Jacob
77 verses
My brothers, don’t you remember reading the words of the prophet Zenos, which he spoke to the house of Israel, saying:
Behold, my brethren, do ye not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zenos, which he spake unto the house of Israel, saying:
Listen, house of Israel, and hear my words, a prophet of the Lord.
Hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord.
This is what the Lord says: I will compare you, O house of Israel, to a tame olive tree that a man took and cared for in his vineyard. It grew, became old, and started to decay.
For behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive-tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay.
The master of the vineyard went out and saw that his olive tree was starting to decay. He said, “I will prune it, dig around it, and nourish it, so that it might grow young and tender branches and not die. ”
And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive-tree began to decay; and he said: I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish not.
He pruned it, dug around it, and nourished it as he had promised.
And it came to pass that he pruned it, and digged about it, and nourished it according to his word.
After many days, it started to produce some small, young, and tender branches, but the main top began to die.
And it came to pass that after many days it began to put forth somewhat a little, young and tender branches; but behold, the main top thereof began to perish.
The master of the vineyard saw it and said to his servant, “It makes me sad to lose this tree. Go and pick branches from a wild olive tree and bring them to me. We will cut off the main branches that are starting to wither, and we will throw them into the fire to be burned. ”
And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard saw it, and he said unto his servant: It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, go and pluck the branches from a wild olive-tree, and bring them hither unto me; and we will pluck off those main branches which are beginning to wither away, and we will cast them into the fire that they may be burned.
The Lord of the vineyard says, I will remove many of these young and tender branches and graft them wherever I choose. It doesn’t matter if the root of this tree dies, because I can still preserve its fruit for myself. So I will take these young and tender branches and graft them wherever I want.
And behold, saith the Lord of the vineyard, I take away many of these young and tender branches, and I will graft them whithersoever I will; and it mattereth not that if it so be that the root of this tree will perish, I may preserve the fruit thereof unto myself; wherefore, I will take these young and tender branches, and I will graft them whithersoever I will.
Take the branches of the wild olive tree and graft them in to replace the others. The branches I have removed I will throw into the fire and burn them, so they won’t take up space in my vineyard.
Take thou the branches of the wild olive-tree, and graft them in, in the stead thereof; and these which I have plucked off I will cast into the fire and burn them, that they may not cumber the ground of my vineyard.
The servant of the Lord of the vineyard followed the Lord’s instructions and grafted in the branches of the wild olive tree.
And it came to pass that the servant of the Lord of the vineyard did according to the word of the Lord of the vineyard, and grafted in the branches of the wild olive-tree.
The Lord of the vineyard had it dug around, pruned, and nourished, and said to his servant, “It pains me to lose this tree. I have done this so I might be able to save its roots and keep them for myself, so they won’t die. ”
And the Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished, saying unto his servant: It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the roots thereof that they perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I have done this thing.
Go and take care of the tree, watch over it, and nourish it as I have instructed you.
Wherefore, go thy way; watch the tree, and nourish it, according to my words.
I will place these in the lowest part of my vineyard, wherever I choose; it doesn’t matter to you. I do this so I can preserve the natural branches of the tree for myself, and also so I can store up its fruit for the coming season. It pains me to lose this tree and its fruit.
And these will I place in the nethermost part of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee; and I do it that I may preserve unto myself the natural branches of the tree; and also, that I may lay up fruit thereof against the season, unto myself; for it grieveth me that I should lose this tree and the fruit thereof.
The Lord of the vineyard went on his way and hid the natural branches of the tame olive tree in the farthest parts of the vineyard, placing some in one area and some in another, according to his will and pleasure.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame olive-tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in another, according to his will and pleasure.
After a long time had passed, the Lord of the vineyard said to his servant, “Come, let’s go down into the vineyard so we can work in the vineyard. ”
And it came to pass that a long time passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor in the vineyard.
The Lord of the vineyard and his servant went down into the vineyard to work. The servant said to his master, "Look here; look at the tree.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and also the servant, went down into the vineyard to labor. And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Behold, look here; behold the tree.
The Lord of the vineyard looked at the tree where the wild olive branches had been grafted, and saw that it had started to grow and was beginning to produce fruit. He saw that it was good, and the fruit was like the natural fruit.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard looked and beheld the tree in the which the wild olive branches had been grafted; and it had sprung forth and begun to bear fruit. And he beheld that it was good; and the fruit thereof was like unto the natural fruit.
