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Books of the Old Testament

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GRM 194.4-5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«You said that God does not walk and does not move His arms. How did He create then? What is He like? A statue?»
«He is not an idol: He is God. And God is… God is… let me think and remember what my mother said, and even better than she did, that man who, in Your name goes to visit the poor people at Esdraelon… My mother used to say, to make me understand God: “God is like my love for you. It has no body, but it exists”. And that little man, but with such a gentle smile, would say: “God is an Eternal Spirit, One and Triune, and the Second Person became flesh for the sake of us, poor people, and His name is… “ Oh! My Lord! Now that I think of it… it’s You!» The child, dumbfounded, prostrates himself on the ground adoring.
They all run thinking that he has fallen, but Jesus with His finger on His lips beckons them to be silent and then says: «Stand up, Jabez. Children must not be afraid of Me!»
The boy looks up reverently and looks at Jesus with a changed expression, almost of fear.
But Jesus smiles and stretches out His hand saying: «You are a wise little Israelite.
194.5
Let us continue the examination. Now that you have recognised Me, do you know whether the Book mentions Me?»
«Oh! Yes, Lord. From the beginning to now. Everything speaks of You. You are the promised Saviour. Now I understand why You will open the gates of Limbo. Oh! Lord! Lord! And do You love me so much?»
«Yes, Jabez.»
«No, no longer Jabez. Give me a new name that means that You loved me and saved me…»
«I will choose a name together with My Mother. All right?»
«But a name that means just that. And I will have it as from the day I become a son of the Law.»
«You will have it as from that day.»
They pass Bethel and rest in a little cool valley, rich in water, to take some food. Jabez is half stunned by the revelation and eats in silence, accepting with veneration every mouthful that Jesus hands to him. But he slowly takes heart again, and after playing happily on the green grass with John while the others are resting, he goes back to Jesus together with his smiling friend John, and the three chat together.
«You did not tell Me who speaks of Me in the Book.»
«The Prophets, Lord. And even before, the Book speaks of You when Adam was expelled, and… then to Jacob, Abraham and Moses… Oh!… My father told me that he went to John — not this one other John, the one of the Jordan — and he, the great Prophet, called You the Lamb… Oh! Now I understand the lamb of Moses… You are Passover!»
John teases him: «But which Prophet spoke best of Him?»
«Isaiah and Daniel. But I…I like Daniel more, now that I love You as my father. Can I say that? That I love You as I loved my father? Yes? Well, now I prefer Daniel.»
«Why? Who speaks most of the Christ is Isaiah.»
«Yes, but he speaks of the sorrows of the Christ. Daniel instead speaks of the beautiful angel and of Your coming. It is true… he also says that Christ will be sacrificed. But I think that the Lamb will be sacrificed with one single blow. Not as Isaiah and David say. I always wept when my mother read them and she did not read them anymore.» He is almost weeping even now while caressing Jesus’ hand.
«Forget about it for the time being. Listen. Do you know the precepts?»
«Yes, my Lord. I think I know them. I used to repeat them when I was in the wood, so that I would not forget them, also because I wanted to hear the words of my mother and my father. But now I will not weep anymore (tears, however, are shining in his eyes) because I have You.»
John smiles and embraces Jesus saying: «The same words as mine! All those who are children in their hearts speak the same language.»
«Yes. Because their words come from one wisdom only.»

Detail

Jesus talks to a child he has taken in. He has to pass his majority exam at the Temple, so Christ questions the boy.

Keywords

GRM 195.2-3 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Jesus is God.»
«I know, and I believe it. More than you do. Because I have revived through His work, you have not. No matter how good He is, He is still God, and I, a poor wretch dare not treat Him with familiarity as you do. My soul speaks to Him… my lips dare not. My soul does, and I think that He perceives it weeping out of gratitude and repentant love.»
195.2 «That is true, John. I do perceive your soul.» Jesus comes into the conversation of the two. Judas blushes with shame, the man of Endor with joy. «I perceive your soul, that is true. And I perceive also the work of your mind. What you said is correct. When you have been formed in Me, your experience as a teacher and a diligent pupil will be of great help to you. Speak, do speak, also to yourself.»
«Once, Master, not long ago, you told me that it is wrong to speak to one’s ego» remarks Judas insolently.
«That is true, I did. But that was because you were grumbling with your ego. This man is not grumbling, he is meditating, and for a good purpose. He is not doing anything wrong.»
«In brief, I am wrong!» Judas is aggressive.
«No, your heart is impatient. But the weather cannot be always good. Farmers want rain. It is charity to pray that it may rain. And this is also charity. But look, there is a beautiful rainbow forming an arch from Ataroth to Ramah. We are already beyond Ataroth, we have passed the large sad valley, and here the country is cultivated and pleasant under the sun, which is breaking through the clouds. When we are in Ramah we shall be thirty-six stadia from Jerusalem. We shall see the Holy City again after that hill, which is the place of the horrid lewd crime committed by the men of Gibeah. What a terrible thing is the concupiscence of the flesh, Judas…»
Judas does not reply, instead he delays splashing angrily in the puddles.

Detail

Judas speaks to John of Endor.

Annotation

- That's right, I said it. In EMV 183.1.

Gibeah or Guibeah: In the days of the judges, an old man invited a Levite from Ephraim and his concubine to lodge with him for the night. Shortly afterwards, men from Gibeah, scoundrels, surrounded the house, demanding that the Levite be handed over to them so they could have relations with him. The old man offered them his daughter, but they refused. The Levite gave them his concubine. They abused her all night, so much so that she died in the morning. Pieces of her body were sent to the tribes of Israel as a token of infamy (Judges 19:15-30). As the tribe of Benjamin sided with the guilty men of Gibeah, the other tribes went to war with them. Twice, they suffered heavy losses before finally defeating the Benjaminites and delivering Gibeah to the fire (Judges 20).

Judges 19, 10-30

Jg 19, 10-30 : The husband did not consent to spend the night; he got up and left. He came as far as Jebus, which is Jerusalem, with the two pack donkeys and his concubine. By the time they were near Jebus, it was very dark. So the servant said to his master, "Come, please, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites, and spend the night there." His master replied, "We will not turn aside to a foreign city, where there are no children of Israel; we will go as far as Gibeah." again he said to his servant, "Come, let us try to reach one of these places to spend the night, either Gibeah or Ramah." They walked on, and the sun set when they were near Gabaa, which belongs to Benjamin. They turned this way, to spend the night at Gabaa.

