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diff --git a/old/15874-page-images.zip b/old/15874-page-images.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index a809731..0000000 --- a/old/15874-page-images.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/15874.txt b/old/15874.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e9309bd..0000000 --- a/old/15874.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3643 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Old Testament Legends, by M. R. James - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Old Testament Legends - being stories out of some of the less-known apochryphal - books of the old testament - -Author: M. R. James - -Release Date: May 21, 2005 [EBook #15874] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD TESTAMENT LEGENDS *** - - - - -Produced by David Malcolmson - - - - - - - OLD TESTAMENT LEGENDS - BEING STORIES OUT OF SOME OF THE LESS-KNOWN APOCRYPHAL BOOKS - OF THE OLD TESTAMENT - BY - M. R. JAMES, LITT.D. - PROVOST OF KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE - - WITH TEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY - H. J. FORD - LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO. - 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON - NEW YORK, BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA - 1913 - All rights reserved - - - - -PREFACE - -If you read the title-page of this book--a thing which young persons -very seldom do--you will see that it (the book) contains stories -taken "out of some of the less-known apocryphal books of the Old -Testament." You will very possibly not understand what that means; -but if you will read this preface--another thing which young persons -do even seldomer than they read a title-page--you will find the best -explanation that I can give. - -I have to begin by talking about the word apocryphal. The newspapers -are fond of saying that a statement made by the Prime Minister (or -the leader of the Opposition, according to which side in politics the -newspaper takes) is apocryphal. By this, the newspaper means to say -that the statement was untrue. Or, you will read that someone -obtained money or goods by saying that he possessed large estates -abroad; and that the estates turned out to be apocryphal. By this is -meant that they did not exist. But when you read of a book being -apocryphal, something rather different is meant: either that it is -"spurious," i.e. that it pretends to be written by someone who did -not write it; or that what is in it is fabulous and untrue, like the -stories of King Arthur; or both. - -Now this word apocryphal is specially used, and perhaps most often -used, in connection with the Bible. Probably you have at least heard -of something called "the Apocrypha," even if you have not read it, -and even if you have mixed it up in your mind with another word, -Apocalypse, which has nothing whatever to do with it. Well, what is -"the Apocrypha"? It is to be found in many Bibles, bound up between -the Old and the New Testaments. It is a set of books, looking just -like the other books of the Bible, with chapters and verses. Some of -it is read in church as weekday lessons in the months of October and -November, as you may see by looking at the Table of Lessons in any -Prayer Book. Now, are all these books of "the Apocrypha" fabulous or -spurious? No. Some of them are. The Second Book of Esdras (that is, -Ezra) was not written by Ezra; The Book of Baruch (the companion of -the prophet Jeremiah) was not written by Baruch; The Wisdom of -Solomon was not written by Solomon. These and some others are -spurious. Also, the books of Tobit and of Judith are fabulous -stories. On the other hand, the book Ecclesiasticus was really -written by Sirach (who is mentioned in the Preface), and The First -Book of Maccabees is a true and valuable history. - -Then why, if apocryphal means fabulous or spurious, or both, are -these books, some of which are true and genuine, lumped all together -and called "Apocrypha"? I am sorry to disappoint you, but I cannot go -through the whole history. It is long, it is difficult, and though it -interests me, I am inclined to think it would not interest you unless -I spread it over a great many pages, and filled it out with stories; -and for this I have no time. Let me tell you what strikes me as being -the important thing to bear in mind. Nearly all of these books have -been at some time or another read in church and treated as Scripture. -Nearly all of them are now treated as Scripture by the Roman Church, -but not by most of the Protestant, or Reformed, Churches. They are on -the borderland of the Bible. From having been so long kept together -in a group by themselves, they have come to be thought of as being -all of one uniform kind. But they are not so; they are of very -different sorts and merits. - -Let us keep the old name for them and call them "the Apocrypha." It -will be convenient to do so, because I have now to speak of other -apocryphal books, which have never been bound up in our Bibles, but -in older times, before Bibles were printed, were (some of them at -least) read in churches and thought to be sacred books. There are a -great many of these: perhaps, if they were all put together, they -would make up a volume as large as the Old Testament itself; but at -present there is no book in which they are all printed together. Some -are stories, others are visions like those in the Revelation of St. -John, others are psalms and prophecies. But all of them, I think, may -fairly be called either fabulous or spurious, or both. - -I can give you an example from the Bible itself to show that there -were such books as long ago as the times of the Apostles, and that -they were read and valued. In the 9th verse of the Epistle of Jude, -you read something very curious about Satan contending with Michael -about the body of Moses. Ancient writers whom we may trust tell us -that this is taken from a book called The Assumption of Moses (that -is, the story of Moses being taken up out of this world at the end of -his life). - -We have pieces of this book still, but we have not got the whole -story of the dispute between Satan and Michael. However, we know that -it was represented as having taken place when Michael and the other -angels were burying the body of Moses among the mountains in a place -which was kept secret from all men, and that Satan said that though -the soul of Moses might belong to God, the body belonged to him; and, -moreover, that Moses was a murderer, because, long before, he had -killed an Egyptian (as we read in Exodus ii. 12); whereupon Michael -answered Satan in the words, "The Lord rebuke thee," and Satan fled. -That is one example. Another is in the 14th verse of the same -Epistle, where it is said that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, -prophesied of the coming of the Lord to judge sinners. This verse is -taken out of a long book of prophecies and visions called The Book of -Enoch, which still exists, and we may read the very words in it. - -In this present book, I am only concerned with the apocryphal -stories; with the prophecies and visions and psalms I have nothing to -do. Now, how and why did the stories come to be written? - -It is likely enough that after reading some history in the Bible you -may have wondered whether there was anything more to be known about -the people of whom it told you. You would have liked to find out what -happened to Adam, or Joseph, or David, besides the things which are -written in the Bible. It was just so in ancient times --the times -when our Lord was on earth, and even long before that. The Jews -naturally thought a great deal about the people who are mentioned in -the Old Testament; and just as there are a great many stories about -the heroes of English history--such as that of King Alfred and the -cakes--which, we are told now, are not true, so stories grew up about -the great men of the Bible. Perhaps they were invented, some of them, -in answer to questions which had been asked. Some of them were -certainly made up in order to explain parts of the Bible which were -difficult to understand. I will give an example of this. In the Book -of Genesis (iv. 23, 24) you are told how the patriarch Lamech spoke -to his wives and said, "I have slain a man to my wounding, and a -young man to my hurt." Nothing is said in explanation of this; we are -not told whom Lamech had killed. So a story was made up--no one knows -when--which gives this explanation: Lamech was blind, and he used to -amuse himself by shooting birds and beasts with bow and arrow. When -he went out shooting, he used to take with him his young nephew -Tubal; and Tubal used to spy the game for him and guide his hands -that he might aim his arrow right. One day, when they were out -together, Tubal saw, as he thought, a beast moving in the thicket; -and he told Lamech, and made him aim at it, and Lamech's arrow smote -the beast and killed it. But when Tubal ran to see what kind of beast -it was, he found that it was not a wild beast at all. It was his -ancestor Cain. For after Cain had killed Abel, and God had pronounced -a curse upon him, he wandered about the earth, never able to remain -in one place; and a great horn grew out of his head, and his body was -covered with hair; so that Tubal, seeing him in the distance among -the trunks of the trees and the brushwood, was deceived, and mistook -him for a beast of chase. But when Tubal saw what had happened, he -was terrified, and ran back to Lamech, crying out, "You have slain -our forefather Cain!" And Lamech also was struck with horror, and -raised his hands and smote them together with a mighty blow. And in -so doing he struck the head of Tubal with his full strength, and -Tubal fell down dead. Then Lamech returned to his house, and spoke to -his wives the words that are written in the Book of Genesis. This -story, a very ancient one, as I said, was invented by the Jews to -explain the difficult passage in Genesis; and the early Christian -writers learnt it from the Jews, and it passed into many commentaries -which were written in later times; so that you may still see -representations of it carved in stone in churches, both in England -and elsewhere. In England it may be seen on the inside of the stone -roof of Norwich Cathedral, and on the west front of Wells Cathedral; -but you have to look carefully before you can find it. - -There are other stories which pretend to explain texts that do not -seem so difficult. For instance, in the 18th Psalm there is a verse, -"Thou hast made room enough under me for to go." And about this there -is a long tale of how King David went to fight the giant Ishbi-benob, -and was nearly killed by him; for the giant took David and cast him -to the ground, and put a heavy wine-press upon him, which would have -crushed him, but that the earth beneath him suddenly became soft and -yielded room for his body, and thus room was made under him. - -Then again, there are others which are like parables. - -At this point I will put in two short stories of the parable-kind, -neither of which I think you are likely to have seen. One of them is -certainly taken from an apocryphal book which is lost; and the other -I suspect to have been taken either from the same book or from one -like it. - -First I will tell the one about the source of which I am not certain. - -In the days of King Hezekiah there was in Israel a rich man who was a -miser and gave nothing to the poor. But one day it happened that he -took up the book of the proverbs of King Solomon; and his eye fell -upon the place where it is said, "He that hath pity upon the poor, -lendeth unto the Lord; and look what he layeth out, it shall be paid -him again." "So," thought he to himself, "this is a good security!" -And forthwith he sold all that he had, and distributed the price -among the poor, keeping for himself only two pieces of money. But, to -his disappointment, he did not only become poor himself by this -means, but he remained poor. The money he had given away did not come -back, and no one else would give him any. So he was reduced to -despair, and said, "I will go straight to Jerusalem, and demand of -God why He has deceived me, and induced me to give away all my -possessions by promises that are false." And he set forth. And on his -way, not far from Jerusalem, he saw two men fighting, and said to -them, "Brethren, what is your quarrel?" And one said, "We were -journeying together, and I saw a shining stone lying in the road, and -pointed it out to this man; and because he was swifter on his feet -than I, he got to it first. And now he says he will keep it for -himself, but I say it belongs to me, for I saw it first." Then said -the traveller, "What is the value of the stone?" They said, "We do -not know." And he said, "Will you take these two pieces of money for -it and let me have it?" And to this they consented. So when the man -got to Jerusalem, he took the stone to a jeweller and showed it to -him; and no sooner had the jeweller seen it than he fell on his face -and gave thanks to God. And then he said to the man, "Where did you -find this? For three whole years all Jerusalem has been ransacked -for this stone. Go quickly to the High Priest and give it to him, and -see what he will give you!" At the same hour there came an angel to -the High Priest, and said to him, "Within a few moments there will -come to you a man bringing the gem which three years ago was lost out -of the breastplate of Aaron the priest. Receive it at his hands, and -give him for it a great sum of gold; and when you have given it, -smite him lightly upon the cheek and say, 'Be not distrustful in thy -heart, and slow to believe the word which says, 'He that hath pity -upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord.' For thus saith the Lord, -'Have I not now in this present world repaid thee many times over that -which thou didst lend to Me? And, if thou have faith, thou shalt in -the world to come receive a recompense yet many times greater than -this.'" And when the man came, the High Priest did and said as he had -been commanded; and the man's heart was moved, and he left in the -temple all that great sum which had been given him, and for the rest -of his life put his whole trust in the promises of God. - -The other short story is taken out of an apocryphal book under the -name of the prophet Ezekiel, and is a parable of the soul and the -body of man at the day of judgment. - -There was a certain king, it says, who made a marriage feast for his -eldest son, and invited all his soldiers to his palace to share it. -Now every one of his subjects was a soldier and served in his army, -except only two, one of whom was blind and the other lame; and these -two were not invited to the feast, but remained in their huts--which -were near to one another--very angry and disappointed. After a while -the blind man called to the lame man, "It is a shame that we are not -sitting down to the feast along with the rest! I should like to treat -the king as ill as he has treated us." "How can we?" said the lame -man. "You know his garden," said the other; "let us go and spoil it!" -"All very well," said the lame man, "but how are we to get there? -I cannot walk." "Neither can I see; but we will contrive a way." So -they devised a plan. The lame man plucked the grass that he could -reach, and plaited it into a string, and threw one end to the blind -man, who guided himself by it to the lame man. Then he took the lame -man on his back, and carried him to the king's garden, and there they -did all the mischief they could, trampling down and tearing up plants -and flowers; and they went back to their houses and remained there. -When the rest of the people came out from the banquet into the -garden, they were appalled at the sight of the damage, and were much -perplexed, saying, "Were not all the soldiers of the king bidden to -the feast? and is not every man in the kingdom a soldier? Whence -then are these tracks in the garden, and who has wrought this -mischief?" After a while the king bethought him of the blind and the -lame man; they were brought before him, and he said to the blind man, -"Have you been into my garden?" He answered, "Alas, sire! you see my -infirmity, and that I have no eyes wherewith to find my way!" Then -said the king to the lame man, "And you, have you been into my garden?" -And he answered, "Surely my lord has forgotten my infirmity; it -cannot be that he desires to hurt my feelings by mocking me!" So the -king was perplexed, and went apart to consider how the two could have -contrived the business--for he was sure that they were guilty. At -last a thought came to him, and he set the lame man on the blind -man's shoulders, and scourged them both together. Then indeed did -they cry out, and the lame said to the blind, "Did you not lend me -your feet to take me to the king's garden?" And the blind to the -lame, "Did you not lend me your eyes to show me the way?" And in like -manner at the judgment the soul will say to the body, "I could not -have sinned if you had not given me the limbs with which I did evil." -And the body to the soul, "But it was you who thought of the evil -which I carried out." Thus one will try to throw the blame on the -other; but is either of them free from guilt? - -Others of these apocryphal books are designed to show how important -some special virtue, or how dangerous some particular sin, may be. -Thus, there is a book called The Testaments (or Last Words) of the -Twelve Patriarchs, in which each of the twelve sons of Jacob, when he -comes to die, calls his children to him and tells them about his own -life, and warns them against his own besetting sin, or shows how he -has been helped by practising some good habit: Simeon speaks about -envy, Issachar about simplicity, Zebulun about kindness, and so on. -And many others there are which are merely, one would say, meant to -tell us more about the lives and deaths of the great men of the old -times than we can learn from the Bible. - -Perhaps I have now said enough to show of what sort the tales are -that are told in this book--some of them told for the first time in -English. They are not true, but they are very old; some of them, I -think, are beautiful, and all of them seem to me interesting. In case -anyone should wish to know more about them, I will put down here the -names of the books from which I have taken them. - -The first part of the story of Adam is shortened from Mr. S. G. -Malan's translation of The Book of Adam and Eve, and from Dillmann's -German translation of the same (Das christliche Adambuch des -Morgenlandes). The second part is from the Greek Revelation of Moses -(in Tischendorf's Apocalypses Apocryphae), and from the Latin Life of -Adam, edited by W. Meyer. - -The first part of the story of Abraham is from The Apocalypse of -Abraham, translated from Slavonic by Professor N. Bonwetsch; the -second part is from The Testament of Abraham, edited by me in Texts -and Studies. - -The story of Aseneth is from the Greek History of Aseneth, edited by -Batiffol in Studia Patristica. - -The story of Job is taken from The Testament of Job in my Apocrypha -Anecdota (ii). - -That of Solomon is from The Testament of Solomon as printed by Migne -at the end of the works of Michael Psellus. - -That of Baruch from The Rest of the Words of Baruch, edited by Dr. J. -Rendel Harris. - -That of Ahikar principally from the French edition by the Abbe F. -Nau, with some few touches borrowed from that by Dr. J. Rendel -Harris. - -One last word. Not all of the stories in this book are equally old. -The oldest is most likely that of Ahikar. Lately some pieces of it -have been discovered in Egypt in a very ancient copy. Next, probably, -comes the second part of the story of Adam. In each of the others -there are some parts which are derived from early Jewish tales, but -the books in which we have them now were put into their present shape -by Christians. Still, there is not one that is less than fifteen -hundred years old. - - -CONTENTS -PAGE -ADAM 1 -THE DEATH OF ADAM AND EVE . . . 15 -ABRAHAM 25 -THE STORY OF ASENETH, JOSEPH'S WIFE . 49 -JOB. . . . . . . 81 -SOLOMON AND THE DEMONS. . 105 -THE STORY OF EBEDMELECH THE ETHIOPIAN, -AND OF THE DEATH OF JEREMIAH . 121 -AHIKAR 135 - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS -How SATAN DECEIVED EVE IN THE RIVER (see p. 10) Frontispiece -THEN CAME ONE OF THE SERAPHIM AND BARE THE SOUL OF ADAM TO THE LAKE OF PURE WATER IN THE GARDEN . . . . Facing p. 22 -ABRAHAM AND THE BROKEN IDOLS „ 28 -ASENETH DOING HOMAGE TO HER GODS . „ 53 -"ASENETH, RISE UP" . . . . . . 63 -ASENETH FLIES IN HER CHARIOT FROM THE MEN -IN AMBUSH BY THE RIVER „ 76 -SATAN DEPARTS, VANQUISHED BY JOB AT LAST . „ 94 -JOB'S HAPPY DEATH . . . . , . 