LITMIR.BIZ

      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 Canaanite, 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 shall be my

       disciple;

      19 And this is that Simon the

       Canaanite, who is mentioned in

       the Gospel.