The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 248 -
Jonathan Saves Another Roman Ship
ON THE MORNING of the following day Joseph, as usual, was the first one up and soon thereafter awakened his family.
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And Jonathan, who just came from his chamber to see what sort of a day it would be for his trade, asked Joseph,
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'But my dear friend and brother, what are you doing up so early, and how is it that you also prompt your family to arise?
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Should you not wait on the Lord until He arises from sleep?
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Would that after all not be the best time to arise in the morning?
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Therefore I beg you to at least allow your family a couple of hours' more rest.
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And you come with me and with my men in my boat, and we shall make a morning-catch.'
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This offer well pleased Joseph, and he left his family rest and promptly went with Jonathan into his large fishing boat.
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Jonathan's fishermen put the nets in order and then wielded the oars with great energy,
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and in an hour the early morning fishermen were already at the spot that had the most fish.
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But when they reached this always favorable fishing spot and the sun was close to rising,
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Jonathan noticed a Roman ship standing about an hour's distance away and did not know what to make of it.
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He therefore said to Joseph, 'Brother, I know the sea over there -
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it is shallow and full of sandbanks, and a seafarer of Rome can very easily have gone aground there.
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We should therefore hasten to give help as fast as possible!'
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And Joseph was of the same mind, so it was decided to row over to there at once. And when the ship was reached in half an hour,
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behold, it actually was a large Roman ship which carried an envoy to Cyrenius!
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The envoy was immediately taken on board and asked Jonathan to make every possible attempt to save the ship.
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Thereupon Jonathan promptly seized the towing line of the great ship and then had his fishermen row energetically in his large boat.
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And within half an hour the large ship was refloated.
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At this the Roman envoy rewarded Jonathan richly and then sailed on toward the morning.
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And Jonathan turned homeward with gold and silver instead of the fish and did not try to fish any more that morning.