THE 'BOOK OF THE GLORY OF KINGS'

KEBRA NAGAST

Translated from the Ethiopic

by SIR E. A. WALLIS BUDGE M.A., LITT.D., D.LITT., LIT.D. F.S.A.

MCMXXXII

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD

71. Concerning MARY, the daughter of DAVID

And from this it is evident that MARY was the daughter of DAVID, and that JOSEPH was the son of DAVID. Therefore was MARY betrothed to JOSEPH her kinsman, as it is said in the Gospel, "O JOSEPH, son of DAVID, fear thou not to take to wife MARY thy betrothed, for that which is to be born of her is of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God." And there was born of her God, the Word, Light of Light, God of God, Son of the Father, Who came and delivered His creation; from the hand of SHE, and from SATAN, and from death He hath delivered all of us who have believed in Him, He hath drawn us to His Father and hath raised us up into heaven His throne to become His heirs; for He is a lover of man, and unto Him praise belongeth for ever. Amen.

72. Concerning the King of R(CONSTANTINOPLE)

And we will begin to tell you what we have heard, and what we have found written, and what we have seen concerning the King of R The kingdom of Rwas the portion and dominion of JAPHET, the son of NOAH. And sitting down they made twelve great cities, and DARIUS built the greatest cities of their kingdoms: ANṬY(ANTIOCH), DESY(TYRE ?), and BTONY(PARTHIA ?), and RYROMA ?), and those who reigned dwelt there; and King CONSTANTINE built CONSTANTINOPLE after his own name. Now the sign of the Cross having appeared to him during the battle in the form of stars cut in the heavens, he was delivered out of the hands of his enemy; and from that time onwards the Kings of Rmade their habitation there. And that DARIUS had many descendants; and from DARIUS to the days of SOLOMON were eighteen generations. And of his seed was born a man whose name was ZANBAR, and he made in wisdom a drawing of the astrolabe, and placed stars therein, and (he made also) a balance (i.e., clock) for the sun. And be (fore)saw what would come after, and that the kingdom would not remain to the children of JAPHET, but would depart to the seed of DAVID, of the tribe of SHEM. And when he thus saw, he sent a message to DAVID the King, saying, "Take my daughter for thy son"; and DAVID the King took her and gave her to SOLOMON his son, and SOLOMON begat a son by her and called his name "ADRquot;. And ZANBAR died before (this) and BALṬAS, who was of his kinsmen, became king. And he lacked male offspring to reign after him upon his throne, and he was jealous lest the children of his father should reign after him. And he sent a written message to SOLOMON the King, saying, "Hail to the greatness of thy kingdom, and to thine honourable wisdom! And now, give me thy son, whom I will make king over the city of R For I have not been able to beget male children, but only three daughters. And I will give him whichever of my daughters he pleaseth, and I will give him my throne, and he shall be king, he and his seed after him in the city of Rfor ever."

And when King SOLOMON had read this letter, he meditated, saying, "If I keep back my son he will send to the King of the East, who will give him his son, and that which I have planned will be made void; therefore I will give him my son." And he took counsel with his counsellors of the house of ISRAEL, and he said unto them, "We have already given our son and our children to the country of ETHIOPIA, and ISRAEL hath a kingdom there. And now, so that we may have a third kingdom, the country of R I will send thither ADR my youngest son. Hold ye not it against me as an evil thing that formerly I took away your sons, for it is a pleasing thing to God that the men of ETHIOPIA have learned His Name, and have become His people. In like manner, the men of R if we give them our children, will become the people of God, and unto us moreover shall be given the name of 'People of God', being spoken of thus and called thus: The people of ISRAEL have taken the kingdom of ETHIOPIA and the kingdom of R Give ye your youngest sons as before (ye gave the eldest), and let those of middle age stay in our city."

