1 In view of what had happened, Mary and Joseph took Jesus during the night, marched to a village called Emmaus, where they decided to reside. And Jesus was ten years old, and he was traveling through the region. And, one day, leaving his lodge, he went to another village called Epathaíea or Ephaía. And, on his route, he met a fifteen-year-old boy, whose entire person was a pure sore. He could not use his feet, but he crawled, and, when anyone passed by, he begged for his mercy. Jesus saw him from afar, and passed by him. And the leper said to him: Child, please listen to me! For the health of your parents, give me alms, and God will reward you for your benefit. Jesus replied: I am poor and destitute, like you, and, furthermore, the son of a foreigner. How could I give you alms? The leper replied: Do not make false pretenses. If you have a little coin, an obol or a piece of bread left in reserve, lend me some small help, which demonstrates your generosity, for I well see to what class you belong, even if, due to your age, you are only a child. I believe, in fact, that you are of high lineage, and probably the son of a general of the royal armies. Because your features denounce you. Do not hide from me, I notice a distinguished presence and extreme beauty.
2 Jesus asked: What race do you belong to? The leper answered: To the race of Israel and the branch of Judah. Jesus added: Do you have a father and mother? Do they take care of you? The leper explained: My father is dead and my mother is the one who serves me according to her whim. And Jesus said, surprised: How so? And the leper replied: You see that I am sick. When it gets dark, my mother comes, and she takes me back to the house. The next day, she brings me here again. Passers-by graciously give me alms, and thanks to them I survive. Jesus asked: Why haven’t you presented yourself to the doctors so they can cure you? He responded: I am disabled by my illness, I couldn’t do it and my mother barely takes care of me. Because, since she gave birth to me, I have grown up amid many moans and pains. And, due to the violence and atrocity of my illnesses, the members of my body have become relaxed and disunited, the tendons of my bones have been consumed in putrefaction, my entire person has been covered with ulcers, as you well see.
3 And Jesus said: I know doctors who know how to compose a remedy, which gives death and life. If you want to apply it, this remedy will be your cure. The leper replied: From my childhood until today, I have never consulted any doctor, and I have never heard that my illness was cured by a man. But Jesus insisted: Did I not warn you that there are skilled doctors who bring death to life? And the leper said: And by what remedy can a man cure such ravages? Jesus replied: By a simple word, and not by a remedy. Upon hearing this, the young man was greatly surprised, and exclaimed: These are amazing things! How can an illness be cured without the help of any remedy? Jesus said: There are doctors who, at a glance, distinguish mortal diseases from curable ones. The leper suggested: And you, who are younger than me, where did you get so much knowledge? Jesus replied: From lessons heard and from my own knowledge. And the leper objected: Have you seen with your own eyes that a man has been cured of serious illness?
4 And Jesus replied: I understand something in this matter, being the son of a doctor. The leper said: Do you seriously claim that you understand this matter? Jesus said: I can cure all evils by a simple word, the effects of which I have seen, and which I have learned from my father. The leper asked: What country is your father from, and who can put me in communication with him? Jesus answered: The one to whom you give the fees for your healing, he will introduce you to my father, and he will restore your health. The leper asked: What are the fees you demand from me? Jesus answered: A little thing: a sextarius of coins, in gold and silver, precious stones of beautiful water and fine pearls of high value. The leper, who heard this, began to laugh bitterly, and said: By the life of the Lord, I have not even heard the name of those things! But listen. Your age is that of a child, and everything is comfortable for you, being the son of a noble father and the scion of a main house. I, poor as I am, seem to you nothing more than an object of ridicule and ridicule. Where would that opulence you speak of come from? And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Why are you so angry? Everything I told you was out of pure benevolence.
5 And the leper declared: I have been tested several times. And you also see perfectly well that I possess nothing except the clothing that covers me, and the daily food, which God gives to my mother and me. Jesus asked: Then how do you want to be cured, having empty hands? The leper answered: God will come to my help. Jesus said: I know well that God is able to do everything that those who call on him with faith ask of him. But with all this, how can you be cured, since you are poor? The leper said: I am very surprised that you spend so many words to overwhelm me. Jesus indicated: I know a little about the things of the law. And the leper said: If you have often read the commandments of God, you will know how the poor and the destitute should be treated. Jesus completed: We must use love and mercy with them. And the leper confirmed, with tears on his cheeks: You have spoken truthfully and kindly. Have pity on me, then, and he who is the dispenser of all good things will return it to you.
6 When Jesus saw him bathed in tears, he was moved and said to him: Yes, I have compassion for you. And at the same instant he stretched out his hand and took the leper’s hand, saying, Arise, stand on your feet, and go home in peace. And as soon as Jesus had spoken these words, the leper stood up, and bowing down, prostrated himself before him, and said to him: May God treat you lovingly and mercifully, as you have treated me. And Jesus answered: Go in peace, and tell no one anything of what I did to you. And the leper inquired of him, saying: If anyone asks me who cured me, what shall I answer? Jesus replied: A little boy, the son of a doctor, who was passing by on the road, saw you, had compassion on you, and restored you to health. And the cured boy prostrated himself again at the feet of Jesus, and returned, joyful, to his mother’s side.
7 And when his mother saw him, she shouted for joy, and said to him, Who has healed you? ? And he said: He has healed me, by a simple word, the son of a noble doctor, who met me. Upon hearing these words, the mother and everyone who was there gathered around the boy and asked him: Where is that doctor? And he answered: I do not know, and, furthermore, he ordered me not to reveal to anyone the charity that he used towards me. And those who heard from afar the prodigy that had happened were amazed and said: Who is this child, who possesses such a gift of knowledge, and who performs such remarkable miracles? And many believed in his name. And they wanted to see him, but they could not, because Jesus had hidden himself from their sight.