1 And Joseph, getting up at dawn, took Jesus and his mother, and went to the town of Tiberias. There he provisionally established his equipment at the door of a man named Israel, a dyer by profession, and who had monopolized in his workshop everything that needed to be dyed in the town. And when he saw Joseph, the child Jesus, and his mother at his door, he rejoiced exceedingly, and asked the first, Where have you come from, old man, and where are you going? And Joseph answered: I am from a far country, and I wander everywhere, a stranger and an exile.
2 Israel said: If you want to live here, settle in this town, and I will welcome you into my house, where you will do whatever seems good to you. Joseph replied: Your will be done, and dispose of my person at your discretion. Israel questioned him: How do you survive from your job? Joseph answered: Easily, because I am very expert in the art of building plows and oxen yokes, and I do everything according to the convenience of each client. Israel said: Stay in my house, and you will not have to suffer any importunity from anyone. I will respect you like a father. And, if you want to entrust your little one to me, so that he can learn my trade, I will treat him with honor, as if he were my legitimate son. Joseph said: You have spoken well. Take the child, proceed with him at your discretion, and force him to obey your commands, because for some time now I have been deeply upset about him.
3 And Israel asked him: Does he not submissively obey your orders? José responded: That’s not the point. The thing is that he has begun learning several trades, and, due to lack of perseverance, he has not finished any of them. Israel said: How old is he? Joseph said: Nine years and two months. Israel replied: Okay. And taking the child Jesus, he entered the house with him. And, showing him in order all the details of the workshop, he warned him: Look carefully at all this, my son, understand it, and what I tell you, keep it in your memory. And Jesus lent himself to his will, and listened attentively to his words.
4 One day, Israel went on his professional tour of the town. And he collected numerous pieces of fabric, and bringing it all, with a list, he deposited it in his workshop. And, calling Jesus, he told him: Of everything you see here, we must, my son, give an account to their respective owners. Take careful care of all the effects that are in our house, lest some sudden accident befall us, because we would be indebted for the damage to the royal treasury, to which we would have to pay five thousand dollars as a fine. Jesus asked: Where are you going now? And Israel said, Behold, I have gathered all that was for dyeing in the town. I entrust it to you, because I am going to go around the towns and villages in the surrounding area, in order to return everything to its respective recipient, and I will do whatever work I am given to do. Jesus said: What work? And Israel replied: That of dyeing and coloring, sometimes with drawings of flowers, in scarlet, green, purple-blue, yellow, fawn, black and other varied shades, which I cannot detail for you at this moment.
5 Hearing this, Jesus admired the power of the human spirit, and questioned Israel: Master, do you know by his Name each of those colors? Israel answered him: Yes, I can keep them, with the help of a written list. And Jesus added: I beg you, teacher, teach me to do all this. Israel said: Yes, I will teach you, if you obediently obey my orders. And Jesus, bowing down, prostrated himself before him, and said to him: Master, I will lend myself to your will, but first, show me that work, so that I may see it. Israel said: Well spoken, but do not do anything for yourself that you do not know, and wait until I return. Do not open the door of the house, which I left closed and sealed with my ring. Remain firm in your position and do not suffer restlessness. Jesus asked: For what day will I wait for your return? Israel replied: What need do you have to question me about it, since my work will continue its daily course, according to the will of the Lord? Jesus said: Go in peace. Then Israel left the town.
6 And Jesus got up and went to open the door of the house. And he took all the dyeing cloth from the town, and filled with it a vat of blue dye. And he heated the tub, opened the door of the house again and, according to his custom, went to the place where the children were playing.
7 And, beginning to fight with them, he dislocated the socket of their thigh, and the nerve of the tendon contracted, and the children fell on their faces to the ground, and limped from their haunches. Afterwards, he laid his hands on them, and restored their erect position and the looseness of their legs. Other times, she would blow on the children’s faces, blinding them. Then she laid her hands on them, and returned the light to their eyes. Or, she would take a piece of wood and throw it in the middle of the children. And the piece turned into a snake, and put them all to flight. And, on those who had been bitten by the reptile, Jesus laid his hands on them and healed them. And he put his finger into the children’s ears, and made them deaf. Little by little he breathed on them and restored their hearing. And he would take a stone, breathe on it, and make it burn like fire. And he would throw it before the children, and the stone would burn the dust, leaving it like a dried bush. Immediately he took hold of the stone again, and it, transforming, returned to its first state.
8 And he took the children to the seashore, and there, he took a ball and a staff, and advanced, marching upright with his toys, on the waves, as on the surface of frozen water. And, at this spectacle, all the children screamed and exclaimed: See what little Jesus is doing on the waves of the sea! And, upon hearing this, the people of the city went to the beach, and looked at that wonder with astonishment.
9 But Joseph, knowing this, came and rebuked Jesus, saying, My son, what is it that you do? Behold, your master has gathered all kinds of objects in his house, the safekeeping of which he has entrusted to you, and you have no care for them, and you come to this place to amuse yourself. I beg you to return to your master’s house without delay. And Jesus replied: You speak well, without a doubt. But it is the case that I have carried out and completed my task. What my teacher ordered me to do, I did, and, for the moment, I only wait for his return, counting on him to come to see the product of my art, which I will show him. But what do these things concern you? And when Joseph heard these words, he did not understand what his son was saying.
