When Adam and Eve were driven out of Paradise, they had to build a house on barren land and earn their bread by the sweat of their brow. Adam tilled the soil, and Eve spun. Each year, Eve bore a child, but they were all different—some beautiful, some ugly.
After a long time, God sent an angel to announce His visit. Delighted, Eve diligently cleaned her house, decorated it with flowers, and scattered reeds on the floor. She then presented only her beautiful children. She washed and dressed them, combed their hair, and instructed them to behave modestly before the Lord, to bow politely, extend their hands, and answer wisely.
The ugly children were hidden away—one under hay, another under the roof, others in straw, the stove, cellar, under a tub, a wine-cask, an old fur cloak, beneath cloth for garments, and under leather for shoes.
Soon, there was a knock at the door. Adam peered through a crack and saw it was the Lord. He opened the door respectfully, and the Heavenly Father entered. The beautiful children stood in a row, bowed, held out their hands, and knelt.
The Lord blessed them, laying His hands on each. To the first, He said, "You shall be a powerful king;" to the second, "a prince;" then, "a count," "a knight," "a nobleman," "a burgher," "a merchant," and "a learned man." He bestowed His richest blessings upon them.
Seeing the Lord's kindness, Eve thought, "I will bring my ill-favored children too; perhaps He will bless them as well." She quickly fetched them from their hiding places. Out came a coarse, dirty, shabby, sooty group. The Lord smiled, looked at them, and said, "I will bless these also." He laid His hands on them, declaring: "You shall be a peasant, a fisherman, a smith, a tanner, a weaver, a shoemaker, a tailor, a potter, a waggoner, a sailor, an errand-boy, and a scullion all your days."
Eve protested, "Lord, how unequally You divide Your gifts! They are all my children; Your favors should be equal." God replied, "Eve, you do not understand. The world must be supplied by your children. If all were princes and lords, who would grow grain, thresh, grind, and bake it? Who would be blacksmiths, weavers, carpenters, masons, laborers, tailors, and seamstresses? Each has a place, so one supports another, and all are fed like limbs of one body." Eve answered, "Ah, Lord, forgive my hastiness. Let Your divine will be done with my children."