He said to the servant, "The branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture from its root, and the root has produced a lot of strength. Because of the great strength of the root, the wild branches have produced good fruit. If we had not grafted in these branches, the tree would have died. Now I will store up much of the fruit that the tree has produced, and I will keep this fruit for myself for the coming season.
And he said unto the servant: Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; and because of the much strength of the root thereof the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit. Now, if we had not grafted in these branches, the tree thereof would have perished. And now, behold, I shall lay up much fruit, which the tree thereof hath brought forth; and the fruit thereof I shall lay up against the season, unto mine own self.
The Lord of the vineyard said to the servant, "Come, let's go to the lowest part of the vineyard and see if the natural branches of the tree have also produced much fruit, so I can store some of the fruit for myself for the coming season.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Come, let us go to the nethermost part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree have not brought forth much fruit also, that I may lay up of the fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self.
They went to where the master had hidden the natural branches of the tree, and he said to the servant, "Look at these. " He looked at the first one and saw that it had produced a lot of fruit, and he saw that it was good. The master said to the servant, "Take some of the fruit and store it for the season, so I can preserve it for myself. I have nourished it for a long time, and it has produced much fruit.
And it came to pass that they went forth whither the master had hid the natural branches of the tree, and he said unto the servant: Behold these; and he beheld the first that it had brought forth much fruit; and he beheld also that it was good. And he said unto the servant: Take of the fruit thereof, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self; for behold, said he, this long time have I nourished it, and it hath brought forth much fruit.
The servant said to his master, “How did you come here to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? It was the poorest spot in all the land of your vineyard. ”
And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard.
The Lord of the vineyard said to him, "Don’t advise me; I knew it was a poor spot of ground. That’s why I told you I have cared for it all this time, and you can see that it has produced a lot of fruit.
And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit.
The Lord of the vineyard said to his servant, “Look here; I have planted another branch of the tree in this spot, and you know this ground was poorer than the first. But look at the tree. I have nourished it for a long time, and it has produced a lot of fruit. So gather it and store it for the season, so I can preserve it for myself. ”
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self.
The Lord of the vineyard said again to his servant, “Look here at another branch I have planted. I have taken care of it too, and it has produced fruit. ”
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said again unto his servant: Look hither, and behold another branch also, which I have planted; behold that I have nourished it also, and it hath brought forth fruit.
He said to the servant, “Look here at the last one. I planted this in a good spot, and I have cared for it for a long time. Only part of the tree has produced good fruit, while the other part has produced wild fruit. I have cared for this tree just like the others. ”
And he said unto the servant: Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others.
The Lord of the vineyard said to the servant, "Remove the branches that have not produced good fruit, and throw them into the fire.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck off the branches that have not brought forth good fruit, and cast them into the fire.
The servant said to him, “Let’s prune it, dig around it, and nourish it a little longer. Maybe it will produce good fruit for you, so you can store it for the season. ”
But behold, the servant said unto him: Let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, that perhaps it may bring forth good fruit unto thee, that thou canst lay it up against the season.
The Lord of the vineyard and his servant cared for all the fruit in the vineyard.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard and the servant of the Lord of the vineyard did nourish all the fruit of the vineyard.
After a long time had passed, the Lord of the vineyard said to his servant, “Come, let’s go down into the vineyard so we can work in the vineyard again. The time is near, and the end is coming soon; so I need to gather fruit for myself before the season ends. ”
And it came to pass that a long time had passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor again in the vineyard. For behold, the time draweth near, and the end soon cometh; wherefore, I must lay up fruit against the season, unto mine own self.
The Lord of the vineyard and the servant went down into the vineyard, and they came to the tree whose natural branches had been broken off and replaced with wild branches. All kinds of fruit covered the tree.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard and the servant went down into the vineyard; and they came to the tree whose natural branches had been broken off, and the wild branches had been grafted in; and behold all sorts of fruit did cumber the tree.
The Lord of the vineyard tasted the fruit, every kind according to its number. The Lord of the vineyard said, We have cared for this tree for a long time, and I have stored up a lot of fruit for myself for the season.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard did taste of the fruit, every sort according to its number. And the Lord of the vineyard said: Behold, this long time have we nourished this tree, and I have laid up unto myself against the season much fruit.
