1 When, after fifteen years, Mary’s sanctified residence in the temple was ended, the priests deliberated among themselves, and They asked themselves: What will we do with Mary? Her parents, who have died, entrusted her to us in the temple, as a sacred deposit. She now has achieved, in all her fullness, the development proper to women. It is not possible to keep it among us any longer, because it is necessary to prevent the temple of God from being desecrated without our knowledge. And the priests repeated to each other: What must we do? And one of them, a priest named Behezi, said: There are still with her in the temple many other daughters of the Hebrews. Let us, therefore, go and question Zechariah, the High Priest, and whatever he deems appropriate, we will do. Everyone answered, unanimously: Okay. And Behezi the priest appeared before Zechariah, and said to him: You are the Great Priest, trained to guard the holy altar. And there are daughters of the Hebrews here, who have consecrated themselves to God. Enter the Holy of Holies, and pray for your intention. Whatever the Lord reveals, we will do according to his will.
2 And immediately Zechariah arose, and, taking the rationale, entered into the Holy of Holies, and prayed for those young women. And as he spread the incense before the Lord, behold, an angel of God came and stood near the altar of the tabernacle, and said to him, Go out to the door of the temple, and command that the eleven daughters of the Hebrews be called, and, with them, he brings here Mary, who is of the race of Judah and of the family of David. He also orders that all the celibates in the city be called, and that each one contribute a tablet. You will place all the tablets in the tabernacle of the covenant, you will write the name of each one on the tablet, you will say the prayer, and each virgin will marry the man that God designates among them. And the Great Priest left the temple, and ordered that all who were celibates should unite in that place. And upon hearing this order, everyone, down to the last one, gathered at the indicated place, each one carrying his tablet in his hand. And old Joseph, who also knew that order, abandoned his carpenter’s adze, and, taking a tablet, hastened to go to the marked place. And the Great Priest took the tablet from his hands, accepted it, and, entering the temple, he prayed for those men.
3 It was, in fact, constant use among the families of Israel coming from the tribe of Judah and the line of David, placing his daughters in the temple, where they were kept in holiness and justice for the space of twelve years, to serve there, and wait for the moment of divine decrees, that is, the one in which the Word would take flesh of a pure and impeccable virgin, and, externally converted into one of many men, he would tread the earth with human steps. The race of Israel kept that rule, recorded in writing and preserved in the temple by the tradition of the ancestors. And, unless no sign or warning from the Holy Spirit appeared, they gave those young women in marriage. This was the case with those twelve virgins, who were from the race of Judah and the family of David, and among whom was the Virgin Mary, who had preeminence over all. They were brought together by mutual agreement, and made to appear at the appointed place. And the priests consulted the fate on their behalf and on the intention of the celibates, to know which of these would receive one as a wife.
4 And, when the Great Priest returned to the celibates their respective tablets, which he had taken from the temple, he saw that the The name of each of the virgins was engraved on the tablet of the one whom he had chosen as his wife. And when Zechariah took the tablets, they did not bear any sign, except the names that were written on them. But, when giving Joseph the last one, on which the name of Mary was written, behold, a dove, which came out of the tablet, landed on the head of the lucky one. And Zechariah said to Joseph: The Virgin Mary belongs to you. Receive her, and keep her as your wife, since she has fallen to your lot by a holy decision, so that she may join you in marriage, like each of the other virgins to one of the celibates.
5 But Joseph, when he heard this, resisted and said, I beseech you, priests and all the people, gathered together in this holy temple, do not violate me in the presence of everyone. How will I do anything you tell me? I have a large family of sons and daughters, and I would be embarrassed and confused before them. Don’t violate me! But the priests and all the people answered him: Obey the will of God, and do not be recalcitrant and unsubmissive, because you do not act according to the law, by opposing that will. And Joseph said: Being old as I am, and being close to death, why do you force me to do things in my old age that are not appropriate for my age or my condition? And the Great Priest said: Listen. You will have no shame or confusion from anywhere, but blessing and glory from everywhere. And Joseph said: You speak well, but the one who touched me is a girl, not a woman, and when all the children of Israel see it and understand it, they will make a fool of me. And the High Priest said: We know that you are good, righteous and God-fearing. This virgin is an orphan, and she is deprived of her parents. We have taken her into her protective guardianship, and in her temple we have resided her, under the faith of her oath. The priests and all the people have just legally attested that Mary has fallen into your lot. She collects it by our will and our blessing, and keep it with holiness and respect, according to the law and the tradition of our ancestors, until the time comes for you to receive the crown of glory, at the same time as the other virgins and the other celibates.
6 And Joseph said: Have mercy on the white hair of my old age. Do not impose the burden on me, as I have no inclination, to guard it with care and circumspection, as is appropriate. She is a virgin who has just reached nubile age, according to the nature of women. How should it be a duty for me to accept her in marriage, since this would constitute a sin? And the High Priest said: If you were not willing to consent to the consequences of this act, who forced you to do so? Why have you come with the other celibates? And notice that, after having presented yourself to them, and having drawn lots, according to consecrated usage, you have received from the temple of the Lord a blessed and indicative sign that God has granted you Mary in marriage. And Joseph said: I did not know this beforehand, and, from my own reflections, it was not possible for me to know the event that was being prepared, nor its results. But, I repeat, I am about to die, and I hope that you will respect the white hairs of my head and my flawless life. And the High Priest said: Fear the Lord, and do not resist his commands. Remember how God dealt with Korah, Dathan and Abiron, and how the earth opened and swallowed them because of the act of disobedience they committed. Do not imitate them, if you want to avoid some unforeseen misfortune that may suddenly come to you.
7 When Joseph had heard these words, he bowed down, prostrated himself before the priests and before all the people, and brought out from the temple to Mary, he left with her, and took her to his house, in the town of Nazareth. When she arrived, he warned her: My daughter, listen to what I am going to tell you, and remember her. I will provide for all your material needs, and you will dwell here honestly. Keep to yourself, and watch over yourself. Do not go anywhere uselessly, and make sure that no one enters the house, until the time comes when, God willing, he returns to your side. May the God of Israel, the God of our fathers, be with you forever. And having thus spoken, he arose and set out on his way to practice his trade as a carpenter.
8 And after a few days it came to pass, that the priests met together in council, and said, Let us order to do, for the temple, a veil that will be exposed on the day of the great festival, before the congregation of all the people, and that will enhance the splendor of the worship in the holy tabernacle. Then the High Priest ordered that the women and virgins who were consecrated to God in the temple, and who belonged to the tribe of Judah and the lineage of David, be summoned. And, when the eleven virgins had arrived, Zechariah remembered that Mary belonged to that tribe and that lineage, and ordered them to go and look for her. And, when Mary arrived, the Great Priest said: Cast lots to know who will weave the muslin and the purple, the red and the blue, and when the lots were cast, the purple and the scarlet went to Mary. And, taking them in silence, he returned and began to spin the scarlet, first of all.