1 And Joseph got up and took Jesus and Mary and brought them to the land of Israel. And he came to a city called Bothosoron or Bodosoron, where there was a king, of Hebrew race, whose name was Baresu, and who was a pious, merciful and charitable man. And, as Joseph had heard spoken of with great praise about him, he thought of going to see him and asked the inhabitants of the city: What character is that of your king? And they answered: Very good. Then Joseph went to the royal palace, and declared his wish to the porter, to whom he said: Respectable man, I want to ask you one thing. The doorman replied: Speak.
2 And Joseph said: I have heard that your king is just to his subjects, beneficial to the poor, and caring to the foreigners. And I am a foreigner, so it would be very pleasant for me to see him, and to hear some words from his mouth. The doorman indicated: Give me a few moments to announce myself, enter and then introduce you. Because you know well what is the use and will of kings and magistrates. The goal is to prevent them first and then execute their orders. And the porter, having announced himself, was admitted to the king, and he ordered that Joseph be brought in. He went to present himself to the monarch and, bowing, prostrated himself before him.
3 And the king received him, saying: Welcome to this court, venerable old man. Kindly take a seat. And Joseph, after sitting down, shut himself up in silence, and said nothing. And the king treated him with care, ordering that a richly provided table be brought to them, and they both ate and drank and were merry. And the king asked Joseph: From what country do you come, venerable old man, and where are you going? Joseph answered: I come from a faraway land. The king said: I repeat my welcome to you, and I assure you that I will do whatever you ask of me in your gift. Joseph said: Old and a stranger, I have arrived and I would like to live in this city, in any place. I have some skill in carpentry work, and whatever was necessary in the royal palace I would do it at all times. Then the king forbade anyone to bother him because he was a foreigner.
4 And Joseph, rising, prostrated himself before the sovereign, and said to him: O king, if in this not You see inconvenient, dedicate my son to study! I have learned that there is a doctor in this city, who educates children, and who is gifted with much talent and much wisdom. Entrust him with the care of teaching my son letters, so that he may be thoroughly instructed in the science of the Scriptures, the Augustan Law and the commandments of God. The king said: Yes, I will do what you ask and fulfill your wish. But, first, it is necessary that you bring your son to my presence, so that I can judge whether he is qualified to undertake the study and learning of letters and science, after which I will hand him over and recommend him to the teacher of him. And Joseph gave thanks, and went to bring the good news to Mary, to whom he gave lively praise of the king. But instead of rejoicing, Mary was grieved and terrified. Because, distrusting the king’s good intentions, she feared that she had not asked to see the child out of treason, to reduce him to slavery. And she, weeping, said to Joseph: Why did you declare to the king the existence, the name and the good qualities of one of your sons? But Joseph replied: By the life of the Lord, do not be afraid! The king did not order me to bring the child to him because of a felony, but because he wanted a teacher to teach him and educate him under his auspices. María said: It’s up to you to finish making sure of it. Now, I give you my son and later I will claim him back from you! José said: You are right. Mary said: If you want to present the child to the king, take him to the palace, according to your pleasure. But find out beforehand what concerns the safety of the child and only then should you take him to the presence of the king. Joseph said: I will act according to your will. And, taking Jesus, he brought him before the king, who greeted him with these words: Welcome to you, child, son of the Father and descendant of a great king. And he sent for the supreme doctor, in charge of indoctrinating children, whose name was Gamaliel. And, when he had arrived, the king received him with great affection, and said to him: Teacher, I want you to be in charge of teaching this child letters, and you will receive everything necessary for his sustenance and other material expenses from the royal treasury. And Gamaliel asked: Whose beautiful child is this? The king answered him: He is the son of a man of high family and descendant of royal lineage, and the old man you see here is his guardian. Gamaliel said: Thy will be done. Then Joseph, getting up, prostrated himself, took the child, and returned with him to his house, full of joy. And he told everything that had happened to Mary, and, rejoicing, she blessed the Lord.