Bethlehem, out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

Matthew 2, verse 6

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Little Town of Bethlehem was written by Alison Kita and read by Rochelle Trubb.

Matthew, Chapter 2, verses 1 through 11.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem and Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the

East came to Jerusalem and asked,

Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?

We saw his star when it rose, and have come to worship him.

When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah went to him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers

of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. In Bethlehem, in Judea,

they replied, 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 shepherd my people, Israel. Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out

from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child. As

soon as you find him, report to me so that I too may go and worship him. After they had heard the

king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose 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 worshipped him.

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with

gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrr.

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