And they rose up, and took counsel, and returned, and said unto him, "We will speak this matter unto the King, and he shall do his will." And he said unto them, "Make me hear what ye would say." And they said unto him, "Thou hast already taken the eldest of our houses, and now take the youngest of their children." And he was pleased with this counsel, and he did for them as they wished. And he set forward ADRhis son, who took some of the nobles of the lower grades of the house of ISRAEL, and the lot fell upon him in the name of his father SOLOMON; and they gave him a priest of the tribe of the LEVITES whose name was AK, and they set ADRupon the king's mule, and cried out to him, "Hail! (Long) live the royal father!" And all the people said, "It is right and proper." And they anointed him with the oil of kingship, and commanded him to keep all the laws of the kingdom, and they made him to swear that he would worship no other god except the God of ISRAEL. And they blessed him as they had blessed DAVID his brother, and admonished ADReven as they had admonished DAVID, and they accompanied him on his way as far as the sea coast.

And SOLOMON the King wrote and sent a letter, saying, "Peace be to BALṬAS, the King of R Take my son ADR and give him thy daughter, and make him king in the city of R Thou didst wish for a king of the seed of DAVID my father, and I have done thy will. And I have sent unto thee his nobles, fourteen on his right hand and fourteen on his left, who shall keep the Law with him and be subject unto thee according to thy will."

And they arrived there with the ambassadors of the King of R together with much splendour and all the equipment that was requisite for the country of R And they came to the city of R to BALṬ the King, and they repeated all that SOLOMON had sent them to say, and delivered over to him his son. And BALṬ rejoiced exceedingly, and gave him his eldest daughter, whose name was ADLY and he made a great marriage feast according to the greatness of his kingdom, and established him over all his city of R And he blessed him, for he was noble in stature, and his wisdom was marvellous, and he was exceedingly mighty in his strength.

And one day BALṬ wished to test his knowledge in the trying of cases, a man, the possessor of a vineyard, having come to him and appealed to him, saying, "My lord, ARS the son of Y, hath transgressed thy word, and hath laid waste my vineyard with his sheep. And behold, I have seized his sheep and they are in my house; what decision wilt thou come to in respect of me?" And the owner of the sheep came to the King and made an appeal to him, saying, "Give me back my sheep, for he hath carried them off because they went into his vineyard." And the King said unto them, "Go ye and argue your case before your King ADR and whatsoever he shall say unto you that do." And they went and argued their case before him. And ADRasked him, saying, "How much of the vineyard have the sheep eaten? The leaves, or the tendrils, or the young grapes, or the shoots by the roots?" And the owner of the vineyard answered and said unto him, "They have eaten the tendrils and the branches that had grapes upon them, and there is nothing left of the vines except the twigs by the root." And ADRasked the owner of the sheep, saying, "Is this true?" And the owner of the sheep answered and said unto him, "My lord, they ate (only) the tendrils with leaves on them." And ADRanswered and said, "This man saith that they ate the grapes: is this true?" And the owner of the sheep answered and said, "No, my lord, but they ate the blossoms before they had formed into grapes."

73. Concerning the first judgment of ADR King of R

And ADRsaid unto them, "Hearken ye to the judgment which I will declare unto you. If the sheep have destroyed all the shoots from the root of the vine, then they all belong to thee. And if they have eaten the leaves of the branches, and the blossoms of the grapes, take the sheep, shear their wool, and (take also) the young of those which have not yet brought forth. But the sheep which have already brought forth young for the first time leave to the owner of the sheep." And all those who heard the judgment which he pronounced marvelled, and BALṬ said, "Verily, this judgment is a judgment of the people of the God of ISRAEL. Henceforward judge him that hath a case at law, wage war with him that would wage war, rule him that would be ruled, keep alive him that should be kept alive, and pass the judgment that ought to be passed according as men would be judged, and take this city to thyself and to thy seed after thee." And all the men of the city of Rwere well pleased, and they made ADRking over them, and they rejoiced in him with a great joy; for it happened thus by their will and by the Will of God. And (then) a fever seized BALṬ, and thereupon he sent ADRto the war, and into everything that he wished, whilst he himself remained in the city; and after this BALṬ died, and ADRdirected the kingdom. And the city of Rbecame the possession of ADRand of his generations after him, for by the Will of God the whole of the kingdom of the world was given to the seed of SHEM, and slavery to the seed of HAM, and the handicrafts to the seed of JAPHET.

