The Road to Bethlehem Ethiopian

The Road to Bethlehem – Told by Elizabeth Laird

Ethiopia is a land of stories. Many have been passed from parents to children across the generations: others have been recorded in distinctive works of art. ~ Terry Waite, M.B.E. Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary 1

In the beginning, እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher /God made the earth, the heavens and the Garden of Life. And when everything was finished, He made our father Adam, and in his body He placed a white Pearl.

The Pearl was passed from generation to generation through the bodies of Noah and Enoch, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David and Solomon, until it came to Joachim. And Joachim passed the Pearl to his wife Hannah, and in her body the Pearl grew into a child, and she was ድንግል ማርያም [Dingil Mariyam/ the Virgin Mary].

When ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary was still a little girl, her mother Hannah took her to live in the temple in Jerusalem. There, Zachariah the priest and Simeon the holy man taught her to read and pray, and live a holy life. ~ Laird, Elizabeth – The Road to Bethlehem

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ማሪያም /Mariyam/Mary grew to be full of grace.

She was of medium height, with a face the color of ripe wheat. Her eyes were brown and bright, and her eyebrows black and arched. Her face was oval and her nose was long. She spoke clearly and fearlessly, and was seldom angry. She was simple, and humble, she wore plain, homespun clothes, and she listened to people when they talked to her.

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One day, when ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary was with two women, a thirsty dog came near them. The two women drove him away, but ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary was sad when she saw how thirsty he was, and she wept.

She fetched her water pot, took off her shoe and poured water into it. Then she gave it to the dog.

“This water,” said ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary, “did not come from a well but from heaven, and it was, እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God who gave this thirsty dog water to drink.”

“Your heart is much kinder than ours,” the women said, “and one day you will be the Mother of ክርስቶስ/Kristos/Christ, the Messiah.”

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When ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary had lived in the temple for twelve years, the time came for her to be married.

The holy man, ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph the carpenter, was chosen to be her husband, but he went to Zachariah the priest and said, “How can I marry ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary? For I am an old man, and she is a young girl. If I marry her, everyone will laugh at me.”

But Zachariah said sternly to ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph, “You must not question the will of እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God.” So ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph and ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary were betrothed, and until the time of her marriage, she went to live in his house.

But ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph went away on a journey.

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One day, when ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary went to fetch water at the well, እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God sent the Angel Gabriel to her.

“Peace be on you,” said the Angel, “for እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God is with you.” ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary turned to the right, and she turned to the left, but she could not see anyone, for no one was there at all. So ማርያም [Mariyam/Mary] was frightened, and she dropped her water pot, and ran home to pray.

The Angel came to her again, and his presence filled the courtyard.

His wings shone, and his eyes were brighter than the sun.

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“Do not be afraid, ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary,” he said, “for እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God is pleased with you. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will have a child. He will be holy, and He will be called the Son of the Most High, and His name will be ኢየሱስ/Eeyesus/Jesus, and He will save the people from their sins.

He will be the joyful one in whom there is no sorrow. He will be the healthy one, in whom there is no sickness. He will be the blessed one in whom there is no evil, and at His coming, He will light up the whole world.”

And ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary said to the Angel, “Why should He come to me? For I am not the daughter of a king.”

And the Angel said, “He could have chosen to live with the rich, but He has chosen to be the friend of the poor.”

And ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary said, “Here I am, the servant of ጌታ [Geta/the Lord], and my soul is in His hands.”

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Now ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary was weaving scarlet wool to make curtains for the temple. And when she had finished she took it to Zachariah the priest, and he blessed her. Then ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary went to Elizabeth her cousin, the wife of Zachariah, who was also expecting a child.

When Elizabeth saw ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary, she opened the door to her, and begged her to come in.

“Why has the mother of my ጌታ/Geta/Lord come to see me?” she said.

“When I heard your voice, I felt my baby leap for joy inside me.”

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And ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary stayed for three months in the house of her cousin Elizabeth. But when ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph came back from his journey and found that ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary was expecting a child, he was very angry.

“This is no child of mine,” he said.

For a long time, he prayed, and wept, and looked up to heaven, and then he went to sleep. And while he was asleep, the Angel came to him and said, “Do not be angry, ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph, for the child ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary carries is of the Holy Spirit, and he shall save people from their sins.”