When the Levite entered, he stopped in the town square, and there was no one to receive them into his house to spend the night. 16But, behold, an old man returned in the evening from working in the field; he was a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, who sojourned in Gibeah, and the people of the place were Benjamites. When he looked up, he saw the traveler in the town square, and the old man said, "Where are you going and from where have you come?" He replied, "We are going from Bethlehem of Judah to the end of the mountain of Ephraim, where I come from. I had been to Bethlehem of Judah, and now I am going to Yahweh's house, and there is no one to receive me in his house. However, we have straw and fodder for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, for your maid and for the young man who is with your servants; we lack nothing." The old man said, "Peace be with you! Only I will provide for all your needs; but don't spend the night in the square." He let him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys; the travelers washed their feet, then ate and drank.

While they were gladdening their hearts, behold, men from the city, perverse people, surrounded the house and, knocking loudly at the door, they said to the old man, master of the house, "Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may know him." The master of the house went out to them and said, "No, my brothers, please don't do evil; since this man has entered my house, don't commit this infamy. Here is my daughter, who is a virgin, and her concubine; I will bring them out to you, and you shall do violence to them and treat them as you please; but do not commit such an infamous deed upon this man." The men would not listen. So the man took his concubine and brought her outside. They got to know her and abused her all night until morning, then sent her away at dawn.

Towards morning, the woman fell at the door of her husband's house, and stayed there until daylight. Her husband got up in the morning and, having opened the door of the house, went out to continue his journey. And behold, the woman, his concubine, was lying at the entrance of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, "Get up and let's get out of here." But no one answered. So the husband put her on his donkey and set off for his home.

When he got home, he took a knife and, seizing his concubine, cut her limb from limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel. All who saw this said, "Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen since the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day; ponder it, consult and pronounce."

Keywords

GRM 195.3-4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

Peter’s attention is completely diverted by the apparition of the Holy City, which is now near and is visible in all the beauty of hills, olive-groves, houses, and above all of the Temple, a sight which must always have been a source of emotion and pride for Israelites. The warm April sun of Judaea has soon dried up the slabstones of the consular road. Puddles of water have disappeared completely. The apostles are tidying themselves on the side of the road, they let down the tunics which they had pulled up, they wash their muddy feet in a clear stream, they tidy their hair and drape their mantles. Also Jesus does that. I see them all doing it.
195.4
The entrance into Jerusalem must have been an important matter. To present oneself at the walls on these feast-days was like presenting oneself to a sovereign. The Holy City was the «real» queen of Israelites. I realise that this year, because I can notice the crowds and their behaviour on the consular road. The processions of the various families form here, the women in one group, the men in another, the children in either, but all very serious and serene at the same time. Some fold up their old mantles and pull out a new one from their travelling bags, or change sandals. Their gait then becomes solemn, it is already hieratic. In each group there is a soloist who gives the tone, and the hymns, the glorious old hymns of David, are intoned. And people look at one another more lovingly, as if they had been pacified by the sight of the House of the Lord and they look at the Holy House, a huge cube of marble surmounted by golden domes, placed like a pearl in the centre of the imposing enclosure of the Temple.
The apostolic procession is formed as follows: Jesus and Peter in front, with the boy between them; behind them Simon, the Iscariot and John; then Andrew, who has forced John of Endor to stay between him and James of Zebedee; in the fourth row the two cousins of the Lord and Matthew; last Thomas, Philip and Bartholomew. It is Jesus Who intones in His beautiful powerful voice of a light baritone, a mellow voice with refined tenor vibrations, and Judas Iscariot, a pure tenor, answers together with John, with his limpid voice typical of young people, the two baritone voices of Jesus’ cousins and the almost bass voice of Thomas, whose baritone voice is so deep that it can hardly be classifed as such. The others, who are not gifted with such beautiful voices, follow the chorus of the virtuosi singing in low voices. (The psalms are the known ones, called gradual psalms[3]). Little Jabez, the voice of an angel among the strong voices of men, sings very well, probably because he knows Psalm 121 better than the others: «How I rejoiced when they said to me: “We shall go to the house of the Lord”.» His little face, which only a few days ago was so sad, is now bright with joy.
The walls are now close at hand. Here is the Gate of the Fish. And the overcrowded streets.
They go straight to the Temple to say the first prayer. And then peace in the peace of Gethsemane, then supper and rest.
The journey towards Jerusalem is over.

Detail

Peter is distracted by the appearance of the Holy City.

Annotation

The psalms are the well-known psalms, known as graduals. These are Ps 120 to 134, also known as "canticles of ascent", according to the new numbering. Ps 121, quoted below, has become Ps 122.

Additional note from maria-valtorta.org:

THE 15 GRADUALS: are Psalms 119 (Hebrew 120) to 133 (Hebrew 134), also known as CANTIQUES DES MONTÉES. They were sung on the three pilgrimage feasts by pilgrims or priests on the fifteen steps leading up to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Little Yabeç, with his angelic voice amidst the robust voices of men, sings Psalm 121 very well - because he perhaps knows it better than the others: "I rejoiced because it was said to me, 'We will go to the house of the Lord. " Psalm 121 (Hebrew 122): 'How glad I was when it was said to me, "We will go to the house of the Lord!" ...

This is the Pisces Gate. North of Jerusalem, right next to the Temple.