74. Concerning the King of MEDY

The king of MEDY was of the seed of SHEM. For of the seed of ISAAC was ESAU, who went forth from his mother's womb with JACOB clinging to the sole of his foot; and JACOB carried away the right of the firstborn from ESAU for the sake of a mess of pottage. And the name of ESAU'S kingdom was called, according to his name of contempt, "EDOM", for the interpretation of "EDOM" is "lentiles"; and because of this the seed of ESAU were called "EDOMITES". For through the greed of his belly he forsook and lost the right of the firstborn of the seed of SHEM. For unless the soul be restrained by temperance, it will bring down into a net the whole of the lust of the belly which is of the body. For the body is greedy, but temperance restraineth the soul, and therefore PAUL said, "That which the soul doth not wish the body wisheth; and that which the body doth not wish the soul wisheth, and each contendeth against the other." If a man willeth a thing, and his soul bandeth itself with the desire of his body he becometh like the Devil; but if he restraineth his body, and his soul bandeth itself with his desire he becometh like CHRIST. For the Apostles say that CHRIST is the Head of every man who travelleth upon the straight road. And our Lord said unto His disciples, "Walk in the Spirit, and perform ye not the lust of your bodies." And when they heard this they forsook all the lust of the flesh, and they said unto our Lord, "Behold now, we have forsaken everything and followed Thee; what is our reward?" And our Saviour said unto them, "Ye have made your bodies like unto those of the angels, and shall do mighty deeds even as do I. And behold, I have given you authority to raise the dead, and I have given you power to heal the sick, and ye shall trample upon all the power of the Enemy. And at My second coming ye shall judge and shall put to shame the Twelve Tribes of ISRAEL, because they have not believed on Me, and have treated My glory with contempt. And as for those who believe in Me, ye shall magnify them and shall make them to rejoice with you in My kingdom."

75. Concerning the King of BABYLON

Now the King of BABYLON is of the seed of SHEM, and we will show you clearly that the King of BABYLON is of the seed of SHEM. It came to pass in days of old that there lived in the kingdom of MANASSEH, the King of ISRAEL, a certain man whose name was KARM, and he was a fearer of God, and he gave many alms and oblations to the poor of ISRAEL. And when he made offerings to the house of God, he did so with sincerity, and his tithe he gave twofold; and he was good in all his ways, and there was no evil whatsoever before him. And SATAN, the enemy of all good, became envious of him, for he saw that his course of life was good. And that man was exceedingly rich in camels and horses, and flocks of sheep, and herds of cattle, and gold and silver, and fine apparel, and he used to feed the mule of the king in ARM, a city of ISRAEL. Now his native place was the country of JUDAH, his fathers' portion, but because of (his) love for wealth he departed into ARM to dwell there, and ISRAEL allowed him to settle there because of his riches; for he was exceedingly rich and had many possessions, and the governors (of JUDAH) were afraid of him.

76. Concerning lying witnesses

And there was a certain depraved man of the seed of BENJAMIN, whose name was BENY, who used to lead the mule of the King of ISRAEL, and KARM used to feed him, together with the mule of King MANASSEH. And among the neighbours of KARM there were certain men who were envious of him because of (his) pastures and wells, and because of the multitude of his flocks and herds and servants, for the region (where he had settled) was the inheritance of their fathers, and for this reason they wished to drive him away from their country. And they kept watch upon BENY, the leader of the king's mule, with evil intent, and they abused KARM, and said unto BENY, "This KARM blasphemeth, and he hath blasphemed the King of ISRAEL, the anointed of God, saying, 'This king is not the son of a free woman, but the son of an old woman servant whom (a certain man) bought for two Ḳ-measures (of grain) to work at the mill and brick-making.' Do thou take thy case against him to the king and accuse him, for we will be thy witnesses before the king, and we will not let thee be put to shame." And they made a covenant together, and they swore to him that they would bear false witness against KARM, by whose tongue such a word had never been uttered, and into whose mind such a thought had never entered.

