Joseph then being afraid, took her unto his house, and Joseph said unto Mary, Behold, I have taken thee from the temple of the Lord, and now I will leave thee in my house; I must go to mind my trade of building. The Lord be with thee.
CHAP. IX.
1 The priests desire a new veil for the temple, 3 seven virgins cast lots for making different parts of it, 4 the lot to spin the true purple falls to Mary. 5 Zacharias, the high priest, becomes dumb. 7 Mary takes a pot to draw water, and hears a voice, 8 trembles and begins to work, 9 an angel Appears and salutes her, and tells her she shall conceive by the Holy Ghost, 17 she submits. 19 Visits her cousin Elizabeth, whose child in her womb leaps.
AND it came to pass, in a council of the priests, it was said, Let us make a new veil for the temple of the Lord.
2 And the high-priest said, Call together to me seven undefiled virgins of the tribe of David.
3 And the servants went and brought them into the temple of the Lord, and the high-priest said unto them, Cast lots before me now, who of you shall spin the golden thread, who the blue, who the scarlet, who the fine linen, and who the true purple.
4 Then the high-priest knew Mary; that she was of the tribe of David; and he called her, and the true purple fell to her lot to spin, and she went away to her own house.
5 But from that time Zacharias the high-priest became dumb, and Samuel was placed in his room till Zacharias spoke again.
6 But Mary took the true purple; and did spin it.
7 And she took a pot, and went out to draw water, and heard a voice saying unto her, Hail thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee; thou art blessed among women.
8 And she looked round to the right and to the left (to see) whence that voice came, and then trembling went into her house, and laying down the water-pot, she took the purple, and sat down in her seat to work it.
9 And behold the angel of the Lord stood by her, and said, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour in the sight of God.
10 Which when she heard, she reasoned with herself what that sort of salutation meant.
11 And the angel said unto her, The Lord is with thee, and thou shalt conceive:
12 To which she replied, What! shall I conceive by the living God and bring forth as all other women do?
13 But the angel returned answer, Not so, O Mary, but the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee;
14 Wherefore that which shall be born of thee shall be holy, and shall be called the Son of the Living God, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins.
15 And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age.
16 And this now is the sixth month with her, who was called barren: for nothing is impossible with God.
17 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word.
18 And when she had wrought her purple, she carried it to the high-priest, and the high-priest blessed her, saying, Mary, the Lord God hath magnified thy name, and thou shalt be blessed in all the ages of the world.
19 Then Mary, filled with joy, went away to her cousin Elizabeth, and knocked at the door.
20 Which when Elizabeth heard, she ran and opened to her, and blessed her, and said, Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me?
21 For lo! as soon as the voice of thy salutation reached my ears, that which is in me leaped and blessed thee.
22 But Mary, being ignorant of all those mysterious things which the archangel Gabriel had spoken to her, lifted up her eyes to heaven, and said, Lord! What am I, that all the generations of the earth should call me blessed?
23 But perceiving herself daily to grow big, and being afraid, she went home, and hid herself from the children of Israel; and was fourteen years old when all these things happened.
CHAP. X.
1 Joseph returns from building houses, finds the Virgin grown big, being six months gone with child, 2 is jealous and troubled, 8 reproaches her, 10 she affirms her innocence, 13 he leaves her, 16 determines to dismiss her privately, 17 is warned in a dream that Mary is with child by the Holy Ghost, 20 and glorifies God who had shewn him such favour.
AND when her sixth month was come, Joseph returned from his building houses abroad, which was his trade, and entering into the house, found the Virgin grown big:
2 Then smiting upon his face, he said, With what face can I look up to the Lord my God? or, what shall I say concerning this young woman?
3 For I received her a Virgin out of the temple of the Lord my God, and have not preserved her such!
4 Who has thus deceived me? Who has committed this evil in my house, and seducing the Virgin from me, hath defiled her?
5 Is not the history of Adam exactly accomplished in me?
6 For in the very instant of his glory, the serpent came and found Eve alone, and seduced her.
7 Just after the same manner it has happened to me.
8 Then Joseph arising from the ground, called her, and said, O thou who hast been so much favoured by God, why hast thou done this?
9 Why hast thou thus debased thy soul, who wast educated in the Holy of Holies, and received thy food from the hand of angels?
10 But she, with a flood of tears, replied, I am innocent, and have known no man.
11 Then said Joseph, How comes it to pass you are with child?
12 Mary answered, As the Lord my God liveth, I know not by what means.
13 Then Joseph was exceedingly afraid, and went away from her, considering what he should do with her; and he thus reasoned with himself:
14 If I conceal her crime, I shall be found guilty by the law of the Lord;
15 And if I discover her to the children of Israel, I fear, lest she being with child by an angel, I shall be found to betray the life of an innocent person.
16 What therefore shall I do? I will privately dismiss her.
17 Then the night was come upon him, when behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said,
18 Be not afraid to take that young woman, for that which is within her is of the Holy Ghost,
19 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.
20 Then Joseph arose from his sleep, and glorified the God of Israel, who had shewn him such favour, and preserved the Virgin.
CHAP. XI.
3 Annas visits Joseph, perceives the Virgin