Keywords

GRM 196.4-6 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

My Mother had dedicated Herself to virginity for love. But, since She was a perfect creature, maternity was in Her blood and spirit. Because woman is created to be a mother and it is an aberration, if she is deaf to such sentiment, which is love of second power…»
Also the others have come near slowly.
«What do You mean, Master, by love of second power?» asks Judas Thaddeus.
«My brother, there are many loves and various powers. There is the love of first power: the one given to God. Then there is the love of second power: the love of a mother or of a father, because if the previous one is entirely spiritual, this one is spiritual by two parts and carnal by one. It is true that human affection is mixed in it, but the superior sentiment prevails, because a father and mother, who are such in a wholesome and holy way, do not only feed and caress the body of their child, but they also give nourishment and love to the mind and the spirit of their creature. And what I am saying is so true, that those who devote themselves to children, even if only to educate them, end up by loving their pupils as if they were of their own flesh.»
«In fact I was very fond of my pupils» says John of Endor.
«I understood that you must have been a good teacher by the way you deal with Jabez.»
The man of Endor bows and kisses Jesus’ hand without speaking.
«Please go on with Your classification of loves» begs the Zealot.
«There is the love for one’s wife: love of third power because it is made – I am always talking of wholesome and holy love – half of spirit and half of flesh. A man, besides being the husband of his wife, is a teacher and a father to her; and a woman is an angel and a mother to her husband, besides being his wife. These are the three highest loves.»
196.5
«And the love for our neighbour? Are You not wrong? Or have You forgotten it?» asks the Iscariot. The others look at him dumbfounded and… furious because of his remarks.
But Jesus replies placidly: «No, Judas. Watch. God is to be loved because He is God, so no explanation is required to convince one to have such love. He is He Who is, that is Everything; and man: Nothing, who participates of Everything, because of the soul infused in him by Eternal God — without which soul man would be one of the many animals that live on the earth, or in water or in the air — he must adore Him out of a sense of duty and to deserve to survive in Everything, that is to deserve to be part of the holy People of God in Heaven, a citizen of the Jerusalem that will know neither profanation nor destruction forever.
The love of man, and particularly of woman, for their offspring, is indicated as an order in the words of God to Adam and Eve, after He had blessed them, seeing that He had made a “good thing”, on a remote sixth day, the first sixth day of creation. God said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” I can see your tacit objection, and this is My reply to you: Since before sin everything in creation was regulated by and based on love, that multiplication of children would have been a holy, pure, powerful, perfect love. And God gave it as His first commandment to man: “Be fruitful and multiply”. Therefore, love your children after Me. Love, as it is now, the present procreator of children, did not exist then. There was no malice nor the detestable thirst for sensuality. Man loved woman and woman loved man, naturally, not naturally according to nature as we understand it, or rather, as you men understand it, but according to the nature of children of God: supernaturally. Sweet were the days of love of the Two who were brothers, because born of one Father, and yet were husband and wife, who loved and looked at each other with the innocent eyes of twins in a cradle; and man felt the love of a father for his wife “bone from his bones and flesh from his flesh”, what a son is for his father; and the woman experienced the joy of being a daughter, protected by a very high love, because she felt that she had in herself something of the wonderful man who loved her, with innocence and angelical ardour, in the beautiful meadows in Eden!
Later, in the sequence of commands that God, smiling, gave to His beloved children, there comes what Adam himself, gifted by Grace with an intelligence inferior only to God’s, decreed speaking of his wife and of every woman through Eve, a decree of the thought of God, which was clearly reflected by the spotless mirror of Adam’s spirit, a flower in thought and in word: “Man will leave his father and his mother and will join himself to his wife and they will become one body”.
If there had not been the three pillars of the three above mentioned loves, could there have been love for one’s neighbour? No. It could not have existed. The love of God makes God a friend and teaches love. He who does not love God, Who is good, cannot certainly love his neighbour who in most cases is faulty. If there had been no conjugal love and paternity in the world, there could have been no neighbours, because a neighbour is the son of man. Are you convinced?»
«Yes, Master. I had not thought of that.»
«It is difficult indeed to go back to the sources. Man has been stuck in mud for thousands of years, and those sources are so high up on the summits! The first one, above all, is a source that comes immense from an immense height: God… But I will take you by the hand and lead you to the sources. I know where they are…»
196.6
«And the other loves?» ask together Simon Zealot and the man from Endor.
«The first one of the second series is the love for our neighbour. In actual fact it is the fourth in power. Then comes the love for science. Finally the love for work.»
«Is that all?»
«That is all.»
«But there are many more loves!» exclaims Judas of Kerioth.
«There are other hungers. But it is not love. They are the negation of love. They deny God, they deny man. It cannot be love because it is negation and Negation is Hatred.»

Detail

The different powers of love.

Annotation

He is He who is, i.e. the All; and man is the nothing who becomes a part of the All thanks to the soul infused into him by the Eternal. "Part" has been corrected (according to the explanation given in EMV 167.9) to "participant" on a typed copy; it adds at the bottom of the page: "If the soul knows how to remain in a state of grace, thus deified, not by identity of substance, but by elevation to the supernatural order. "

EMV 167 note: "Parcel of God" seems to have been changed to parcel born of God by an unclear correction by Maria Valtorta on a typed copy, on which she added the following note: "The word parcel should not be given the meaning of "part of God" infused into us, but of "throne-place", "seat" infused or "spirited" (by the "breath of life" spoken of in Genesis 2:7) by God, hence thing of God come from God in man. St. Thomas Aquinas calls it "a capacity of God" that God fills with himself, so that we may all participate in his divine life."

This explanation by Maria Valtorta (and the text ofEMV 10.9) should be borne in mind whenever the work speaks of the soul as a "part" or "particle" of God.

Link it to the notes in EMV 4.6, EMV 54.5, EMV 165.4, EMV 170.4, EMV 365.16, EMV 444.4, EMV 463.4, EMV 524.7, EMV 537.11.

"Grow and multiply, and fill the earth... "According to Genesis 1:28.

Man loved woman and woman loved man, naturally, not naturally according to nature as we understand it, or rather as you men understand it, but according to the nature of God's children: supernaturally. "Supernaturally": Maria Valtorta notes on a typed copy: without the disorder of malice uniting or even "substituting itself" for God's ordered laws, inherent in the multiplication and population of the earth. She adds in the margin: As long as man remained in this order, the venom of the triple concupiscence that made him delusional, then rebellious, finally fallen, was not born in him.

Man felt the love of a father for his companion "bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh", as a child does for a father. According to Genesis 2:23.

"A man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. "According to Genesis 2, 24.

