Apocryphal New Testament — Historical English Collection

Apocryphal New Testament — Hone/Wake/Jones — Section 63

25 Then those six men com- manded, that they should lift up stones out of a certain deep place, and prepare them for the building of the tower. And there were lifted up ten white stones, square, and ^not cut round. 26 Then those six men called the ten virgins to them, and commanded them to carry all the stones that were to be put into the building and having carried them through the gate to deliver them to those that were about to build the tower. 27 Immediately the virgins began all of them together to lift up those stones, that were before taken out of the deep. 28 ^ And they who also stood about the gate did carry stones in such a manner, that those stones which seemed to be the strongest were laid at the corners, the rest were put into the sides. 29 And thus they carried all the stones, and bringing them through the gate delivered them to the builders, as they had been commanded: who receiving them at their hands, built with them. 30 But this building was made upon that great rock, and over the gate ; and by these the whole tower was supported. But the building of the ten stones filled the whole gate, which began to be made for the foundation of that tower. 31 After those ten stones did five and twenty others ^rise up out of the deep ; and these were placed in the building of the same tower ; being lifted up by those virgins, as the others had been before. 32 After these did five and thirty others ^rise up; and these were also in like manner fitted into the same work. Then forty other stones were brought up, and all these were added unto the building of that tower. 33 So there began to be four ranks in the foundation of that tower ; and the stones ceased to ^ rise out of the deep ; and they also which built rested a little. 34 Again those six men com- manded the multitude, that they should bring stones out of those twelve mountains to the building of the same tower. 35 So they cut out of all the mountains stones of divers col- ours, and brought them and gave them to the virgins; which when they had received they carried them, and delivered them into the building of the tower,