Study Desk

And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts.

So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free."'

Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.

"For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.

You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts.

"Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;For out of you shall come a RulerWho will shepherd My people Israel.' " Micah 5:2 ">[fn]

And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,

"A voice was heard in Ramah,Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,Rachel weeping for her children,Refusing to be comforted,Because they are no more." Jeremiah 31:15 ">[fn]

saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."

and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:'Prepare the way of the Lord;Make His paths straight.' " Isaiah 40:3 ">[fn]

and do not think to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.