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Some months later, Herod the king sent out his officers to bring each person into their own city. So ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph brought a donkey, and he sat ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary on it, and they started out along the road to Bethlehem.

After they had been traveling for a while, ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph turned and looked back at ማርያም /Mariyam/Mary, and she was smiling and laughing.

“The baby is about to be born!” she said.

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“What shall we do? Where shall we go?” said ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph.

He looked around, and he saw a cave, where animals were kept, and he led ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary to it.

Then ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph went off to find a midwife. As he went along the road, the earth trembled, and the oxen and sheep stood looking up to heaven.

When ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph came back to the cave with the midwife, a great light was shining out of it, and a cloud of light surrounded ማርያም [Mariyam/Mary] and the Baby, who was lying in a manger.

And እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God sent another woman to ማርያም [Mariyam/Mary], her cousin Salome, and she bowed down to the ground. The donkey and the ox bowed their heads to the Child also, and warmed him with their breath.

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And companies of angels and archangels, the Cherubim and Seraphim, bowed down and worshipped the Child and his mother.

“This is the day that እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God has made and blessed,” they said.

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After them came Gabriel, with a bright and shining face. And he bowed down and worshipped.

“It is as I told you,” he said. “This is the Child I spoke of when I came to you before. This is the one who will give strength to his people.”

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And Salome picked the Baby up in her arms and said, “Happy am I to have seen this day, and happy are you, ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary, to be his mother. I will be your servant, and I will never leave you, and I will look after you till I die.”

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And the angels appeared to herdsmen who were looking after their animals. And when they had heard the news, the herdsmen came and worshipped.

“You are the Savior of the world, the Son of እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God,” they said, “Happy are we to see your glory.”

Then all the companies of angels and archangels sang, “Glory to እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God in the Heavens, and peace on earth to the children of men, with whom He is pleased.”

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After eight days, the Child was circumcised, according to the Law. And he was named ኢየሱስ/Eeyesus [Jesus], as the Angel had said.

And there were three wise men who journeyed from the East. Their names were Tanisuram, Maliko and Zesesba.

They traveled from one town and city to another, making inquiries about the Child.

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“Where is ክርስቶስ/Kristos/Christ to be born?” they said, “for we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard of this he was angry, and he called the nobles, the priests, the scribes and the elders, and asked them where ክርስቶስ/Kristos/Christ would be born.

“In Bethlehem,” they said, “as the prophets foretold.”

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Herod said to the wise men, “Go and look for the Child, and when you have found Him, come and tell me, so that I may worship Him too.�

The wise men left Herod, and the star they had followed from their own country guided them to the house where the Child was. And when they saw Him in the arms of his Mother, they bowed down and worshipped Him, and full of joy, they opened up their treasure bags.

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They gave Him gold, because He was a king. They gave Him frankincense, because He was እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher [God]. They gave Him myrrh because He was a man. And the Child accepted their gifts.

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The wise men left the house and began their journey back to Herod. But on their way, while they were sleeping, የእግዚአብሔር መልአክም [yeIgziabher Mälakim/the Angel of the Lord] appeared to them in a dream.

“Do not go back to Herod,” he said, “but go straight home to your own country.”

And so they did.

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Herod waited two years for the wise men to return, and when they did not he was very angry, and his servants were all afraid.

Then Satan spoke to him, and said, “Tomorrow, early in the morning, send your servants to kill every child under two years old in Bethlehem. Then ኢየሱስ /Eeyesus [Jesus] is sure to die, and He will not grow up to take away your kingdom.

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That same night, an Angel appeared to ዮሴፍ [Yosef/Joseph], and said, “Get up, and take the young Child and His Mother, and go to the land of Egypt, for Herod is looking for the Child and wants to kill Him.” So ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph did as the Angel said, but Herod did as Satan said and killed all the boys of Bethlehem of two years old and less. Only Elizabeth, the wife of Zachariah, escaped with ዮሐንስ/Yohanis/John her son, and ማርያም [Mariyam/Mary], with ኢየሱስ/Eeyesus [Jesus] her Son. 22

The road to Egypt was long, and the journey wearisome. ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph walked in front to show the way, and ማርያም/Mariyam [Mary] walked behind with Salome, who had followed them into Egypt.

Sometimes ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary carried the Child on her back, sometimes on her shoulders, and sometimes in her arms, and sometimes Salome carried Him in turn.

