Page:Suppressed Gospels and Epistles.djvu/27

 her son John was about to be searched for; took him and went up unto the mountains, and looked around for a place to hide him;

And there was no secret place to be found.

Then she groaned within herself, and said, O mountain of the Lord, receive the mother with the child.

For Elizabeth could not climb up.

And instantly the mountain was divided and received them.

And there appeared to them an angel of the Lord to preserve them.

¶ But Herod made search after John, and sent servants to Zacharias, when he was (ministering) at the altar, and said unto him, Were hast thou hid thy son?

He replied, to them, I am a minister of God, and a servant at the altar: how should I know where my son is?

So the servants went back, and told Herod the whole; at which he was incensed, and said, Is not this son of his like to be king of Israel?

He sent therefore again his servants to Zacharias, saying, Tell us the truth, where is thy son, for you know that your life is in my hand.

So the servants went and told him all this:

But Zacharias replied to them, I am a martyr for God, and if ye shed my blood, the Lord will receive my soul.

Besides know that ye shed innocent blood.

However Zacharias was murdered in the entrance of the temple said altar, and about the partition;

But the children of Israel knew not when he was killed.

¶ Then at the hour of salutation the priests went into the temple, but Zacharias did not according to custom, meet them and bless them;

Yet they still continued waiting for him to salute them;

And when they found he did not in a long time come, one of them ventured into the holy place where the altar was, and he saw blood lying upon the ground congealed:

When, behold, a voice from heaven said, Zacharias is murdered, and his blood shall not be wiped away, until the revenger of his blood come.

But when he heard this, he was afraid; and went forth and told the priests what he had seen and heard; and they all went in, and saw the fact.

Then the roofs of the temple howled, and were rent from the top to the bottom:

And they could not find the body, but only blood made hard like stone.

And they went away, and told the people, that Zacharias was murdered, and all the tribes of Israel heard thereof, and mourned for him, and lamented three days.

Then the priests took counsel together concerning a person to succeed him.

And Simeon and the other priests cast lots, and the lot fell upon Simeon.

For he had been assured by the Holy Spirit, that he should not die, till he had seen Christ come in the flesh.