102 -EPHIPPAS AND THE DEMON OF THE RED SEA -BRING THE GREAT PLLLAR TO SOLOMON . . ,, 116 -How AHIKAR OUTWITTED THE KING OF EGYPT . ,, 152 - - - - -OLD TESTAMENT LEGENDS - -ADAM - -When Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, they were as -helpless as little children. They knew nothing of day or night, heat -or cold; they could not kindle a fire to warm themselves, nor till -the ground to grow food. They had as yet no clothes to wear and no -shelter against rain or sun. As long as they were in the garden, it -was always light and warm, and their bodies were so fashioned that -they had no need of food or sleep or of protection against the -burning of the sun; but since they had eaten of the Tree of -Knowledge, they had become like us. Moreover, all the beasts and -birds were friendly with them; but now they knew that it was not so, -and that they had no defence if any fierce animal chose to attack -them; and, more than all, they knew that they had a cruel enemy lying -in wait for them outside the garden, even Satan, who had hated them -from the first, and had brought about their fall by means of the -serpent. And so it was that when they came out of the gate of the -garden and saw the earth stretched out before them, covered with -rocks and sand, and found themselves in a strange land where there -was no one to guide them, they fell down on their faces, and became -as dead, because of the misery and sorrow which they felt. But God -looked upon them and sent His Word to raise them up and comfort them; -and showed them a place not very far from the garden where there was -a cave; and told them that they were to live there. Now this was the -cave which was afterwards called the Cave of Treasures. - -When first they entered into the cave, they did nothing but weep and -lament: not only because they had lost the garden, but also because -for the first time the sky was hidden from them by the roof of the -cave; for as yet they had never been in any place where they could -not see it. But when the sun set and there was darkness outside the -cave as well as inside, they were frightened beyond measure; for they -said, "It is because of what we have done: the light is gone out of -the heavens, and will come back no more." Then the Word of God spake -to them and said, "Be comforted; it is only so for a few hours, and -the light will return to you." And they remained praying and weeping -in the cave until the darkness began to grow less. After that the sun -rose, and Adam went to the mouth of the cave, and it shone full upon -him, and he felt the burning heat of it on his body for the first -time, and thought that it was God who had come to afflict and punish -him; and he beat upon his breast and prayed for mercy. But God said, -"This sun is not God; it is created to give light to the world, and -every day it will rise in like manner, and travel over the heavens -and set, as you have seen it. _I_ am God, who comforted you in the -night." - -Then Adam and Eve took courage, and came out of the cave, and thought -they would go towards the garden; and when they came near to the gate -by which they had been driven out of it, they met the serpent. Now -before it tempted Eve and became accursed, the serpent had been the -most beautiful of all the creatures. Its head was of all the colours -of the most beautiful jewels; it had eyes like emeralds, and a -melodious voice; it had slender and graceful legs, and it fed on -perfumed flowers and delicious fruits. Now it was loathsome to look -upon; it wriggled on its belly in the dust, and all creatures spurned -and hated it. And when it saw Eve it was enraged to think of the -curse that had come upon it through her, and it raised itself up and -darted at her, and its eyes became blood-red with anger. Then Adam, -who had nothing in his hand wherewith to defend Eve, ran and caught -it by the tail, but it turned upon him and coiled about him and Eve -with its body and began to crush them; and it said, "It is because of -you that I am compelled to trail in the dust and have lost my -beauty." And they cried out for fear. But God sent an angel who -caught hold of the serpent and loosed them, and smote the serpent -with dumbness, so that thereafter it could only hiss. And a great -wind came and took it up, and cast it away upon the seashore of -India. - -And when Adam and Eve had a little recovered themselves from their -fear, they went on towards the garden; but at the gate of it there -stood a great cherub holding a sword of fire; and when they were able -to look upon his face, they saw that he was angry and that he frowned -upon them, and raised his sword as if he would smite them with it; -but he said nothing. So they were in great fear, and turned from him -and went back in great sorrow of heart, wandering they knew not -whither, until they found themselves standing on the top of a rock, -and before their feet was a precipice. And Adam was so miserable that -he desired to live no longer; and he cast himself down from the top -of the rock, and lay on the ground below without moving; and Eve -thought that he was dead, and said, "I will not live after him; it is -through my fault that all these evils have come upon him." And she -also threw herself down from the top of the rock; but though both of -them were torn and bruised, they were not wounded to death. And after -a long time they came to themselves. - -Then they bethought them that they had done wrong in trying to put an -end to their own lives before it pleased God to set them free from -this world. Therefore Adam took stones and piled them up in the shape -of an altar, and then they gathered leaves from the trees and wiped -off the blood that had been spilt upon the face of the rock, and -gathered up the dust that was mingled with their blood and laid it -upon the altar, and prayed to God to forgive their trespass. And this -was the first offering that they made to God. And God looked upon -them with pity and forgave them, and said, "As you have shed your -blood, so after five thousand and five hundred years have passed will -I take your flesh upon Me and shed My blood for you and for your -children; and it shall have power to quench the flame of the sword -which is in the hand of the angel, and you shall enter again into the -garden, and dwell there until the time when I shall make a new heaven -and a new earth." - -But when Satan saw that God had pity upon Adam and Eve and accepted -their humble offering--for he was all this time keeping watch to see -what would become of them--he was filled with dismay and hate, and -began to contrive means by which he might lead them astray and put an -end to them; for he thought, "If these creatures were destroyed, -the earth would remain to me and to my hosts, and I should reign over -it alone." He called therefore for some of his host, and made them -appear like angels of light. And when they were all disguised in this -fashion, they rose into the air and flew towards the cave, from which -Adam and Eve were just coming out, meaning to go once again towards -the garden. When they caught sight of these bright ones in the air, -they stopped and raised their hands towards them, thinking that they -were angels coming to them with a message. Satan called to Adam, -"Adam, we are angels come from God; He has sent us to bring you to -the lake of pure water that is on the north side of Eden, that you -may wash yourselves in it and be cleansed from your sin, and return -once more to the garden. Come therefore and follow us." And they -turned and began flying towards the north; but Adam and Eve were glad -beyond measure, and followed the troop of angels as quickly as they -could, till they came to the mountain on the north side of Eden which -overhung the lake. Then Satan lighted on the ground, and guided them -to the top of the mountain, which was very steep. And when they were -at the summit, they stood for a while and looked down upon the waters -of the lake; and while they were doing so, Satan vanished away -silently, and all his host with him; so that when Adam and Eve looked -round, they found themselves left alone and in great peril. And they -saw that they had been brought into this danger by Satan, and that he -had deceived them once again. And they cried aloud for help. - -Then God had pity on them, and commanded the angels Sariel and -Salathiel to bear them in their arms and carry them back to their -cave. And when they were come there, Adam prayed to God that, if they -might not be permitted to go into the garden any more, He would at -least give them something for a remembrance of it to comfort them. So -God commanded the archangel Michael to go as far as the Sea of India, -and fetch thence some gold, and dip it in the water that flows from -under the Tree of Life, and give it to Adam. Likewise He commanded -Gabriel to speak to the cherub that kept the gate of the garden, and -go in and fetch some frankincense; and Raphael to bring myrrh also -from the garden. And they did so. And Michael brought seventy rods of -gold, and Gabriel twelve pounds weight of frankincense, and Raphael -three pounds of myrrh; and these were all laid up in the cave where -Adam and Eve lived: wherefore it was called the Cave of Treasures. -And when the appointed time was fulfilled, and the Word took upon Him -the flesh of the sons of Adam, three kings came from the East to do -Him honour, and offered to Him that same gold and frankincense and -myrrh, which had come down to them through many generations. - -After some days, Adam and Eve made a vow that they would go, one of -them to the river Tigris and the other to the river Euphrates, and -would wade into the water up to the neck, and stand there for forty -whole days and nights, praying earnestly that they might be forgiven; -for even yet they went on hoping that, if they accomplished some -great act of repentance, they might be permitted to return into Eden. -They separated, therefore, and stood in the water of the river, -fasting and praying. But Satan suspected that they had made such a -vow, and it frightened him, for he did not feel sure that God would -not change His purpose and forgive them; and he said to himself, "I -will take care that they shall not keep their vow." Accordingly, on -the thirty-fifth day, as Eve stood praying in the water, she heard a -voice as of an angel praising God, and she looked and saw one in -bright raiment coming to her, and he called to her and said, "God has -forgiven Adam! All is well. I have just now brought the good tidings -to Adam, and he bade me come and tell you; and lest you should doubt -of the truth, he said, 'Remind her of the sign which was given to us -in the cave: how the angels brought the gold and laid it on the -south side, and the incense on the east, and the myrrh on the west.'" -Then Eve was sure that the messenger spoke true, and she rejoiced -greatly, and came, as well as she could, out of the water, and -followed him. But when they came in sight of the river Euphrates, she -saw Adam still standing in the water praying, and she knew that she -had been deceived; and at that moment Satan vanished away, and Eve -fell upon the ground, for she was stiff with the cold, and weak with -fasting. As for Adam, when he saw her, he cried out and smote upon -his breast, and sank down into the water, and would have perished but -that God sent His angel and drew him up out of the water. And he -showed Adam that he could not by these means gain admittance to the -garden before the time appointed was fulfilled. - -After these things God showed Adam and Eve the things that were -necessary for their life. For as yet they had eaten nothing since -they came out of the garden; because the food which they had when -they were there was heavenly food, and it sustained them through all -these many days. Neither had they any clothes. Therefore God told -them to go to the seashore, and there they should find the skins of -some sheep whose flesh had been devoured by lions, and these skins -they should take and make them into raiment. But Satan heard the -words of God, and immediately went to the place where the skins were, -with intent to throw them into the sea, or burn them with fire; only, -just as he was about to seize them, God spake a word, and Satan was -bound there immovable, in his own hideous form. And when Adam and Eve -came to the place, they saw him crouching beside the skins; and they -were afraid at the horrible look of him. Then the Word came to them, -saying, "This is he who promised to make you as gods. What have you -gained, think you, by hearkening to his words?" And Satan was -cowed, and fled away in shame. - -Adam and Eve therefore took the sheep-skins, and there came an angel -who showed them how to sew them together with palm-thorns and sinews, -and they made them into raiment. - -Again, God showed them a land where corn was growing, and told them -how they might use it for bread; for it was ripe, and they gathered -the ears and made an offering of the first ears. And Satan came and -burnt part of the corn; but the angels drove him away. - -Many other times also did Satan try to destroy Adam and Eve, coming -to them disguised as an angel and enticing them into the wilderness; -and again, when they were sleeping on the side of a mountain outside -their cave, he loosened a great rock above them that it might fall -and crush them; but the angels of God caught it and fixed it like a -roof over the heads of Adam and Eve, and when they awoke they were -astonished. And once he fell upon Adam and smote him in the side with -a sharp stone so that he almost slew him. Nevertheless, in all these -perils Adam and Eve put their trust in God, and He protected them and -healed them. And after a time Satan perceived that he would not be -able to destroy them by injuring their bodies, and that they would -not listen to him when he tempted them to disobey God. So Satan's war -against Adam was defeated. - -This is the first part of the story of Adam, as it is told in an old -book called The Conflict of Adam and Eve. It is only part of the -story; I have left out a great deal. The second part of the story is -taken from a Greek book called The Revelation of Moses, and a Latin -one called The Life of Adam and Eve. It tells how Adam died and was -buried. - - - - - -THE DEATH OF ADAM AND EVE - -Adam lived for 930 years; and there were born to him thirty sons and -thirty daughters. And when he was 930 years old he fell sick, and -sent for all his children, and for their children also, saying, "Come -and let me see you before I die." They all gathered together -therefore at the door of his dwelling, saving Cain, who was a -wanderer upon the face of the earth; but Seth was the eldest of those -that came, and he was the most beloved son of Adam and Eve. - -And Seth said to his father, "Father, what is the matter with you?" -And Adam answered, "Great pain and sickness is upon me." And his -children said, "What mean you by pain and sickness?" For as yet no -one had died upon the earth except Abel, whom Cain slew. Then said -Seth, "Father, is it because you long after the garden and desire the -fruit of it? If it be so, command me, and I will go to the gate, and -cast dust upon my head, and weep and pray; and God will send His -angel, and it may be He will suffer me to bring you some of the fruit -of the garden, and you shall eat it and recover." Eve also wept and -said, "My lord Adam, give me the half of your disease, and let me -bear it for you; because it is through my fault that this evil has -come upon you." Then said Adam, "I will tell you what you shall do, -even you and my son Seth: you shall go to the garden and pray there -as you have said, and ask the angel to give me some of the oil of -mercy that flows from the Tree of Life, and bring it to me that I may -anoint my body with it, and be eased from my pain." - -So Eve and Seth departed and went towards the garden; and as they -were going through the woods, a wild beast leaped out and attacked -Seth. And Eve was terrified and cried out, "Alas! alas! what will -become of me at the last day? Surely all that have done evil will -curse me, saying, 'Woe unto Eve, because she kept not the -commandment of God!'" And she cried out upon the wild beast, "How -wast thou not afraid to fight against the image of God? How is thy -mouth opened against Him? Dost thou not remember that God put thee -in subjection to us?" And the beast spake with a man's voice and -said, "What have we to do with thy weeping and complaints? How was -it that thy mouth was opened to eat of the fruit? Accuse me not, -lest I begin to accuse thee." Then said Seth to the beast, "Shut thy -mouth: be silent: dare not to touch the image of God." And the beast -answered, "Thee will I obey, O Seth." And it fled and left him -wounded, and went back to its den. - -So Eve and Seth went on to the garden and wept before the gate, -beseeching God to send them the oil of mercy for Adam. And God sent -Michael the archangel to them, who said, "Seth, thou man of God, -weary not thyself with making supplication for the oil of mercy, for -it cannot be given to thee now. But when the times are fulfilled, -then shall come One who shall anoint thy father with that oil, and he -shall rise up and return to the garden, he and all his seed; and the -evil heart shall be taken from them, and a new heart shall be given -them to understand that which is good, and God shall dwell in the -midst of them, and they shall be His people. But now go back to thy -father, for his end is near, even within three days, and tell him -these words; and watch what shall come to pass when he is taken from -thee." They returned therefore to Adam, and told him; and he groaned -and said, "Alas! O Eve, what is this that thou hast done, to bring -upon us the dominion of death? Now therefore call together our -children and our children's children, and tell them concerning our -sin, from first to last." So, when they were assembled, Eve spoke to -them, and told them the whole story of how Satan came to the serpent -and taunted it for paying homage to Adam and Eve, forasmuch as they -were neither so beautiful nor so wise as itself; and he persuaded the -serpent to let him speak through its mouth; and at the hour when the -angels go up to the heavens to worship God, the serpent slipped over -the wall and found Eve by the Tree of Knowledge; and of what happened -after that, until the time when they were cast out of the garden. And -when she ceased speaking, her children departed. - -Then she went in to Adam, and said to him, - -"How can I live when you are dead? and how long will it be before I -also die? Tell me." Adam answered, "Trouble not yourself; for you -will not tarry long after me, and I believe that the same grave will -hold both of us. But now, when I die, leave me alone, and let no one -touch me until the will of God is made known concerning me. For I am -sure that God will not forget me, but will visit the creature which -His hands have made. Now therefore go and pray to Him until I give up -my spirit to Him that gave it; for we know not how we shall meet Him, -whether He will yet be wroth with us, or whether He will turn and -have mercy upon us." She went out therefore and fell upon the ground -and prayed a long time. - - - - - - - - - -THE DEATH OF ADAM AND EVE - -And at last the Angel of Mankind came to her and said, "Rise up, Eve; -for Adam thy husband is departing out of this life, and is going to -meet Him that made him." - -Eve therefore arose and looked up into the sky; and she saw a chariot -of light coming, drawn by four shining eagles, and angels on either -side escorting the chariot. And when it came above the place where -our father Adam lay, it stayed. And the angels came bearing censers, -and they stood about it and lighted their censers, and the smoke of -the incense rose up and hid the firmament; and the angels bowed and -worshipped, saying, "Holy One, have mercy, for he is Thine image and -the work of Thy hands." - -Also Eve beheld two great and fearful ones standing in the heavens, -and she was afraid and called upon Seth, saying, "Rise up, O Seth, -and come to me, and behold that which no eye of man hath looked -upon." So he came to her, and she said, "Seest thou the seven heavens -open, and thy father Adam lying upon his face and the holy angels -interceding for him?" She said, moreover, "Who are the two dark ones -that stand praying for thy father?" And Seth answered, "They are the -Sun and the Moon, who are entreating the Most High for my father -Adam." And Eve said, "Where then is their light, and why is their -aspect black?" And he said, "They cannot shine in the presence of -the Light of all things: therefore is their light departed from -them." - -Now as Seth was speaking to his mother, behold, the angels blew with -the trumpets, and fell on their faces, and cried with a loud voice, -"Blessed be the glory of the Lord over all His works; for He hath had -compassion upon Adam, the work of His hands." Then came one of the -Seraphim, having six wings, and caught up the soul of Adam and bare -it to the lake of pure water which is on the north side of Eden, and -washed it before the face of God. And the Most High commanded him to -deliver it unto Michael the archangel, that he should bear it into -Paradise until the day of the visitation of all things. - -After that the holy archangel entreated the Most High concerning the -body of Adam. And God commanded all the angels to come before Him, -every one in his order; and they gathered themselves together, -bearing censers and trumpets and vials full of odours. And the Lord -of Hosts went up, and the great winds before Him, and the Cherubim -flying upon the winds, and the angels of heaven round about Him. And -they bore up the body of Adam and carried it into the garden. And all -the trees of the garden bowed and swayed and gave forth their odours. -And because of the greatness of that sight, and of the sweetness of -the odours of Paradise, all the sons of Adam, and all that were on -the earth, were cast into a deep sleep, saving Seth only. - -Now as the body of Adam lay in Paradise, God said, "O Adam, why didst -thou transgress My commandment? For if thou hadst kept it, they that -persecute thee would not have rejoiced against thee. Nevertheless I -say unto thee, that hereafter I will turn their joy into sorrow, and -thy sorrow into joy." - -Then the angels brought shrouds of silk and fine linen, and God -commanded Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael, and they wrapped up -the body of Adam therein, and anointed it with sweet odours. And the -Lord said, "Bring hither also the body of Abel." For since the day -when Cain slew him, the body of Abel had not been buried: because -Cain often sought to hide it, but the earth would not receive it, -until the dust that was first taken out of her and made into a body, -that is, the body of Adam, should be restored to her. - -So the body of Abel was brought and wrapped in grave-clothes like -that of Adam; and they were both of them buried in the place from -which God took the dust when He formed Adam at the first, and the -angels dug the grave and covered it in. - -And when this was done, God called to the body, saying, "Adam, Adam!" -And the body answered, "Here am I, Lord." And the Lord said, "I -said unto thee, 'Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.' -Behold now I promise thee that in the last days I will raise thee up -yet again out of the dust, even thee and all thy seed with thee." And -God sealed the tomb that no man should touch it until six days were -fulfilled, and the rib which was taken out of Adam should be given -back to him. - -After these things Eve awoke out of her sleep, and was troubled -because she knew not what had become of the body of Adam; and she -prayed, saying, "Lord, as Thou didst make me out of the flesh of -Adam, and as I was with him in the garden, and after we were cast out -I was never parted from him, so now, I beseech thee, suffer me to be -buried with him, and let no man part us asunder." And on the seventh -day after the death of Adam, Eve was thus praying; and when she had -ended her prayer, she looked up into heaven and smote her breast and -said, "Lord God of all things, receive my spirit." And so she gave up -her soul to God. - -And immediately the angels came and took her body, and buried it in -the place where the bodies of Adam and Abel were laid. - - - - - - - -ABRAHAM - -Abraham was the son of Terah, and Terah was a maker of idols which he -sold to the people round about him. Now this is the story of how -Abraham came to believe in the true God; and in the ancient book the -story is put into the mouth of Abraham himself, and he tells it in -this way: - -I was troubled in my mind because I desired to know who was in truth -the strongest of all the Gods. And one day when I was attending to -the gods of my father Terah, gods of wood and stone, gold and silver, -iron and brass, I went into the temple where they stood, and found -that one of them, the god named Marumath, who was carved out of -stone, had fallen over and was lying at the feet of the god Zucheus. -When I saw that, I was alarmed, and thought that I should never be -able to put him back in his place by myself, because he was so heavy; -so I went and told my father, and he came, and the two of us could -hardly manage to move him; but as we were doing so, the head of the -god broke off in my hands. At that my father said, "Abraham", and I -said, "Here am I, bring me the chisels out of the house." And -when I had done so, he fashioned another Marumath out of stone, -without a head, and fixed the head that had come off the first -Marumath upon it; and the rest of the old Marumath he broke in -pieces. - -After that he made five more gods, and bade me take them and sell -them in the streets of the city; and I saddled the ass, and put them -upon it, and went to the river to sell them; and there I found -merchants coming from Fandana in Syria with camels, on their way to -Egypt to bring papyrus from the Nile. And as I was talking with them -one of their camels belched, and the donkey took fright and ran off, -and the gods fell off its back, and three of them were broken, and -only two remained whole. But when the Syrians saw what had happened, -they said, "Why did you not tell us that you had gods to sell? We -might have bought them before the donkey took fright, and they would -not have been destroyed; at least we will take the gods that remain, -and pay you the price of them all." And they did so; and the broken -gods I cast into the river Gur, and they sank and were seen no more. - -But as I returned home, I was bewildered and divided in my mind. I -said to myself, "What an evil trade is this that my father -practises! Is not he in truth the god of his own gods which he makes -with his chisels and lathes and his skill? Ought they not rather