But this time it has produced a lot of fruit, and none of it is good. There are all kinds of bad fruit, and all our work has done me no good; now it makes me sad that I might lose this tree.
But behold, this time it hath brought forth much fruit, and there is none of it which is good. And behold, there are all kinds of bad fruit; and it profiteth me nothing, notwithstanding all our labor; and now it grieveth me that I should lose this tree.
The Lord of the vineyard said to the servant, “What should we do to the tree so that I can once again preserve good fruit for myself? ”
And the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: What shall we do unto the tree, that I may preserve again good fruit thereof unto mine own self?
The servant said to his master, “Because you grafted in the branches of the wild olive tree, they have nourished the roots so that they are alive and have not died. You see that they are still good. ”
And the servant said unto his master: Behold, because thou didst graft in the branches of the wild olive-tree they have nourished the roots, that they are alive and they have not perished; wherefore thou beholdest that they are yet good.
The Lord of the vineyard said to his servant, "The tree is of no use to me, and its roots are of no use to me as long as it produces bad fruit.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: The tree profiteth me nothing, and the roots thereof profit me nothing so long as it shall bring forth evil fruit.
I know that the roots are good, and I have preserved them for my own purpose; and because they are so strong, they have produced good fruit from the wild branches up to this point.
Nevertheless, I know that the roots are good, and for mine own purpose I have preserved them; and because of their much strength they have hitherto brought forth, from the wild branches, good fruit.
The wild branches have grown and have overrun the roots, and because the wild branches have overcome the roots, it has produced a lot of bad fruit. Because it has produced so much bad fruit, you see that it is beginning to die, and it will soon be ready to be thrown into the fire unless we do something to save it.
But behold, the wild branches have grown and have overrun the roots thereof; and because that the wild branches have overcome the roots thereof it hath brought forth much evil fruit; and because that it hath brought forth so much evil fruit thou beholdest that it beginneth to perish; and it will soon become ripened, that it may be cast into the fire, except we should do something for it to preserve it.
The Lord of the vineyard said to his servant, "Let's go down into the lowest parts of the vineyard and see if the natural branches have also produced bad fruit.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Let us go down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches have also brought forth evil fruit.
They went down into the lowest parts of the vineyard and saw that the fruit of the natural branches had also become corrupt—the first, the second, and even the last; all of them had become corrupt.
And it came to pass that they went down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard. And it came to pass that they beheld that the fruit of the natural branches had become corrupt also; yea, the first and the second and also the last; and they had all become corrupt.
The wild fruit at the end had taken over the part of the tree that produced good fruit, and the branch withered away and died.
And the wild fruit of the last had overcome that part of the tree which brought forth good fruit, even that the branch had withered away and died.
The Lord of the vineyard wept and said to the servant, "What more could I have done for my vineyard?
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard?
I knew that all the fruit of the vineyard, except for these, had become corrupted. And now these, which once produced good fruit, have also become corrupted; and now all the trees in my vineyard are good for nothing except to be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Behold, I knew that all the fruit of the vineyard, save it were these, had become corrupted. And now these which have once brought forth good fruit have also become corrupted; and now all the trees of my vineyard are good for nothing save it be to be hewn down and cast into the fire.
This last one, whose branch has withered away, I planted in a good spot of ground—even the part of my vineyard that was most precious to me above all other areas.
And behold this last, whose branch hath withered away, I did plant in a good spot of ground; yea, even that which was choice unto me above all other parts of the land of my vineyard.
You saw that I also cut down what was taking up space in this spot of ground, so I could plant this tree in its place.
And thou beheldest that I also cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground, that I might plant this tree in the stead thereof.
You saw that part of it produced good fruit, and part of it produced wild fruit. Because I didn't remove the branches and throw them into the fire, they have overtaken the good branch, and it has withered away.
And thou beheldest that a part thereof brought forth good fruit, and a part thereof brought forth wild fruit; and because I plucked not the branches thereof and cast them into the fire, behold, they have overcome the good branch that it hath withered away.
Even though we have taken great care of my vineyard, the trees have become corrupted and no longer produce good fruit. I had hoped to preserve them and save their fruit for myself when the time came. But now they have become like wild olive trees and are only good to be cut down and burned. It saddens me to lose them.
