Scriptures for Epiphany

Here are the scriptures for Epiphany paraphrased in a more contemporary fashion.

Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, even though darkness covers the earth,
and deep darkness the people;
the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried in their nurses’ arms.
Then you shall see and shine like the sun.
Your heart will be filled with awe and enlarged,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover your lands,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah.
All those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.

Ephesians 3:1-13
For this reason, I, Paul, am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles. For surely you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you. And you must know how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote before in a few words. That is why, when you read this, you may begin to see my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations it was not made known to humankind, but now it has been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. And the mystery is this: that the Gentiles have become joint heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

I am a servant of this gospel through the gift of God’s grace, given to me by the working of God’s power. This grace was given to me, even though I am the very least of all the saints, so that the good news of the measureless riches of Christ might be brought to the Gentiles. And more, that everyone would see the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things. Indeed it is now through the church that the great wisdom of God is being made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This is all in accordance with the eternal purpose that God placed in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through our faith in him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are, in fact, your glory.

Matthew 2:1-18
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, while King Herod ruled, magi from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? We have seen his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was greatly disturbed, as was all of Jerusalem with him. So he convened all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked of theme where the anointed one was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what the prophet wrote:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the princes of Judah;
for from you shall come a leader
who will shepherd my people Israel.” ’

Then, in secret, Herod summoned the magi and learned from them the time when the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I too may go and pay him homage.’ After the magi heard what the king had to say, they departed; and behold, the star they had seen in the east went before them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were overcome with joy. They entered the house, saw the child with Mary his mother; and fell down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Afterward, having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another way.

And when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Rise and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Remain there until tell you, for Herod will search for the child in order to kill him. So Joseph rose and took the child and his mother and left for Egypt that very night. They stayed there until Herod’s death in order to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

Herod, seeing that he had been deceived by the magi, became enraged. He sent his soldiers out to kill all the male children under two years of age who were in Bethlehem or nearby areas, according to the time he had learned from the magi. This too was a fulfillment of words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning; Rachel wailing for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they were no more.