to -worship him than he them? Surely it is all deceit. Look at Marumath, -who fell and could not get up again, and these five other gods which -could not punish the donkey for running away with them, nor keep -themselves from being broken and thrown into the river." - -And as I was thinking of all these things, I arrived at my father's -house. Then I gave the ass his hay and water, and went in and gave -the price of the gods to my father Terah, and he was pleased and -said, "Blessed be thou of my gods: my labour has not been in vain." -But I said, "It is rather thou, father, that givest blessing to the -gods, for thou art their god; their own blessing is vain and their -help is naught: if they cannot help themselves, how should they help -thee or bless me?" But he was very angry with me for speaking -lightly of his gods. - -Then I went out of the house, and after a while my father called me -and said, "Gather up the chips of the fig-wood wherewith I was -making gods before you came in, and see about preparing dinner." - -And as I was doing so, I found a little god lying among the straw and -the rubbish, and on his forehead was written: "The god Barisat." So I -kept him, and did not tell my father; and when I had kindled the fire -to cook the dinner, and was going out to fetch the food, I set -Barisat down in front of the fire and said to him, "Barisat, take -care that the fire does not go out before I come back; and if it -does, blow upon it and revive it." Then I went out and did my errand, -and when I returned I found Barisat fallen over backwards, and his -feet were in the fire and were badly burnt; and I laughed to myself -and said, "You are in truth a good fireman and cook, Barisat." Just -then the fire caught upon his body and burnt him all up. - -When the time was come, I brought food to my father and he ate, and I -gave him wine and milk and he drank, and rejoiced and praised his god -Marumath; and I said, "Father, you should not praise Marumath, but -rather Barisat, for he has done more for you: he has thrown himself -into the fire to cook your dinner." "And where is he now?" said my -father. "He has been burnt to ashes," I said, "in the heat of the -fire, and nothing but dust is left of him." And my father said, -"Great is the strength of Barisat! I will make another one to-day, -and he shall prepare my food for me to-morrow." Now when I heard my -father say these words, I laughed in myself, and yet I was troubled -and angry in my soul. And at last I answered and said, "Whichever of -these things you honour as a god, it is folly. The god Zucheus, who -is the god of my brother Nahor, is more honourable than your god -Marumath, for he is adorned with gold finely wrought, and when he is -old he will be fashioned over again; but if Marumath is broken or -injured he will not be renewed, for he is only of stone. And again -the god Joauv, who stands next to Zucheus, is more honourable than -Barisat, for he is covered with silver; but as for Barisat, you made -him yourself with your axe, and, look, he is fallen upon the earth, -and the fashion of his likeness is destroyed, and he is burnt to -ashes, and you say, 'To-day I will make another, and he shall -prepare my food to-morrow.' - -"But I say to you, my father, the fire is mightier than all your gods -of gold and silver and stone and wood, for it can devour them all. -Yet I call not the fire god, for it is weaker than the water which -can subdue it. Yet again I call not the water god, for the earth -swallows it up. Neither call I the earth god, for it is subject to -men that till it, and to the sun that gives light to it. Neither call -I the sun god, for it is overcome by the darkness of night. But I say -that there is one true God who hath made all these things; who hath -made the heavens blue, and the sun golden, and the moon and stars -white and shining, and hath raised up the earth from among the -waters, and breathed into thee the breath of life, and hath sought me -out in the trouble of my soul; and would that He might reveal Himself -unto us!" - -And as I was speaking these words to my father in the court of his -house, there came from heaven the voice of a Mighty One speaking out -of a cloud of fire, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And I said, -"Behold, here am I!" And He said, "In the thought of thy heart thou -seekest after the God of Gods and the Maker of all things: I am He. -Depart from thy father Terah and go out of his house, lest thou be -consumed in his wickedness." And I went out; and it came to pass, as -I came to the door of the house, that there fell a noise of a great -thundering, and the fire fell and burnt up my father Terah and his -house and all that was therein. - -This is the story of the beginning of the life of Abraham; and that -which is told about the end of his life is as follows: - -Abraham had lived out the measure of his days. He was now a hundred -and seventy-five years old, and all the days of his life he had lived -in kindness and meekness and uprightness: and especially was he -hospitable and courteous to strangers. He dwelt by the cross-roads -near the oak of Mamre, and entertained all the wayfarers who came -that way, rich and poor, lame and sound, friends or strangers. But at -last to him, as to all other men, there came the bitter cup of death, -which none can put away. So when the time was come, the Most High -called to him the archangel Michael and said to him, "Michael, prince -of the host, go down to Abraham and speak to him concerning his -death, that he may set his house in order: for his possessions are -great. Announce to him therefore that he is to depart speedily out of -the earthly life, and come to his Lord in peace and happiness." - -Michael therefore went forth from the presence of the Lord and went -down to Abraham at the oak of Mamre, and found him in the fields hard -by, watching his husbandmen ploughing with their oxen. And Abraham -lifted up his eyes and saw Michael coming towards him in the dress -and fashion of a soldier--for he was the captain of the Lord's -host--very beautiful to look upon. And Abraham rose and went to meet -him, as was his custom with all strangers; and when they had saluted -one another, Abraham asked Michael whence he came; and Michael -answered, "I come from the Great City, and my errand is to fetch a -certain friend of the Great King, whom He is inviting to come to -Him." Then said Abraham, "My lord, come with me to my house." And -when Michael consented, Abraham called one of his men and bade him -fetch two quiet horses that he and the stranger might ride home on -them. But Michael refused, for he knew that no earthly horse could -bear him; so he said, "Nay, but rather let us go on foot to your -house." - -And as they went up from the fields, they came to a cypress-tree -growing by the wayside; and as they passed by it there came from it a -human voice, which said, "Holy is the Lord who calleth to Himself -them that love Him." Now this happened by the commandment of God, to -be a sign to Abraham, and he marvelled; but when he looked at his -companion and saw that he seemed to take no notice of it, he said -nothing, thinking that only he had heard the voice. Soon after they -came to the house, and Isaac and Sarah came to greet them, and they -sat down in the courtyard of the house. But Isaac said to his mother -Sarah, "Mother, I am sure that the man who is sitting with my father -is not of the race of men that live on the earth." Just then Abraham -called to Isaac, "Isaac, my son, draw water from the well, and bring -it to me in a basin, that we may wash the stranger's feet, for he has -come a long journey." So Isaac ran and fetched the water to his -father; and Abraham said to him secretly, "My child, something says -to me that this will be the last time that I shall wash the feet of -any stranger coming to this house." And Isaac was greatly distressed -and said, "What mean you, father, by these words?" Abraham said -nothing, but stooped down and began to wash the feet of Michael; and -Isaac wept. Abraham too shed tears, and Michael seeing it, was moved -with pity, and wept also; and his tears fell into the basin of water -and became precious pearls. When Abraham saw that, he marvelled; but -he gathered up the pearls secretly and said nothing. - -After that he told Isaac to go and prepare the banqueting-room, -spread two couches, light the lamps, burn sweet odours, and fetch -fragrant herbs and flowers from the garden. "For," said he, "this -man who is come to us is worthy of all the honour we can do him." So -Isaac went to make ready the room, and Sarah also set about preparing -a feast. Then, while they were all busying themselves with -preparation, the sun began to set, and the hour came at which all the -angels appear before God and worship Him; and Michael also flew up -into the heavens in the twinkling of an eye, and stood before the -Lord. And when all the angels had done their worship and gone forth -again, Michael remained and said to the Lord, "Lord, I cannot speak -to Abraham about his death; for I have never seen his like upon the -earth, kind, courteous, hospitable, fearing God, and keeping himself -pure from all evil. I cannot grieve his heart by telling him that he -is to die." And the Lord said, "Go down again to my friend Abraham, -and whatsoever he would have thee do, do it; and I will put the -thought of his death into the mind of his son Isaac in a dream. Then -Isaac shall tell the dream, and thou shalt interpret it, and so -Abraham shall be certified of his death." - -So Michael returned to Abraham's house, and sat at meat with him, and -Isaac waited on them; and after supper, Abraham offered up prayer as -he was wont, and the archangel prayed with him, and they went to -their beds. Isaac also asked his father if he might sleep with them, -for he desired exceedingly to be near the wonderful stranger and to -hear his words; but Abraham said, "Nay, my son, lest we be burdensome -to the stranger." Therefore Isaac bowed down and received his -father's blessing, and went to his own chamber. - -And about the third hour of the night Isaac dreamed a dream, and it -frightened him, so that he leapt out of bed and ran hastily to the -room where Abraham and Michael were sleeping, and beat upon the door -and said, "Father, open to me quickly! let me kiss you once again -before they take you away from me." Then Abraham opened the door, and -Isaac ran in and hung upon his neck, weeping loudly. And Sarah was -awakened by the noise of the weeping, and came quickly to them; and -she also wept and said, "What is the matter? Has our brother who is -come to us brought you evil tidings of Lot, your nephew?" But Michael -said, "No, lady, it is not so; but, as I think, your son Isaac has -dreamed a dream which has troubled him, so he came to us weeping, and -we were moved at the sight of his tears, and wept with him." - -Now Sarah, when she heard the sound of the voice of Michael, became -sure in her own mind that it was an angel of God who was speaking. -She beckoned therefore to Abraham to come to her at the door of the -house, and took him aside and said to him, "Do you know who this man -is?" and he said, "No." "Do you remember," said she, "the three men -who came to us once at the oak of Mamre; and how you killed a calf -and prepared a feast for them; and how when the calf was eaten, it -suddenly became whole again and sprang up and ran and suckled its -mother? I am sure that this is one of those three men." Abraham -answered, "Sarah, you have hit the truth; praised be God for His -wonders. Now I tell you that last night when I was washing the feet -of this man, I said to myself, 'Surely these are the feet that I -washed long ago under the oak-tree?' And furthermore, he shed tears, -and they fell into the water and became these pearls." And he drew -the pearls out of his bosom and showed them to her, and she bowed her -head and praised God and said, "Be sure, Abraham, that he is come to -reveal some matter to us, whether for evil or for good." - -Then Abraham left Sarah and went in and said to Isaac, "Come here, my -child, and tell me what you saw, and what caused you to come to us in -such haste?" And Isaac said, "It was this, father. I saw in a dream -this night the sun and the moon upon my head, and the rays of the sun -were all about me and enlightened me, and I rejoiced in them; then I -saw the heavens opening, and a shining man, brighter than seven suns, -came down; and he approached me and took the sun from off my head -and carried it up into heaven; and again after a little while, as I -was sorrowing over it, he came and took the moon from me. Then I was -greatly distressed, and I besought him, saying, 'Nay, my lord, do -not take all my glory from me; have pity upon me; if thou must needs -take the sun, yet leave me the moon.' But he said, 'Suffer them to -be taken up to the King above, for He desires them to be with Him.' -So he took them away, saying, 'They are removed from toil unto rest, -and from darkness unto light.' But their glory he left upon me. Then -I awoke." And Isaac ceased speaking. - -Then Michael said, "Hear me, righteous Abraham. The sun which Isaac -saw is you, his father; the moon likewise is Sarah, his mother; and -the shining one who came down out of heaven and took them away is -myself. And now be it known to you that the time is come for you to -leave this earthly life and go to God." But Abraham said, "Why, here -is a marvel indeed! And are you the one appointed to take my soul -from me?" He answered, "I am Michael, the captain of the host of -God, and I am sent to speak to you concerning your death." Then said -Abraham, "I know that you are an angel of God, and that you are sent -to take away my soul. But I shall not follow you!" - -When Michael heard that word he vanished away from them and went up -to the heavens and stood before the Lord, and told Him what Abraham -had said; and the Lord answered, "Return to Abraham My friend and -speak yet again to him, Thus saith the Lord: 'I brought thee out of -thy father's house into the land of promise: I have blessed thee and -increased thee more than the sands of the seashore and more than the -stars of heaven. Why dost thou resist My decree? Knowest thou not -that Adam and Eve died, and all their offspring; none of the -forefathers escaped death; they are all of them gone unto the place -of spirits, all of them have been gathered by the sickle of death. -And I have not suffered the angel of death to approach thee: I have -not permitted any evil disease to come upon thee, but instead I have -sent mine own prince Michael to speak peaceably unto thee, that thou -mayest set thine house in order and bless thy son Isaac and depart in -peace; and now thou sayest, "I will in nowise follow him." Knowest -thou not that if I send Death unto thee, thou must needs come whether -thou wilt or no?'" So Michael returned to Abraham, and found him -weeping, and told him all these words; and Abraham besought him, -saying, "Speak yet once again to my Lord and say to Him, 'Thus saith -Abraham Thy servant: Lord, Thou hast been gracious to me all my life -long, and now, behold, I do not resist Thy word, for I know that I am -a mortal man; but this one thing I ask of Thee, that while I am yet -in my body Thou wouldst suffer me to see Thy world and all the -creatures that Thou hast made. Then shall I depart out of this life -without any trouble of mind.'" And Michael returned and spake all -these words before the Lord, and the Lord said, "Take a cloud of -light and angels that have power over the chariots, and bear Abraham -in the chariot of the cherubim into the air of heaven and let him see -all the world before he dies." - -And it was done; and Michael showed Abraham all the regions of the -world. He saw men ploughing and carting, keeping flocks, dancing, -sporting, and playing the harp, wrestling, going to law, weeping, -dying, and being carried out to burial: even all the things that are -done in the earth, both good and evil. And in one place they saw men -with swords in their hands, and Abraham asked Michael, "Who are these?" -And Michael said, "These are thieves who are going out to steal -and to kill and to destroy." Then Abraham said, "O that God would -hear me and send evil beasts out of the forest to devour them!" And -in that moment wild beasts rushed out upon them and tore them to -pieces. Then in another place he saw men and women feasting and -drinking before their idols, and he said, "O that the earth might -open and swallow them up!" And immediately it happened as he had -said. And in yet another place he saw men breaking through the wall of -a house to enter it and rob it; and he prayed again, and fire fell -from heaven and burnt them up. Then there came a voice which said, -"Michael, prince of My host, turn the chariot and bring Abraham back, -lest, if he sees any more of the sinners upon earth, he destroy the -whole race of men. For he is a righteous man, and has no compassion -upon sinners. But I created the world, and I would not have any -perish. Bring Abraham therefore to the entering in of the gate of -heaven, that he may see the judgment and the recompensing of men, and -may have pity upon the souls whom he has blotted out." - -Michael therefore turned the chariot and brought Abraham across the -great river of Ocean to the entering in of the gate of heaven, and -showed him the judgments. And Abraham saw the narrow gate of life and -the broad gate of destruction, and between the gates he saw our -father Adam sitting upon a throne, and clad in a glorious robe of -many colours; and he saw how Adam lamented when the souls went in -through the broad gate, and how he rejoiced when they attained to the -narrow gate, and how his weeping exceeded his rejoicing. Moreover, -Michael showed him how the souls of men are examined concerning their -works and how their acts are re-corded and weighed. But when he saw -how hard it is to enter in at the strait gate, it repented him that -he had prayed for the punishment of the sinners, and he said to -Michael, "O prince of the host, let us entreat the Lord that He -would have mercy upon the souls of the men whom I cursed in my anger; -for now I know that I sinned before God when I prayed against them." -Then they both prayed earnestly to God; and after a long time there -came a voice saying, "Abraham, I have heard thy prayer, and I have -given back life to the men whom thou didst destroy." - -Moreover, the voice bade Michael take Abraham back to his house. And -when he was come thither, he went up to the great chamber, and sat -upon the couch; and Sarah and Isaac came and fell on his neck, and -all his servants gathered about him, rejoicing at his return. And -Michael said, "Hearken, Abraham: here is Sarah your wife and Isaac -your son, and here are all your manservants and maidservants about -you. Now therefore set in order your house and bless them, and make -ready to depart with me, for your hour is come." Abraham answered, -"Did the Lord command you to say this, or do you say it of yourself?" -Michael said, "The Lord commanded me, and I give the message to you." -Yet for all that Abraham answered, "I will not follow you." So -Michael went forth and stood before the Most High again and told him -the words of Abraham; and he said besides, "I cannot lay hands upon -him, for there is not his like upon the earth, no, not even the -righteous Job. Tell me therefore, Lord, what I must do." - -And God said, "Call Death, and bid him come hither." Michael went and -found Death, and said to him, "Come, for the Lord of all things, the -Immortal King, calleth for thee." And Death trembled and feared -exceedingly when he heard that; but he followed Michael and came and -stood before the Lord, quivering and shaking with fear, awaiting the -commands of his Master. And God said to him, "Hide thy hideous -appearance, cover up thy corruption, put away from thee all thy -terror, and put on a glorious and beautiful aspect, and go down to -Abraham My friend and take him and bring him to Me: only see that -thou make him not afraid, but bring him peaceably, for he is My -friend." So Death went forth from the presence of God, and made -himself like an angel of light, beautiful to look upon, and departed -to seek Abraham. Now Abraham had come down from his chamber and was -sitting under the trees of Mamre, leaning his head upon his hand, -expecting the return of Michael the archangel. And suddenly he was -aware of a sweet perfume, and of a light shining near him; and he -turned round and saw Death coming towards him in a form of great -glory and beauty, and rose to meet him, supposing him to be an angel -of God. And they greeted one another, and Abraham said, "Whence come -you to me, and who are you?" Death answered, "Abraham, I tell you the -truth: I am the bitter cup of death." Abraham said, "Rather you are -the beauty of the world; a fairer than you I have never seen, and how -say you, 'I am the bitter cup of death'?" He answered, "I have told -you the truth; the name by which God named me is that which I have -spoken." Abraham said, "And why have you come to this place?" Death -answered, "I am come to take your soul, O righteous one." Abraham -said, "I hear what you say, but I shall not come with you." But -Death was silent and answered him not a word. - -Then Abraham rose up and went towards his house: and Death followed -him. And he went up into his chamber: and Death went with him; and he -laid himself on his bed: and Death came and sat by his feet. And -Abraham said, "Go, depart from me: I wish to rest here on my couch." -Death answered, "I shall not depart till I have taken thy soul from -thy body." Abraham said, "I adjure thee by the living God: art thou -in very truth Death?" He said, "I am." Then said Abraham, "Comest -thou to all men in such a beautiful shape as this?" He said, "Nay, -my lord Abraham; it is thy righteousness and thy good deeds which -make as it were a crown of glory upon my head; it is only to such as -thou art that I come thus peaceably, but to sinners I show myself -much otherwise." "Show me then," said Abraham, "in what form thou -comest to them: let me see all thy fierceness and bitterness." -"No," said Death, "for thou couldst not bear to look upon it." -"Verily, I am able to bear it," he said, "for the strength of the -God of heaven is with me." - -Then Death let fall from him all his beauty, and Abraham saw him as -he was. And where there had been a shining angel, he saw a cloud of -darkness, and in it the shapes of horrible wild beasts and all -unclean creatures; and he saw the heads of fiery dragons, and flames -of consuming fire darting out; and he seemed to see a dreadful -precipice before him, and then a rushing river, and flashes of -lightning, and crackling of thunder, and thereafter a tempestuous -raging sea; and again weapons brandished, and venomous basilisks and -serpents, and bowls of poison; and there came a horrible odour, so -that all the servants of Abraham that were in the chamber fainted and -died, and Abraham himself swooned and his senses left him. - -When he came to himself, Death had hidden his terrible aspect and put -on his beautiful form again. And Abraham saw his servants lying dead, -and said to Death, "How is it that thou hast slain these?" And Death -said, "They died at the sight of my countenance, and in truth it is a -marvel that thou also didst not die with them." "Yea," said Abraham, -"now I know how it was that I came by this faintness of spirit that -is upon me; but I pray thee, Death, inasmuch as these have been cut -off before their time, let us entreat God that he would raise them up -again." So Abraham and Death prayed together; and the spirit of life -returned into the servants that had been killed, and they rose up -again. After that Abraham conversed with Death. - -Then Sarah and Isaac came