he hed come til his houss an gane inbye, the twa o them cam ben til him, an he said tae them, “Lippen ye at I can dae what ye seek o me?”
“Ay, div we!” said they.
Than he titched their een, sayin til them, “Sae ye hae lippent, an sae it s’ be wi ye”; an wi the wurd their een wis onsteikit. Syne he chairged them stourlie, sayin, “See til it at naebodie kens ocht o this.” But nae shuner war they tae the road an they begoud tae tell aa an sindrie anent him out-throu the haill o that kintra.
Juist as they war takkin the gate, a dummie at wis pestit wi an ill spírit wis brocht til him. He cuist out the ill spírit, an the man begoud tae speak. The fowk aa ferliet tae hear him: “The like o that,” qo they, “wis niver seen in Israel!” But the Pharisees said, “It is wi the help o the Maister Fíend he casts out the ill spírits.”
SYNE JESUS GAED round aa the touns an clachans, teachin i their meetin-housses, an preachin the Gospel o the Kíngdom, an hailin aa kinkind o ills an infirmities. Ae day, as he luikit at the croud, he wis wae for them, seein them lyin on the grund sair dung an forfachelt, like a hirsel o 39herdless sheep; an he said til his disciples, “A braw an rowthie crap, a-wat, but hairsters is tae seek: pray ye, than, tae the gryte awner o the crap tae send out hairsters tae shear it.”
10 Syne Jesus caa’d the Twal Disciples til him an gíed them pouer tae cast out onclean spírits, an tae hail aa kinkind o ills an infirmities. Thir is the names o the Twal Apostles: first
SIMON (or PETER), an ANDRO his brither;
JEAMES the son o Zebedee, an JOHN his brither;
PHILIP, an BARTHOLOMEW;
TAMMAS, an MATTHEW the tax-uplifter;
JEAMES the son o Alphaeus, an THADDAEUS;
SIMON the Cânanaean, an JUDAS ISCARIOT, at efterhin betrayed him.
Thir twal Jesus sent out wi this chairge: “Gangna the airth o the haithen,” qo he, “an setna a fit in onie Samâritan toun: gae ye raither tae the waff sheep o the Houss o Israel, preachin an proclaimin, whauriver ye gang, at the Kíngdom o Heiven is naurhaund. Richt the ailin, raise the deid, hail lippers, cast out ill spírits; an as ye hae gotten for nocht, sae maun ye gíe for nocht. Tak nae gowd nor siller, no een a capper, in your pouches, whan ye set tae the gate, nor nae awmous-poke, nor saicond sairk, or shuin, or rung: ilka wurkman hes a richt til his up-haud.
“Whan ye come intil a toun or clachan, speir out some dacent, wysslike bodie tae gíe ye up-pittin, an bide ye there till your wagang. Whan ye gang inbye, gíe the houss your benison. Syne, gin the houss be wurdie o it, your blissin will een come doun on it: but gin it binna wurdie, lat your blissin come back til ye. Whauriver they walcome-ye-na an hairken-na your wurds, daud the stour o that houss or toun aff your feet at your wagang. Atweill, I tell ye, blacker s’ be the faa o yon toun at the Day o Juidgement nor the faa o the Laund o Sodom an Gomorrah!
“I am sendin ye furth like sheep amang woufs, sae be ye as cannie as ethers an as ill-less as dous. Tak tent o men. They will gíe ye up tae councils an swípe ye i their meetin-housses: ay, ye will be harlt afore governors an kíngs for my sake, at ye may beir witness tae the truith afore them an the haithen. But, whan they gíe ye up, binna thochtit owre what ye ar tae say, or hou ye ar tae say it. It will een come tae ye, whan ye staund there, what ye ar tae say: deed, ye winna be speakin avà; your Faither’s Spírit will be speakin in ye.
“Brither will gíe up brither tae deith, an faither will gíe up son; childer will rise up again their paurents an cause pit them tae deid: sair will the warld ill-will ye, because ye ar named for me; but him at hauds steive til the hinnerend will be saufed. Whan they persecute ye in ae toun, flee awà til anither: atweill, I tell ye, ye winna hae gane throu the touns o Israel, gin the comin o the Son o Man!
“The disciple isna tae the fore o his teacher, nor the servan o his maister; an the disciple maunna complein, gin he is saired the same as his teacher, nor the servan, gin he is saired the same as his maister. Gin they hae caa’d the heid o the houss-hauld Beëlzeboul, hou muckle mair will they gíe the name til his sons an servans!
“Binna ye feared for them, than; nocht is hoddit at isna tae be brocht tae licht, or saicret at isna tae be made kent, or aa be dune. What I tell ye under cloud o nicht, ye maun say it out i the daylicht; an what is hairkit tae ye in laich, ye maun cry it out on the riggins. Binna ye frichtit for them at kills the bodie, but canna kill the saul: be frichtit raither for him at can wrack baith bodie an saul in hell. Isna spugs sauld at a maik the píece? An yit no ae spug o them aa can faa tae the grund ithout your Faither’s will. An as for ye, ilka hair on your heids hes been countit. Binna ye feared, than; ye ar wurth mair nor spugs monie feck.
“Ilkane, than, at owns me for his maister afore men, I will own him for my servan afore my Faither in heiven. But ilkane at disavous me afore men, I will disavou him afore my Faither in heiven. Trewna at I am come tae bring peace on the yird: I amna come tae bring peace, but a swuird. Ay, I hae come tae raise sturt an strife
atween a man an his faither
a dachter an her mither,
a guid-dachter an her guid-mither;
an a man will hae
his ain houss-hauld for faes.
Onie-ane at luves faither or mither mair nor me is onwurdie o me; onie-ane at luves son or dachter mair nor me is onwurdie o me; an onie-ane at taksna up his cross an comes efter me is onwurdie o me. Sauf your life, an ye s’ tyne it: tyne your life for my sake, an ye s’ sauf it.
“Onie-ane at walcomes ye walcomes me; an onie-ane at walcomes me walcomes him at sent me. Onie-ane at walcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will get a prophet’s rewaird; onie-ane at walcomes a weill-daein man because he’s a weill-daein man will get a weill-daein man’s rewaird; an onie-ane at raxes ane o thir smaa fowk a bicker o cauld watter—nae mair an that—because he is a disciple, atweill, I tell ye, he s’ no want his rewaird!”
11 Wi that Jesus brocht his chairge tae the Twal Disciples til an end. Syne he quat the place whaur he wis, tae gae teachin an preachin i the touns i that pairt.
MEANTIME JOHN GAT wittins in jyle o what the Christ wis daein, an he sent some o his disciples tae speir at him: “Ar ye him at wis tae come? Or ar we tae bide on someane else?”
“Gang your waas,” answert Jesus, “an tell John aa at ye hae heared an seen for yoursels—the blinnd winnin back their sicht an lameters traivlin, lippers cowrin their ill an deif fowk hearin, deid men comin back tae life an the Gospel brocht tae the puir. Happie him at snappersna because o me!” Sae they tuik the gate; an Jesus begoud speakin tae the thrang anent John.
“Tell me,” qo he: “what wis it ye gaed out tae the muirs tae luik at? . . . A windlestrae waggin i the wind? . . . Na, ’tweill!
“What wis it, than, ye gaed out tae see? . . . A man cled in silken braws? Siclike is tae seek in kíngs’ pailaces.
“What for, than, gaed ye out? . . . Tae see a Prophet? Ay—an muckle mair nor a Prophet! This is him at Scriptur speaks o i the wurds:
‘Behaud, I send furth my messenger afore thy face,
tae redd thy gate afore thee.’