Book of Genesis 1, 28

Gn 1, 28 : And God blessed them, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Book of Genesis 2, 23-24

Gn 2, 23-24 : And the man said: "This one is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh! This one shall be called woman, because she was taken from man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Keywords

GRM 197.5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Come, Jabez. This is the most solemn hour of the day. There is another one in the morning. It is right that man should bless the Lord to be blessed during the day, in all his deeds. But in the evening it is more solemn. Light fades, work ends, night falls. The fading light reminds us of the fall into sin and in fact sinful deeds are generally accomplished during the night. Why? Because man, no longer engrossed in his work, can be more easily entrapped by the Evil One who avails himself of his allurements and nightmares. It is therefore right, after thanking God for protecting us during the day, that we should implore Him to deliver us from night phantasms and temptations. Night, sleep… the symbols of death. Blessed be those who after living with the blessing of the Lord go to sleep in a bright dawn and not in darkness. The priest who offers incense does so on behalf of us all. He prays for all the people, in communion with God, and God entrusts him with the blessing for the whole people of His children. See how great the ministry of a priest is?»
«I would like… I would feel as if I were closer to my mummy…»
«If you are always a good disciple and a good son to Peter, you will become one. Come now. The trumpets are announcing that the time has come. Let us go and praise Yahweh with veneration.»

Detail

In the Temple, it's incense time, and Jesus gives Yabeç a special lesson.

Annotation

Jesus speaks of the incense burnt in the Temple in the morning and evening, as prescribed in Ex 30:7-8. Marziam himself evokes this lesson in EMV 291.

Book of Exodus 30, 7-8

Ex 30, 7-8 : Every morning, when Aaron comes to tend the lamps, he shall burn incense on them. And at sunset, when he lights the lamps, he will burn incense again. From generation to generation, incense will go up perpetually before the Lord.

Keywords

GRM 200.7 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

After some time the apostles come upstairs in a group with the boy and John of Endor. The women follow them with dishes and lamps. The last to come are Lazarus and Simon. As soon as they enter the room, they exclaim: «Ah! it was coming from here!!!» and they smell the air saturated with the scent of roses, although the doors are wide open.
«But who scented this room thus? Perhaps Martha?» many of them ask.
«My sister has not left the house, today, after our meal» replies Lazarus.
«Who then? An Assyrian Satrap?» asks Peter facetiously.
«The love of a redeemed woman» Jesus says gravely.
«She might have spared this useless exhibition of redemption and given the poor what she spent. There are so many of them, and they know that we always give. I have not even a small coin left» says the Iscariot angrily. «And we have to buy a lamb, rent a room for the Supper and…»
«But I offered you everything…» says Lazarus.
«That is not fair. The rite loses its beauty. The Law says: “You shall take a lamb for you and your household”. It does not say: “You shall accept a lamb”.»
Bartholomew turns around all of a sudden, he opens his mouth, but closes it at once. Peter turns crimson in the effort to keep quiet. But the Zealot, who is in his own house, feels he can speak and says: «Those are rabbinical quibbles… May I ask you to forget about them and have, instead, respect for my friend Lazarus.»
«Well done, Simon.» Peter will burst if he does not speak. «Very good! I also think that we are forgetting too much that only the Master is entitled to teach…» Peter has to make an heroic effort to say: «we are forgetting» instead of saying: «Judas is forgetting.»
«It is true… but… I am nervous… I am sorry, Master.»
«Yes. And I also will reply to you. Gratitude is a great virtue. I am grateful to Lazarus. As that redeemed woman was grateful to Me. I pour on Lazarus the perfume of My blessing, also on behalf of those, among My apostles, who are not capable of doing so, I, the head of you all. The woman poured at My feet the perfume of her joy for being saved. She acknowledged the King, she came to the King, before many others upon whom the King bestowed much more love than upon her. Let her do as she wishes without criticising her. She will not be able to be present at My acclamation, or at My unction. Her cross is already upon her shoulders. Peter, you asked whether an Assyrian Satrap had come here. I solemnly tell you that not even the incense of the Magi, so pure and precious, was sweeter or more precious than this. Its essence was mixed with tears and that is why it is so intense: humbleness supports love and makes it perfect. Let us sit down to our meal, My friends…»
And with the offering of the food, the vision ends.

Detail

Aglaia presented herself to Jesus and spread perfume around the room as a sign of her conversion. When the apostles went upstairs, she had already left.

Annotation

Book of Exodus 12, 3

Ex 12, 3: Speak to all the congregation of Israel, and say: On the tenth day of this month, let every man take a lamb for every family, a lamb for every house

Keywords

GRM 201.4 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

They enter the hall which Jesus also entered once. A young man, who is writing in a corner, springs to his feet on seeing Joseph and he bows so profoundly as almost to touch the floor.
«God be with you, Zacharias. Please call Asrael and Jacob at once.»
The young man goes out and comes back almost at once with two men who are rabbis, or members of the synagogue, or scribes, I do not know. Two sullen personages whose haughtiness subsides only in Joseph’s presence. Eight other less imposing men follow them. They sit down leaving the postulants, Joseph of Arimathea included, standing.
«What do you want, Joseph?» asks the senior examiner.
«I wish to present to your wisdom this son of Abraham who has reached the age prescribed to come under the Law and comply with it by himself.»
«Is he a relative of yours?» and they look at one another amazed.
«We are all relatives in God. But the boy is an orphan, and this man, whose honesty I guarantee, has adopted him as he does not wish to be without descendants.»
«Who is the man? Let him reply himself.»
«Simon of Jonas, from Bethsaida in Galilee, married with no children, a fisherman for the world, a son of the Law for the Most High.»
«And you, a Galilean, are taking this paternity upon yourself? Why?»
«It is written in the Law that we must take care of orphans and widows. That is what I am doing.»
«Can he possibly know the Law so well as to deserve to… But, boy, tell me. Who are you?»
«Jabez Marjiam of John, from the country near Emmaus, I was born twelve years ago.»
«So you are a Judaean. Is it lawful for a Galilean to take care of him? Let us look up the laws.»
«But what am I? A leper or am I cursed?» Peter begins to boil with anger.
«Be quiet, Simon, I will speak for him. I told you that I am standing surety for this man. I know him as if he were of my own household. Joseph the Elder would never propose anything against the Law or the laws. Please examine this child with justice and dispatch. The yard is full of children waiting to be examined. Please make haste, for everybody’s sake.»
«But who can prove that the child is twelve years old and was redeemed from the Temple?»
«You can prove it looking up the documents. It is a piece of boring research, but can be done. Boy, did you tell me that you were the first-born?»
«Yes, sir. You will be able to see that, because I was consecrated to the Lord and redeemed with the prescribed offerings.»
«Let us look for these details then…» says Joseph.
«It is not necessary» reply coldly the two captious examiners.

Detail

Marziam passes her majority exam.

