this was the king; and
they fell down on their faces and worshipped him as the Lord. Then they
brought out gifts of gold and precious perfumes, frankincense and myrrh,
which were used in offering sacrifices; and they gave them as presents
to the royal child.

That night God sent a dream to the wise men, telling them not to go back
to Herod, but to go home at once to their own land by another way. They
obeyed the Lord, and found another road to their own country without
passing through Jerusalem where Herod was living. So Herod could not
learn from those men who the child was that was born to be a king.

And very soon after these wise men had gone away, the Lord sent another
dream to Joseph, the husband of Mary. He saw an angel, who spoke to him,
saying:

"Rise up quickly; take the little child and his mother, and go down to
the land of Egypt, for Herod will try to find the child to kill him."

Then at once Joseph rose up in the night, without waiting even for the
morning. He took his wife and her baby, and quietly and quickly went
with them down to Egypt, which was on the southwest of Judea. There they
all stayed in safety, as long as the wicked king Herod lived, which was
not many months.

King Herod waited for the wise men to come back to him from their visit
to Bethlehem; but he soon found that they had gone to their home
without bringing to him any word. Then Herod was very angry. He sent out
his soldiers to Bethlehem. They came, and by the cruel king's command
they seized all the little children in Bethlehem who were three years
old, or younger, and killed them all. What a cry went up to God from the
mothers in Bethlehem, as their children were torn from their arms and
slain!

[Illustration: _He took his wife and baby and went down to Egypt_]

But all this time, the child Jesus whom they were seeking was safe with
his mother in the land of Egypt.

Soon after this king Herod died, a very old man, cruel to the last. Then
the angel of the Lord came again and spoke to Joseph in a dream, saying:
"You may now take the young child back to his own land, for the king who
sought to kill him is dead."

Then Joseph took his wife and the little child Jesus, and started to go
again to the land of Judea. Perhaps it was his thought to go again to
Bethlehem, the city of David, and there bring up the child. But he heard
that in that part of the land Archelaus, a son of Herod, was now ruling,
and who was as wicked and cru