10 And when Jesus came near his mother, Mary asked him: My son, have you finished what he commanded you? make your teacher? And Jesus answered: I have finished it, and nothing is missing. What do you want of me? María answered: I notice that you haven’t been by the house in three days to take care of the workshop. Why do you expose us to mortal risk? Jesus replied: Stop talking like that. I have studied all the precepts that the teacher gave me, and I know what concerns me and what fulfills me on all occasions. And Mary said: It’s okay. You are the owner and judge of your actions.
11 And while they were thus talking, Jesus, having looked out, saw his master coming. And getting up, he went to meet him, and bowed down and prostrated himself before him, who asked him: How are you, my son? Jesus answered: I am well. Afterwards, he in turn questioned the teacher, saying: How did your trip go? Israel answered: As the Lord willed. Jesus added: I am glad that you have returned in prosperity and peace. God rewards your works to the extent of what you have done for me. Because I have thoroughly learned your art, and I have studied, and I possess all the precepts that you have given me. Therefore, I have understood all the work that you planned to do, and I have finished it. Israel murmured: What work? And Jesus answered: The one you taught me, and I have fulfilled.
12 But Israel did not understand the meaning of Jesus’ words. And when she went to the door she noticed that the lock and the seal were open. And, very agitated, he went inside, inspected the corners of the workshop, and saw nothing. And, uttering a cry, he asked: Where is the dyeing cloth that I had gathered here? Jesus answered: Did I not tell you, when I came to meet you, that I had finished all the work you planned to do? Israel exclaimed: What a nice job you did, accumulating, in a bucket full of blue, all the dyeing fabric in the city! Jesus replied: And what harm have I done to you, that you should be angry with me, who have freed you from a multitude of cares and labors? And Israel said: And the rest that you seek for me is to cause me this serious damage, this loss and fines to pay? The old man was right when he warned me that he would not be able to reduce you to obedience! What will I do with you, since you have caused me such harm that it is not mine alone, but that of the entire city? Oh, what great misfortune has befallen me!
13 And he wept, and beat his breast. Then she asked Jesus: Why have you brought such a disaster upon my house? And Jesus said: In turn I ask you why you are so angry. What loss have I caused in your house, assuming that I have listened intelligently to your explanations, understood the lesson received, learned everything you have taught me, and I am capable of doing? And Israel objected: Did I not warn you not to do anything for yourself that you did not know how to do? Jesus said: Master, look and see! What notable misfortune have I brought upon your estate and industry? Israel responded: That’s good! Will I be able to justify the color and dye that my clients demand? But Jesus insisted: When you returned in peace from your excursion, and entered your workshop, did you find anything missing? Israel replied: And what does that have to do with what I say? What I ask you is what I will do if each parishioner demands the particular work that he entrusted to me. Jesus said: Bring the owners of these objects to me, and I will give them the special color that each one desires. And Israel objected: How can you recognize all the effects of each? And Jesus replied: Master, what varied colors do you want me to make appear in this unique bucket?
14 Israel, who heard this, was extremely upset at the words of Jesus, and believed that he was mocking he. But Jesus said: Look and see! And he began to remove the fabric to be dyed from the bucket, bright and illuminated with beautiful colors of various shades. But Israel, seeing what Jesus did, did not understand the wonder that he had performed. And he called Mary and Joseph, to whom he said: Do you not know that your son has caused an irreparable damage in my workshop? What did I do to you, for the baby Jesus to repay me like this? Treat you like a father, with honor and great affection. And now here I am indebted to the royal treasury for a fine of five thousand denarii. And he cried, and beat his chest. And Mary said to Jesus: What have you done to cause such destruction in this town? Reduce yourself to slavery, and put us in mortal danger! Jesus said: What harm have I done to you, that you are all united against me, and condemn me unjustly? Come and see the work I carried out. And Mary and Joseph went to see the works that he had done, and, hearing him speak, they opened their eyes in astonishment.
15 But Israel did not understand the wonder. And she gnashed her teeth with rage, and, growling like a ferocious beast, she wanted to hit Jesus, who said to her: Why are you filled with such fury? What do you find worth crossing out in me? But Israel, taking a bushel, rushed against Jesus. Seeing which, he fled, and Israel threw the bushel at him, which could not reach him, and which crashed to the ground. And, at the same instant, the bushel took root in the ground, became a tree (which still exists today), flourished, and bore fruit. And Jesus, having escaped, crossed the door of the town, and, in his race, reached the sea. And he walked on its waters, as on solid ground.