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ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary would set him down on the ground to walk by Himself, and He would walk a little way at a time, holding the hem of her skirt. Then He would lift up His arms, as children do who ask their mothers to carry them.

And ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary would pick Him up and kiss Him and carry Him again. ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph’s heart grew tired because of the length of the road. “I am too old,” he said. “I cannot go on.” ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary would put the Child into his arms, and ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph lifted Him onto his shoulder, and he forgot that he was tired, and he kissed the Child from His head to His feet, and went on again with new strength.

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Now when the Holy Family arrived in Egypt, they sat down under a tree, outside the city, to rest from the heat of the sun, and they slept.

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Then the people came out of the city nearby, and some were angry and tried to drive the Holy Family away.

Others brought out the sick and those who were possessed by evil spirits, and ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary cured them all of their illness. The dumb spoke, the lame ran, the deaf heard and the blind could see.

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Then ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary blessed the rocks, and a spring of water welled up. And ማርያም/Mariyam [Mary] said, “By this water you will be healed, until the end of the world.”

And from that time on, sick people came to the spring, and when they drank the water they were healed immediately. Even their animals, their cattle and their horses, were cured of all their illness.

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As the Child traveled through Egypt with ማርያም [Mariyam/Mary] His Mother, and ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph and Salome, the mountains and the wild animals came to worship Him. And as they journeyed on, the mountains and the wild animals followed Him. So ኢየሱስ/Eeyesus/Jesus turned toward them, and He put his hand on the mountain in the east, and His other hand on the mountain in the west, and they stood still, and fixed their roots deep in the rock.

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One day, as the Holy Family went along a mountain path at sunset, two thieves rushed out upon them with swords drawn.

They snatched the Child from the arms of His Mother, and stripped off His clothes.

They stole ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary’s headcloth, and Salome’s too, and as ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph stood there like a simple sheep they snatched his clothes as well. Then the two thieves went away a short distance, and began plotting together. ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary was afraid and she began to cry. One of the thieves saw her weeping, and he said to the other, “Friend and brother, let us not steal their clothes, for this Child is like the son of a king, and I have never seen another like Him.” But the other thief said, “No, let us keep the clothes, for they are purple, and fine, and merchants will pay us well for them.”

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The first thief said, “We have always robbed together, and last night we took a lot of booty. I will give you my share if you will let me give back the clothes to the Child. I cannot bear to see Him standing naked.”

So the second thief agreed, and he gave all the clothes back, and ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary joyfully dressed her Son again.

Many years later, the two thieves were crucified with ኢየሱስ [Eeyesus/Jesus], one on the right, and the other on the left, and the thief who had shown mercy to the Child entered straight into the Garden of Paradise.

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Herod discovered that ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph and ማርያም/Mariyam [Mary] and Child ኢየሱስ [Eeyesus/Jesus] were hiding from him in the desert, and he was glad that at last he knew where they were. He called his nobles and said to them. “Get up at dawn, and we will surround the desert.”

But the Angel of እግዚአብሔር /Igziabher/God came to ዮሴፍ/Yosef [Joseph] in a dream and warned him to flee to Mt. Lebanon with the Child and his Mother.

Herod ordered his soldiers to surround Mt. Lebanon, and they hunted for the Holy Family, but they could not find them among the rocks, the dense forests or the holes in the ground.

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“What has become of them?” said Herod. “Has the earth swallowed them up?”

Then Herod sent a herald around the city to cry out, “If anyone finds these people, and brings them to me, I will give him half of my kingdom.”

The soldiers scattered themselves in the hills and valleys, but they did not find them. So Herod returned to the city. But the Angel of እግዚአብሔር /Igziabher/God stood in the road, and struck the horse’s nose with a piece of wood, and the horse leaped up into the air, and threw Herod onto the ground. The soldiers put Herod on a bed and took him back to his house, but although he was sick, it was not yet time for him to die.

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And when at last Herod died, the Angel Gabriel appeared to ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph, and said, “Get up now, and go back to Bethlehem, for all those who tried to kill the Child are dead.”

So ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph and ማርያም/Mariyam/Mary and the Child, and Salome their cousin, journeyed back to the land of Israel, to a city named Nazareth.

And there ዮሴፍ/Yosef/Joseph worked in his carpenter’s shop, and the Son of እግዚአብሔር /Igziabher/God worked with him.

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