At that time old Simeon saw him shining as a pillar of light, when St. Mary the Virgin, his mother, carried him in her arms, and was filled with the greatest pleasure at the sight.
7 And the angels stood around him, adoring him, as a king's guards stand around him.
8 Then Simeon going near to St. Mary, and stretching forth his hands towards her, said to the Lord Christ, Now, O My Lord, thy servant shall depart in peace, according to thy word;
9 For mine eyes have seen thy mercy, which thou hast prepared for the salvation of all nations; a light to all people, and the glory of thy people Israel.
10 Hannah the prophetess was also present, and drawing near, she gave praises to God, and celebrated the happiness of Mary.
CHAP. III.
1 The wise men visit Christ. Mary gives them one of his swaddling clothes. 3 An angel appears to them in the form of a star. 4 They return and make a fire, and worship the swaddling cloth, and put it in the fire where it remains unconsumed.
AND it came to pass, when the Lord Jesus was born at Bethlehem, a city of Judaea, in the time of Herod the King;--the wise men came from the East to Jerusalem, according to the prophecy of Zoradascht,[Zoroaster] and brought with them offerings: namely, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and worshipped him, and offered to him their gifts.
2 Then the Lady Mary took one of his swaddling clothes in which the infant was wrapped, and gave it to them instead of a blessing, which they received from her as a most noble present.
3 And at the same time there appeared to them an angel in the form of that star which had before been their guide in their journey; the light of which they followed till they returned into their own country.
4 On their return their kings and princes came to them inquiring, whom they had seen and done? What sort of journey and return they had? What Company they had on the road?
5 But they produced the swaddling cloth which St. Mary had given them, on account whereof they kept a feast.
6 And having, according to the custom of their country, made a fire, they worshipped it.
7 And casting the swaddling cloth into it, the fire took it and kept it.
8 And when the fire was put out, they took forth the swaddling cloth unhurt, as much as if the fire had not touched it.
9 Then they began to kiss it, and put it upon their heads and their eyes saying, This is certainly an undoubted truth, and it is really surprising that the fire could not burn it, and consume it.
10 Then they took it, and with the greatest respect laid it up among their treasures.
CHAP. IV.
1 Herod intends to put Christ to death. 3 An angel warns Joseph to take the child and his mother into Egypt. 6 Consternation on their arrival. 13 The idols fall down. 15 Mary washes Christ's swaddling clothes, hangs them to dry on a post, and the son of a priest puts one on his head; 16 And being possessed of devils they leave him.
NOW Herod perceiving that the wise men did delay and not return to him, called together the priest and wise men, and said, Tell me in what place the Christ should be born.
2 And when they replied, in Bethlehem,--a city of Judaea, he began to contrive in his own mind the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 But an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in his sleep, and said, Arise, take the child and his mother, and go into Egypt as soon as the cock crows. So he arose, and went.
4 And as he was considering with himself about his journey, the morning came upon him.
5 In the length of the journey the girts of the saddle broke.
6 And now he drew near to a great city, in which there was an idol, to which the priests of the other idols and gods of Egypt brought their offerings and vows.
7 And there was by this idol a priest ministering to it, who, as often as Satan spoke out of that idol, related the things he said to the inhabitants of Egypt, and those countries.
8 This priest had a son three years old, who was possessed with a great multitude of devils, who uttered many strange things and when the devils seized him, walked about naked with his clothes torn, throwing stones at those whom he saw.
9 Near to that idol was the inn of the city, into which when Joseph and St. Mary were come, and had turned into that inn, all the inhabitants of the city were astonished.
10 And all the magistrates and priests of the idols assembled before that idol, and made inquiry there, saying, What means all this consternation, and dread, which has fallen upon all our country?
11 The idol answered them, The unknown God is come thither, who is truly God; nor is there any one besides him, who is worthy of divine worship for he is truly the Son of God.
12 At the fame of him this country trembled, and at his coming it is under the present commotion and consternation, and we ourselves are afrighted by the greatness of his power.
13 And at the same instant this idol fell down, and at his fall all the inhabitants of Egypt, besides others ran together.
14 But the son of the priest, when his usual disorder came upon him going into the inn, found there Joseph and St. Mary, whom all the rest had left behind and forsook.
15 And when the Lady St. Mary had washed the swaddling clothes of the Lord Christ, and hanged them out to dry upon a post, the boy possessed with the devil took down one of them, and put it upon his head.
16 And presently the devils began to come out of his mouth, and fly away in the shape of crows and serpents.
17 From that time the boy was healed by the power of the Lord Christ and he began to sing praises, and give thanks to the Lord who had healed him.
18 When his father saw him restored to his former state of health, he said, My son, what has happened to thee, and by what means wert thou cured?
19 The son answered, When the devils seized me, I went into the inn, and there found a very handsome woman with a boy, whose swaddling clothes she had just before washed, and hanged out upon a post.
20 One of these I took, and put it upon my head, and immediately the devils left me, and fled away.
21 At this the father exceedingly rejoiced, and said, My son, perhaps this boy is the son of the living God, who made the heavens and the earth.
22 For as soon as he came amongst us, the idol was broken, and all the gods fell down, and were destroyed by a greater power.
23 Then was fulfilled the prophecy which saith, Out of Egypt I have called my son.
CHAP. V.
1 Joseph and Mary leave Egypt. 3 Go to the Haunts of robbers, 4 Who hearing a mighty noise, as of a great army flee away.
NOW Joseph and Mary when they heard that the idol was fallen down and destroyed, were seized with fear and, trembling, and said, When we Were in the land of Israel, Herod, intending to kill Jesus, slew for that purpose all the infants at Bethlehem,
