The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 260 -
On The Outskirts Of Nazareth
WHEN JOEL had dipped the water, he asked the two how far it still was to Nazareth.
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And Cornelius replied, 'My friend, look over there, and you can easily see the walls of the town.
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A child can easily reach them in a quarter hour, therefore you are now as good as in Nazareth itself.'
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Joel thanked them for this information and carried the water to his people.
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When he arrived there, Joseph promptly asked him what he had learned at the little house.
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Joel replied, 'A woman and a man came toward me in a very friendly manner, gave me water and told me that we had already reached the town of Nazareth.
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Thereupon I thought, if that is the town, then we surely do not have far to go to our farmstead.'
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Here Joseph said, 'My dear son, therein you are no doubt right;
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but do you know to whom it now belongs after three years?
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May we move into our former dwelling?
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See, therefore we must spend the night here beneath the open sky and wait until tomorrow to see where a permanent dwelling place may be found for us.
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Now go with your brothers and see if you can get a little wood and fire somewhere.
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For it is a little cool here among the hills at the elevation of this valley; therefore we must make a fire here so we may warm ourselves a little by it.'
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Thereupon the four sons returned to the same little house and found the two still there.
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At this they made their desire known to Salome and asked for a little wood and a fire.
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Here Salome as well as Cornelius asked just who the group was and whether it could really be trusted.
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The sons answered, 'We come from Egypt and place honesty above all else.
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We seek to purchase some sort of dwelling for ourselves here in Nazareth;
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for we are originally Nazarenes ourselves, but were exiled to Egypt by unavoidable circumstances for three years.
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Now our exile is over, therefore we have returned to find ourselves a place to live.'
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When the pair heard this from the returnees they promptly gave them sufficient wood and fire, which the sons carried to Joseph.
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At this Joseph promptly had a fire made and all warmed themselves thereby.