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1. THEN was Jesus
led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil. And
the wild beasts of the desert were around him, and became subject unto him.
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights he was afterwards an hungered.
2. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command
that these stones be made bread, for it is written, I will feed thee with the
finest of wheat and with honey, out of the rock will I satisfy thee.
3. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.
4. Then the Devil placeth before him a woman, of exceeding beauty and comeliness
and of subtle wit, and a ready understanding withal, and he said unto him.
Take her as thou wilt, for her desire is unto thee, and thou shalt have love
and happiness and comfort all thy life, and see thy children's children, yea
is it not written, It is not good for man that he should be alone?
5. And Jesu-Maria said, Get thee behind me, for it is written, Be not led away
by the beauty of woman, yea, all flesh is as grass and the flower of the field;
the grass withereth and the flower fadeth away, but the Word of the Eternal
endureth for ever. My work is to teach and to heal the children of men, and
he that is born of God keepeth his seed within him.
6. And the Devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle
of the Temple. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself
down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and
in their hands they shall bear thee up lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone.
7. And Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord
thy God.
8. Then the Devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain in the midst
of a great plain and, round about, twelve cities and their peoples, and shown
from thence he shown unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of
time. And the Devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the
glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give
it: for it is written, thou shalt have dominion from sea to sea, so thou shalt
judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with mercy, and. make a full
end of oppression. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
9. And Jesu-Maria answered and said unto him, get thee behind me, Satan; for
it is written, Thou shalt worship thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Without
the power of God, the end of evil cannot come.
10. Then the Devil having ended all the temptations leaveth him and departed
for a season. And behold, angels of God came and ministered unto him.
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