Jesus of Nazareth | Page 9

Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her:
"Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs."
And she answered and said unto him:
"Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs."
And he said unto her, "For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter." And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."
And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying:
"He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."
CHAPTER VIII
"THOU ART THE CHRIST"
In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them:
"I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far."
And his disciples answered him: "From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?"
And he asked them: "How many loaves have ye?"
And they said: "Seven."
And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith:
"Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you. There shall no sign be given unto this generation."
And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying:
"Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod."
And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them:
"Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not, and having ears, hear ye not, and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?"
They say unto him, "Twelve."
"And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?"
And they said, "Seven."
And he said unto them, "How is it that ye do not understand?"
And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said:
"I see men as trees, walking."
After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he