1 Jesus and other boys play together,
and make clay figures of animals.
4 Jesus causes them to walk,
6 also makes clay birds, which he causes to fly,
and eat and drink.
7 The children's parents alarmed,
and take Jesus for a sorcerer.
8 He goes to a dyer's shop, and throws all the
cloths into the furnace, and works a miracle therewith.
15 Whereupon the Jews praise God.
AND when the Lord Jesus was
seven years of age, he was
on a certain day with other boys
his companions about the same
age;
2 Who, when they were at play,
made clay into several shapes,
namely-asses, oxen, birds, and
other figures;
3 Each boasting of his work,
and endeavouring to exceed the
rest.
4 Then the Lord Jesus said to
the boys, I will command these
figures which I have made to
walk.
5 And immediately they moved,
and when he commanded them to
return, they returned.
6 He had also made the figures
of birds and sparrows, which,
when he commanded to fly, did
fly, and when he commanded to
stand still, did stand still; and if
he gave them meat and drink, they
did eat and drink.
7 When at length the boys went
away, and related these things to
their parents, their fathers said to
them, Take heed, children, for the
future of his company, for he is a
sorcerer; shun and avoid him, and
from henceforth never play with
him.
8 On a certain day also, when
the Lord Jesus was playing with
the boys, and running about, he
passed by a dyer's shop, whose
name was Salem.
9 And there were in his shop
many pieces of cloth belonging to
the people of that city, which they
designed to dye of several colours.
10 Then the Lord Jesus going
into the dyer's shop, took all the
cloths, and threw them into the
furnace.
11 When Salem came home, and
saw the cloths spoiled, he began to
make a great noise, and to chide
the Lord Jesus, saying,
12 What hast thou done to me,
O thou son of Mary? Thou hast
injured both me and my neighbours;
they all desired their cloths
of a proper colour; but thou hast
come and spoiled them all.
13 The Lord Jesus replied, I
will change the colour of every
cloth to what colour thou desirest.
14 And then he presently began
to take the cloths out of the furnace,
and they were all dyed of those same
colours which the dyer desired.
15 And when the Jews saw this
surprising miracle, they praised
God.
CHAP. XVI.
1 Christ miraculously widens or contracts the gates,
milk pails, sieves, or boxes, not properly made by Joseph,
4 he not being skilful at his carpenter's trade.
5 The King of Jerusalem gives Joseph an order for a throne.
6 Joseph works on it for two years in the king's palace,
and makes it two spans too short. The king being angry with him,
10 Jesus comforts him,
13 commands him to pull one side of the throne, while he
pulls the other, and brings it to its proper dimensions.
14 Whereupon the bystanders praise God.
AND Joseph, wheresoever he
went in the city, took the
Lord Jesus with him, where he
was sent for to work to make
gates, or milk-pails, or sieves, or
boxes; the Lord Jesus was with
him, wheresoever be went.
2 And as often as Joseph had
anything in his work, to make
longer, or shorter, or wider, or
narrower, the Lord Jesus would
stretch his hand towards it.
3 And presently it became as
Joseph would have it:
4 So that he had no need to
finish anything with his own hands,
for he was not very skilful at his
carpenter's trade.
5 On a certain time the King
of Jerusalem sent for him, and
said, I would have thee make me
a throne of the same dimensions
with that place in which I
commonly sit.
6 Joseph obeyed, and forthwith
began the work, and continued two
years in the king's palace before
he finished it.
7 And when he came to fix it
in its place, he found it wanted
two spans on each side of the
appointed messure.
8 Which when the king saw,
he was very angry with Joseph;
9 And Joseph afraid of the
king's anger, went to bed without
his supper, taking not any thing
to eat.
10 Then the Lord Jesus asked
him, What he was afraid of?
11 Joseph replied, Because I
have lost my labour in the work
which I have been about these two
years.
12 Jesus said to him, Fear not,
neither be cast down;
13 Do thou lay hold on one side
of the throne, and I will the other,
and we will bring it to its just
dimensions.
14 And when Joseph had done
as the Lord Jesus said, and each
of them had with strength drawn
his side, the throne obeyed, and
was brought to the proper
dimensions of the place:
15 Which miracle when they
who stood by saw, they were
astonished, and praised God.
16 The throne was made of the
same wood which was in being
in Solomon's time, namely, wood
adorned with various shapes, and
figures.
CHAP. XVII.
1 Jesus plays with boys at hide and seek.
3 Some women put his playfellows in a furnace,
7 where they are transformed by Jesus into kids.
10 Jesus calls them to go and play, and they
are restored to their former shape.
ON another day the Lord Jesus
going out into the street,
and seeing some boys who were
met to play, joined himself to their
company.
2 But when they saw him, they
hid themselves, and left him to
seek for them;
3 The Lord Jesus came to the
gate of a certain house, and asked
some women who were standing
there, Where the boys were gone?
4 And when they answered,
That there was no one there; the
Lord Jesus said, Who are those
whom ye see in the furnace?
5 They answered, They were
kids of three years old.
6 Then Jesus cried out aloud,
and said, Come out hither, O ye
kids, to your shepherd;
7 And presently the boys came
forth like kids, and leaped about
him; which when the women saw,
they were exceedingly amazed, and
trembled,
8 Then they immediately worshipped,
the Lord Jesus, and beseeched him,
saying, O our Lord Jesus, son of
Mary, thou art truly that good
shepherd of Israel! have mercy
on thy handmaids, who stand before
thee, who do not doubt, but that
thou, O Lord, art come to save,
and not to destroy.
9 After that, when the Lord
Jesus said, the children of Israel
are like Ethiopians among the
people; the women said, Thou,
Lord, knowest all things, nor is
any thing concealed from thee:
but now we entreat thee, and
beseech of thy mercy, that thou
wouldest restore those boys to
their former state.
10 Then Jesus said, Come hither,
O boys, that we may go and
play; and immediately, in the
presence of these women, the kids
were changed, and returned into
the shape of boys.