in and talked with Abraham as he lay on his -bed. And Abraham said to Death, "I beseech thee, depart from me for a -little, for since I looked upon thee weakness is come upon me, and my -breath labours and my heart is troubled." Then said Death, "Kiss my -right hand and thy strength will return to thee, and thou wilt be -filled with joy." So Abraham kissed the hand of Death, and the soul -of Abraham clave to the hand of Death and left his body; and -straightway Michael was there and a multitude of angels with him, and -they accompanied the holy soul of Abraham and brought it into the -heavens into the presence of the Most High, there to abide -everlastingly in gladness and brightness in the place from which all -sorrow and sighing are fled away. - - - -THE STORY OF ASENETH, JOSEPH'S WIFE - - - -I - -There was once a great man named Potipherah, who was high priest of -the city of On in Egypt; and he and his wife had no children. One day -he went into the temple to offer sacrifice, as was his custom. He -went alone, and when he entered the great courtyard of the temple, in -the middle of which stood the altar, he was astonished to see a -little child lying upon the altar. Without waiting to offer his -sacrifice, he hurried back to his wife. "What is the matter," said -she, "that you come back so hastily?" "I have seen a wonderful -thing," he said; "the gods have given us a child. The gates of the -temple were locked, so that no one could get into the court; yet -there is a child there, lying on the altar!" "What say you?" said his -wife; "what can be the meaning of it?" So they both hastened to the -temple, and when Potipherah opened the door of the courtyard, they -saw, partly at least, how the wonder had happened; for now there was -an eagle perched upon the altar with its wings spread out over the -child--it was a little girl, quite newly born--to protect it. They -guessed that it was the eagle that had brought the child, but, of -course, they could not tell whose it was. It was wrapped in -swaddling-clothes, and these Potipherah's wife kept carefully by her; -for she thought the time might come when they might be recognised by the -parents of the little child; and indeed, years afterwards, this proved -to be the case. - -In the meantime Potipherah and his wife kept the child and brought -her up, and treated her as their daughter; and they called her -Aseneth. - -She grew up to be very beautiful; she was quite unlike an Egyptian -girl, and might have been taken for a Hebrew maiden: tall as Sarah -and lovely as Rebekah or Rachel; so beautiful, in fact, that all the -sons of the princes and nobles of Egypt were in love with her, and -even the son of King Pharaoh himself said to his father, "Give me -Aseneth, the daughter of Potipherah, to wife." But Pharaoh said, -"Nay, my son, she is not of your rank; you must marry a queen; -remember, the daughter of the King of Moab is affianced to you." - -But besides being very beautiful, Aseneth was exceedingly proud. -There was not a man of all the young nobles whom she would hear of, -much less look at. Indeed, hardly any man in Egypt except her own -father had ever seen her face; for she lived apart with the maidens -who waited on her, in a lofty tower which her father had built -specially for her. It was really a noble palace, with ten great -rooms, one over the other. The first room was paved with porphyry and -lined with slabs of coloured marbles, and the roof was of gold: and -it was a kind of chapel for Aseneth. It had golden and silver images -of all the gods of Egypt, and Aseneth worshipped them and burnt -incense to them every day. The second chamber was Aseneth's own. In -it were all her jewels and rich robes and fine linen. In the third -were stored the provisions of the house and every delicious fruit or -sweetmeat that could be got from any part of the world. The other -seven chambers belonged to the seven maidens who lived with Aseneth -and tended her. They were all of one age, and as fair as the stars of -heaven, and Aseneth loved them dearly. - -But to come back to Aseneth's own chamber, which was the most -splendid of all. It had three windows, one looking out upon the -garden of the tower towards the east, and another towards the south, -and the third towards the high-road. Opposite the eastern window -stood a golden bed, with a coverlet woven of gold and purple and fine -linen. - -And no one but Aseneth herself had ever even sat upon that bed, so -magnificent and so sacred was it. - -Besides all this, the tower had all around it a garden with a high -wall of squared blocks of stone. The gates (there were four of them) -were of iron, and each was guarded by eighteen stalwart men in -armour. The garden itself was full of shady trees, bearing splendid -fruit; and there was a springing fountain at one side of it, whose -water ran first into a marble trough, and then out of that into a -stream which watered all the garden and kept it fresh and green. - -Here Aseneth lived until she was eighteen years old, beautiful and -proud and caring for no one except her father and mother and her -seven maidens. Now the year in which she became eighteen was the -first of the seven years of plenty, of which King Pharaoh had dreamt -in the dream of the seven cows and the seven ears of corn, which is -written in the Bible. And Joseph was now travelling over all the land -of Egypt to gather together corn to store up against the seven years -of famine which were to follow the seven of plenty. And upon a -certain day in harvest-time, Potipherah and his wife, who had been -away at an estate which they possessed in the country, returned to -the city of On; and no sooner had they done so than they received a -message from Joseph, saying, "Let me come and rest at your house -during the heat of the day." Whereupon Potipherah was greatly -rejoiced, and thanked the gods for the honour which Joseph did him by -visiting him, and ordered a great banquet to be prepared. - -Just at this time, Aseneth, who had heard that her father and mother -were returned, came to meet them. She had put on her most beautiful -robe, of linen woven with gold, and a golden girdle, and necklace and -bracelets of precious stones upon which were engraved the names of -the gods of Egypt. And she had a golden diadem on her head, and over -it a delicate veil. She hastened to meet her father and mother, and -they rejoiced at her wonderful beauty, and made her sit by them, and -showed her the gifts they had brought to her from the country--grapes -and figs, pomegranates and fresh dates, and young doves and quails -for her to tame, to her great delight. Then her father said to her, -"My child, sit here with us: I want to speak to you." So she sat down -between her father and mother, and her father took her hand and -kissed her, and said, "My darling child, do you know that Joseph, the -lord of all this land, the man who is going to save the country from -the famine that is coming the man whom Pharaoh trusts and honours -above all others, is coming to this house to-day? What would you say -if I were to offer to give you in marriage to him, to live happily -with him for the rest of your life?" - -Then Aseneth was very angry; she blushed as red as fire, and darted -an ugly glance at her father sideways, and said, "How can you talk to -me so, father? Would you give me to a creature like that, the son of -a Canaanitish labourer, who has been in prison--yes, and sold as a -slave--and only got out of prison because he contrived to explain a -dream of Pharaoh's, for all the world like the old women? Certainly -not! If I marry any one it will be Pharaoh's eldest son." So -Potipherah, disappointed as he was, said no more; and Aseneth -hurried away to her own chamber. But she looked out of the window. - -As she went out, there ran in a young man, one of Potipherah's -servants, and said, "My lord, Joseph is just stopping before our -gates." So Potipherah and his wife and all their retinue rose and -went forth to meet Joseph; and the gates of the court towards the -east were thrown open, and the chariot drove in, drawn by four -milk-white horses with harness of gold; and in the chariot stood -Joseph, clad in a tunic of white linen and a blood-red mantle shot -with gold. On his head was a crown with twelve great gems, and above -each gem was a ray of gold; in his hand was an olive branch with -leaves and fruit. But fairer than all his equipment was his face, for -he was more beautiful than any of the sons of men. And just as all -the young nobles of Egypt were mad about Aseneth, so all the ladies -of Egypt were in love with Joseph; but he had not a word to say to -any of them, for they were all worshippers of idols, and Joseph -worshipped the true God--the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. - -So the chariot entered the courtyard of Poti-pherah's palace, and the -gates were shut. Now Aseneth stood at her window, and when she saw -Joseph and the beauty of his countenance, she was smitten to the -heart, her knees trembled, and she almost swooned. A great fear came -upon her, and she heaved a deep sigh and said, "Alas, alas, what have -I said? what have I done? Pity me, O God of Joseph, for it was in -ignorance that I spoke against him. Did I not call him a Canaanitish -labourer's son? and lo, now he has come into our house like the sun -out of heaven. Fool that I was to rail against him as I did! If only -my father would give me to him as his slave and drudge, I would serve -him till I dropped dead at his feet." - -Meanwhile Joseph, who had caught sight of Aseneth standing at her -window, had come into the house, and they had washed his feet and set -a table for him by himself (for Joseph would not eat with the -Egyptians). And he said to Potipherah, "Who was the woman whom I saw -looking out of the window when I came in? Some stranger? If so, she -must leave this house." "Nay, my lord," said Potipherah, "she is our -daughter." And he went on to tell how Aseneth disliked the company of -men, and indeed had hardly seen a strange man before that day; and -Joseph was glad to hear that she hated strange men, and said, "If she -be your daughter, I will love her from this day forth as a sister." - -Accordingly, Aseneth's mother went and fetched Aseneth, and she -greeted Joseph, and he her. Then said Potipherah, "Come near, my -child, and kiss your brother." But when she drew near, Joseph put out -his hand and thrust her away, and spoke thus: "It is not right for -one who worships the living God, and eats the bread of life and -drinks the cup of immortality, to kiss one that praises with her lips -dead idols, and eats the bread of death from their tables and drinks -the cup of deceit." At these harsh words Aseneth was bitterly grieved: -she shrank back and looked piteously at Joseph, and her eyes filled -with tears; and when he saw how hurt she was, Joseph, who was full of -kindness raised his hand over her head and blessed her, praying that -God, who gives life to all and brings us out of darkness into light, -might give life and light to her soul, and number her among His -chosen people, and bring her into the everlasting rest which He has -promised to them. So Aseneth went back to her chamber, full of -mingled joy and sorrow; and she cast herself down on her bed and -wept. And that same evening Joseph left the house of Potipherah and -set forth on his journey again. "But," said he, "I will come back to -you in eight days' time." Potipherah also and his wife and their -servants went back to their country house; and Aseneth and her seven -maidens were left alone. And the sun went down and all was quiet. - -II - -When everyone else in the tower was asleep, Aseneth, who had remained -weeping on her bed, rose up stealthily and crept downstairs to the -gate of the tower, where the woman who kept the door was asleep with -her children; and as quietly as she could she unhooked the heavy -leather curtain that hung in the doorway, and spreading it out on the -floor, heaped up upon it all the cinders and ashes out of the hearth, -folded the corners together, dragged it upstairs and threw it down on -the floor. Then she barred the door of her room securely, and burst -into bitter weeping. It so happened that the maiden whom Aseneth -loved the best of all her seven companions was awake, and heard the -sounds of crying. She was alarmed, and flew to wake up the other -attendants, and all of them came to the door of Aseneth's chamber, -which was locked and barred. They called to her, "What is the matter, -dear mistress? Open to us and let us come in and comfort you." But -Aseneth answered from within, "It is nothing but a violent headache. -I am in bed, and too tired and ill to get up and open the door. Go -back all of you to your beds. I shall be well to-morrow." So they -dispersed to their rooms. - -And when they were safely gone, Aseneth got up and opened the door of -the room in which she kept her dresses and jewels, taking care to -make no noise; and from among all her robes she chose out a black -one which she had worn, years before, when the only son of Potipherah -had died. And she cast off her royal robe and her diadem and veil and -girdle, and put on the black robe and girded it with a rope. Next she -went to the shrine wherein stood all the golden and silver images of -her gods, and took them and threw them out of the window for the -wayfarers to pick up; and she took the supper that had been laid out -for her of all manner of delicate meats, and threw that into the -highway for the dogs to eat. And she emptied the ashes out of the -leather curtain upon the floor; she let down her hair and cast some -of the ashes upon her head; she smote her breast and wept; and thus -she sat in silence and misery till seven days and nights were -accomplished. - -And on the morning of the eighth day, when it was just dawning, and -the birds had begun to twitter in the trees of the garden, and the -dogs to bark at the passers-by, Aseneth raised herself a little from -her crouching posture among the ashes and turned herself to the -window that looked towards the east. She was faint and ill and weary -from her long fasting and watching; her tongue was dry as horn, her -eyes were glazed, and her fair face was haggard. She bent her head -down and clasped her hands together, and crouched down again among -the ashes, and said to herself, "It is all over. I have no one to -turn to now. My father and mother will cast me off, for I have -dishonoured their gods; they will say, 'Aseneth is no daughter of -ours.' My kindred will hate me, and all the youths whom I have -despised and rejected will rejoice at my humiliation; and Joseph -will have nothing to say to me because I am a foul worshipper of -idols. Yet," she went on to say, "I have heard that the God of the -Hebrews is a merciful God, long-suffering and compassionate, not hard -upon those that have sinned ignorantly, if they are sorry for what -they have done. Why should I not turn to Him? Who knows if He will -not have pity upon my loneliness and protect me? For they say He is -the Father of the fatherless, and cares for those who are in -trouble." So she rose and knelt upon her knees, with her face turned -towards the east, and looked up into heaven and prayed. "Save me," -she said, "from those who are pursuing me, before I am caught by them; -as a little child when it is frightened runs to its father, and the -father stretches out his arms and catches it to his breast, so I flee -to Thee. I know that Satan, the Old Lion, is hunting me; for he is -the father of the gods of Egypt, and I have insulted them and -destroyed their images. I have no hope but in Thee. See, I have cast -off all my beautiful robes and ornaments; I sit here in sackcloth and -ashes; I have fasted and wept these seven days, because I know that -I have done wrong in worshipping dumb idols, and in speaking -scornfully against Joseph. But, Lord, I did it in ignorance; save me, -and above all watch over Joseph, whom I love more than my own life. -Keep him, Lord, in safety, and let me be his handmaid and his slave, -if Thou wilt, so that I may minister to him all the days I have to -live." - -Much more did Aseneth say in her prayer, but it is not written down -here. When she had ended, the morning star was just coming up in the -east, and Aseneth rejoiced when she saw it and said, "Can it be that -God has heard my prayer, and that this star is the herald of the -light of the great day?" Then, in that part of the sky where the star -was shining, there opened a little cleft in the heavens, and a bright -light shone out of it: so dazzling that she fell on her face upon the -ashes. And in the next instant there stood over her a man who was all -flashing with light; and he called to her, "Aseneth, rise up." "Who -can this be who calls me?" she said; "my door is barred and the tower -is high. No one can have come into my chamber." So she did not look -up; but the man called to her again, "Aseneth, Aseneth!" And at last -she answered, "Here am I, lord: tell me, who art thou?" He -answered, "I am the Prince of all the army of heaven; rise up and -stand on your feet, and hear my words." Then for the first time she -looked at him, and saw that he was in all things like Joseph, with -royal robe, and crown and sceptre; but his face, and hair, and hands -and feet were bright like the sun, and his eyes pierced like -lightning; and again she was afraid, and fell on her face. But he -said, "Do not be afraid; hear what I am come to say to you." -Thereupon she rose and stood up, weak as she was; and he bade her go -into her inner chamber and put off her black robe, and the sackcloth -and ashes, and bathe herself in clear water, and array herself in the -noblest of her robes, and come back to him. - -Now when this was done, and she had returned to him, fresh and -beautiful as formerly, he spoke kindly to her, and blessed her and -said, "God has heard your prayer: He has looked upon your sorrow and -tears, and has forgiven your sin. Be of good cheer, for your name is -written in the Book of Life, and shall no more be blotted out. From -this day forth you shall eat the bread of life and drink the cup of -immortality, and be anointed with the oil of joy. And a new name -shall be given you, even the name of the City of Refuge; for as you -have come to God for refuge, many shall in like manner come to Him -through your example by repentance. And now, behold, this day I shall -go to Joseph, and tell him that which has befallen you, and he shall -come to you this very day and make you his bride. Make ready -therefore and array yourself in the bridal robe that is laid up in -your chamber, and put upon you all your elect ornaments, and prepare -yourself to meet him." - -When Aseneth heard this joyful news, she fell on her face at the feet -of the messenger and gave thanks to God; and, said she, "My lord, -stay yet a little while, I pray you, and sit upon this couch, and I -will set a table before you, and bread, and you shall eat; and I will -bring you wine old and fragrant, and you shall drink, and so go on -your way." For she did not know that it was an angel who had come to -her. And he said, "I will do so: hasten therefore and make ready." - -So first she set before him a table; and as she was going to fetch -the bread he said to her, "Bring a honeycomb also." But at this she -stopped, and was troubled in her mind, for she knew that there was no -honeycomb in her store-room. "Why do you stop?" said the angel. -"Sir," she answered, "let me send a boy to the farm which is near by, -and he shall fetch you a honeycomb in a moment." "No," said he, "you -need only go into your store-room, and you will find one upon the -table; bring that to me." "Sir," she answered, "I know that there is -none there." But he said, "Go and you will find it." She went -therefore and found the honeycomb, as he had said; it was large, and -as white as snow, and full of honey, and the smell of it was as the -breath of life. She wondered greatly, but she would not delay, and -she brought it out and put it on the table before the angel. Then he -called her to him, and as she moved towards him he stretched out his -right hand over her head, and again she was afraid, for she saw -sparks and flashes of fire coming from it, as if it were of heated -iron; so that she gazed upon him earnestly in astonishment. But he -smiled and said, "You are blessed, Aseneth, for you have seen some of -the secret things of God; it is of this honeycomb that the angels eat -in Paradise, and the bees of Paradise have made it of the dew of the -roses of life in the garden of God; and whosoever tastes it shall not -die for ever." Then he put forth his right hand and took a piece of -the honeycomb, and tasted it, and gave a portion to Aseneth, and she -ate it; and he said, "Now you have received the food of life, and -your youth shall know no old age, and your beauty shall never fade." -And again he stretched forth his right hand and drew his finger -across the honeycomb from the east side of it to the west, and from -the north side to the south, and where his finger touched it there -was left a track of the colour of blood. And immediately there came -out of the honeycomb a multitude of bees. They were white like snow, -and their wings were purple and scarlet, and they swarmed about -Aseneth and made honey upon her lips. Among them there were some that -made as though they would have stung her, but these the angel -rebuked, and they fell to the ground dead. But after a while the -angel said to the bees, "Go to your place," and at that they rose up -in a swarm and flew out of the window and up into the sky. Then he -touched with his rod the dead bees upon the floor, and said to them, -"Go ye also to your place," and they came to life and flew out of the -window, and settled upon the trees in the garden of Aseneth. And for -the third time he stretched out his hand and touched the honeycomb -upon the table, and straightway there burst forth a flame, and -consumed the honeycomb--but upon the table it left no mark--and the -sweet smell of the burning filled all the chamber. - -Then said Aseneth, "Sir, I have seven companions, maidens who have -been brought up with me, and I love them as sisters: may I not call -them, and you shall bless them as you have blessed me?" So she called -them in, and made them stand before the angel, and he blessed them; -and thereafter he said to Aseneth, "Take away the table." And as she -turned aside to lift it, he was gone. But through the window she saw -in the sky a chariot and four horses shining like fire, going into -the heavens towards the east, and the angel standing in the chariot. -Then she said, "Ah, foolish that I am! I knew not that it was an -angel out of heaven that came into my chamber, and now, behold, he is -going back into heaven to his own place. Pardon me, my lord, and -spare thy handmaid, for it was in ignorance that I spoke so boldly -before thee!" - -While she was still wondering, there came in a messenger and said, -"Joseph, the mighty one of God, is on his way hither." And -immediately Aseneth sent for the steward of the palace and bade him -prepare a great banquet, and make all things ready; but she herself, -remembering the words of the angel, went into her inner chamber and -adorned herself as a bride, in shining robes, and upon her head she -put a crown of gold which had in the midst, over her forehead, a -great jacinth stone and six other precious stones round it; and she -covered her head with a veil of wonderful beauty. Then she called to -one of her maidens, who brought her a basin of pure water, and when -she saw the reflection of her face in the water she was astonished at -the beauty and freshness and brightness of it. Just then the steward -of the palace came in to say that all was ready, and he too was -struck with amazement at the sight of her, and