Annotation

The duty to love and help widows and orphans is recalled several times in Maria Valtorta's work, for example in EMV 229.3 and EMV 557.6.

The Exodus prescription is quoted verbatim in EMV 335.14.

Book of Exodus 22, 21-23

Ex 22, 21-23 : You shall not afflict the widow or the orphan. If you afflict them, they will cry out to me, and I will hear their cry; my anger will be kindled, and I will destroy you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.

Book of Deuteronomy 14, 28-29

Deut 14:28-29: At the end of every third year, you shall set apart all the tithe of your produce of that year, and lay it up within your gates. Then shall come the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance with you, and the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, who shall be within your gates, and they shall eat and be satisfied, that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the works that you undertake with your hands.

Book of Deuteronomy 16, 11

Dt 16, 11 : You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God, in the place which Yahweh your God has chosen to make his name dwell there, you, your son and your daughter, your man-servant and your maid-servant, the Levite within your gates, and the stranger, the orphan and the widow among you.

Deuteronomy 26, 12-13

Deut 26:12-13: When you have finished tithing all the tithe of your produce ▼ in the third year, the tithe year, and give it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, to eat within your gates and be satisfied, you shall say before Yahweh your God: "I have taken away from my house that which is holy, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, according to all your precepts which you gave me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of your precepts.

Book of Deuteronomy 27, 19

Dt 27, 19 : Cursed be he who violates the rights of the stranger, the orphan and the widow! - And all the people will say: Amen!

Book of Isaiah, 1, 17

Is 1, 17 : Learnto do right; seek justice, set right the oppressor, vindicate the orphan, defend the widow.

Keywords

GRM 201.5 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Come here, child. Say the Decalogue» and the boy replies without any hesitation. «Give me that roll, Jacob. Read, if you can.»
«Where, rabbi?»
«Wherever you wish. What comes first under your eyes» says Asrael.
«No. Here. Give it to me» says Jacob. He then unfolds the roll and says: «Here.»
« “He then said to them secretly: ‘Bless the Lord of Heaven, utter His praise before all the living, because He has been merciful with you. It is right to keep the secret of a king, but it is also right to reveal… ‘ “.»
«That is enough, quite enough!»

Annotation

- "Then he said to them secretly: 'Bless the God of Heaven and praise him in the presence of all the living, for he has shown mercy to you. Surely it is good to keep the king's secret hidden, but it is honorable to reveal...'" " Cf. Tobit 12, 6-7.

Book of Tobit 12, 6-7

Tb 12, 6-7 : Then the angel, alone with them, said: "Bless the God of heaven and give him glory before every living being, for he has shown you mercy. It is good to keep the king's secret hidden, but it is honorable to reveal and publish the works of God.

