Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour

Unknown

Section 29

About this work

Author: Unknown

29. There were in the same city two women

‹ Section 28 Section 30 ›

,

wives

of

one

man

,

each

having

a

son

ill

with

fever

.

The

one

was

called

Mary

,

and

her

son’s

name

was

Cleopas

.

She

rose

and

took

up

her

son

,

and

went

to

the

Lady

Mary

,

the

mother

of

Jesus

,

and

offering

her

a

beautiful

mantle

,

said

:

O

my

Lady

Mary

,

accept

this

mantle

,

and

for

it

give

me

one

small

bandage

.

Mary

did

so

,

and

the

mother

of

Cleopas

went

away

,

and

made

a

shirt

of

it

,

and

put

it

on

her

son

.

So

he

was

cured

of

his

disease

;

but

the

son

of

her

rival

died

.

Hence

there

sprung

up

hatred

between

them

;

and

as

they

did

the

house

-

work

week

about

,

and

as

it

was

the

turn

of

Mary

the

mother

of

Cleopas

,

she

heated

the

oven

to

bake

bread

;

and

going

away

to

bring

the

lump

that

she

had

kneaded

,

she

left

her

son

Cleopas

beside

the

oven

.

Her

rival

seeing

him

alone

—

and

the

oven

was

very

hot

with

the

fire

blazing

under

it

—

seized

him

and

threw

him

into

the

oven

,

and

took

herself

off

.

Mary

coming

back

,

and

seeing

her

son

Cleopas

lying

in

the

oven

laughing

,

and

the

oven

quite

cold

,

as

if

no

fire

had

ever

come

near

it

,

knew

that

her

rival

had

thrown

him

into

the

fire

.

She

drew

him

out

,

therefore

,

and

took

him

to

the

Lady

Mary

,

and

told

her

of

what

had

happened

to

him

.

And

she

said

:

Keep

silence

,

and

tell

nobody

of

the

affair

;

for

I

am

afraid

for

you

if

you

divulge

it

.

After

this

her

rival

went

to

the

well

to

draw

water

;

and

seeing

Cleopas

playing

beside

the

well

,

and

nobody

near

,

she

seized

him

and

threw

him

into

the

well

,

and

went

home

herself

.

And

some

men

who

had

gone

to

the

well

for

water

saw

the

boy

sitting

on

the

surface

of

the

water

;

and

so

they

went

down

and

drew

him

out

.

And

they

were

seized

with

a

great

admiration

of

that

boy

,

and

praised

God

.

Then

came

his

mother

,

and

took

him

up

,

and

went

weeping

to

the

Lady

Mary

,

and

said

:

O

my

lady

,

see

what

my

rival

has

done

to

my

son

,

and

how

she

has

thrown

him

into

the

well

;

she

will

be

sure

to

destroy

him

some

day

or

other

.

The

Lady

Mary

said

to

her

:

God

will

avenge

thee

upon

her

.

Thereafter

,

when

her

rival

went

to

the

well

to

draw

water

,

her

feet

got

entangled

in

the

rope

,

and

she

fell

into

the

well

.

Some

men

came

to

draw

her

out

,

but

they

found

her

skull

fractured

and

her

bones

broken

.

Thus

she

died

a

miserable

death

,

and

in

her

came

to

pass

that

saying

:

They

have

digged

a

well

deep

,

but

have

fallen

into

the

pit

which

they

had

prepared

.

Notes

16
Ps. vii. 15, lvii. 6.