§ 9. Jesus retires into the desert. Further testimony of John. The Devil endeavours to tempt Jesus.

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by the devil. Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him: 'Who art thou?' And he

confessed, and did not deny: and he confessed: 'I am not the Christ.' And they asked him: What then? Art thou Elias ?* And he said: 'I am not.' 'Art thou the prophet? And he answered: 'No.' They said therefore to him: Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself?' He said: 'I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the Lord," as said the prophet Isaias.' And they that were sent were of the Pharisees; and they asked him, and said to him: 'Why then dost thou baptise, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? John an

*Elias and Henoch (who was the great prophet before the Flood), having been taken up from the earth without dying a natural death, it has been a constant tradition ever since that they will return to the earth and be put to death in the exercise of their office as prophets.

swered them, saying: 'I indeed baptise you with water, but there hath stood one among you whom you know not, the same is He who shall come after me, who is preferred before me,

the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.' These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptising.

And He was in the desert forty days and forty nights, and was tempted by Satan; and He was with beasts. And He ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, He was hungry.

And the devil said to

Him: 'If Thou
be the Son of
God, say to this

stone that it be
made bread.'
And Jesus an-
swered him: 'It
is written, that

"man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word of God."

And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and he said to Him: If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself from hence. For it is written, that "He hath

given His Angels
charge over Thee,
that they keep
Thee." And that
"in their hands
they shall bear

Thee up, lest perhaps Thou dash Thy foot against a stone." And Jesus answering, said to him: It is said, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

And the devil led Him into a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time; and he said to Him: To Thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will I give them. If Thou therefore wilt adore before me, all

shall be Thine.' And Jesus answering said to him: "It is written, "Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.

And all the temptation being ended, the devil departed from Him for a time. And behold angels came and ministered to Him.

§ 10. Jesus returns to the Jordan. Fresh testimony of John. Simon Peter is brought to Jesus. The miracle of the marriage-feast of Cana.

The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and he saith: 'Behold the Lamb of God; behold Him who taketh away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said: "After me there cometh a man, who is preferred before me, because He was before me." And I knew Him not, but that He may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am I come baptising with water.'

The next day again John stood, and two of his disciples. And beholding Jesus walking, he saith: 'Behold the Lamb of God.' And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turning, and seeing them following Him, saith to them: What seek you? Who said to Him: 'Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), where dwellest Thou? He saith to them: Come and see.' They came, and saw where He abode, and they stayed with Him that day now it was about the tenth hour. And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard of John, and followed him. He findeth first his brother Simon, and saith to him: 'We have found the Messias' (which is, being interpreted, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: "Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas,' which is interpreted Peter.

And there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee: and the mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the marriage. And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to Him : 'They have no wine.' And Jesus saith to her: 'Woman, what is this to Me and to thee? My hour is not yet come.' His mother saith to

the waiters: 'Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye.' Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece. Jesus saith to them: 'Fill the waterpots with water.' And they filled them up to the brim. And Jesus saith to them: 'Draw out now, and carry to the chief steward of the feast.' And they carried it: and when the chief steward had tasted the water made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew who had drawn the water, the chief steward called the bridegroom, and saith to him: 'Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is But thou hast kept the good wine until now.' This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee; and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capharnaum, He and His mother, and His brethren, and His disciples; and they remained there not many days.

worse.

3. The first Year of the public Ministry of Jesus. He goes up to Jerusalem, and visits the Villages and Synagogues of Galilee.

§ 11. Jesus goes up to the Pasch at Jerusalem, casts the money-changers out of the Temple, and receives the visit of Nicodemus by night.

And the pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the Temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when He had made as it were a scourge of little cords, He drove them all out of the Temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers He

THE TRADERS AND MONEY-CHANGERS ARE DRIVEN OUT OF THE TEMPLE.

poured out, and the tables He overthrew. And to them that sold doves He said: 'Take these things hence, and make not the house of My Father a house of traffic.' And His disciples remembered that it was written: The zeal of Thy house hath eaten Me up.' The Jews therefore answered and said to Him: What sign dost Thou show unto us, seeing Thou dost these things?' Jesus answered, and said to them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' The Jews then said: 'Six and forty years was this Temple in building, and wilt Thou raise it up in three days? But He spoke of the temple of His

N

body. When therefore He was risen again from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the scripture, and the word that Jesus had said. Now when He was at Jerusalem, at the pasch, upon the festival day, many believed in His name, seeing the signs which He did. But Jesus did not trust Himself unto them, for

that He knew all men (John ii. 13-24).

And there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night, and said to Him: 'Rabbi, we know that Thou art come a teacher from God; for no man can do these signs which Thou dost, unless God be with him.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus saith to Him : 'How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born again?' Jesus answered: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born

NICODEMUS COMES BY NIGHT TO DISCOURSE WITH JESUS.

of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit. Wonder not, that I said to thee, you must be born again. The Spirit breatheth where he will; and thou hearest his voice, but thou knowest not whence he cometh, and whither he goeth: so is every one that is