said, "Lady, what is -the cause of this wonderful beauty? Can it be that the God of heaven -has chosen you to be the bride of Joseph, His elect?" And while he -was yet speaking, the sound of Joseph's chariot-wheels was heard -without. - -Then Aseneth hastened and went down to meet Joseph, and her seven -maidens followed her, and they all stood in the porch of the palace. -And when Joseph saw Aseneth he also marvelled, and said, "Who art -thou, maiden?" And she answered, "Thy handmaid Aseneth; and I have -cast away all my idols and they are gone." And she went on and told -him of the coming of the angel to her. And he rejoiced. Then they -came near and embraced one another, and she led him into her father's -house and made him sit on her father's throne; and Joseph said, "Let -one of the maidens come and wash my feet." But Aseneth said, "No; -from henceforth I am your handmaid: your hands are my hands, your -feet are my feet, and your soul is my soul: none other shall wash -your feet but I." So she compelled him, and washed his feet. And -after that he kissed her again, and made her sit down beside him, on -his right hand. - -And as they were talking together, Potipherah and his wife and their -household entered the palace, having returned from the country; and -they were amazed, and rejoiced at the sight of Joseph and Aseneth. -And when they learnt all that had happened, they rejoiced yet more; -and Potipherah said, "To-morrow I will call together all my kinsfolk -and prepare your marriage feast." But Joseph said, "Nay, but I will -first go to Pharaoh and speak to him concerning Aseneth, that I may -take her to wife; for he is to me as a father." - -So on the next day Joseph departed to see Pharaoh, and forthwith -Pharaoh sent for Potipherah and his wife and Aseneth; and in their -presence he blessed Aseneth, and joined her hand with the hand of -Joseph, and crowned them with golden crowns, and made a great feast -for them lasting seven days; and all the land of Egypt rejoiced. So -Joseph and Aseneth were married; and after that two sons were born -to them, even Ephraim and Manasseh, in the house of Joseph. - -III - -Now when the seven years of plenty were over, the years of famine -began, and Jacob and his sons came to dwell in Egypt in the land of -Goshen, as it is told in the Bible. Then Aseneth said to Joseph, "Let -me go and see your father and greet him." So Joseph brought her to -Jacob, and his brethren met him and did him obeisance at the door of -the house, and they entered in. And when they saw Jacob, who was -sitting upon his bed, Aseneth was struck with amazement at the sight -of him, for he was noble to look upon. His head was white as snow, -his beard was long, flowing over his bosom, his eyes were bright and -flashing, and his muscles and limbs were those of a giant. And -Aseneth fell on her face before him; and Israel said, "Is this thy -wife, my son Joseph? Blessed shall she be of the Most High God." -Then he called her to him, and she fell on his breast and he kissed -her, and they rejoiced together. After that he inquired of her -concerning her parents; and Aseneth told him how an eagle had -brought her and laid her upon the altar of the temple of On; and she -showed him the swaddling-clothes in which she had been wrapped. And -Jacob knew that they belonged to his own daughter Dinah; and thus it -was made known to him that Aseneth was of his own race, and he was -the more glad. - -And when they departed from him, Simeon and Levi accompanied them -with the other sons of Leah and Rachel; but the sons of Bilhah and -Zilpah would not go with them, for they hated Joseph. And of all -Joseph's brethren, Aseneth loved Levi the most, for he was a prophet -and a seer, and could read the signs of the stars of heaven. - -Now it happened that as they were on their way to visit Jacob, the -eldest son of Pharaoh was on the city wall, and he saw Aseneth and -loved her immediately, and could think of nothing but how he might -make away with Joseph and take Aseneth for his own wife. And after a -few days he sent secretly to Simeon and Levi, and said to them, "I -know that you are mighty men, and that with your two swords alone you -defeated the men of Shechem and overthrew their city. I have sent for -you because I wish to make you my friends, and, if you will do what I -ask you, I will give you riches and lands and houses--in a word, all -that you can desire. Now what I would have you do is this. You must -know that I have been bitterly wronged by your brother Joseph: he has -married Aseneth, who was betrothed to me long ago. Join with me -therefore and help me to kill him, and I will take Aseneth to wife, -and you shall be my brothers. If you refuse, I will slay you." And -with these words he drew his sword and flourished it at them. At this -Simeon, who was a man of hot temper, was enraged, and would have -drawn his own sword and cut down the prince; but Levi, who could read -his thoughts, trod upon his foot and made signs to him to be quiet, -and whispered, "Why be angry with this fellow? We are God-fearing -men, and must not render evil for evil." Then Levi said calmly and -mildly to Pharaoh's son, "Why does my lord speak thus to his -servants? We can do no such wickedness against our brother and -against our God. Let us hear no more such evil words; but, if you -will not be persuaded, know that our swords will be drawn against -you." With that both the brothers drew their swords, and when the son -of Pharaoh saw them he crouched upon the ground in terror, for they -flashed like flames of fire and dazzled his eyes. But Levi said, "Get -up and do not be frightened: only take care that you say nothing more -of this kind against our brother Joseph." And they went forth from -his presence. - -But he could not restrain himself, for he was half-mad with anger and -fear and with love of Aseneth. And after some days his servants said -to him, "Do you know that the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah are at enmity -with Joseph and Aseneth? They will do all that you ask of them." So -he sent for them, for Dan and Gad and Naphtali and Asher, and they -came to him in the first hour of the night; and after he had greeted -them he sent away his servants, and said to the brethren, "Listen -to me. Life and death are before you; choose which you will have: -will you die like women or fight like men? I overheard your brother -Joseph saying to my father Pharaoh, 'Dan and Gad and Naphtali and -Asher are no brethren of mine; they are the sons of my father's -handmaids, and I am only waiting till my father dies to make an end -of them and their families. It was they who sold me to the -Ishmaelites, and I am going to repay it into their bosom.' And my -father said, 'It is well spoken: you have leave to take any of my -bodyguard and deal with them as you will.'" Then Dan and Gad and -their brothers were sorely troubled, and they said, "O sir, help us, -and we will be your servants for ever." And he said, "I will. Hear me -now: this night I will kill my father Pharaoh--for he is the helper -of Joseph--and do you for your part slay Joseph. Then I will take -Aseneth to wife, and you shall be my brethren and joint heirs with me -in the kingdom." So they said, "We will do so, and thus it shall be: -we heard Joseph say to Aseneth that she should go to-morrow into the -vineyard, for it is the time of vintage. We therefore will go this -night into the bed of the river and hide among the reeds; and do you -take with you fifty archers upon horses, and go on before. Then will -Aseneth come and fall into our ambush, and we will kill the men that -are with her, and she will flee in her chariot and fall into your -hands, and you shall do to her as seems good to you. As for Joseph, -while he is mourning for Aseneth we will kill him; but first we will -slay his children before his face." And Pharaoh's son rejoiced -greatly, and sent them forth with a great body of mighty men, and -they went and hid themselves in four companies among the reeds of the -river on either side of the road. - -Yet Naphtali and Asher murmured against their elder brothers Dan and -Gad, saying, "To what purpose are you conspiring again? Did you not -sell Joseph for a slave before, and, lo! he is become lord over all -Egypt? Now therefore, if you imagine evil against him, he will call -upon God, and fire will come down out of heaven and devour you, and -the angels of God will fight against you." But their elder brothers -were angry and said, "What then would you have? Are we to die like -women? Not so!" And the counsel of Naphtali and Asher did not -prevail with them. - -In the same night the son of Pharaoh rose up and went to his father's -chamber with intent to slay him, as he had promised; but when he came -to the door the guards stopped him and said, "What is my lord's -will?" He said, "I desire to see my father, for I am going away -to-morrow to visit my vine-yard which I have newly planted." And they -said, "Your father is ill and has not slept until now, and he gave -us commandment that no man should come into his chamber, no, not if -it were his firstborn son." So he went away in a rage, and took fifty -archers with him on horses and went on before, as Dan and Gad had -said. - -Aseneth also arose early in the morning and said to Joseph, "Lo, I -go to the vineyard as you appointed; but my soul is troubled greatly -at being parted from you." But Joseph said, "Be of good cheer; the -Lord is with you and will keep you as the apple of an eye. As for me, -I go to distribute corn to the people of the land, that no man in -Egypt may perish of hunger." So Aseneth went her way; and as she came -to the place of the ambush by the river, the men that were in hiding -rushed out upon her, and slew all the guard that were with her, even -six hundred soldiers and fifty runners; and Aseneth fled away upon -her chariot. - -Now Levi, though he was afar off, saw in the spirit what was being -done--for he was a seer--and told his brethren of the peril of -Aseneth; and they girded every man his sword upon his thigh, and took -up their shields and their spears and ran swiftly after Aseneth. - -And as she fled on before, suddenly she saw the son of Pharaoh in the -way, and the horsemen that were with him. Then was Aseneth in great -fear, and she called upon the name of her God. - -But Benjamin was in the chariot with her. Now he was a lad of -nineteen years, beautiful exceedingly, and strong as a lion's whelp. -And when he saw the men, he leapt down from the chariot and caught up -a round stone out of the brook and threw it at the son of Pharaoh, -and smote him on the left temple, so that he fell from his horse -half-dead. - -Then Benjamin leapt up upon a rock by the way-side, and called to the -driver of the chariot, "Give me stones out of the river bed." And he -gave them; and with fifty stones Benjamin slew the fifty archers -that were with Pharaoh's son; every stone smote a man on the temples. - -Moreover, the sons of Leah, Reuben and Simeon, Levi and Judah, -Issachar and Zebulun, pursued after the men that had laid wait for -Aseneth, and fell upon them suddenly and cut them to pieces; but the -sons of Bilhah and Zilpah fled before them, saying, "We are undone; -and now, behold, the son of Pharaoh is dead, and all they that were -with him. Let us at least slay Aseneth and Benjamin, and flee into -the woods." So they pursued after Aseneth, and came upon her with -their swords drawn and dripping with blood. And she was greatly -afraid, and said, "Lord God, who didst save me from false gods and -from the corruption of death, and didst say, 'Thy soul shall live -for ever,' save me now from the hands of these wicked men!" And God -heard her prayer, and straightway the swords of the men fell out of -their hands and crumbled into dust. - -Then they were very sore afraid, saying, "The Lord fighteth against -us." And they fell down on their faces and besought Aseneth, saying, -"We have imagined evil against you, and the Lord hath brought it -back upon us. But now have pity upon us, and save us from the wrath -of our brethren." And she said, "Go then and hide yourselves in the -reeds until I appease them and turn away their anger. Only the Lord -be judge betwixt me and you." Then they ran and hid among the reeds; -and their brethren the sons of Leah came running like harts to -overtake them. And Aseneth lighted down from her chariot and fell on -their necks weeping and rejoicing; and they said, "Where are our -brothers the sons of the handmaids?" that they might kill them. But -Aseneth said, "I beseech you, spare them, for the Lord saved me out -of their hands and broke their swords, and, behold, there they lie, -like wax melted before the fire. Let it suffice you that the Lord -hath fought against them on our behalf, and spare them, for they are -your brethren and the sons of your father Israel." Then said Simeon, -"Why doth our sister say so? Nay, but we will hew them in pieces -with our swords, for they have done evil against Joseph and against -our father and against thee also this day." And Aseneth took hold -upon Simeon's beard and kissed him, and said, "Do not, my brother, in -anywise render evil for evil: the Lord shall judge between us; and -now, see, they are fled afar off. Forgive them, therefore, and spare -their lives." Then Levi came near and kissed her right hand; for he -knew that his brethren were in hiding among the reeds, but he would -not reveal it to the others lest they should fall upon them; and he -loved Aseneth because she would save them alive. - -Now the son of Pharaoh, who was fallen from his horse, began to -recover himself, and sat up and spat blood out of his mouth, for the -blood ran down from the wound on his temple into his mouth. And -Benjamin saw it, and ran and drew the sword of the son of Pharaoh -(for as yet Benjamin bare no sword upon his thigh), and would have -slain him; but Levi hasted and caught his hand, saying, "It is not -right for us that fear God to trample upon him that is fallen, or to -afflict our enemy to death. Put back the sword into its place and -help me, and we will tend his wound, and if he lives he shall be our -friend." Then Levi helped up the son of Pharaoh from the ground, and -washed the blood from his face and bound up his wound with a bandage, -and put him upon his horse and took him to Pharaoh his father, and -told him all that had happened. And Pharaoh rose up from his throne -and blessed Levi. But on the third day after, the son of Pharaoh died -of his wound. - -And Pharaoh mourned sore for his firstborn son, insomuch that he fell -sick and died, being a hundred and nine years old, and left his crown -to Joseph; and Joseph reigned alone in Egypt forty and eight years, -and thereafter gave the kingdom to the younger son of Pharaoh, who -was a sucking child when his father died. And thenceforth Joseph was -called the father of the king throughout all the land of Egypt. - - - -JOB - -This is the story of the life of Job, taken out of the book called -The Testament of Job. - -There came a day when Job felt that his end was near; and he called -together his seven sons and his three daughters, and said to them: - -Come near to me, my children, and I will tell you the story of my -life, and all the dealings of the Lord with me. You must know, in the -first place, that before He gave me a new name, I was called Jobab; -and that I come of the family of Isaac--for I am one of the sons of -Esau, Jacob's brother. Now, long ago, I used to dwell hard by the -temple of an idol, and every day I saw people coming and bringing -offerings, and burning sacrifices before it. But as time went on, I -could not believe that this idol was indeed the God who made the -heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and us men. I pondered much, -therefore, upon this matter, saying, "How shall I come to know the -truth of it?" - -Thereafter, as I lay upon my bed, in the middle of the night, a bright -light suddenly shone in my chamber, and I heard a voice calling me, -"Jobab, Jobab!" (and I answered, "Here am I"). And the voice said, "Rise -up, and I will tell thee that which I have to say. Verily, this idol to -whom offerings are brought, and wine poured out in libations, is not a -god, but is a work of the evil power whereby he deceives the sons of -men." Then I bowed myself down and said, "Lord, who hast come to -enlighten my soul, I beseech thee, give me leave to go and cleanse this -place that is polluted by the enemy, so that offerings shall no more be -made to him; but, indeed, who is there that can withstand me, seeing -that I am ruler over this country?" - -The voice answered me out of the light, "Thou canst indeed destroy -that place; but I must forewarn thee of that which will ensue, -according as I have in hand to tell thee from the Lord." And I -answered, "All that He commandeth thy servant will I hear and do." -And the voice said again, "If thou takest upon thee to destroy this -abode of Satan's, he will rise up and fight against thee; he will -bring upon thee many plagues; he will take away all thy gods; he will -slay thy children. Only he will not be able to take thy life. And, if -thou endurest to the end, thy name shall become famous among all -generations for ever; and I will restore thee to thy former estate, -and recompense thee double, and thou shalt rise up again in the -resurrection of the just. Be thou therefore like a fighter who giveth -blows and endureth them, looking to win the crown of victory; and -then shalt thou know that the Lord is righteous, and true, and -mighty, giving strength to His chosen." - -And I, my children, answered him, "I will verily endure even unto -death, and will not draw back." Then the angel set a mark upon my -forehead, and departed from me; and in the same night I arose and -gathered to me fifty of my servants, and went and destroyed the -temple of the idol, laying it even with the ground. Then I returned -to my house, and commanded that the doors should be made fast. - -Hearken now, my children, and wonder; for as soon as I had come into -my house, and had commanded the doors to be shut, and had told the -keepers of the doors to say to any that came that I was not at -leisure to see them, Satan came, having put on the appearance of a -beggar, and said to the maid that kept the door, "Tell Job that I -desire to speak with him." She came to me, therefore, and I told her -again, "Tell him that I have no leisure to see him." - -So Satan departed, and took on him another form, and put a wallet on -his shoulder, and returned and said to the maid, "Say to Job, 'Give -me bread from thine own hand, that I may eat.'" Then I took a loaf -that was burnt black and gave it to the maid to give to him, saying, -"Look to eat no more of my bread, for I am become a stranger to you." -But the maid was ashamed to give him the burnt bread, for she knew -not who he was; she took, therefore, a good loaf of her own and gave -it to him. But he was aware of what had happened, and said to her, -"Go back, unfaithful servant, and fetch me the bread that was given -to you to give to me!" And she wept and said, "You say well that I -am an unfaithful servant, for I have not done that which I was -commanded." Then she brought him the burnt bread, saying, "Thus says -my master, 'You shall eat no more of my bread, for I am estranged -from you. This I give you only that you may not have it to say that I -refused to give aught to my enemy when he asked of me.'" Satan took -the bread, and sent back the maid with this message, "As this bread -is burnt and blackened, so will I make thy body; in one hour I will -lay thee and thy house desolate." And I answered him, "That thou -doest, do quickly; for I am ready to bear whatsoever thou canst bring -upon me." - -Then Satan went up straightway under the firmament of the heaven, and -asked of the Lord authority over me and my possessions. And the Lord -granted it to him, but not at that time. - -Now I must tell you, my children, of my manner of life, and my goods -that I had, before I was despoiled. I had 130,000 sheep, of which -7000 were set apart for the clothing of the fatherless, and widows, -and poor; and a pack of 800 dogs guarded them. I had 9000 camels; -3000 to traffic with the cities of the earth, which I laded with good -things, and sent them out among the towns and villages, and had their -loads distributed to the poor. I had also 130,000 asses; 500 of them -were set apart that their foals might be sold, and the price given to -the poor. - -Also the four gates of my house were always left open to this end, -that if any poor man came to beg, and saw me sitting at one of the -gates, he might not turn back abashed, but might go round to another -of the gates, and enter in and receive what he needed. - -Within the house also I had always thirty tables ready prepared for -the entertainment of strangers, and other twelve tables appointed for -the widows. None left my house with his purse empty, and whenever any -came to ask help, he was constrained first of all to sit down and -dine. I had fifty bakehouses, and of these, twelve served the tables -of the poor. - -And so it was that many strangers came to my house, and some of them -desired to follow my way of life and minister to the poor, but they -were in need of money to furnish them therefor. And to such men I -freely lent the money, taking no security of them, but only a written -acknowledgment. And sometimes they prospered in their merchandise and -gained money to give to the poor; but sometimes they failed and came -back to me, saying, "Have patience with us." And thereupon I would -destroy the bill of their debt before them, and forgive them that -which they owed me. - -Sometimes also there would come to me a man of a kindly heart who -would say, "I have not wherewith to help the poor, but let me wait -upon them to-day at your table." And at evening, when he was -departing, I used to say to him, "I know that you are a labouring -man, and look to your wages." And so I paid him wages for the day and -let him go. - -I had also psalteries and a ten-stringed lute, and every day when the -widows and the poor had dined I would play to them and put them in -mind of God, that they should praise Him. And if ever my handmaidens -murmured at the work they had to do, I took a psaltery and sang to -them of the recompense of the reward. And they were comforted, and -ceased from their murmuring. - -As for my children, they took part every day in the ministry, and -after that they gathered together in the house of their eldest -brother, and feasted there. But every morning I offered up sacrifices -for them, even thirty doves, fifty kids of the goats, and twelve -sheep, and a choice bullock. All of these, after I had offered up -prayer, I caused to be prepared for the poor, and gave to them, -saying, "Take these over and above that which you have had, and pray -for my children, lest they perchance have said in their hearts, -'We are the children of a wealthy father, and these goods are ours. -Wherefore should we wait upon the poor and waste our substance in -this manner?'" For indeed pride is an abomination unto the Lord. - -Now this was my manner of life for seven years after that the angel -had come to me. But when Satan had obtained from the Lord power -against me, he came down in great wrath; and first he burnt up the -7000 sheep, and 3000 camels, and 500 asses, and 500 yoke of oxen; and -the rest were carried away by the men of the country to whom I had -showed kindness, but now they turned against me and spoiled my goods. -Then one came and told me, and I gave glory to God, and said not a -word of complaint. - -Satan therefore, when he saw how I took the matter, devised yet more -against me, and took on him the likeness of the King of Persia, and -came and spake to all the worthless men of the country, saying, "This -man