English Original
When Adam and Eve were driven from paradise, they were forced to build a house on barren ground and eat their bread by the sweat of their brow. Adam hoed the field, and Eve spun wool. Every year Eve bore a child, but the children were unlike each other—some handsome, some ugly.
After a long time, God sent an angel to announce His visit. Delighted, Eve cleaned her house diligently, decorated it with flowers, and spread rushes on the floor. She then presented only her handsome children. She washed and combed them, dressed them in fresh shirts, and instructed them to be polite, bow courteously, offer handshakes, and answer questions modestly.
The ugly children were hidden away—under hay, in the attic, straw, stove, cellar, under a tub, a wine barrel, an old pelt, beneath cloth and leather.
A knock came at the door. Adam peered through a crack and saw it was the Lord. He opened the door reverently, and the Heavenly Father entered. The handsome children stood in a row, bowed, offered handshakes, and knelt.
The Lord began to bless them. Placing His hands on each, He said: "You shall be a powerful king," "You a prince," "You a count," "You a knight," "You a nobleman," "You a burgher," "You a merchant," "You a scholar." Thus, He bestowed His richest blessings upon them all.
Seeing the Lord's mildness, Eve thought, "I will bring forth my ugly children too. Perhaps He will bless them as well." She fetched them from their hiding places. In they came—a coarse, dirty, scabby, sooty lot.
The Lord smiled, looked at them, and said, "I will bless these as well." He laid His hands on the first: "You shall be a peasant," to the second, "You a fisherman," then "a smith," "a tanner," "a weaver," "a shoemaker," "a tailor," "a potter," "a teamster," "a sailor," "a messenger," and to the twelfth, "You a household servant, all the days of your life."
Eve then said, "Lord, how unequally You divide Your blessings. All are my children. You should favor them equally."
God replied, "Eve, you do not understand. It is right and necessary that the entire world be served by your children. If all were princes and lords, who would plant grain, thresh, grind, and bake it? Who would forge iron, weave cloth, build houses, plant crops, dig ditches, and make clothing? Each shall stay in his place, so one supports the other, and all are fed like parts of a body."
Eve answered, "Oh, Lord, forgive me. I spoke too quickly. Let Your divine will be done with my children."
中文翻译
亚当和夏娃被逐出伊甸园后，被迫在贫瘠的土地上建造房屋，靠辛勤的汗水谋生。亚当耕地，夏娃纺羊毛。每年夏娃都会生一个孩子，但孩子们各不相同——有的英俊，有的丑陋。
过了很久，上帝派一位天使来宣告祂将到访。夏娃很高兴，她勤奋地打扫房子，用鲜花装饰，在地板上铺上灯心草。然后，她只带来了英俊的孩子们。她给他们洗澡梳头，穿上干净的衬衫，教导他们要礼貌，要恭敬地鞠躬、握手，并谦逊地回答提问。
丑陋的孩子们则被藏了起来——藏在干草下、阁楼里、稻草中、炉灶内、地窖下，或是桶下、酒桶下、旧毛皮下，还有布料和皮革底下。
敲门声响起。亚当从门缝窥视，看到是上帝。他虔诚地打开门，天父走了进来。英俊的孩子们站成一排，鞠躬、握手、跪下。
上帝开始祝福他们。祂把手放在每个孩子身上，说道：“你将成为一位强大的国王”，“你一位王子”，“你一位伯爵”，“你一位骑士”，“你一位贵族”，“你一位市民”，“你一位商人”，“你一位学者。” 就这样，祂将最丰厚的祝福赐予了他们所有人。
看到上帝如此温和，夏娃想：“我也要把我丑陋的孩子们带出来。或许祂也会祝福他们。” 她把孩子们从藏身之处带了出来。他们走了进来——一群粗野、肮脏、长满疥疮、满身煤灰的孩子。
上帝笑了，看着他们说：“我也会祝福这些孩子。” 祂把手放在第一个孩子身上：“你将成为一位农民，”对第二个说：“你一位渔夫，”接着是“一位铁匠”，“一位鞣皮匠”，“一位织布工”，“一位鞋匠”，“一位裁缝”，“一位陶工”，“一位车夫”，“一位水手”，“一位信使，”对第十二个说：“你一位家仆，终其一生。”
夏娃听后说：“主啊，您分配祝福多么不均啊。他们都是我的孩子。您应该平等地眷顾他们。”
上帝回答：“夏娃，你不明白。整个世界需要你的孩子们来服务，这是正确且必要的。如果他们都是王公贵族，谁来种植谷物、打谷、磨粉和烘烤？谁来打铁、织布、建房、种庄稼、挖沟渠、制作衣服？各人应守其位，如此便能互相扶持，所有人都能得到供养，如同身体的各个部分。”
夏娃答道：“哦，主啊，请原谅我。我说话太急了。愿您的神圣旨意也成就在我的孩子们身上。”