Tatian: Diatessaron — Arabic Witness

Section XXXIII.

[1] [Arabic, p. 125] ^{Edition note 1}And when evening came, Jesus went forth outside of the city, he and his [2] disciples. ^{Edition note 2}And as they passed in the morning, the disciples saw that fig tree [3] withered away from its root. ^{Edition note 3}And they passed by, and said, How did the fig tree dry [4] up immediately? ^{Edition note 4}And Simon remembered, and said unto him, My Master, behold, [5] that fig tree which thou didst curse hath dried up. ^{Edition note 5}And Jesus answered and said [6] unto them, Let there be in you the faith of God. ^{Edition note 6}Verily I say unto you, if ye believe, and doubt not in your hearts, and assure yourselves that that will be which [7] ye say, ye shall have what ye say. ^{Edition note 7}And if ye say to this mountain, Remove, and [8] fall^{Edition note 8} into the sea, it shall be. ^{Edition note 9}And all that ye ask God in prayer, and believe, he [9, 10] will give you. ^{Edition note 10}And the apostles^{Edition note 11} said unto our Lord, Increase our^{Edition note 12} faith. ^{Edition note 13}He said unto them, If there be in you faith like a grain of mustard, ye shall say to this fig tree, Be thou torn up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it will obey you. [11] ^{Edition note 14}Who of you hath a servant driving a yoke of oxen or tending sheep, and if he [12] come from the field, will say unto him straightway, Go and sit down? ^{Edition note 15}Nay,^{Edition note 16} he will say unto him, Make ready for me wherewith I may sup, and gird thy waist, and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterwards thou shalt eat and drink also. [13] ^{Edition note 17}Doth that servant haply, who did what he was bid, receive his praise? I think [14] not. ^{Edition note 18}So ye also, when ye have done all that ye were bid, say, We are idle servants; what it was our duty to do, we have done.

[15] ^{Edition note 19}For this reason I say unto you, Whatever ye pray and ask, believe that ye [16] [Arabic, p. 126] receive, and ye shall have. ^{Edition note 20}And when ye stand to pray, forgive what is in your heart against any man; and your Father which is in heaven will [17] forgive you also your wrong-doings. ^{Edition note 21}But if ye forgive not men their wrong-doings, neither will your Father forgive you also your wrong-doings.

[18] ^{Edition note 22}And he spake unto them a parable also, that they should pray at all times, and [19] not be slothful: ^{Edition note 23}There was a judge in a city, who feared not God, nor was ashamed [20] for men: ^{Edition note 24}and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, and said, [21] Avenge me of mine adversary. ^{Edition note 25}And he would not for a long time: but afterwards he said within himself, If of God I have no fear, and before men I have no shame; [22] ^{Edition note 26}yet because this widow vexeth me, I will avenge her, that she come not at all times [23, 24] and annoy me. ^{Edition note 27}And our Lord said, Hear ye what the judge of injustice said. ^{Edition note 28}And shall not God still more do vengeance for his elect, who call upon him in the night [25] and in the day, and grant them respite? ^{Edition note 29}I say unto you, He will do vengeance for them speedily. Thinkest thou the Son of man will come and find faith on the earth?

[26, 27] ^{Edition note 30}And they came again to Jerusalem. ^{Edition note 31}And it came to pass, on one of the days, as Jesus was walking in the temple, and teaching the people, and preaching the [28] gospel, ^{Edition note 32}that the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came upon him, and said unto him, Tell us: ^{Edition note 33}By what power doest thou this? and who gave thee this [29] power to do that? ^{Edition note 34}And Jesus said unto them, I also will ask you one word, and if [30] ye tell me, I also shall tell you by what power I do that. ^{Edition note 35}The baptism of John, from [31] what place is it?

from heaven or of men? ^{Edition note 36}Tell me. ^{Edition note 37}And they reflected within themselves, [Arabic, p. 127] and said, If we shall say unto him, From heaven; he will say unto [32] us, For what reason did ye not believe him? ^{Edition note 38}But^{Edition note 39} if we shall say, Of men; [33] we fear^{Edition note 40} that the people will stone us, all of them. ^{Edition note 41}And all of them were holding^{Edition note 42} [34] to John, that he was a true prophet. ^{Edition note 43}They answered and said unto him, We know [35] not. ^{Edition note 44}Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you also by what power I work.

What think ye? A man had two sons; and he went to the first, and said unto him, My [36] son, go to-day, and till in the vineyard. ^{Edition note 45}And he answered and said, I do not wish [37] to: but finally he repented, and went. ^{Edition note 46}And he went to the other, and said unto [38] him likewise. ^{Edition note 47}And he answered and said, Yea, my lord: and went not. Which of these two did the will of his father? They said unto him, The first. Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, The publicans and harlots go before you into [39] the kingdom of God. ^{Edition note 48}John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and harlots believed him; and ye, not even when ye saw, did ye repent at last, that ye might believe in him.

[40] ^{Edition note 49}Hear another parable: A man was a householder, and planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge, and digged in it a winepress, and built in it a tower, [41, 42] ^{Edition note 50}and gave it to husbandmen, and went to a distance for a long time. ^{Edition note 51}So when the time of the fruits came, he sent his servants^{Edition note 52} unto the husbandmen, that they might [43] send him of the produce^{Edition note 53} of his vineyard. ^{Edition note 54}And those husbandmen beat him, and [44] sent him away empty. ^{Edition note 55}And he sent unto them another servant also; and they [45] stoned him, and wounded^{Edition note 56} him, and sent him away with shameful handling. ^{Edition note 57}And he sent again another; and they slew him.

And he sent many other servants unto [46] them. ^{Edition note 58}And the husbandmen took his servants, and one they beat, and another they [47] stoned, and another they slew. ^{Edition note 59}So he sent again other servants more than the first; and [48] [Arabic, p. 128] they did likewise with them. ^{Edition note 60}So the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will see him and be [49, 50] ashamed. ^{Edition note 61}So at last he sent unto them his beloved son that he had. ^{Edition note 62}But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said amongst themselves, This is the heir. [51, 52] ^{Edition note 63}And they said, We will slay him, and so the inheritance will be ours. ^{Edition note 64}So they took [53] him, and put him forth without the vineyard, and slew him. ^{Edition note 65}When then the lord [54] of the vineyard shall come, what will he do with those husbandmen? ^{Edition note 66}They said unto him, He will destroy them in the worst of ways,^{Edition note 67} and give the vineyard to [55] other husbandmen, who will give him fruit in its season. ^{Edition note 68}Jesus said unto them, Have ye never read in the scripture,

The stone which the builders declared to be base,

^{Edition note 69}The same came to be at the head of the corner:

[56] ^{Edition note 70}From God was this,

And it is wonderful in our eyes?

[57] ^{Edition note 71}Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and [58] given to a people that will produce fruit. ^{Edition note 72}And whosoever falleth on this stone shall be broken in pieces: but on whomsoever it falleth, it will grind him to [59] powder. ^{Edition note 73}And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they [60] perceived that it was concerning them he spake. ^{Edition note 74}And they sought to seize him; and they feared the multitude, because they were holding to him as the prophet.