And now, behold, notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit; and these I had hoped to preserve, to have laid up fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self. But, behold, they have become like unto the wild olive-tree, and they are of no worth but to be hewn down and cast into the fire; and it grieveth me that I should lose them.
What more could I have done for my vineyard? Have I held back and not cared for it? No, I have cared for it, I have dug around it, I have pruned it, and I have fertilized it. I have reached out my hand almost all day long, and the end is near. It pains me to cut down all the trees in my vineyard and throw them into the fire to be burned. Who has corrupted my vineyard?
But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it, Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. And it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?
The servant said to his master, “Isn’t it the pride of your vineyard—haven’t the branches overpowered the good roots? Because the branches have become stronger than the roots, they grew faster than the roots could support, taking strength for themselves. Isn’t this why the trees in your vineyard have become corrupted? ”
And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard—have not the branches thereof overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?
The Lord of the vineyard said to the servant, “Let’s go and cut down the trees in the vineyard and throw them into the fire, so they won’t take up space in my vineyard, because I have done everything I could. What more could I have done for my vineyard? ”
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Let us go to and hew down the trees of the vineyard and cast them into the fire, that they shall not cumber the ground of my vineyard, for I have done all. What could I have done more for my vineyard?
But the servant said to the Lord of the vineyard, "Please spare it a little longer.
But, behold, the servant said unto the Lord of the vineyard: Spare it a little longer.
And the Lord said, I will spare it a little longer, because it pains me to lose the trees of my vineyard.
And the Lord said: Yea, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard.
Let’s take some branches from the trees I planted in the farthest parts of my vineyard and graft them back into the original tree they came from. We’ll remove the branches from the tree that produce the most bitter fruit and replace them with the natural branches.
Wherefore, let us take of the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from whence they came; and let us pluck from the tree those branches whose fruit is most bitter, and graft in the natural branches of the tree in the stead thereof.
I will do this so the tree won’t die, and so I might be able to preserve its roots for my own purpose.
And this will I do that the tree may not perish, that, perhaps, I may preserve unto myself the roots thereof for mine own purpose.
The roots of the natural branches of the tree I planted wherever I wanted are still alive. So, to preserve them for my own purpose, I will take branches from this tree and graft them in. I will graft in branches from their original tree, so I can also preserve the roots for myself. When they become strong enough, they might produce good fruit for me, and I can still have joy in the fruit of my vineyard.
And, behold, the roots of the natural branches of the tree which I planted whithersoever I would are yet alive; wherefore, that I may preserve them also for mine own purpose, I will take of the branches of this tree, and I will graft them in unto them. Yea, I will graft in unto them the branches of their mother tree, that I may preserve the roots also unto mine own self, that when they shall be sufficiently strong perhaps they may bring forth good fruit unto me, and I may yet have glory in the fruit of my vineyard.
They took branches from the natural tree that had become wild and grafted them into the other natural trees, which had also become wild.
And it came to pass that they took from the natural tree which had become wild, and grafted in unto the natural trees, which also had become wild.
They also took some of the natural trees that had become wild and grafted them into their original tree.
And they also took of the natural trees which had become wild, and grafted into their mother tree.
The Lord of the vineyard said to the servant, “Don’t remove the wild branches from the trees except for those that are the most bitter, and in those you should graft as I have instructed. ”
And the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck not the wild branches from the trees, save it be those which are most bitter; and in them ye shall graft according to that which I have said.
We will nourish the trees of the vineyard again and trim their branches. We will pick from the trees those branches that are ripe and must die, and throw them into the fire.
And we will nourish again the trees of the vineyard, and we will trim up the branches thereof; and we will pluck from the trees those branches which are ripened, that must perish, and cast them into the fire.
I do this so that maybe the roots will become stronger because they are good, and because of the change in the branches, the good can overcome the evil.
And this I do that, perhaps, the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches, that the good may overcome the evil.
Because I have preserved the natural branches and their roots, and have grafted the natural branches back into their original tree, and have kept the roots of their original tree alive, the trees in my vineyard might produce good fruit again. Then I might have joy once more in the fruit of my vineyard, and perhaps I can rejoice greatly that I have preserved the roots and branches of the first fruit.