Keywords

Bible - Book of Tobit

GRM 205.3-7 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

«Listen. It is a beautiful parable that will guide you with its light in many cases.
A man had two sons. The elder was a serious, affectionate, obedient worker. The younger was more intelligent than his brother who was actually somewhat dull and preferred to be guided rather than tire himself making decisions by himself, but he was also rebellious, absent-minded, fond of luxury, pleasure loving, a squanderer and idle. Intelligence is a great gift of God. But it is a gift to be used wisely. Otherwise it is like certain medicines that, when taken in the wrong way, kill instead of curing. His father, as it was his right and duty, used to recall him to a more sensible life. But it was all in vain, the only result was that he answered back and became more obstinate in his wicked ideas.
Finally one day, after a fierce quarrel, the younger son said: “Give me my part of the estate. So I will no longer hear your reproaches and my brother’s complaints. Let each have his own and no more about it”. “Be careful” replied the father, “because you will soon be ruined. What will you do then? Consider that I will not be unfair to favour you and I will not take a farthing off your brother to give it to you”. “I will not ask you for anything. You may be sure. Give me my part”.
The father had the estate and valuables assessed, and since money and jewels were worth as much as the real estate, he gave the elder brother the fields and vineyards, the herds and olive-trees, and the younger one the money and jewels, which the young man changed immediately into money. And after doing that in a few days, he went to a distant country where he lived like a lord, squandering all his money on a life of debauchery, making people believe that he was the son of a king, because he was ashamed to admit that he was a countryman and thus he disowned his father. Banquets, friends, women, robes, wines, games… he led a loose life. He soon saw that his money was coming to an end and that poverty was in sight. And to make matters worse, the country experienced a severe famine, which compelled him to spend his last penny.
205.4
He would have liked to go back to his father. But he was proud and decided not to. So he went to a wealthy man of the country, a friend of his in his happy days, and he begged him saying: “Take me among your servants, remembering the days when you enjoyed my wealth”. See how foolish man is! He prefers the lash of a master rather than say to his father: “Forgive me. I made a mistake!”. The young man had learned many useless things with his bright intelligence, but he did not want to learn the saying of Ecclesiasticus: “How ill-famed is he who deserts his father and how accursed of the Lord is whoever angers his mother”. He was intelligent, but not wise.
The man that he turned to, in exchange for the grand time he had enjoyed with the foolish young man, sent him to look after his pigs, because it was a pagan country and there were many pigs. So he was sent to pasture the herds of pigs in the farm. Filthy, in rags, stinking and starving — food in fact was scarce for all the servants and particularly for the lowest ones and he, a foreign ridiculed herdsman of pigs was considered such — he saw the pigs glut themselves with acorns and sighed: “I wish I could fill my stomach with this fruit! But they are too bitter! Not even starvation can make them palatable”. And he wept remembering the sumptuous banquets when he acted the “grand seigneur” only a short while before, laughing, singing, dancing… and then he would think of the honest substantial meals at his far away home, of the portions his father used to make impartially for everybody, keeping for himself the smallest one, happy to see the healthy appetite of his and he remembered the helpings his just father gave the servants and he sighed: “My father’s servants, even the lowest, have plenty of bread… and I am dying here of starvation…”. A long meditation, a long struggle to subdue his pride…
205.5
At last the day came when his humility and wisdom revived and he got up and said: “I will go back to my father! This pride of mine is silly, as it deprives me of my freedom. And why? Why should I suffer in my body and even more in my heart when I can be forgiven and receive comfort? I will go back to my father. That is settled. And what shall I say to him? What has matured in my heart here, in this abjection, in this filth, suffering the pangs of hunger! I will say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy of being called your son; treat me therefore as the least of your servants, but bear me to stay under your roof. That I may see you moving about… I cannot say to him: ‘… because I love you’. He would not believe me. But my behaviour will tell him and he will understand and before dying he will bless me once again… Oh! I hope so. Because my father loves me”. And when he went back to town in the evening he gave up his job and begging along the way he went back home. And he saw his father’s fields… and the house… and his father supervising the work… he was old, emaciated by grief but always kind and good… The guilty son seeing that ruin caused by him stopped frightened… but the father, looking around, saw him and ran to meet him, because he was still far away. And when he reached him, he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. Only the father had recognised his son in the dejected beggar and he was the only one to be moved with love.
The son, clasped in his father’s arms, with his head resting on his father’s shoulder, whispered sobbing: “Father, let me throw myself at your feet”. “No, son! Not at my feet. Rest on my heart, which has suffered so much because of your absence, and now needs to revive feeling your warmth on my chest”. And the son, crying louder, said: “Oh! father! I have sinned against Heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called son by you. But allow me to live among your servants, under your roof, seeing you, eating your bread, serving you, and you will be the breath of my life. Every time I take a morsel of bread, every time you breathe, my heart, which is so corrupt, will change and I will become honest…”
But the father, embracing him all the time, led him towards the servants, who had gathered together watching in the distance and he said to them: “Quick, bring the best robe, and basins of scented water here, and wash him, spray him with scents, clothe him, put new sandals on his feet and a ring on his finger. Bring a fattened calf and kill it. And prepare a banquet. Because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life, he was lost and has been found. Now I want him to find the innocent love of a child once again, and my love and the celebration of the household for his return, must give it to him. He must realise that he is always my dear last-born child, as he was in his childhood a long time ago, when he used to toddle beside me making me happy with his smile and his prattling”. And the servants did so.
205.6
The elder son was out in the country and he did not know anything until his return. Coming towards the house in the evening, he saw that it was brightly lighted and he heard the sound of instruments and dancing coming from it. He called a servant who was bustling about and asked him: “What is happening?”. And the servant replied: “Your brother has come back! Your father had the fattened calf killed because his son has come back to him safe and cured of his wickedness and he ordered a celebration. They are only waiting for you to start”. But the first-born was angry because he thought that such a feast for his younger brother was unfair, as he was not only younger, but had also been wicked. And he did not want to go in, on the contrary he was about to walk away from the house.
But the father, informed of the situation, ran out and reached him and endeavoured to convince him, begging him not to spoil his joy. The elder brother replied to his father: “And you expect me not to be upset? You are unfair to your first-born and you hold him in contempt. I have served you since I was able to work, and I have done that for many years. I have never disobeyed an order of yours, not even a simple desire. I have always been near you, and I have loved you for two, to make you recover from the wound inflicted on you by my brother. And you have not even given me a lamb to have a feast with my friends. You are now honouring my brother and you have killed the best calf for him, who offended and abandoned you, and has been a lazy spendthrift and has now come back because he was driven by starvation. It is really worth while being a hard honest worker! You should not have done that to me”.
The father then, clasping him to his heart, said: “Son! Can you believe that I do not love you, because I do not celebrate your behaviour? Your deeds are holy by themselves, and the world praises you because of them. Your brother, instead, needs to be rehabilitated both in the eyes of the world and in his own. And do you think that I do not love you because I give you no visible prize? But day and night, in every moment of my life, you are present to my heart, and I bless you every moment. You have the continuous reward of being always with me, and what is mine is yours. But it was fair to have a feast, a celebration for your brother who was dead and has come back to good life, who was lost and has come back to our love”. And the first-born yielded to his father’s desire.
205.7
And that, My friends, is what happens in the House of the Father. And whoever feels that he is like the younger son of the parable must believe that if he imitates him in going to the Father, the Father will say to him: “Not at My feet. But rest on My heart, which has suffered because of your absence and is now happy because you have come back”. He who is in the situation of the first-born and without any fault against the Father, must not be jealous of the Father’s joy, but must take part in it and love the redeemed brother.»

Annotation

Book of Sirach 3, 16

Si 3, 16 : He is like a blasphemer who forsakes his father; he is cursed by the Lord who angers his mother.

Gospel of Luke 15, 11-32

Lk 15, 11-32 : Jesus said: "A man had two sons. The younger said to his father, "Father, give me my share of fortune." And the father divided his property between them. A few days later, the younger son gathered up everything he had and left for a distant country, where he squandered his fortune by living a life of disorder. He had spent it all, when a great famine occurred in that country, and he began to find himself in need. He went to work for a local, who sent him to his fields to tend the pigs. He would have liked to fill his belly with the pods eaten by the pigs, but no one would give him anything.

So he turned inward and said to himself: "How many of my father's workers have plenty of bread, and I'm starving here! I'll get up, go to my father and tell him: Father, I've sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your workers." He got up and went to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was seized with compassion; he ran to throw himself around his neck and covered him with kisses. The son said to him: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Quickly, bring the finest garment to clothe him in, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet, fetch the fatted calf, kill it, let's eat and feast, for my son here was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found." And they began to feast.

Now the eldest son was out in the fields. When he returned and was near the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling one of the servants, he asked what was going on. The servant replied, "Your brother has arrived, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has found your brother in good health." Then the eldest son became angry, and refused to enter. His father went out to beg him. But he replied to his father: "I've been in your service for so many years without ever transgressing your orders, and you've never given me a kid to feast on with my friends. But, when your son here returned after devouring your property with harlots, you had the fatted calf killed for him!" The father replied, "You, my child, are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. You should have feasted and rejoiced; for your brother here was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found!""