Jobab, who hath consumed all the good of the land, and left -nothing, giving it away to the halt, and maimed, and blind, is the -same that destroyed the temple of the great god and laid waste the -place of offerings. It is time that he should receive the reward of -his deeds. Come, fall upon him and spoil his house." But they said, -"He hath seven sons and three daughters; what if they escape into -other lands and accuse us of violence, and return and slay us?" -Satan answered, "Trouble not yourselves for that. See, I have -consumed part of his goods with fire; other part have I carried off. -_I_ will take in hand his children." - -And he departed, and cast down the house upon my sons and daughters, -and slew them all. And when the men saw that he had spoken truth, -they came and plundered all that was in my house. Mine eyes saw -worthless and dishonourable men on my couches and at my tables, and I -could not utter a word, for I was stricken weak, as a sick woman. -Nevertheless, I remembered the recompense of the reward; and I -accounted the loss of my goods as nothing, if I might attain to that -city whereof the angel had spoken. - -Then there came a messenger and told me, "Thy sons and thy daughters -are dead." And verily I was greatly troubled, and rent my clothes. -Yet I said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it -pleased the Lord, so is it come to pass: blessed be the name of the -Lord." - -So Satan perceived that, though all that I had possessed was taken -from me, nothing could break my spirit or make me rebel against God. -He departed, therefore, and asked leave of the Lord that he might -afflict my body. And the Lord gave him power over my body to use it -as he would, but over my life He gave him no power. Then Satan came -to me as I sat upon my throne mourning for the loss of my children; -and he came in the form of a great whirlwind, and cast my throne down -to the ground, so that I lay for three hours without moving. And he -smote me with a sore plague from head to foot, and I was filled with -worms and ulcers and corruption. Therefore I arose and went out of -the city in great misery and sorrow of heart, and sat upon a -dunghill, being severed from the sons of men because of my evil -plague. And there I remained many days. And I had no strength to work -and earn my bread, so that my wife was compelled to labour as a -handmaid in the house of a rich man, and carry water; and for that -they gave her bread, and she brought it to me. Then was I cut to the -heart, and said, "Alas for the pride of the men of this place! How -can they endure to treat my wife as a slave?" Yet after that again -I strengthened my soul and was patient. - -After some time they refused to give my wife food enough for her and -myself, but allowed her only half of what they had given her before: -yet this she shared with me. Yea, she was not ashamed to go and beg -of the bakers in the market-place, that she might have wherewith to -feed me. - -When Satan saw her do so, he took upon him the likeness of a seller -of bread. And my wife came and begged of him, supposing him to be a -man; and Satan said, "Pay the price, and take what you will." But she -answered, "Whence should I have money? Have you not heard of all that -has befallen us? If you will show mercy, show mercy; and if not, it -is your own concern." He said, "If you had not deserved misfortune, -I suppose it would not have come upon you; but now, if you have no -money, give me the hair of your head, and take three loaves in -exchange: it may be that you can live on them for three days." And -she thought within herself, "What is the hair of my head to me in -comparison with the hunger of my husband?" And she said to Satan, -"Come, take it." And he took a pair of shears and cut off her hair, -and then gave her three loaves, in the sight of all who were in the -market-place. She took the bread and came to bring it to me, and -Satan followed after her invisibly, and made her soul heavy within -her. So, as she drew near to me she lifted up her voice and cried -aloud, "Job, Job, how long wilt thou sit upon the dunghill waiting -and expecting thy deliverance, while I wander about from house to -house and labour as a slave? Behold, my sons and my daughters, whom -I brought up with labour and pain, are perished and gone, and thou -sittest under the open heaven filled with corruption, and I have to -work day and night to get bread to keep thy soul in thy body. Lo, now -have I sold the hair of my head for bread. Who would believe that I -am Sitis, the wife of Job, who was clothed in fine linen woven with -gold, that washed her feet in basins of silver and gold, that lay -softly and was nurtured in plenty; but now I go barefoot, in rags, -and sell my hair for bread. One thing only remains, for my bones are -broken with very weariness of spirit. Arise and eat this bread, and -satisfy thy hunger, and then speak a word against the Lord, and die; -and I shall be freed from my misery and labour, and have rest." - -But I answered her, "Lo, now these many years have I been set in the -plague, enduring sickness of body and grief of heart, but my soul has -never been so heavy in me as when I heard thee say, 'Speak a word -against the Lord, and die.' Shall we have borne the loss of our -possessions, and the death of our children, and at the end lose the -true riches? Remember all the good things which we enjoyed aforetime. -Shall we receive those at the hands of the Lord, and not bear to -receive hard things likewise? But I perceive now why thou so -speakest. Come forth, thou that standest behind her to pervert her -heart and make her speak as one of the foolish women. Hide thyself no -longer; come forth and withstand me to the face." Then Satan came -forth from behind my wife, and stood before me ashamed, and even -weeping in the bitterness of his heart; and he said, "Job, thou hast -prevailed: thou art flesh and I am a spirit, but I can do no more -against thee." And he departed from me in confusion. And I, my -children, thought of fighters whom I had seen: one had thrown the -other on the ground and filled his mouth with sand, and bruised every -limb of his body, yet still he kept his hold; and of a sudden the one -that was uppermost could endure the grip no longer, and gave in, so -that the undermost won the crown. Thus was it with me and Satan; and, -my children, I counsel you to be long-suffering in all that may come -upon you; for there is nothing that is stronger than patience. - -Now it was not until many years had passed that the tidings of my -affliction came to the ears of the kings who were of old time my -friends--for Satan caused the matter to be kept from them. But when -they heard, they set forth from their countries and came to visit me, -even Eliphaz of Teman, and Bildad, and Zophar, and Elihu; all of them -with great trains of followers. When they were come into my land they -inquired, "Where is Jobab, the ruler of Uz?" And it was told them, -"He sitteth upon a dunghill without the city." And they asked what -was become of my wealth--for I was aforetime richer than all the -princes of the East--and they were informed of all that had befallen -me. So they came where I was, and some of the men of the city with -them, who showed me to them. But they said, "This is not Jobab." Yet -the men of the place affirmed that it was so; and after they had -disputed for some time, Eliphaz called to me, "Art thou Jobab, our -fellow-king?" And I, weeping and casting dust upon my head, bowed -myself in token that it was I. - -Then were they stricken with great astonishment and terror, and fell -to the ground as it were dead; and they rent their clothes and cast -off their armour, and sat down upon the ground. And Elihu lifted up -his voice and took up a lamentation over me, calling to mind all the -glory of my former state, my sheep and oxen, camels and asses, my -golden beds and my jewelled throne, the lamps and perfumes of my -palace, and the beauty of my children, and saying, "Where is now the -glory of thy kingdom?" And when he had ended his lamentation I said, -"Hold your peace and I will tell you." - -"My throne is in the region beyond the world, and the glory and -beauty of it is at the right hand of the Father. - -"This world shall pass away and the glory of it shall perish, and -they that pay heed thereto shall be overwhelmed in the overthrow of -it; but my throne is in the land of the holy, and the glory of it in -the age that hath no change. - -"The rivers shall be dried up, and the abundance of their streams -floweth down into the depths of the pit; but the rivers of my land -fail not, and their streams water it for evermore. - -"Kings shall pass away, and rulers be no more seen: their names and -their boasting shall be as the image in the glass; but my kingdom -abideth for ever, and the glory thereof is as the glory of the -chariot of the Most High." - -Then Eliphaz waxed very wroth, and said, "Come, and let us leave him -to his folly. To what purpose have we journeyed hither to comfort -him, if he rails against us and says, 'Your kingdom shall be brought -to nought, but mine endureth for ever'?" And he would have gone -away in a rage. But Bildad restrained him, saying, "Remember that the -man is sick in body and mind; we should not deal harshly with him; it -may well be that he is mad." And Bildad and Zophar put questions to -me to discern whether I was of sound mind or not, and I answered them -soberly. And at last Zophar said, "What shall be done for thee? -Behold, we have with us the most skilful physicians that are in our -kingdoms. Wilt thou that they shall tend thee? Peradventure thou -mayest find relief at their hands." But I said, "My healing and my -medicine shall be from the Lord, who is the Maker of physicians and -of all their craft." - -While I was yet speaking, there came to us my wife Sitis, clothed in -rags, and she had escaped by stealth out of the house of her master; -for he would have kept her within, fearing that the kings would call -him to account for his ill-usage of us. So when she came to us, she -threw herself down before Eliphaz and said, "Rememberest thou, -Eliphaz and thy fellows, how I looked and how I was attired in the -former days? Look now and see in what guise I go about." And they -were cut to the heart and wept, but knew not what to say; only -Eliphaz took off his purple robe and put it about her shoulders. And -she besought them, saying, "I pray you, command your servants to dig -among the ruins of the house that fell upon our children, and seek -out their bones that they may be buried and a memorial set up; for -till this day we have never been able to do so because of the cost. -Consider, I beseech you, what I suffer that have lost ten children, -and not one of them is given to burial." So they prepared to dig; but -I prevented them, and said, "Labour not in vain; ye will not find my -children, for they have been taken up into the heavens by the King -that created them." Again they said, "Who would not say that thou art -mad? Thy children are taken up into heaven, sayest thou? Show us now -what thou meanest." - -I said, therefore, "Raise me up that I may stand on my feet." And -they took each an arm and raised me, and I stood up and made -supplication to the Father, and then said to them, "Lift up your eyes -and look towards the east." And they looked, and beheld my children -crowned with glory in the heavens, and above them the glory of the -Most High. Which when Sitis my wife saw, she fell upon her face and -worshipped, and said, "Now know I that there is remembrance of me -with God. I will go now into the city and rest a little, and refresh -myself for my labours of the morrow." So she went into the city, and -entered into the stable of the kine that had been hers, and had been -taken from her by those that employed her; and she lay down by one of -the mangers and slept, having her mind at rest, and so died. And on -the morrow her master sought her, and did not find her; and at last -entering into the stable, he saw her lying dead there, and ran out -and summoned men to him; and all the city came and saw her lying in -the stable, and the beasts standing about her, lowing and making -lamentation over her. Then they carried her forth and buried her -beside the place of the house that had fallen upon her children. - -Now as for all the words which Eliphaz, and Bildad, and Zophar, and -Elihu spake with me, and those wherewith I answered them, are they -not written in the book for your remembrance? Also ye know how that -at the last the Lord came and answered me out of the whirlwind, and -rebuked us. And we made atonement for that which we had said amiss: -all but Elihu, for into him Satan had entered, and he had spoken evil -words against me; wherefore he departed, and made no atonement for -his sin. - -Also ye know how the Lord restored to me my former state, and gave me -the double of all that I had possessed before; and how I married your -mother, and she bare me you: seven sons and three daughters, as it -is this day. - -And now behold, my sons, I die; and as for you, forget not ye the -Lord, do good to the poor, pass not by the helpless, take not to -yourselves wives from among the heathen. - -Moreover, Job said, "I will divide my substance among you, and each -of you shall possess his portion in peace." - -Then Job divided his substance among his seven sons, but to his -daughters he gave none of it; and they were grieved, and said, -"Father, are we not also thy children?" And he answered, "Trouble not -yourselves, for I have prepared for you an inheritance better than -that of your brethren." And he called to him his eldest daughter, and -gave her his signet-ring, saying, "Go into the treasure-chamber and -bring me the three golden caskets which you will find there." And -when she had brought them, he opened them, and took from them three -cords, and gave one to each of his daughters. Now these cords were -exceeding beautiful, of many colours, and sending forth sparks of -light as it had been rays of the sun; and he said to his daughters, -"Gird them about you, and keep them all the days of your life." - -But Keziah, the second of the daughters, said, "Father, is this that -excellent inheritance which you promised to us? What is the use of -these cords? Shall we be able to live by means of them?" And he -answered, "Not only so, but they will bring you even into the better -life. Know ye not, my children, what is the worth of these cords? -These are they which the Lord gave me on the day when He had mercy on -me and healed me of my sickness; for He gave them to me, and said to -me, 'Rise up, gird thy loins like a man, and I will inquire of thee -and thou shalt answer Me.' And I put them about me, and straightway -all my sores and plagues fell away from me, and my body was -strengthened as if I had never been sick; and, moreover, I forgot -all my pain and sorrow of heart. Now therefore, my children, so long -as ye have these about you, the enemy can do nothing against you; no, -not even to put into your minds evil thoughts. Arise, then, and gird -yourselves with them before I die." - -Then they did so, and their hearts were changed and renewed within -them, so that they forgot the things of this world, and began to -speak in the language of the angels, singing praises to the Lord of -the heavens, and telling of the glory of that place and of the mighty -works of the Father. And I, Nahor, the brother of Job, who wrote this -testament, sat by and heard them; and that which I could I wrote down -in a book, to be for them that come after, that they might know -somewhat of the wonders of the Lord. - -Now after three days wherein Job kept his bed--yet without pain or -sickness, for no disease had power over him since the day when he put -on that heavenly girdle--after three days, I say, he was aware of -those that were coming to bear away his soul. And he arose, and gave -to his eldest daughter a harp, and to the second a censer, and to the -third an instrument of music, that they might welcome those that were -on their way. And even as they took them into their hands they saw -the chariots of light approaching; and they uttered hymns of praise -and thanksgiving, each one in the language of them that dwell in the -holy places. Then He that sat in the great chariot came near and took -the soul of Job, embracing it in His arms in the sight of his -daughters; but no man else saw that sight. And He took it into the -chariot and departed towards the sunrising. - -And after three days we made ready the body of Job to the burial; and -all the widows, and the fatherless, and the helpless came about us, -crying and saying, "Woe unto us this day, woe unto us! He that was -the strength of the weak, the light of the blind, the father of the -fatherless, the home of the homeless, is taken from us." And they -would not that his body should be hidden out of their sight. But when -we carried him to the sepulchre, his three daughters went before, -girded with the heavenly girdles, and giving glory to God in hymns -and psalms of thanksgiving. And we laid him in the tomb as it were -sleeping a fair sleep; and verily he left after him a name that -shall be famous and renowned in all generations. - - - -SOLOMON AND THE DEMONS - -In an ancient Greek book called The Testament (that is, the Last -Words) of Solomon, the story is told of the way in which Solomon -overcame the demons and made them serve him. The tale is put into the -mouth of the king himself. - -When I was engaged upon the building of the temple in Jerusalem, -there was a lad, the son of the foreman of the builders, of whom I -took notice, for he was a clever workman. Indeed, so skilful was he -that I increased his wages and his allowance of food above the rest. -Yet in spite of that, as I saw him by day, I noticed that he was -becoming thin and weak and pale. So one day I called him and asked -him whether anything was the matter with him. At first he would not -tell me, but when I pressed him he said, "I know not whether you will -believe it, O king, but a strange thing has been afflicting me. Every -night when I go to my bed, something comes and sucks my right thumb, -and, moreover, it steals away my food; and I feel that it is taking -away all my strength, and I believe that it is an evil spirit." When -I heard that, I went back to my palace, and thought earnestly, and -consulted the writings of the ancients; and I prayed that a way might -be shown to me how I could set the lad free from the power of the -demon. And after some days there came to me an angel, and brought me -a ring with a stone in it, on which was cut the figure that is called -the Pentalpha and within it the Name that may not be spoken; and he -told me what I must do with it. On the morrow, therefore, I sent for -the lad and gave him the ring, saying, "Take this, and to-night, when -the creature comes, you must cast the ring into its bosom, and say, -'In the strength of the Name, King Solomon calleth thee.' Then rise up -and come running to me, and be not afraid for whatever the demon may -say to you." - -So that night at the accustomed hour the wicked demon Ornias came to -the lad's chamber, with intent to suck his blood and take away his -food. But the lad remembered my words, and cast the ring upon the -demon, saying, "Come, for Solomon calleth thee," and set off at once -to my palace. But the demon shrieked out after him, "Boy, what hast -thou done? Take the ring from me, and I will give thee the hidden -gold of the earth; take it off, and bring me not before Solomon!" But -the lad took no heed; and running into the palace, he called to me, -"O king, I have brought the spirit, as you told me; he is there -before the door, screaming and entreating me and promising me the -hidden treasures of the earth if I will not force him to come to -you." Then I rose up from my throne and went out into the court of -the palace, and saw the creature, in the form of a flame of fire, -quivering and shrinking; and I stood over it, and said, "What is thy -name?" And it answered, "Ornias." And I bade Ornias reveal to me, in -the strength of the ring, how I should make him subject to me; and he -told me where his abode was, and how he afflicted men, and all that I -asked him. Then I sealed him with the seal of the ring, and appointed -him to hew stones for the building of the temple. - -Thereafter, when I had considered what I should do, I called for -Ornias, and delivered the ring to him, and bade him bring before me -Beelzebul, the prince of all the demons. So Ornias went to Beelzebul, -and found him sitting upon his throne, and said, "Solomon calleth for -thee." And Beelzebul said scornfully, "Who is this Solomon of whom -thou speakest?" And Ornias cast the ring into the bosom of -Beelzebul, and said again, "Solomon calleth for thee." And at that -Beelzebul uttered a mighty roar, and cast forth from his mouth a -great flame of fire; but he must needs rise up from his throne and -follow Ornias, and stand before me. And when I saw him, I gave thanks -to the Most High, who had given me power over the demons. And I spoke -roughly to him; and he promised to bring before me all the demons, -and that they should be subject to me, and do all that I commanded -them. And I appointed him to saw blocks of marble in pieces for the -work of the temple; but when the other demons saw their lord and -master labouring like a slave, they shrieked aloud and were sorely -dismayed. - -After that I sent for many of the chief of the demons, one by one, -and questioned them concerning their deeds, what diseases they sent -upon men, and what secret things they knew, and how they were to be -subdued; and when they had told me, I bound them, and set them to -work upon the building of the temple. - -Now the shapes in which they appeared before me were manifold: one -was like a beautiful woman, but she had one foot like an ass's hoof; -and another like a man without a head, and a flame of fire coming out -of his neck; another like a great dog. These two I bound together, -and the dog kept watch over the headless man, and the flame of fire -that came from his neck gave light to the workmen by night. There -were also dragons, one with three heads, and one with the head of a -man. Another had a face that shone with a green light, and hair like -serpents, but the rest of his body was darkness; and yet another was -a dark man with shining eyes, and a drawn sword in his hand, who said -that he was the spirit of one of the old giants who perished in the -days of the flood. And of some I saw no shape, but only heard a -voice. But over all of them I had dominion, and I appointed them -tasks. Some I made to carry water to the builders, and some made -ropes; others melted the gold and silver, and others lifted the -stones. So the temple was built speedily, and I, Solomon, enjoyed -great honour and peace and tranquillity in my kingdom, and the kings -and princes of all the regions round about came to visit me, and -brought me precious gifts; and my kingdom was greatly exalted. - -Now in those days, as I was sitting on my throne in the midst of my -palace (and Ornias the demon was standing by me), there came before -me an old man, one of my workmen, and cast himself down before me, -and cried to me to do him justice against his son; for his son -ill-treated him and beat him and plucked out his hair. When I heard -that, I had pity on him, for he was an old man, and weak; and I sent -for his son, and asked him why he dealt so with his father. But the -son denied it, saying, "I am not so given over to wickedness that I -should strike my father. Be it far from me, O king: I have done no -such evil." I sent him away, therefore, and called his father again, -and bade him be reconciled with his son; but he said, "Nay, but let -him die the death." Wherefore I was perplexed, and it was in