1 When the first glow of dawn illuminated the darkness, Joseph woke up again, called Mary, bowed before her , and asked her forgiveness, saying: You have been sincere, dear wife, and you are rightly called Sublime. I have sinned against the Lord my God, because I have often suspected your sacred virginity, and I did not understand before what the words you told me contained. And while Joseph, abandoning himself to his reflections, spoke in this way, and was absorbed in his thoughts, behold, there came a scribe named Annas, a devout and faithful man, devoted to the service of the temple of the Lord. When he entered the house, Joseph came forward to receive him, they both hugged each other, and sat down. And Annas the scribe asked: Have you returned happily from your journey, revered father? How has it been for you when you left and when you returned? And Joseph replied: I am very happy to see you here, scribe and servant of God. And the scribe said: When did you come, venerable man, old man pleasing to the Lord? Joseph said: I arrived yesterday, but I was extremely fatigued, and I could not attend the prayer ceremony. The scribe said: The priests and all the people waited for your arrival for some time, because you well know how highly regarded you are among the children of Israel. Joseph said: May God bless you now and always.
2 And having said these words, they sat down at the table, ate, drank, were merry, and praised God . But, at that moment, Annas the scribe stopped his eyes on the Virgin Mary, and saw that she was pregnant with him. He was silent, however, and went in search of the priests, to whom he said: This Joseph, whom you suppose to be the type of the perfectly righteous, has committed a grave iniquity. The priests said: What wicked work have you observed in him? The scribe said: The Virgin Mary, whom she took out of the temple and whom you had ordered her to holy guard, is violated today, without having regularly received the crown of blessing. The priests said: Joseph has not done that, because he is a very honest man and incapable of breaking his promise, and of violating the rules of justice. The scribe objected: I have seen it with my own eyes. Why don’t you believe what I tell you? And the High Priest replied: Do not bear false testimony, or it will be charged to you as a sin. And the scribe replied: If my testimony is false, I will declare before God and before all the people that I am worthy of death. And, if you do not believe my word, order someone to go look closely at the Virgin Mary, and you will be informed to your pleasure and satisfaction.
3 Then Zechariah, the High Priest, commanded some caretakers of the temple of the Lord to summon Joseph before all the people. town. And, when the caretakers arrived at the house, they found that the Virgin Mary was pregnant, and they returned to the temple, testifying that the scribe Annas was right. And the chief priests sent for Joseph and Mary to appear before their court. And, when they arrived, in the midst of a great influx of people, the Great Priest asked Mary: What illegitimate action have you carried out, my daughter, you, who have been educated in the Holy of Holies, and who, for Three times have you heard the songs of the angels? How is it possible that you have lost your virginity, and forgotten the Lord your God? And Mary silently lowered her head, humbly prostrated herself before the priests and before all the people, and answered crying: I swear by the living God and by the holiness of his name, that I remain pure, and that I have not known a man. And Zechariah questioned her prophetically: Will you be the mother of the Messiah? But how to believe your words? You predict that you have never met a man, and yet you are pregnant. Where, then, does your pregnancy come from? Maria said: I don’t know.
4 Then Zechariah ordered that Joseph be brought to him, and when he had him before him, he asked him: What have you done? done, José? How could you commit, among the children of Israel, that fault that will disgrace you among numerous tribes? And Joseph replied: I don’t know what you mean. But do not condemn me lightly and without testimony, because you will make yourself guilty of it. The Great Priest said: I do not condemn you without reason and with inhibition of your innocence, but with reason. Give me back a virgin to the holy and pure Mary, whom you have received from the temple. Where not, you are guilty of death. Joseph conceded: I do not deny it to you, but I swear by the life of the Lord God of Israel, that I know nothing of what you tell me. The High Priest objected: Do not lie, and answer me with loyalty. Have you assumed the right to marry? Have you despised the law of the Lord, without declaring it to the children of Israel, nor bowing your head before the mighty hand of God, so that your descendants may be blessed throughout the entire earth? Joseph replied: I told you already, and I repeat it to you now, in the hope that you will believe me. You yourself know perfectly well that I have never departed from the commandments of God, and that I have never been anyone’s enemy. And the Lord himself could attest that I have never known any other woman than my first and legitimate wife. It is you, priests and people, who, ganging up against me, have persuaded me despite myself, by force of urging and flattery, and I, out of respect for you and for God, submitted to your orders, regarding the guardianship of Mary. And I did everything that was appropriate, according to what you had imagined imposing on me, taking this maiden to my house, providing for all her material needs, recommending her to be prudent, and to remain in her sanctity until my return. I set out, and I devoted myself in Bethlehem to the work of my profession, until I finished what I had to do. When I returned yesterday, everyone could find out the circumstances of my arrival. And, of the virgin, I have seen nothing, nor know anything, except that she is with child.
5 When the crowd of people heard this, they exclaimed: This old man is just and loyal. And the Great Priest explained: I willingly admit what you say. But this young woman was nothing more than a girl, orphaned of father and mother. You, on the other hand, were old, and that is why we have entrusted you with the custody of her virginity, so that it would remain intact and immaculate, until the moment when you both received the crown of blessing. And Joseph said: Without a doubt, but I had no idea what was going to happen. For the rest, the Lord will manifest, in the way he wants, the injustice of which I have been a victim. And, having said this, José closed himself in silence.
6 The High Priest said: You will drink the water of trial, and the Lord will reveal your crime, if you are guilty. Then Zechariah, taking the testing water, called Joseph into his presence and said to him: O man, think of your gray-haired old age! Contemplate this poison of life and death, and do not throw yourself with willful and senseless recklessness into perdition. And Joseph said: By the life of the Lord and by the holiness of his name, I swear that I am not conscious of any fault. But, if the Lord wants to condemn me, despite my innocence, let his will be done. And the High Priest gave Joseph the water to drink, and then ordered him to go and return quickly. And Joseph went and ran back, and came down unscathed, without disgrace, and without his person having suffered any harm. And when they saw that he had not been attacked by death, they were all filled with intense fear.
7 Immediately, the Great Priest ordered that Mary be called to his presence. When she had arrived, Zechariah, taking the water of trial, said: My daughter, consider your young age, and remember the time past, when you were sustained and educated in the temple. Have mercy on yourself, and, if you are innocent, save yourself from death, and no harm will come to you. But if you want to tempt the living God with deceit, He will publicly confuse you, and your end will be disastrous. Mary replied crying: My conscience does not accuse me of any guilt, and my virginity remains holy, inviolate and without the slightest stain. If the Lord condemns me, despite my innocence, let his will be done.
8 And the Great Priest gave Mary the water to drink and then ordered her to go and return quickly. She left, walked away, descended (from the mountain) and returned intact and without any blemish. Seeing this, the crowd, possessed with admiration, was amazed, and said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who gives justice to those who are pure and innocent. Because they have emerged unscathed from the test, and no guilty work has appeared in them. Then the Great Priest made Joseph and Mary appear before him, and said to them: You are well aware that it was necessary to answer for yourselves before God. What the law orders us to do, we have done. The Lord has not revealed your sin, and I do not condemn you either. Go in peace.
9 And, after having prostrated themselves before the priests and before all the people, Joseph and Mary returned to their house and There they discreetly hid, without showing themselves to anyone. And they stayed in their house until the end of María’s pregnancy. And when she felt the pains of childbirth approaching, Joseph was afraid, and said to himself: What shall I do with her, so that someone knows, to our confusion, what is going to happen? And he warned his wife: It is not convenient for us to remain in this legality. We are going to a faraway country, where no one knows us. Because, if we remain here, those who find out that you have been a mother will cast ridicule and scorn on us. And Mary said: Do what you like.