Keywords

GRM 206.2-6 · Volume 3

The Gospel as revealed to me

Quotation

The Kingdom of Heaven is the house of the nuptials of God with souls. The moment a soul enters it, is the day of the nuptials.
Now listen. It is a custom with us that virgins escort the bridegroom when he arrives, to take him with lights and songs to the nuptial house together with his sweet bride. When the procession leaves the house of the bride, who wearing a veil and deeply moved turns her steps to the place where she will be queen, that is, to a house which is not hers, but will become hers the moment she becomes one body with her husband, the procession of the virgins, who are generally friends of the bride, runs to meet the happy couple, forming a circle of lights around them.
Now it happened that in a town there was a wedding. While the bride and bridegroom were making merry with relatives and friends in the house of the bride, ten virgins went to their place, that is, to the hall in the groom’s house, to be ready to go out and meet him when the sound of cymbals and songs warned them that the young couple had left the bride’s house to come to the groom’s. But the feast in the house of the nuptials extended and night fell. As you know, the virgins always keep their lamps lit, so that they do not waste time at the right moment. Now, of these ten virgins, five were wise and five were foolish, and all their lamps were lit and shining. The wise ones, full of wisdom, had provided themselves with small flasks full of oil, to fill up their lamps in the event they should have to wait longer than expected, whereas the foolish ones had only filled their little lamps.
One hour went by after the other. Cheerful conversation, tales and jokes made their waiting pleasant. But later they did not know what to say or what to do, and weary and tired, the ten girls sat down more comfortably and slowly fell asleep with their lamps lit and close to them.
206.3
At midnight a cry was heard: “The bridegroom is coming, go and meet him!”. The ten girls got up on hearing the order, took their veils and garlands, adorned themselves and ran to the shelf where the lamps were. The light of five of them was already fading… The wicks, no longer sustained with oil, which was finished, were smoky, their light was becoming fainter and fainter and they would go out at the least whiff of air, whereas the flames of the other five lamps, which had been refilled by the wise virgins before they fell asleep, were still bright and became even brighter when more oil was added to the lamps.
“Oh” begged the foolish girls “give us some of your oil, otherwise our lamps will go out as soon as we move them. Yours are already so beautiful!…” . But the wise virgins replied: “The wind is blowing in the night outside and heavy drops of dew are falling. There is never enough oil to give a flame strong enough to withstand the wind and dampness. If we give you some, also our lights will begin to fade away. And the procession of the virgins would be really a sad one without the flickering flames of lamps! Go, run to the nearest vendor, beg, knock, make him get up to give you some oil”. And the foolish girls, panting, creasing their veils, staining their dresses, losing their garlands while pushing one another and running, followed the advice of their companions.
But while they were on their way to buy some oil, the bride and the bridegroom appeared at the end of the street. The five virgins, with their lamps lit, ran to meet them and the young couple entered the house in the midst of them for the final ceremony, when the virgins at the end would escort the bride to the nuptial room. The door was closed behind them and those who were outside were left out. And that was the case of the five foolish bridesmaids, who at last arrived with the oil, but found the door closed and in vain they knocked, hurting their hands and moaning: “Lord, lord, open the door for us! We were in the wedding procession. We are the propitiatory virgins chosen to bring honour and good luck to your wedding”. But the bridegroom, leaving for a moment the closest guests whose leave he was taking while the bride was entering the nuptial room, from the upper part of the house said to them: “I tell you that I do not know you. I do not know who you are. I did not see you rejoicing around my beloved bride. You are usurpers. You are therefore left out of the nuptial house”. And the five foolish girls, weeping, went away along the dark streets, with their useless lamps, their creased dresses and torn veils, while their garlands were practically destroyed or lost.
206.4
And now listen to the meaning of the parable. I told you at the beginning that the Kingdom of Heaven is the house of the nuptials of God with souls. All the faithful are called to the celestial wedding because God loves all His children. Sooner or later everybody arrives at the moment of the nuptials and it is a great fortune to arrive.
But listen further. You know how girls consider it an honour and fortune to be invited as bridesmaids of the bride. Let us see whom the various people represent and you will understand better. The Bridegroom is God. The bride is the soul of a just person who, after the period of engagement in the house of the Father, that is under the protection of and in obedience to God’s doctrine, living according to justice, is taken to the house of the Bridegroom for the wedding. The virgin-maids are the souls of the faithful, who following the example set by the bride – the fact that she was chosen by the Bridegroom because of her virtues means that she was a living example of holiness – endeavour to achieve the same honour by sanctifying themselves.
206.5
They are in a white, clean, fresh dress, with white veils, crowned with flowers. They are holding lighted lamps in their hands. The lamps are very clean, and the wicks are nourished with the purest oil so that they may not be unpleasant.
In a white dress. Justice steadily practised gives a white dress and the day will soon come when it will be most white, without even the most remote remembrance of stain, it will be of supernatural, angelical whiteness.
In a clean dress. One must always keep the dress clean through humility. It is so easy to dim the purity of the heart. And those
whose hearts are not pure cannot see God. Humility is like water that washes. A humble man soon notices that he has darkened his robe, because his eyes are not dimmed by the fumes of pride and thus he runs to his Lord and says: “I have stained the purity of my heart. I weep at Your feet to be cleansed. Oh! my Sun, purify my heart through Your benign forgiveness and Your paternal love!”
In a fresh dress. Oh! the freshness of a heart! Children have it by gift of God. The just have it by gift of God and through their own will. Saints have it by gift of God and through their will elevated to heroism. But will a sinner, whose soul is torn, burnt, poisoned and disgraced, ever be able to have a fresh robe? Oh! of course he will. He begins to have it the moment he looks at himself with disgust. He increases its freshness when he decides to change life. He brings it to perfection when through penance he washes, detoxicates, cures and recomposes his poor soul. And with the help of God, Who does not refuse assistance to anyone who asks Him for holy help, and through his own will elevated to super-heroism — because it is not necessary for him to protect what he has, but to rebuild what he destroyed and thus he must work twice, three times, seven times as much — and with untiring penance, relentless against his sinful ego, he will take his soul back to the freshness of a child’s soul. A new freshness, made precious by experience, which makes him the master of other people who were once like him, that is, sinners.
With white veils. Humility! I said[1]: “When you pray or do penance, do not let the world see you”. In the Wisdom Books it is written[2]: “It is right to keep the secret of the King”. Humility is the candid veil worn to defend the good we do and the good God grants us. We must not be proud of the privileged love granted to us by God, nor seek foolish human glory. The gift would be taken away at once. But from the depth of our hearts we must sing to our God: “My soul proclaims Your greatness, o Lord… because You have looked upon Your lowly handmaid”.»
Jesus makes a short pause and casts a glance at His Mother, Who blushes under Her veil and bends forward as if She wanted to tidy the hair of the boy sitting at Her feet, but in actual fact to conceal her deep-felt remembrance…
Crowned with flowers. A soul must weave its daily garland of virtuous deeds, because nothing withered or slovenly looking is to appear in the presence of the Most High. I said daily. Because a soul does not know when God-Bridegroom may appear and say: “Come”. Therefore you must never tire renewing the garland. Be not afraid. Flowers wither. But the flowers of virtuous wreaths do not wither. God’s angel, whom every man has at his side, picks up these daily wreaths and takes them to Heaven. And they will be there in the throne for the new blessed soul when it enters the nuptial house as the bride.
206.6
Their lamps are lit. They have them to honour the Bridegroom and to see the way. How refulgent faith is, and what a kind friend it is! It gives a flame as bright as a star, a flame that smiles because it is sure in its certainty, a flame that also brightens the instrument supporting it. Also the flesh of man nourished with faith seems to become brighter and more spiritual, even in this world, free from premature withering. Because he who believes holds onto God’s words and commandments in order to possess God, his ultimate aim, and therefore he shuns corruption, he is not perturbed or afraid, he feels no remorse, he is not compelled to make an effort to remember lies or to conceal evil deeds and remains young and handsome by means of the beautiful incorruptibility of saints: flesh and blood, mind and heart free from lust to contain the oil of faith, to give light without smoke. A constant will to feed that light forever. Everyday life, with its disappointments, ascertainments, contacts, temptations, disagreements, tends to diminish faith. No! It must not happen. Go every day to the source of the sweet, sapiential oil of God. A lamp with little oil can be put out by the least puff of wind or by the heavy dew of the night. The night… The hour of darkness, of sin, of temptation comes for everybody. It is night for the soul. But if the soul is filled to the brim with faith, its flame cannot be put out by the wind of the world or by the fog of sensuality.
And finally vigilance, vigilance, vigilance. He who is unwarily trustful and says: “Oh! God will come on time, while my light is still on”, and makes up his mind to go to sleep instead of keeping awake, and goes to sleep without providing what is necessary to get up and be ready at the first call, and he who waits until the last moment to procure the oil of faith or the strong wick of goodwill, runs the risk of being left out when the Bridegroom arrives. Be vigilant, therefore with prudence, perseverance, purity, confidence, so that you may always be ready for God’s call, because you really do not know when He will come.
206.7
My dear disciples, I do not want you to be afraid of God, on the contrary I want you to have faith in His goodness. Both you who will remain here, and you who will be going away, must consider that, if you do what the wise virgins did, you will be invited not only to escort the Bridegroom, but like the virgin Esther, who became queen[3] in the place of Vashti, you will be chosen and elected to be brides, as the Bridegroom “found more approval and favour with you than with anybody else”. I bless you, who are about to go away. Take My words with you for yourselves and for your companions. May the peace of the Lord always be with you.»
Jesus goes near the peasants to say goodbye to them once more, but John of Endor whispers to him: «Master, Judas is here now…»
«It does not matter. Take them to the wagon and do as I told you.»