my mind -to give sentence against the young man; but it happened that I -looked at Ornias the demon, and I saw that he was laughing. So I sent -the people away, and said to Ornias, "Accursed one, why dost thou -laugh at me?" He answered, "Forgive me, O king; it was not at -thee that I laughed, but at this wretched old man: because he is -contriving an evil death for his son, and, lo! in three days his son -will fall sick and die." Then said I, "Is this the truth?" And he -said, "It is." Then I sent for the old man and his son, and said to -them, "Strive to make agreement between yourselves, and after three -days come again to me; and in the meantime I will send you your food -from my table." And they did obeisance and departed. And when the -three days were past, I saw the old man come into the judgment-hall; -and he was dressed in garments of mourning, and his face was sad. I -said therefore to him, "Where is thy son?" And he answered, "I -have no son: this day have I carried him to his burial." - -So when he was departed, I said to Ornias, "How was it that thou -knewest these things?" And he answered, "It is thus, O king. We who -are spirits can fly up into the air under the firmament, and we hover -about among the stars and overhear the decrees that go forth from the -heavens against the children of men when they are appointed to die. -But we cannot abide there for long, and so we become weak, and fall -like the leaves from the trees; and when men see us they say, 'Look, -there is a falling star.' But they are not in truth stars that fall, -since the stars have their appointed place in the heavens, like the -sun and the moon; but it is we, the spirits of the air, who are in -appearance like stars." And I sent Ornias away, and marvelled -greatly. - -Again, in those days there came to me a letter from Adares the king -of the Arabians, saying, "To King Solomon, greeting! We have heard of -the wisdom that has been given to thee, and that thou art a -compassionate man, and that thou hast power over all spirits that are -in the air, or on the earth, or under the earth. Now be it known to -thee that there is a destroying spirit in this land; for every day at -dawn there arises a wind which blows for three hours, and it is so -venomous that every one on whom it blows dies, and it kills the -cattle also. Now therefore we entreat thee in thy wisdom to devise -some means, and if it may be, send us a man who can capture the -spirit; and if thou canst do so, then I and my people will be -tributary unto thee, and Arabia shall keep peace with thee. And, we -beseech thee, make not light of our petition, for we are in a great -strait. And so farewell." - -When I had read this letter, I folded it up again and gave it to my -chief counsellor, saying, "Bring it again to my remembrance after -seven days." Then I thought upon the matter; and after the seven days -I called one of my servants and said to him, "Make ready a camel, -and get an empty wine-skin." And he did so. Now the wine-skin was -made of a whole hide of a beast, so that it had the upper parts of -the four legs remaining upon it, the legs being sewn up, and the neck -open. I said to him further, "Take this ring and go into Arabia, to -the place where the venomous wind blows, and take the skin and hold -the ring in front of the mouth of the skin towards the wind, so that -the wind shall blow through the ring; and when the skin is blown up, -you will know that the demon is inside it. Then hasten and tie up the -neck of the skin, and seal it with the ring, and put it upon the -camel, and bring it to me. But if on the way the demon promise you -gold and silver and treasures to let him go, see that you do not obey -him; but rather make him reveal to you where the treasures are hid, -and mark the places, and come on to me. Now go, and good success be -with you." So my servant set out and came to Arabia; and the men of -the country doubted much whether he could capture the spirit. But -when the day was dawning, even the first day after his coming, he -rose up and set the skin with its mouth towards the wind, and laid -the ring in the mouth of it; and the wind blew through the ring and -entered into the skin and puffed it up. And the man caught the neck -of the skin and closed it, and sealed it with the ring in the name of -the Most High. Then he abode yet three days in the place to make -trial of his success; but the poisonous wind blew no more, so that -all the Arabians were assured that the demon was safely shut up. And -they rejoiced greatly, and gave him many precious gifts, and did him -great honour; and when he set forth to come back to me, they -accompanied him to their borders. So he brought the skin back to -Jerusalem, and put it in the midst of the temple. - -Now at this time I, Solomon, was somewhat troubled, because I had a -great stone made ready to be placed upon the corner of the temple, and -none of my workmen and none of the demons were able to lift it and set -it in its appointed place; but I was exceedingly desirous to put it -there, because it was of such beauty and excellence. And on the morning -after my servant was come back out of Arabia, I went down to the temple, -thinking by what means I could lift the stone. And as I entered the -temple I saw the skin; and it rose up and hopped seven paces, and fell -on its face and did obeisance to me; and I marvelled, and bade it stand -up; and it stood on its feet, puffed up with wind. Then I asked, "Who -are you?" And a voice answered me from within the skin, "I am Ephippas -who dwell in Arabia." And I said, "What can you do." And it answered, "I -can overturn kings' palaces, and wither the green trees of the wood, and -I can move mountains." Then I said, "Are you able to move this stone, -and lift it up and set it upon the corner of the temple?" And it said, -"Not only can I do so, O king, but if I have the demon that is in the -Red Sea to help me, I can bring up the great Pillar that is there, and -set it in whatever place you command." So I said, "Lift up the -corner-stone." And the skin first of all became flattened, as if the -wind was gone out of it, and slipped itself under the stone; and then it -blew itself out again so that the stone was lifted up upon its back, and -it walked upon its stumps, bearing the stone, to the ladder, and climbed -up and set the stone safely in its place upon the corner of the temple; -and I was greatly rejoiced, and all Jerusalem with me. - -After that I sent Ephippas to fetch to me the demon that is in the -Red Sea, and commanded them to bring with them the great Pillar; and -after a while I saw the Pillar being borne through the air, and was -astonished at the strength of the two demons. And when I considered -with myself how mighty they were, and how they could shake the whole -world in a moment of time, I feared to let them go; I made therefore -a circle about them in the air with my ring, and said, "Stay there!" -And the demons stayed, holding the Pillar sloping between heaven and -earth; and there they are to this day. And if any one looks, he can -see the Pillar sloping in the heavens, but the demons he cannot see. -But when they let fall the Pillar, then will be the end of the -world.1 - -1 I believe that the Pillar is the Milky Way: it is certainly meant -to be one of the constellations. - -Then I questioned the demon of the Red Sea and he told me how in old -times he resisted Moses in Egypt, and helped Jannes and Jambres, the -two wizards who fought against Moses; and how when Pharaoh followed -after the children of Israel he went with him; and when the sea -returned back and drowned the Egyptians, he was overtaken by it and -shut up in the depths, and he remained there until Ephippas came and -brought him to me. - -Thus I, Solomon, had power over the spirits of the earth, and of the -air, and of the water, and made them serve me; and my kingdom was -exalted, and there was peace in my days. But when I became mighty my -heart was lifted up, and I committed foolishness; for I saw the -daughter of a certain Jebusite, and loved her exceedingly, and asked -for her in marriage. But her kinsfolk said, "You shall not take her -to be your wife except you worship our gods, even the great gods -Remphan and Moloch." Then I said, "I cannot worship strange gods; why -would you that I should do this?" They said, "Because they are the -gods of our fathers." And I refused. Then I went to the maiden and -entreated her; and she also said, "I will not hearken to you, except -you worship my gods." So I departed from her. But after a little, she -sent me five locusts by the hand of a messenger, saying, "Take these -five locusts and crush them in the name of the god Moloch, and I will -be your wife." And I did so. And forthwith my glory departed from me, -and I forgot my wisdom, and became weak and foolish in my mind; and -the heathen woman compelled me to build temples to the false gods, to -Baal, and Remphan, and Moloch; and my spirit was darkened within me, -and I became a byword among men and demons. - -Therefore have I written this testament, that men might remember me, -and think of their latter end as well as of their beginning. - - - -THE STORY OF EBEDMELECH THE -ETHIOPIAN, AND OF THE DEATH -OF JEREMIAH - -When the time was come when it was ordained that Jerusalem should be -laid waste by the king of the Chaldeans, God spake to Jeremiah the -prophet, saying, "Depart out of this city, for I am about to destroy -it for the wickedness of them that dwell therein." But Jeremiah -answered, "Suffer me, I beseech thee, Lord, to speak a word." And He -said, "Say on." And Jeremiah said, "Wilt Thou indeed deliver Thy -chosen city into the hand of the Chaldeans, that their king may boast -himself against it and say, 'I have prevailed against the Holy City -of God'? Not so, Lord; but if it be Thy will to destroy it, overthrow -it rather with Thine own hand." And He said, "Neither the king nor -his power shall prevail to destroy it, unless I first open the gates -thereof to him. Come therefore at the sixth hour of the night to the -city wall, thou and Baruch the scribe, and I will show you what I -will do." Jeremiah therefore rent his clothes and put ashes upon his -head, and went and found Baruch in the temple; and when Baruch saw -him he was dismayed, and cried out, "What is the matter?" And when -Jeremiah had told him that which was proposed concerning the city, he -also rent his clothes; and they remained both of them in the holy -place all that day weeping. - -But at the sixth hour of the night they went out and walked upon the -city wall. And suddenly they heard the sound of a trumpet in heaven, -and there came down angels bearing torches of fire in their hands, -and alighted upon the four corners of the wall of the city. Then -Jeremiah and Baruch perceived that the desolation of Jerusalem was -indeed at hand; and Jeremiah cried out to the angels, "I beseech you, -destroy not the city until I have spoken a word to the Most High." So -the angels stayed their hand; and Jeremiah said, "Lord, now we know -of a truth that the city will be delivered into the hands of the -Chaldeans; tell us, therefore, what wilt Thou that we shall do with -the holy vessels of the temple?" And he answered, "Commit them to the -earth, and say unto it, 'Hear, O earth, the voice of Him that -separated thee from among the waters, and sealed thee with seven -seals unto seven ages, even until the time wherein thou shalt be -renewed in beauty: keep these vessels of the sanctuary until the -coming of the Beloved.'" And Jeremiah continued and said, "I beseech -Thee, show me what I shall do for Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, because -he showed me great kindness and delivered me out of the pit wherein -Zedekiah cast me; and I would not have him see the desolation of the -city, for it would grieve him to the heart." The Lord said, "Send him -to the vineyard of Agrippa which is on the other side of the hill, -and I will shelter him until I bring back the people to the city. And -as for thee, go thou with thy people to Babylon, and remain there to -comfort them until they return hither. And let Baruch abide here -until I send him word." - -Then he commanded the angels, and they brake down the corners of the -wall and loosened the foundations, and made weak the fastenings of -the gates; and after that a great voice sounded out of the temple, -saying, "Enter, ye enemies, and come in, ye adversaries; for He that -kept the house hath departed from it." And the angels went up again -into heaven. But Jeremiah and Baruch went into the temple, and took -the vessels of the sanctuary and delivered them to the earth, as they -were commanded; and forthwith the earth opened her mouth and -swallowed them up. And for the rest of that night they wept and -lamented; and in the morning Jeremiah called for Ebedmelech and said -to him, "Take a basket and go to the vineyard of Agrippa, and fetch -me some figs, that I may give them to the sick and needy among the -people; and the blessing of God go with thee." And Ebedmelech set -forth. - -On that same morning the host of the Chaldeans surrounded the city, -and a trumpet sounded in heaven, and they came against the city; and -the gates gave way before them, and the wall fell, and they entered -the city and laid it desolate, and took the people captive. But -Jeremiah took the keys of the temple, and went outside the city and -threw them up towards the sun, saying, "O sun, I say unto thee, take -these keys and keep them until God shall require them of thee; for we -are not found worthy to keep them any longer." And they vanished out -of his sight. Then he returned, and the Chaldeans took him prisoner -and carried him away to Babylon. But Baruch fled, and took refuge in -a tomb, and there he remained in great sorrow of heart. - -Now Ebedmelech had gathered the figs, and filled his basket; and by -the time he had finished, the day had become burning hot. So he sat -him down under a tree to rest a little, and then laid his head on the -basket of figs and fell into a slumber. And he slept for sixty-six -years without waking. - -And when the sixty-six years were over, and the time of deliverance -of the children of Israel was near, Ebedmelech woke up, and said to -himself, "I should have been glad to sleep a little longer, for my -head is still heavy; I have not slept my sleep out." And he uncovered -his basket and looked at the figs, and saw that they were oozing with -juice; and said again, "Well, I should like to sleep yet a little, -but I am afraid I may oversleep myself; and if I do, father Jeremiah -will be disappointed; for if he had not been in haste for the figs, -he would not have sent me out so early." So he rose and picked up his -basket of figs and put it on his shoulder, and went back to -Jerusalem. When he came near the city he could not recognise it, and -when he had entered the gate he could not either find his own house -or see any of his acquaintance. He said therefore within himself, -"Some strange delusion has come upon me; I have missed my way in -coming over the hills: it must be that I was not fully awake. This -will be a wonderful thing to tell Jeremiah when I meet with him." And -he went out of the city. But when he looked back upon it, he could -see that it was indeed Jerusalem; and he said, "It is surely the -city, yet there is something wrong." He went into the city the second -time, but he could find none that knew him. And he said, "God -preserve me! Verily a delusion has fallen upon me," and went outside -the city and sat down with the basket of figs, saying, "Here will I -sit until my eyes are opened, and I can discern the truth." After -some time he saw an old man coming from the fields, and said to him, -"Old man, what is this city, I pray you?" The old man said, "It is -Jerusalem." Ebedmelech said, "Where are Jeremiah the prophet and -Baruch the scribe?" The old man answered, "You are certainly not of -this city, that you inquire concerning these men. Jeremiah is in -Babylon with the people that were carried away captive by -Nebuchadnezzar the king." Then Ebedmelech marvelled and said, "If -you were not an aged man, whom it is not lawful to mock, I should -have said you were mad. How many hours is it, think you, since -Jeremiah sent me to the garden of Agrippa for some figs for the sick -people, and I went and gathered them and slumbered for a little under -a tree, and have just now brought them back; and here they are with -the juice oozing from them, just as when I picked them; and you say -the people and Jeremiah are gone to Babylon!" And he opened the -basket and showed the figs. And when the old man saw them he said, -"Verily, my son, God has had mercy on you. He has spared you from -seeing the desolation of the city. Behold, to-day it is sixty-and-six -years since the people were carried away. And, if you believe not me, -look upon the trees and see that it is not the time of figs." Then -Ebedmelech asked, "What then is this month, and what is the day?" -And he answered, "It is the twelfth day of Nisan." And Ebedmelech -believed, and gave thanks to God; and after that he gave the old man -some of the figs, and bade him farewell, saying, "May God guide thee -to the Jerusalem which is above." And he went to find Baruch. - -And after a while he found him dwelling in a tomb; and they greeted -one another, and rejoiced, and Ebedmelech told Baruch all that had -happened to him, and Baruch marvelled and praised God. Then they -consulted how they might send word to Jeremiah at Babylon; for they -perceived that the time of the return of Israel was at hand. And it -was revealed to them that on the morrow at dawn there should come a -messenger whom they might send. - -On the morrow, therefore, Baruch rose early and went out of the tomb, -and saw an eagle sitting upon a rock hard by; and he called to it -and it came, and spoke with a man's voice, saying, "I am sent hither -to bear a message for thee." Baruch said, "Canst thou carry a letter -to Babylon, to Jeremiah the prophet?" And the eagle said, "To that -end am I sent." So they wrote a letter, and took fifteen of the figs -from the basket and hung them on the eagle's neck; and Baruch blessed -it, saying, "I say unto thee, O king of the birds, go in peace, and -bring back an answer to me. Be not like the raven, which Noah sent -out, and it returned no more to the ark; but be like the dove, which -returned the third day with an answer of peace. And if the birds of -the air come against thee, fight with them, and the power of God be -with thee. Turn neither to the right hand nor to the left, but go -straight as an arrow in the strength of the Most High." - -Then the eagle flew and rested not till it came to Babylon; and there -it perched upon a tree in a desert place outside the city, and waited -until Jeremiah and some of the people passed by, carrying a dead man -to burial. And it rose up and lighted upon the bier of the dead man, -and he revived. And the eagle said to Jeremiah, "Gather the people -together, and take the letter which is upon my neck, and read it in -their ears." And he did so; and the people rejoiced, because the time -of their deliverance was at hand. Then Jeremiah wrote a letter to -Baruch, and put it upon the eagle's neck. And he blessed the eagle, -and sent it away; but the figs he gave to the sick among the people. -And the eagle returned to Jerusalem, and gave the letter to Baruch; -and when he read it he wept, because Jeremiah had written in it all -the afflictions which the people suffered at the hands of the -Chaldeans. - -Now when the time was fulfilled, the people were set free from -Babylon, and returned to Jerusalem. And when they came back, they -rejoiced and gave thanks for their deliverance for nine days. And on -the tenth day Jeremiah stood up before all of them and sang a hymn of -praise; and when he had ended it, he fell on the ground and became as -one dead. When they saw that, Baruch and Ebed-melech lifted up their -voices and wept, saying, "Our father Jeremiah, the priest of God, is -departed from us!" And all the people ran together and saw Jeremiah -lying as dead; and they rent their clothes and bewailed him, and then -made ready to bury him. But there came a voice, saying, "Bury not the -living." And at that they left off preparing a sepulchre for him, and -waited, keeping watch about his body, till he should revive again. - -And after three days the spirit of Jeremiah returned to him again, -and he rose up and prophesied; and in his prophecy he said, "There -shall be a Tree set up, which shall make the barren trees fruitful, -and the proud and fruitful trees barren; and the snow shall be turned -to blackness, and the sweet waters become bitter, and the scarlet -shall be white as wool. Moreover, He shall bless the isles that they -shall bear fruit by the word of His mouth; and He shall satisfy the -hungry souls." And thereafter he began to speak to them of the coming -of the Beloved into the world. - -Now when the people heard it they were very angry and said, "He -blasphemeth. These are the words that Isaiah spake, and they sawed -him asunder with a saw of wood. Let us slay Jeremiah also, but him we -will stone with stones." And Baruch and Ebedmelech cried out against -them, "Do not this great wickedness!" But Jeremiah said, "Be silent, -for they shall not kill me before I have delivered to you all that I -have seen and heard. Fetch me a great stone." And when it was -brought, Jeremiah prayed and said, "O Light of the Ages, cause this -stone to appear in my likeness." And immediately the stone took upon -it the likeness of Jeremiah, and the people began to stone it, -believing that it was Jeremiah. And in the meantime he went on -speaking to Baruch and Ebedmelech until he had committed to them all -the mysteries which he had heard while he lay in a trance. - -Then he arose and stood forth in the midst of the people, and the -stone cried out with a loud voice, "O foolish people, why stone ye -me, thinking that I am Jeremiah; and behold, he is in the midst of -you!" And their eyes were opened, and they ran upon him and stoned -him; and his ministry was accomplished. - -But Baruch and Ebedmelech buried his body; and they took the stone -and set it up over his grave, and wrote upon it, "This is the helper -of Jeremiah." - - - - - -AHIKAR - -In the Book of Tobit in the Apocrypha you will find mention in -several places of a man called Achiacharus, who was a relation of -Tobit, In the first chapter (verses 21, 22) you read that he was a -great officer at the court of king Esarhaddon; and at the end of the -book (xiv. 10) you may learn something about his story; for Tobit -says to his son Tobias, "Remember, my son, how Aman handled -Achiacharus that brought him up, how out of light he brought him into -darkness, and how he rewarded him again; yet Achiacharus was saved, -but the other had his reward, for he went down into darkness," Then -it goes on, "Manasses gave alms, and escaped the snare that was set -for him, but Aman fell into the snare and perished." - -Now of late years the book has come to light which tells the whole -history of Achiacharus (or Ahikar, as we shall call him), and you -will see as you go on that in the Book of Tobit some mistakes have -been made in the names, and that instead of Aman we shall have to -read Nadan, and instead of Manasses, Achiacharus. - -This is the story of Ahikar. He is made to tell it himself, and he -says: - -When I was a young man I was steward to the great king Esarhaddon, -the king of Nineveh. I was rich, and had great estates and beautiful -palaces; I had everything that my heart desired, except one thing: -and that was, a son. I had no child to comfort me and to inherit my -great possessions after me. - -Many times did I go to the temples of the gods of Nineveh and offer -them sacrifices and gifts and burn incense before