を捜し出して、殺そうとしている」。

¹⁴ そこで、ヨセフは立って、夜の間に幼な子とその母とを連れてエジプトへ行き、

¹⁵ ヘロデが死ぬまでそこにとどまっていた。それは、主が預言者によって「エジプトからわが子を呼び出した」と言われたことが、成就するためである。

¹⁶ さて、ヘロデは博士たちにだまされたと知って、非常に立腹した。そして人々をつかわし、博士たちから確かめた時に基いて、ベツレヘムとその附近の地方とにいる二歳以下の男の子を、ことごとく殺した。

¹⁷ こうして、預言者エレミヤによって言われたことが、成就したのである。

¹⁸ 「叫び泣く大いなる悲しみの声がラマで聞えた。ラケルはその子らのためになげいた。子らがもはやいないので、慰められることさえ願わなかった」。

¹⁹ さて、ヘロデが死んだのち、見よ、主の使がエジプトにいるヨセフに夢で現れて言った、

²⁰ 「立って、幼な子とその母を連れて、イスラエルの地に行け。幼な子の命をねらっていた人々は、死んでしまった」。

²¹ そこでヨセフは立って、幼な子とその母とを連れて、イスラエルの地に帰った。

²² しかし、アケラオがその父ヘロデに代ってユダヤを治めていると聞いたので、そこへ行くことを恐れた。そして夢でみ告げを受けたので、ガリラヤの地方に退き、

²³ ナザレという町に行って住んだ。これは預言者たちによって、「彼はナザレ人と呼ばれるであろう」と言われたことが、成就するためである。

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.

² I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."

³ Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,

⁴ "As for me, behold, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations.

⁵ Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you.

⁷ I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your seed after you.

⁸ I will give to you, and to your seed after you, the land where you are traveling, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. I will be their God."

⁹ God said to Abraham, "As for you, you will keep my covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.

¹⁰ This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your seed after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised.

¹¹ You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It will be a token of the covenant between me and you.

¹² He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your seed.

¹³ He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

¹⁴ The uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant."

¹⁵ God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name will be Sarah.

¹⁶ I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her."

¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"

¹⁸ Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"

¹⁹ God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

²⁰ As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

²¹ But my covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year."

²² When he finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

²³ Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money; every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the same day, as God had said to him.

²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

²⁵ Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

²⁶ In the same day both Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised.

²⁷ All the men of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.