Annotation

If you act like wise virgins, you will not only be called to escort the Bridegroom, but, like the young Esther, who became queen instead of Vashti, you will be chosen and elected as brides. Vashti - Vashti, "the beloved" in Persian. First wife of Ahasuerus (= Xerxes, 486-465), king of Persia, who repudiated her for refusing to attend a feast (Esther 2, 1-18). Esther is also mentioned in EMV 136.2 and EMV 414.1.

Gospel of Matthew 25, 1-13

Mt 25, 1-13 : "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten brides invited to a wedding, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were careless, and five were far-sighted: the careless ones took their lamps without oil, while the far-sighted ones took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was late, they all dozed off to sleep. In the middle of the night, there was a cry: "Behold the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." Then all the girls woke up and began to prepare their lamps. The carefree ones asked the provident ones, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." The provident girls replied, "That will never be enough for us and for you, so go and buy some from the merchants instead." As they went to buy some, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready entered the wedding hall with him, and the door was closed. Later, the other girls arrived in their turn and said, "Lord, Lord, open to us!" He replied, "Amen, I tell you, I don't know you."

Watch therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour.

Book of Esther 2, 1-18

Esther 2, 1-18: After these things, when King Ahasuerus' anger had subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done and the decision that had been made about her. Then the king's servants, who were on duty near him, said: "Let maidens be sought for the king, virgins and fair of countenance; let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all maidens, virgins and fair of countenance, to Susa, the capital, in the women's house, under the supervision of Aegeus, the king's eunuch and guardian of the women, who will provide for their grooming; and let the maiden who pleases the king become queen in Vashti's stead. " The king agreed, and so he did.

In Shushan, the capital, there was a Jew named Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Semei, son of Cis, of the race of Benjamin, who had been taken from Jerusalem among the captives deported with Jechonias, king of Judah, by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He brought up Edissa, who is Esther, his uncle's daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The girl was beautiful of form and graceful of face; on the death of her father and mother, Mordecai had adopted her as his daughter.

When the king's order and edict were published, and many girls were gathered in Shushan, the capital, under the supervision of Aegeus, Esther was also taken and brought to the king's house, under the supervision of Aegeus, keeper of the women. The girl pleased him and won his favor; he hastened to provide her with the things necessary for her toilet and sustenance, to give her seven maidens chosen from the king's household, and he made her spend time with them in the best apartment of the women's house. Esther made neither her people nor her birth known, for Mordecai had forbidden her to speak of them. Every day, Mordecai walked around the courtyard of the women's house to see how Esther was doing and how she was being treated.

And when the time came for each girl to go to King Ahasuerus, after having spent twelve months doing what was prescribed for women - and this was the time of their purification: for six months they purified themselves with myrrh oil, and for six months with the spices and perfumes used among women - and the girl went to the king, she was allowed to take with her what she wanted, to go from the women's house to the king's house. She would go there in the evening, and the next morning she would go to the second women's house, under the supervision of Susagaz, the king's eunuch and guardian of the concubines. She did not return to the king again, unless the king desired her and she was called by name.

When it was her turn to go to the king, Esther, daughter of Abihail, uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter, asked for no more than what Aegaeus, the king's eunuch and keeper of the women, appointed her; but Esther was pleasing to all who saw her. Esther was brought to King Ahasuerus, to his royal household, in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than any other woman, and she obtained grace and favor with him more than any other maiden. He put the royal diadem on her head, and made her queen in place of Vashti. The king gave a great feast to all his princes and servants, Esther's feast; he gave rest to the provinces and lavished largesse with royal munificence.