16 And Israel, shouting throughout the town, cried with a loud voice, Consider me and pity me, for the child Jesus has fled, taking with him everything that was in my workshop. Chase him and capture him. And he himself followed the crowd. And, stationing themselves in the defiles of the roads, they looked for the child Jesus, but they did not find him. And some people gave Israel the following information: When he passed through the gate of the town, we saw him moving towards the sea. But we don’t know what has become of him. Then that crowd of people headed to the bank. And finding no one, they retraced his steps. And, when they returned, Jesus had come out of the sea, and was sitting on a rock, under the figure of a little child. And the people questioned him, saying, Boy, do you know where the old man’s son is? Jesus replied: I do not know. He immediately took the form of a young man, and was asked: Have you encountered the son of the old stranger there? Jesus answered: No. Then he took on the appearance of an old man, and they said to him: Have you seen the son of Joseph? And Jesus answered: I have not seen it.
17 Not finding Jesus, they returned to the town, and, seizing Joseph, they took him to the court, and They said: Where is your son, who has deceived us, and who has hidden himself from us, taking with him our effects, which were kept by the man who had taken him as an apprentice? But Joseph remained silent, and did not murmur a word.
18 And Israel sadly took to his workshop. And she wanted to pick up the bushel in the place where she had thrown it. And, when he saw that he had taken root, being filled with fruit, he marveled exceedingly, and said to himself, Truly, this is the Son of God, or something like it! And he entered his house, and found all the effects prepared for dyeing gathered in the bucket, which was full of blue color. And, upon taking them out, he noticed, astonished, that nothing was missing, and, on each of those effects, he found the name marked, in signs and letters, and they all had respectively the tint and shine with which their owners had given them. ordered to dye them. And, at the sight of prodigious size, he praised and glorified God. Immediately, getting up that same night, he went to sit on the seashore, in front of the rocks, and wept bitterly throughout the entire night. And, between beating his chest, sighing and lamentations, he exclaimed: Child Jesus, son of the great king your Father, have mercy on me, miserable that I am, and do not abandon me. Because, if I sinned against you, it was due to my ignorance, and because I did not understand beforehand that you were the God savior of our souls. Now, Lord, manifest yourself to me, for my soul longs to hear the words of your mouth.
19 And, at the same instant, Jesus appeared to him, and said to him: Master, why have you not left of complaining and moaning, all night long? And Israel answered: Lord, have mercy on your ignorant servant, hear my prayers, forgive me all the sins that I have committed against you through foolishness, and bless me. And Jesus exclaimed: Blessed are you, and all that is in your house. Your faith has made you saved, and your sins are forgiven. Go in peace, and may the Lord remain with you. With that, Jesus disappeared.
20 And Israel fell down on the ground, and took dust from it, and sprinkled it on his head. And he was hitting his chest with a stone, and he didn’t know which way to go. And he returned to his house, and, the next day in the morning, he left it, went to the public square, and said to the people gathered there: Hear, all of you, the surprise that has taken hold of me, and the miracles that Jesus has done in my house. And they all cried out together: Tell us that. And Israel explained: One day, while I was in my house, I found an old man with gray hair sitting at my door, and accompanied by a child and his mother. And I questioned them, and he revealed to me his thoughts, telling me that he wanted to establish his residence here. And I received him, and treated him with honor, in my home, and I took his son as an apprentice in my workshop. And in this he had collected the dyeing fabric from the entire town. And, closing the door, I sealed it, and entrusted the child with the task of remaining guardian of everything until my return, because, according to my custom, he was going to look around for fabric to dye. And, upon returning, I found the door of my dwelling open, and the cloth placed in a vat of blue dye. At which sight, I became violently angry, and, taking a bushel, I threw it, furious, at Jesus, to punish his misdeed. But the bushel did not reach the child, but fell to the ground, and immediately took root and was filled with fruit. And, faced with such a spectacle, I left quickly, went in search of the child, and did not find him. And I returned to my house, and I saw, in the blue dye vat, fabrics of different colors. Come witness this wonder.
21 And the judge of the town and all the notables, in large numbers, went to witness the prodigy. And they found all the fabric to dye gathered in the tub. And, while Isarel took them out, they read the list of names and checked the color corresponding to each one. And he would then take the requested color, and show it to everyone in the specific brilliance of it. And they said to each other: Who has ever seen this variety of resplendent tinctures come out of the same vat? And in this way, each one taking his effects, they returned to their homes, and said: Truly, this is a miracle of Jesus and a divine work, not a human work. And many believed in his name.
22 Then Israel showed them the bushel that had become a rooted and fruitful tree. And, in their sight, some confessed: There is no doubt but that this child is the son of God. And the judge ordered that Joseph be taken out of prison and brought to him. And, when he came, he questioned him, saying: Elder, where is that child, by whom these wonders and these benefits are fulfilled? Joseph replied: By the life of the Lord! God has given me this son, not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. And the crowd exclaimed: Blessed are his parents, who have obtained this fruit of blessing! And Joseph returned in silence to his house, and told Mary the miracles of Jesus, of which she had heard, and which she had seen. And Mary said: What is going to happen to our Jesus, for whose sake we have to endure so many troubles? But Joseph answered: Do not grieve, for God will provide, according to his supreme will. And, as he spoke these words, Israel came, and, kneeling before Joseph and Mary, he asked them for forgiveness for his faults. And Joseph said to him: Go in peace, and may the Lord guide you to good. However, Joseph and Mary, distrusting the judge and everyone else, closed the door of their house, and remained under observation until the next morning.