them; and I said, -"O gods, give me a son, that I may enjoy his company while I live, -and when I die he may close my eyes and bury me. And verily I am so -rich that if every day from the day of my death until he died he were -to take a bushel of my money and cast it away, he would not come to -the end of it before his death." But the gods of Nineveh made me no -answer. - -Then I bethought me of the God of Israel, of whom I had learned when -I was a child (for I came out of the land of the Hebrews), and I -turned to Him and besought Him in like manner that He would grant me -a son. And a voice came to me saying, "Forasmuch as thou hast put -thy trust in false gods and sacrificed to them, thou shalt have no -son. Yet this do: take thy sister's son Nadan, who is a young child, -and bring him up as thine own son." - -So I took Nadan and gave him to eight nurses to bring him up. He was -fed on all manner of dainties, he was clothed in purple and scarlet, -and slept on the softest beds. He grew up like a fair young -cedar-tree; and I instructed him in all my wisdom, until I was sixty -years old. - -One day the king Esarhaddon returned from journeying through his -kingdom, and sent for me and said, "Ahikar, my friend, my faithful -and wise counsellor, you are becoming an old man. If you die, who -shall succeed you and serve me in your place?" I answered, "O king, -live for ever. There is with me the son of my sister, whom I have -brought up as my own son, and have instructed him in all the ways of -wisdom." The king said, "Go, bring him before me, and if I take -pleasure in him, he shall serve me in your stead, and you can have -rest from your labours, and joy and honour in your old age." So I -brought Nadan to the king; and when the king saw him, he delighted in -him and said, "The gods preserve you, my son!" And to me he said, -"As you have served me and my father Sennacherib, so shall this youth -serve me, and I will honour him and promote him for your sake." And I -gave thanks to the king, and we went out, I and Nadan, from his -presence. And I took Nadan home and spoke to him in private, telling -him how he should conduct himself, and of what men he ought to -beware, and whom he should trust. All these precepts are written in -the book of Ahikar, but they are not put down here. - -Now I hoped that Nadan would pay heed to my words of instruction; but -when the king had exalted him, and taken him to live at the palace -with him, I was grieved to see that Nadan began to become wasteful -and unruly, and that, if I had suffered him, he would have squandered -my money and ill-treated my servants. I admonished him, therefore, -but it was in vain. He said, "My uncle Ahikar is getting old and -timorous: his wisdom is failing him: one need not pay much heed to -what he says." And by degrees I saw that the king began to believe -Nadan, and that he no longer received me with such honour as in the -old days: and this was a grief to me. - -Now as I no longer had Nadan to live with me, I considered, and took -his younger brother Nabu-zardan into my house. But when Nadan heard -of this, he was very angry, for he thought, "Is this old man going to -leave all his possessions to my younger brother, and turn me out?" -So he began to think and plot how he might put me out of the way, and -himself gain favour with the king. - -And at last he sat down and wrote certain letters. In the first he -deceitfully imitated my handwriting, and sealed it with my seal. It -was written in my name to the king of Persia, saying, "From Ahikar, -scribe and treasurer to Esar-haddon, king of Assyria, greeting! As -soon as thou hast received this letter, set forth with thine host, -and come to the plain of the south, on the 25th day of this month, -and I will guide thee to Nineveh, and thou shalt take the city and -possess the kingdom without any strife or battle." This letter he -left lying in my chamber in the palace. - -The other was written to me in the king's name, and sealed with his -seal, "To Ahikar from Esarhaddon, greeting! As soon as thou receivest -this letter, assemble the army, and go to the plain of the south, on -the 25th day of this month; and when thou shalt see me, range the -troops as if for battle, and come quickly towards me: for I have the -ambassadors of the king of Egypt with me, and I desire that they -should see the might of my army." This letter Nadan sent to me, and I -began to make preparations as it commanded me. Thereafter Nadan took -the first letter, feigning to have found it in my chamber, and -brought it to king Esarhaddon. And when the king had read it, he was -very angry and said, "O ye gods! what have I done to Ahikar that he -should seek to betray me thus?" Nadan said, "Perhaps, my lord, it is -a forgery; be not too soon disturbed; let us wait till the day -appointed, and then go to the plain of the south; if Ahikar is not -there, we shall know that the letter is not his; but if he is there, -and armed men with him, I fear that he must indeed be conspiring -against thee." And the king consented. - -On the twenty-fifth day of the month, therefore, the king and Nadan -set forth and rode out to the plain of the south. And I, as I had -been commanded, was there with the great army which I had gathered; -and so soon as I saw the king and his train approaching, I drew up -the soldiers in battle array and marched quickly towards him, and the -soldiers waved their weapons and shouted, and there was a great -noise. Then the king was very sorely troubled, for he was sure that I -had rebelled against him. But Nadan said, "Go back, my lord king, to -the palace; I will capture that evil old man and bring him before -you." And the king departed with his servants. - -But Nadan rode up to me and said, "All that you have done is right, -and well performed; the king is greatly pleased with you, and desires -that you will send away the soldiers to their homes and come before -him alone to receive your reward." So we rode into the city, and he -brought me into the palace, where the king was seated on his throne, -and all his servants about him; and I perceived that the king was in -displeasure, but I knew not why. Then he put into my hand the letter -which was written in my name to the king of Persia, and said, "Read -that letter." And when I had read it, my knees knocked against each -other, and I was speechless; I sought for a word of wisdom, but I -found none. Nadan cried aloud, "O wicked and foolish old man, come -forth from the presence of the king; stretch out thy hands for the -cords and thy feet for the fetters!" And they bound me. - -Then the king Esarhaddon turned away his face from me and spoke to -Nabushemak, the chief of the executioners, who had been my friend, -and said, "Take Ahikar, smite off his head, and remove it a hundred -ells from his body." And I fell on my face and said, "O king, live -for ever! It is thy will to slay me, yet I know that I have not -sinned against thee. Now, my lord, I beseech thee, command that I may -be slain before the door of my own house, and that my body may be -given to my wife to be buried." And the king gave commandment -accordingly. - -Now as they were taking me to my house, I sent a messenger before me -to my wife Ashfagni, who was a very wise woman. And she, when she -heard what had happened, did not waste time in making lamentation, -but hastened and prepared refreshment for Nabushemak and for the -slaves that were his helpers. She came forth to meet them, and -accompanied them into the house, and set food and wine before them; -and the slaves drank of the wine till they were drunken and fell into -a deep sleep, every one in his place. - -Then I said to Nabushemak, "Do you remember how, when the father of -the king delivered you to me to be put to death, I spared you because -I knew that you had not done that for which you were condemned; and -how, when the king learned that you were guiltless, he took you into -favour again, and rewarded me? Now I swear to you that I likewise -have not conspired against king Esarhaddon, but I have been falsely -accused. Save me therefore; but lest the rumour should be spread -abroad that I have not been put to death, do this. I have a prisoner -in my house who is condemned justly to death. Take my clothes and put -them upon him, and smite off his head; behold, your servants are -drunken and will perceive nothing, and I will be in hiding until the -day when the truth is made known." - -And Nabushemak was glad--for he was my friend--and agreed; and it was -done as I advised. The slaves took the prisoner and smote off his -head, perceiving nothing, and gave his body to be buried instead of -me; and it was published throughout all Nineveh and Assyria that -Ahikar was dead. - -Then Nabushemak and my wife Ashfagni made a hiding-place in the -ground; it was four cubits long and three broad and five in height, -and it was covered with a stone. There they hid me, and gave me bread -and water to eat, secretly, and there I abode many days. But -Esarhaddon was grieved in spirit, and said to Nadan, "Go to the -house of Ahikar and celebrate his funeral, for he was thy uncle, and -served me and my father faithfully for a long time." So Nadan came to -my house; but he did not celebrate my funeral. He gathered together -strange men and women, and feasted with them, and sang, and drank, -and was drunken. He mocked at my wife Ashfagni, and as for my -servants, who loved me and had been long in my house, he stripped -them and beat them and ill-treated them until I heard the voice of -their weeping and crying in my hiding-place, and I prayed the Most -High to deliver us and to reward Nadan according to his works. - -II - -Now when Pharaoh, king of Egypt, heard that I, Ahikar, was dead, he -was very glad; for he had always stood in awe of my wisdom. And he -wrote a letter to Esarhaddon in these words: "Pharaoh, king of Egypt, -to Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, greeting! I desire to build a castle -between heaven and earth. Send me therefore a wise man to whom I may -commit the business. If he accomplishes all that I require and -answers all my questions, I will send you by his hands the whole -revenue of Egypt for three years. But if you cannot send me such a -man, then you must send to me, by my messenger, the whole revenue of -Assyria for three years. And if not, I shall come against you and lay -your land desolate. And so farewell." - -When the letter was read before Esarhaddon, he called together his -princes and counsellors and wise men, and said to them, "Which of you -will go to Egypt and answer the questions of Pharaoh?" They said, -"Lord and king, in the time of your father it was Ahikar the scribe -who answered all hard questions and solved all difficulties; and -behold, now you have with you his sister's son Nadan, who has been -instructed in his wisdom and can do all that you require." So the -king turned to Nadan and said, "Will you go to Egypt and answer -Pharaoh?" But Nadan said, "It is folly! The gods themselves could -not build a castle between heaven and earth; how then should the -children of men accomplish such a thing?" When the king heard that, -he arose and came down from his throne, and threw himself on the -ground lamenting and saying, "Alas, alas, I am undone. I have slain -my servant Ahikar at the word of a foolish boy, and there is none -like him left! Who can give him back to me?" - -Then Nabushemak spoke and said, "O king, live for ever. He that -disobeys the commandments of his master is worthy of death. Say -therefore the word, and let them hang me on a tree; for Ahikar, whom -you bade me slay, is not dead, but living!" The king said, "O -Nabushemak, if it be as you say, and if you can show me Ahikar alive, -I will give you ten thousand talents of gold and a hundred robes of -purple. Say on, therefore." Nabushemak said, "One thing I ask of my -lord: that he will not keep this my trespass in mind, nor store up -wrath against me." And the king sware to him. - -Nabushemak went forth immediately and mounted his chariot, and drove -swiftly to my house. He uncovered the hiding-place and brought me -forth, and took me up into his chariot and led me into the presence -of the king. And when the king saw me, he wept; for I was in evil -plight. My hair was grown over my shoulders, and my beard reached -down to my girdle; my body was foul with dirt, and my nails were as -long as eagles' claws; my eyes were dim from the darkness, and my -limbs were stiff so that I could scarcely walk. And the king said, -"O Ahikar, it is not I that have brought this misery upon you, but he -whom you have brought up as your own son." I answered, "O king, -since mine eyes have looked upon you I have no more sorrow or pain." -The king said, "Go to your house, bathe your body, and cut your -hair; refresh yourself and take your rest for forty days; then come -back to me." And I did so. But after twenty days I had recovered my -strength, and I went back to the king. Then he showed me the letter -of the king of Egypt, saying, "Behold, Ahikar, the burden which they -would lay upon me and upon my kingdom." And I answered, "O king, -live for ever. Trouble not yourself, nor be disquieted about this -matter. I will go to Egypt and answer the hard questions; and I will -bring back to you the revenues of Egypt for three years." So the king -was comforted; he rejoiced greatly, and made a feast, and gave me -rich presents. - -Immediately after this, I began to make ready for my journey; and -first I ordered my huntsmen to catch two young eagles alive. I also -chose from among my servants two young boys whose names were Nabuchal -and Tabshalom, and taught them to ride upon the backs of the eagles; -and after a while the eagles became accustomed to bear them up in the -air. I also taught them certain words which they should say at the -appointed time, and practised them until they knew perfectly what -they had to do. - -And when all was prepared, I set forth with a great company and went -to Egypt. It was told Pharaoh that an embassy was come from Nineveh, -and he sent for me, and when I appeared before him he asked who I -was. And I answered, "I am Abikam, one of the least of the servants -of Esar-haddon." Pharaoh was displeased, and said, "Am I then so much -despised by your master that he sends me the least of his servants?" -I said, "My lord Esarhaddon is so far exalted above his servants that -in his sight the great and the small are all alike." He said, "Depart -from my presence, and to-morrow come again to me." - -Then Pharaoh, who desired foolishly to make himself appear great in -our eyes, arrayed himself in purple, and made his nobles put on -scarlet and stand about him; and when I came into his presence he -asked me to what I compared him. I said, "My lord, you are like the -god Bel, and your nobles are like his priests." And in like manner on -the following days he dressed himself in various colours, and each -day asked me what I should liken him to. And I said, "To the sun" on -one day, and "To the moon" on the next, and on the third day, "To the -spring and the flowers of it." And he was greatly pleased, and said, -"Abikam, you have compared me to the god Bel, and to the sun and the -moon and the spring; now tell me, to what do you liken your master -Esarhaddon?" I said, "I cannot tell you, O king, until you have -risen from your throne." So Pharaoh stood up, and I said, "My lord -Esarhaddon is like the great God of Heaven in respect of you: He has -dominion over the god Bel, He can forbid the sun to shine and the -moon to rise, and He can lay waste the spring and all the flowers -thereof." Then Pharaoh was displeased and said, "I adjure you by the -life of your lord Esarhaddon, tell me, what is your name, in very -deed?" I answered, "I am Ahikar the scribe, and the seal of -Esarhaddon is in my keeping." - -Pharaoh was troubled when he learned that I was yet alive, and he -sent me away, saying, "Tomorrow come to me and tell me a thing which -neither I nor my nobles have ever heard." So I took thought, and -wrote in the name of Pharaoh a bond in which it was said that he owed -to my lord Esarhaddon nine hundred talents of gold. And next day I -brought it before Pharaoh; but before I had opened it the nobles -cried out, saying, "We know it of old, we know it well!" Then said I, -"I thank you for acknowledging the debt." And I gave the paper to -the king, and he looked on it and said to them, "What! Do you -acknowledge that I owe nine hundred talents of gold to Esarhaddon?" -And they were confounded, and cried out again, "No! no! we have never -heard of any such thing." So I said, "If it be so, I have done what -you required." - -But Pharaoh said, "It is enough: I have sent for you to build me a -castle between the earth and the heavens; even a thousand cubits above -the earth. Come forth into the plain to-morrow and accomplish this." And -I said, "Well, O king; and do you for your part bring masons and that -which is necessary for building." So on the morrow a great multitude -assembled to see how the matter would go. But I had my eagles and my -boys in readiness; and when Pharaoh gave the word, I sent them up, the -boys riding on the eagles; and when they were high up in the air, the -boys called out, as I had taught them, "Bring us mortar, lime, and -stones: we are ready to begin the building!" And the masons and all the -people were amazed, gaping at the boys. And I fell upon the masons and -beat them, saying, "Why delay you? Make haste, give them what they ask -for," and such-like words, till they fled before me. And I said to -Pharaoh, "If your people refuse to do their part, how can I do mine?" -And Pharaoh and his nobles murmured, but they could not think of any -answer. So Pharaoh said, "It is enough; leave the matter of the castle; -I have other questions to ask you." - -On the morrow he called for me, and said, "I saw a great pillar built -of 8763 bricks, and about it are planted twelve cedars, and each has -thirty branches, and on each branch are a black and a white mouse -which gnaw it." I laughed and made answer, "O king, there is not a -child in the land of Assyria who could not interpret this riddle. The -pillar is the year, the bricks are the hours, the cedars the months, -their branches the days, and the black and white mice are the night -and the day." - -Pharaoh's face fell, and he said, "Well. But now I command you to -plait me a rope out of the sand." I answered, "Let them bring me a -pattern out of your store-house, O king, that I may have it to copy." -He said, "You trifle with me; and unless you plait me such a rope I -will not pay you the revenues of Egypt." I went aside therefore and -considered; and knowing that the Egyptians were foolish, I thought -upon a plan. I got a mass of sand and put it in a chest, and made it -run out through two pipes so that when the sun shone upon it, it -appeared like the strands of a rope; and I called to the king, "Let -your servants plait together the two strands of the rope which I have -made, and when they have done so I will make more." And again they -were dismayed, and could say nothing. - -Lastly, Pharaoh showed me a millstone which was broken in two pieces, -and said, "Come, Ahikar, sew this together for me." But I took a -small piece of a like stone, and said, "O king, I have not my tools -with me; but command your shoemaker to cut me a thread out of this -piece of stone, and I will sew the millstone together forthwith." -Then Pharaoh laughed, and said, "Well, Ahikar, it was on a good day -for your lord that you were born. Come, I will make you a feast, and -after that you shall return to your own land." - -So after certain days I departed, taking with me the revenues of -Egypt for three years, and also the nine hundred talents which I had -made Pharaoh acknowledge that he owed to my lord. And Esar-haddon -came forth to meet me; and when he heard what I had done, he made me -sit down on his right hand, and said, "Ahikar, ask what thou wilt and -I will give it thee." Then I said, "O king, live for ever! Two -things only will I require of thee: one, that thou wouldst do good -unto Nabushemak, for it is by his means that I was saved alive; and -the other, that thou wouldst give me power over my sister's son -Nadan, and not require his life at my hand." And the king granted my -request, and exalted Nabushemak to the first rank in his kingdom; -but Nadan he delivered into my hand. - -I took Nadan to the hall of my house, and set him with his feet in -the stocks, and a collar of iron about his neck, and iron bands upon -his hands; I fed him with bread and water, and chastised him with -rods. And when I came in or out of my house I stood and reproached -him, speaking in parables and proverbs. - -Now these are some of the parables which I spake to Nadan: - -"My son, thou art like one that shot an arrow into the heaven to slay -God: the arrow fell back upon him and pierced him." - -"Thou art like one that saw his neighbour shivering with cold, and -took a vessel of cold water and poured it over him." - -"Thou didst think to take my place after my death; but know that even -if the tail of the pig grew seven cubits long, no man would mistake -the pig for a horse." - -"Thou art like the trap that was set on a dunghill. The sparrow saw -it and said, 'Brother, what dost thou here?' The trap answered, 'I -am fasting and praying.' The sparrow said, 'And what is that piece -of wood by thee?' The trap said, 'My staff upon which I lean when I -pray.' 'And what is that in thy mouth?' 'It is a little food for -hungry wayfarers.' Then said the sparrow, 'I am hungry and a -wayfarer.' 'Come hither then,' said the trap, 'and fear nothing.' -But when the sparrow came, the trap caught it by the head; and the -sparrow said, 'If these be thy fastings and prayers, God will not -accept thy fasting nor hearken to thy prayer.'" - -"Thou art like the pig that went to the bath along with the nobles; -and when it had bathed and come forth, it saw a pool of mud, and went -and rolled therein." - -"Hearken: a serpent was sleeping on a thorn-bush, and a flood came -and swept them both away. And a wolf saw them floating on the water, -and said, 'There goes one evil upon another evil, and a third evil -carrying them off.' The serpent said, 'And dost thou bring back the -kids and lambs to their mothers?' 'Nay,' said the wolf. The serpent -said, 'I know not whether there is much to choose betwixt us.'" - -"Thou art like the mole that came up out of the ground to curse God -because He had not given to it sharpness of sight; and the eagle saw -it, and carried it off." - -"When men say to the wolf, 'Get away from the flock,' he saith, -'Nay, but the dust thereof is healing to mine eyes.' When they took -him to the school, the teacher said, 'Say A.' The wolf said, -'Lamb.' 'Say B.' He answered, 'Kid.' Surely he spake of that which -was in his thoughts." - -At last, after many days, Nadan besought me, saying, "Have mercy on -me, spare my life, and I will feed thy swine and keep thine asses, -and be thy slave for ever." - -And I said, "Thou art like the palm-tree which bare no dates, and the -owner came to cut it down; and it said, 'Leave me this one year, and -next year I will bear melons.' But he said, 'Thou that hast not -borne thine own fruit, how wilt thou bear one that is not thine?' -Now, behold, I will say no more to thee, O Nadan; but let God, who -preserved me alive, judge between thee and me." - -And forthwith judgment went forth against Nadan, and his body swelled -up and burst, and he died. For it is written, "He that diggeth a pit -for another shall fall into the midst of it himself." - -THE END - - - - - -Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & Co. at Paul's Work, Edinburgh - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Old Testament Legends, by M. R. 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