A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men aboard were able to swim to a small, desert-like island. Not knowing what else to do, the two survivors agreed that they had no other recourse than to pray to God。
一艘客轮在海上遇到暴风雨而翻覆，只有两个人游泳到一个荒凉的小岛上。在无计可施的情况下，这两个人都认为只有向上帝祷告是唯一之道。

However, to find out whose prayers were more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island。
但是为了看谁的祷告比较有效，他们协议把小岛分成两半，每人各居一处。

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the island, and he was able to eat its fruit. But the other man's parcel of land remained barren。
他们祈祷的第一件事就是食物，第二天早上，第一个人看到一棵结实累累的果树长在他这一边的土地上，现在他就有果子可以吃了。而另外一个人的土地上依旧一片荒芜。

After a week, the first man became lonely and decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. But on the other side of the island, there was nothing。
一个星期以后，第一个人感到很孤单寂寞，所以他决定祈求能有一个妻子。第二天，又有一艘船失事了，唯一幸存的女人游泳到他这一边的岛上来。而另一边的岛上则什么也没有。

Soon thereafter the first man prayed for a house, clothes and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these things were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing。
不久，第一个人又祈求得到一间房子、衣服和更多的食物。隔天，他所祈求的东西就像变魔术一样全都出现了，而另一个人还是什么都没有。