There were three brothers; They had nothing else in this world except one pear tree, and they guarded that tree in turns: one remained near the pear, and the other two went to work as day laborers.
One day God sent an angel to see how the brothers lived, and if it was bad, then to provide them with better food. An angel of God descended to earth, turned into a beggar and, approaching the one who was protecting the tree, asked him for one pear. This one tore it from his share, gave it to him and said:
- Here's some of my share for you; I can’t give you any of my brothers’.
The angel thanked him and left.
The next day another brother remained to guard the tree; the angel came again and asked for one pear. And this one tore him from his share, gave it to him and said:
- Here's some of my share for you; I can’t give you any of my brothers’.
The angel thanked him and left. When it was the third brother’s turn to protect the tree, the angel approached again and asked to give him one pear. And the third brother tore some of his share, gave it to him and said:
- Here's some of my share for you; I can’t give you any of my brothers’.
When the fourth day arrived, the angel became a monk, came early in the morning and found all three brothers near the hut.
“Follow me,” the angel told them, “I will give you the best food.”
They followed him without saying a word. They come to a large turbulent stream.
-What would you like? - the angel asked his elder brother.
And he responded:
- So that wine can be made from this water and I can get it.
An angel crossed the stream with a staff - and instead of water, wine flowed: here they prepare barrels, here they pour wine...
- Here you have it according to your wish! - the angel said to his elder brother and left him in that place, and with the other two he went further.
They went out into the clearing - the pigeons covered the entire clearing. Then the angel asked the middle brother:
-What do you want?
- So that all these would be sheep and belong to me.
The angel of God crossed the field with his staff - and instead of doves, sheep appeared: where did the sheepfolds come from, some women milk, others pour milk, others skim the cream, others make cheese, others melt butter...
- Here you have it according to your wish! - said the angel.
He took his younger brother with him, walked with him across the field and asked:
- What would you like?
“I don’t need anything else, if only the Lord would give me a wife from righteous Christian blood.”
Then the angel said:
- Oh, it's not easy to get; in the whole world there are only three like this: two are married, and one is a girl, and two of them are wooing each other.
Walking for a long time, they came to one city in which there was a king, and he had a daughter from righteous Christian blood. When they came to the city, they went to the king to ask him for a bride, and there two kings were already wooing her. They also began to get married. When the king saw them, he said to his entourage:
- What should we do now: these are kings, and these are like beggars before them?
- Do you know what? - said the angel. - Let’s do this: let the bride take three vines and plant them in the garden, assigning each of the grooms which one she wants; on whose vine there will be grapes in the morning, let her marry him.
Everyone agreed to this; The princess planted three vines in the garden and assigned their own to each one. They looked in the morning, and there were grapes on the poor man’s vine. Then the king, having nothing to do, gave his daughter to his younger brother, and they were married in the church. After the crown, the angel took them into the forest and left them there; They lived here for a whole year. And when the year was completed, the Lord said to the angel again:
- Go and see how those orphans live; if in need, put on more of them.
The angel descended to earth and turned again into a beggar; I came to the brother who had a stream of wine flowing and asked him for a cup of wine. But he refused him, saying:
“If you give everyone a cup, there won’t be enough wine!”
When the angel heard this, he immediately crossed himself with his staff, and the stream began to flow with water, as before.
“There’s nothing for you,” he said to his older brother, “go under your pear tree, guard it!”
Then the angel departed from there; I came to another brother, whose entire field was covered with sheep, and asked him for a piece of cheese. But he refused him, saying:
“If you give everyone a piece, there won’t be enough cheese!”
When the angel heard this, he immediately crossed the field with his staff - and instead of the sheep, doves fluttered.
“There’s nothing for you,” he said to the middle brother, “go under your pear tree, guard it!”
After that, the angel went to his younger brother to see how he was living. He comes, and he and his wife live poorly in the forest, in a hut. The angel asked to spend the night with them - they willingly, with all their hearts, accepted him, and began to beg him not to blame them for not being able to treat him as they would have liked.
- We are poor people! - they said.
“Nothing,” answered the angel, “I’m happy with what I have.”
What will you do? They didn't have the flour to make real bread; So they crushed tree bark and made bread from it. The hostess now kneaded such bread for her guest and put it in the oven. They began to talk; Then, look, is it ready? And in front of them was real bread, so glorious, rising so high... Seeing this, the husband and wife thanked God:
- Thank you, Lord, that we can treat the stranger!
They served bread to the guest, brought a jug of water, and as soon as they began to drink, there was wine in the jug. At that time, the angel crossed the hut with his staff, and in that very place there became a royal palace, and there was a lot of everything in it. The angel blessed them and left them there, and they lived happily all their lives.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru