Protoevangelium of James 19

1(1) And look! A woman was coming down from the mountain, and she said to me, “Man, where are you going?” I said, “I am looking for a Hebrew midwife.” She replied, “Are you from Israel?” I said to her, “Yes.” Then she said, “And who is the one giving birth in the cave?” I said, “My betrothed.” She said to me, “She is not your wife?” I said to her, “Mary was raised in the Temple of the Lord, and it was decided by lot that she would be my wife. Yet she is not my wife, but she has conceived from the Holy Spirit.” The midwife said, “Really?” Joseph said to her, “Come and see.” And the midwife went with him. (2) They stood in front of the cave, and a bright cloud overshadowed the cave. The midwife said, “My soul is magnified today, because my eyes have seen something wonderful. Salvation has been born to Israel!” Immediately the cloud withdrew from the cave, and a great light appeared in the cave, so that their eyes could not bear it. A little later, the light withdrew until an infant appeared. He came and took the breast of his mother, Mary. The midwife cried out and said, “How great today is for me, because I have seen this new miracle!” (3) The midwife went out from the cave, and Salome met her. She said to her, “Salome, Salome, I must describe a new sight to you. A virgin has given birth, which is against her nature!” Salome said, “As the Lord my God lives, unless I examine her condition, I will not believe that the virgin has given birth.”