The Childhood and Youth of Jesus · Part 2 · Chapter 209

The boon and purpose of the nocturnal storm: the annihilation of the robbers. 17 May 1844

01] On the following morning, Joseph got up very early as usual and distributed the day's work among his four sons.

02] Their first task was to prepare a good breakfast, and then whatever other duties required to be performed on that day.

03] After distributing the work, he went out and checked the damage caused by the nocturnal storm.

04] As he went back and forth, he soon found a mass of gnawed human bones

05] and came across many places that were stained with human blood.

06] He was greatly horrified by the sight of it and could not comprehend this mystery.

07] As he went onwards he also found a number of daggers and small lances, often stained with blood.

08] At this sight, a new perspective began to dawn on him, and he gradually began to understand the beneficent purpose of the hurricane that caused the animals to appear.

09] Thereupon Joseph quickly went to his four sons and notified them of all this and instructed three of them to collect the bones and the weapons.

10] In one-and-a-half hours there was a huge pile of bones under a tree and, next to it, there was another pile of bloodstained weapons.

11] Only after breakfast did Joseph lead Cyrenius and Jonathan out and showed them the morning's strange find.

12] As Cyrenius saw this, he threw his hands up and spoke: 13] "But for the almighty Lord's sake, – what is this?!

14] Where do these dead bodies come from, and where do these weapons, dripping with fresh blood, come from?

15] Joseph, brother, friend! Have you no idea that could suggest the reason for this horror?"

16] And Joseph spoke: "Friend and brother, these were either pirates or rebels who pursued your ship!

17] However, let us first destroy all of this with fire;

18] and only then should we endeavour to get to the bottom of the matter!"

19] Cyrenius was content with this, and all his people were sent to gather wood from all directions.

20] And when around noon a suitably large pile of wood was collected in an open space, the dead bodies, together with the weapons, were thrown onto the great mound of wood and incinerated.