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Matthew 2:13
ESV Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."
NIV When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
NASB Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.'
CSB After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him."
NLT After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,' the angel said. 'Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.'
KJV And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
NKJV 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.”

What does Matthew 2:13 mean?

It must have been enormously confirming for Mary and Joseph, and perhaps confusing, when wealthy Gentile wise men from the east showed up at their door to worship their child Jesus as a king. Both Mary and Joseph had been visited by angels with messages about Jesus' identity and purpose (Matthew 1:18–20; Luke 1:34–35). Still, the arrival of outsiders who also believed this must have bolstered their faith about what God was doing in their lives.

Mary and Joseph would need faith to carry them through what was coming. After the wise men left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in yet another dream. This time, the news was troubling. Joseph's new mission was to take Jesus and Mary and run away to Egypt. The wicked king wants to destroy their child! Herod had been alerted by the wise men's quest that a "King of the Jews" had been born in Israel. He clearly understood this to be a reference to the promised and long-awaited Messiah who would save Israel and rule over the nation. Instead of welcoming the idea of Israel's savior sent from God, he decided to try to eliminate the threat to his power and throne. The only way to do that was to kill the boy (Matthew 2:16–18).

In this context, "Egypt" means nearby territories such as the Nile Delta, where Herod had no authority. The family is ordered to stay in Egypt until this angel tells them it is safe to return to Israel.

The next verse shows that Joseph's faith held strong. He once again believed and obeyed.
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