the bairns come tae me, seekna tae hender them; it is een sic as them at the Kíngdom o God belangs. Atweill, I tell ye, nae-ane at walcomesna the Kíngdom o God like a bairn will e’er win intil’d.”
Syne he tuik the littlans in his oxter an pat his haunds on them an gae them his blissin.
HE WIS SETTIN tae the gate aince mair, whan a man cam rinnin up an, gaein doun on his knees afore him, speired at him, “Guid Maister, what maun I dae tae win iverlestin life?”
Jesus said til him, “What for caa ye me ‘guid’? Nae-ane is guid, binna God alane. Ye ken the commaunds: ‘Thou sanna commit murther; Thou sanna stael; Thou sanna beir fauss witness; Thou sanna haud nae man out o his ain; Honour thy faither an thy mither’.”
The man answert, “Maister, I hae keepit aa thir commaunds frae I wis a bairn.”
Jesus glowert at him, an he tuik a hairt-likin for him. “Ae thing ye ey want,” qo he: “gang your waas, sell aa ye ar aucht, an gíe the siller tae the puir—it will be an outly for ye i the Bank o Heiven; syne heast ye back an ging my gate wi me.” At thir wurds the man hang his heid an gaed awà unco wae, for he hed rowth o warld’s gear.
Syne Jesus luikit round his disciples an said til them, “Hou ill will them at hes walth hae winnin intil the Kíngdom o God!”
They ferliet tae hear him say that. But Jesus cam back on it. “Bairns,” qo he, “hou ill it is winnin intil the Kíngdom o God! A caumel will shuner gae throu the ee o a needle nor a rich man win intil the Kíngdom o God.”
At that the disciples wis stoundit out o aa meisur, an said til ither, “Syne wha can be saufed?”
Jesus luikit them braid i the face an said, “It is abuin the pouer o man, but no the pouer o God: God can faa aathing.”
Peter bluitert out, “But what o hiz? We hae gíen up aathing an comed alang wi ye!”
“Atweill, I tell ye,” qo Jesus, “there is nae-ane hes gíen up hame or brithers or sisters or mither or faither or childer or fairm an fíelds for my sake an the Gospel’s but will git a hunder times as muckle nou i the praisent warld, be it housses or brithers or sisters or mithers or childer or fairms an fíelds, athò no wiout persecution, an i the warld tae come iverlestin life. Monie at is first eenou will be henmaist, afore aa’s dune, an the henmaist will be first.”
THEY WAR NOU on the road gaein doun tae Jerusalem, wi Jesus traivlin aheid o them his lane. The disciples wis ferliein sair, an the lave at fallowt him wis fu o fear. Aince mair he cried the Twal til him an begoud tae tell them what wis bidin him.
“Luik ye,” qo he, “we ar gaein doun tae Jerusalem eenou, an there the Son o Man will be gíen up tae the Heid-Príests an the Doctors o the Law, an they will condemn him tae deith an haund him owre til the haithen, an the haithen will geck him an spit on him an leash him an kill him; an syne efter three days he will rise again.”
AE DAY JEAMES an John, the twa sons o Zebedee, cam up til him an said, “We hae a fauvour tae seek o ye, Maister.”
“What is it ye wad hae me dae?” qo he.
“We want ye tae lat us sit aside ye,” they answert, “the tane on your richt haund an the tither on your left haund, on your day o glorie.”
“Ye kenna what ye ar seekin,” Jesus answert. “Can ye drink the tass at I maun drink an dree the baptism at I maun dree?”
“Ay, can we,” said they.
“Atweill will ye drink the tass at I maun drink,” qo Jesus, “an dree the baptism at I maun dree: but saits on my richt haund an saits on my left haund isna mine tae gíe; they will hae them at it hes been ordeined is tae hae them.”
Whan they hard o this, the ither ten disciples wis mis-set wi Jeames an John. Sae Jesus cried them til him an said, “Ye ken hou them they caa rulers amang the haithen lairds it owre the fowk, an their gryte men ey lats them ken at they ar their maisters. But that maunna be the gate o’d wi ye. Onie-ane at wad be gryte amang ye maun be your servan, an onie-ane at wad be the first amang ye maun be the slave o aa. For een the Son o Man camna tae be saired, but tae sair, an tae gíe his life as a ransom for monie.”
EFTER THAT THEY cam tae Jericho, an as Jesus an his disciples wis gaein out the toun, an a gey thrang o fowk wi them, Timaeus’s son, BarTimaeus, a blinnd thigger, wis sittin at the gateside.
Whan he hard it wis Jesus o Nazareth, he begoud tae skirl out, “Jesus, Son o Dauvit, tak pítie on’s!” Monie o the fowk cowed him an tauld him tae haud his wheesht. But he skirlt out muckle the mair, “Son o Dauvit, tak pítie on’s!”
Jesus stappit an said, “Cry him here.”
Sae they cried the blinnd man: “Tak hairt an staund up,” said they til him; “he’s cryin ye!” Wi that he aff wi his coat an laup til his feet an cam up til Jesus.
“What is it ye wad hae me dae?” speired Jesus.
“Your Honour,” the man answert, “I’d fain hae my sicht again.”
“Gang your waas,” qo Jesus; “your faith hes gíen ye back your sicht.” An strecht the man saw again, an he gaed alang the gate efter Jesus.
11 WHAN THEY WAR comin naur Jerusalem, an hed gotten the lenth o Bethphagie an Bethanie an the Hill o Olives, Jesus sent twa o his disciples on an eerant: “Gae tae yon clachan owrebye. Richt at the in-gaun ye’ll finnd a cowt tethert at nae man hes e’er ridden; lowse him an bring him here. Gin oniebodie speirs at ye, ‘What ar ye daein there?’, tell him at the Maister’s needin him an is tae send him back belyve.” Sae awà they gaed an faund a cowt tethert outside a door i the street an begoud lowsin it.
“What ar ye daein lowsin the cowt?” some staunders-by axed them. They gíed them the answer Jesus hed tauld them tae gíe, an the men gae them nae mair fash.
Sae they brocht the cowt tae Jesus an laid their coats on its back, an he muntit it. Monie o the fowk spreidit their coats on the road, an ithers strawed it wi ryss they hed cuttit i the fíelds; an afore an ahent him, as he gaed alang, they war aa cryin, “Hosanna! Blissins on him at comes i the name o the Lord! Blissins on the comin Kíngdom o our Faither Dauvit! Hosanna i the hicht o heiven!”
Whan he cam tae Jerusalem, he gaed intil the Temple an luikit round at aathing there; syne, as it wis weirin late, he quat the toun an gaed wi the Twal tae Bethanie.
NEIST MORNIN, WHAN they war on their road tae Jerusalem, Jesus begoud tae finnd yaup; an, seein a feg-tree a gey gate aff in leaf, he gaed forrit, howpin tae finnd some frute on it. But whan he wan up tae the bit, he faund nocht but leafs; an, deed, it wis owre air i the year for fegs.
Syne he said tae the tree, an the disciples hard him say the wurds, “May nae man iver again ait frute aff ye!”
WHAN THEY HED gotten back tae Jerusalem, Jesus gaed intil the Temple an begoud tae cast out them at coft an trokit intil it. He whummelt the tables o the nifferers o siller an the cheyrs o the dou-cowpers, an he lootna onie-ane ging throu the place wi a luim or a veshel cairriein.
Syne he spak tae the fowk: “Is it no written i the Bible,” qo he, “ ‘My houss will be caa’d a houss o prayer for aa the fowks o the yird’? But ye hae made it a rubbers’