And because that I have preserved the natural branches and the roots thereof, and that I have grafted in the natural branches again into their mother tree, and have preserved the roots of their mother tree, that, perhaps, the trees of my vineyard may bring forth again good fruit; and that I may have joy again in the fruit of my vineyard, and, perhaps, that I may rejoice exceedingly that I have preserved the roots and the branches of the first fruit—
So go and call servants, so we can work diligently with all our strength in the vineyard and prepare the way, so I can bring back the natural fruit, which is good and more precious than any other fruit.
Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.
So let’s go and work with all our strength this last time, because the end is near, and this is the last time I will prune my vineyard.
Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard.
Graft in the branches; start with the last so they can become first, and the first can become last. Dig around the trees, both old and young, the first and the last, and the last and the first, so that all may be nourished once more for the final time.
Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.
So, dig around them, prune them, and fertilize them once more, for the last time, because the end is near. If these last grafts grow and produce natural fruit, then prepare the way for them so they can continue to grow.
Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth nigh. And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.
As they begin to grow, you should remove the branches that produce bitter fruit, according to the strength and size of the good branches. Don’t remove all the bad branches at once, or the roots might overpower the graft, causing it to die, and I would lose the trees in my vineyard.
And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard.
I am saddened at the thought of losing the trees in my vineyard, so you should remove the bad as the good grows, so that the roots and the tops will be equally strong. The good will eventually overcome the bad, and the bad will be cut down and burned, so they do not take up space in my vineyard. In this way, I will clear the bad out of my vineyard.
For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard.
And I will graft the branches of the natural tree back into the natural tree.
And the branches of the natural tree will I graft in again into the natural tree;
I will graft the branches of the natural tree into the natural branches of the tree, and in this way I will bring them together again so they will produce natural fruit, and they will be one.
And the branches of the natural tree will I graft into the natural branches of the tree; and thus will I bring them together again, that they shall bring forth the natural fruit, and they shall be one.
The bad will be cast out from all the land of my vineyard, for only this once will I prune my vineyard.
And the bad shall be cast away, yea, even out of all the land of my vineyard; for behold, only this once will I prune my vineyard.
The Lord of the vineyard sent his servant, and the servant did as the Lord had commanded and brought other servants, but there were only a few of them.
And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard sent his servant; and the servant went and did as the Lord had commanded him, and brought other servants; and they were few.
The Lord of the vineyard said to them, “Go and work in the vineyard with all your strength. This is the last time I will care for my vineyard, because the end is near and the season is coming quickly. If you work with all your strength alongside me, you will have joy in the fruit that I will gather for myself for the time that is coming soon. ”
And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.
The servants went and worked with all their strength, and the Lord of the vineyard worked alongside them. They followed all the Lord of the vineyard’s instructions.
And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.
The natural fruit started to grow again in the vineyard, and the natural branches began to grow and thrive greatly. The wild branches were being removed and thrown away, and they kept the root and the top balanced, according to their strength.
And there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off and to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof.
So they worked diligently, following the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, until all the bad was removed from the vineyard and the Lord preserved for himself trees that once again produced natural fruit. They became united, and their fruits were equal. The Lord of the vineyard preserved for himself the natural fruit, which had always been most precious to him.
And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.
When the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good and that his vineyard was no longer corrupt, he called his servants and said to them: For this last time we have nourished my vineyard; you see that I have done according to my will, and I have preserved the natural fruit so that it is good, just as it was in the beginning. You are blessed, because you have been diligent in working with me in my vineyard, have kept my commandments, and have brought the natural fruit back to me so that my vineyard is no longer corrupted and the bad has been cast away. You will have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
And it came to pass that when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them: Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
For a long time I will store the fruit of my vineyard for myself until the season comes, which will be soon; and for the last time I have cared for my vineyard, pruning it, digging around it, and fertilizing it. So I will keep the fruit for myself for a long time, just as I have said.
For behold, for a long time will I lay up of the fruit of my vineyard unto mine own self against the season, which speedily cometh; and for the last time have I nourished my vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it, and dunged it; wherefore I will lay up unto mine own self of the fruit, for a long time, according to that which I have spoken.
When the time comes that evil fruit appears again in my vineyard, I will have the good and the bad gathered; I will keep the good for myself, and I will cast the bad away into its own place. Then the season and the end will come, and I will have my vineyard burned with fire.
And when the time cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place. And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire.