THE FIRST GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST.

FORBIDDEN BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

CHAPTER XVIII.

1 Jesus becomes the king of his playfellows,
and they crown him with flowers;
4 miraculously causes a serpent who had
bitten Simon the Cananite, then a boy,
to suck out all the poison again;
16 the serpent bursts, and Christ restores the boy to health.


IN the month Adar Jesus
gathered together the boys, and
ranked them as though he had
been a king.

2 For they spread their garments
on the ground for him to sit
on; and having made a crown of
flowers, put it upon his head, and
stood on his right and left as the
guards of a king.

3 And if any one happened to
pass by, they took him by force,
and said, Come hither, and worship
the king, that you may have a
prosperous journey.

4 In the mean time, while
these things were doing, there
came certain men, carrying a boy
upon a couch;

5 For this boy having gone with
his companions to the mountain to
gather wood, and having found
there a partridge's nest, and put
his hand in to take out the eggs,
was stung by a poisonous serpent,
which leaped out of the nest; so
that he was forced to cry out for
the help of his companions; who,
when they came, found him lying
upon the earth like a dead person.

6 After which his neighbours
came and carried him back into
the city.

7 But when they came to the
place where the Lord Jesus, was
sitting like a king, and the other
boys stood around him like his
ministers, the boys made haste to
meet him, who was bitten by the
serpent, and said to his neighbours,
Come and pay your respects to the
king;

8 But when, by reason of their
sorrow, they refused to come, the
boys drew them, and forced them
against their wills to come.

9 And when they came to the
Lord Jesus, he inquired, On what
account they carried that boy?

10 And when they answered that
a serpent had bitten him, the Lord
Jesus said to the boys, Let us go
and kill that serpent.

11 But when the parents of the
boy desired to be excused, because
their son lay at the point of death;
the boys made answer, and said,
Did not ye hear what the king
said? Let us go and kill the serpent;
and will not ye obey him?

12 So they brought the couch
back again, whether they would
or not.

13 And when they were come to
the nest, the Lord Jesus said to
the boys, Is this the serpent's
lurking place? They said, It was.

14 Then the Lord Jesus calling
the serpent, it presently came forth
and submitted to him; to whom he
said, Go and suck out all the poison
which thou hast infused into that
boy:

15 So the serpent crept to the
boy, and took away all its poison
again.

16 Then the Lord Jesus cursed
the serpent, so that it immediately
burst asunder, and died;

17 And he touched the boy with
his hand to restore him to his
former health;

18 And when he began to cry,
the Lord Jesus said, Cease crying
for hereafter thou shale be my
disciple;

19 And this is that Simon the
Canaanite, who is mentioned in
the Gospel.

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