John 8:3-11 And the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the middle,… "How do you make your living?" "I hang about the drinking saloons," she replied. Not quite taking in the meaning of her answer, I asked her again, "What are your means of life?" But she laughed and gave no other answer. Hereupon the master of the lodging came in, and, casting a stern look at her, said, "She is a prostitute, sir!" After saying that to me, he turned to the woman as though she was a dog. "You hang about the drinking saloons. Well! give the answer you ought to give — prostitute. She does not know her own name." His tone pained me. "We have no right to insult her," I said. "If we men lived as God would have us live, there would be no prostitutes. We ought rather to pity them than to blame them." I had no sooner said this than I heard the boards of the beds creaking in the next room. Above the partition (which did not reach to the ceiling) there appeared a curly head, with little swollen eyes, and a dark red face; then another head popped up; and still another. These women had doubtless got on their beds to look over, and all stared at me earnestly. There was an awkward silence. The master of the lodging cast his eyes down in confusion. The women drew in their breath and waited. I felt more confused than any. I had never thought that a word dropped thus casually could have produced such an effect. It was almost like the movement of the dry bones in Ezekiel's vision. I had uttered without thought a word of love and pity, and that word had thrilled them all. They all looked at me as if they expected me to speak the words and do the deeds whereby these bones might come together, cover themselves with flesh, and live again. (Count Tolstoi.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,WEB: The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the midst, |
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