And BENY went to his lord, the King, and told him all this matter. And the King said unto him, "Is there any man who hath heard this with thee?" And BENY answered and said unto him, "Yea, there are some who have heardtwo of the nobles of ISRAEL who belong to ARM." And the King said unto him, "Go now and bring them hither secretly so that we may find out whether they agree with thy words; (and if they do) we will cut off the head of KARM." And BENY departed and brought ZARY and KM, of the tribe of MANASSEH, for it had been agreed between them that they would not put him to shame before the King in the matter of their lying testimony. And these two men agreed together and planned when they were on (their) way, saying, "When we have spoken to the King if he shall ask us afterwards separately (so that he may find out the truth of our words), saying, 'Where did you hear these words?' we will each of us answer and say unto him, 'When we were drinking wine with him.' And when he shall say unto us, 'What day (was this)?' we will say, 'Five days after the new moon.' And when he saith unto us, 'What time (of the day)?' we will say unto him, 'At the ninth hour, when he was sitting with us, and we were drinking wine together.' And when he shall ask us, saying, 'What did ye drink out of? and where were ye sitting?' we will say unto him, 'Out of cups of gold, and our seats were in the hall of his house where the cushions for reclining upon were placed.'" And they agreed together on this evil plot (whilst they were) on their way.

And when they arrived in the presence of the King BENY brought them forward, and the King questioned them, and they repeated to him all their lying counsel. And he asked themaccording as they had surmised on the roadthe occasion, and the day, and the hour of their drinking (wine) and their sitting (in the hall), and they told him. Now, God hath commanded that kings, and governors, and all those who occupy a high position shall investigate an accusation, even as God commanded MOSES.

And when the King had enquired into all this matter, he called the captain of his host who stood before him, and said unto him, "Go at dawn of day to-morrow and surround the house of KARM and let not anyone of his people escape thee, neither man nor woman, and slay (them all) with the sword. And as for KARM, cut off his head, and bring hither all his possessions, and his goods, and all his flocks and herds, and his gold and silver."

And those liars rejoiced and returned to their district, and they went into the house of KARM and held converse with him with words of peace, and they paid him compliments, and they made jests before his face, evil being in their hearts. And then was fulfilled on them the prophecy of DAVID, who said, "Those who speak words of peace with their neighbour, and (have) evil in their hearts, reward them according to the evil of their works and according to the evil of their thoughts." And they drank themselves drunk in the house of KARM, and they slept together with him. And when they had fallen asleep, behold, the Angel of God was sent to KARM, and he awoke him and said unto him, "Leave all thy possessions and save thyself, for men have been commanded by MANASSEH the King to cut off thy head. Take as much of thy riches as thou canst carry, and flee into another country, for this MANASSEH is a slayer of the prophets, and a seeker after the blood of innocent men."

Then KARM rose up straightway, and sought out his treasure in gold and took it, and he awoke his wife and his two sons, and he also awoke his chosen servants, and loaded them with possessions of great value, and went forth by night. And he sent off his wife and his sons with two servants to go to JERUSALEM, and departed with two of his servants to a remote countrya distance of three months' journeyand he arrived at BABYLON. And he came to BAL, the King of BABYLON, and gave him a gift, and related unto him what had happened to him. And BAL loved KARM, and gave him a habitation near the house of his merchant, who had departed to a far country for a period of three years.

And those men who had borne lying testimony they killed in bed in KARM'S house.

And the wife of the merchant loved KARM, and she was seduced by him, and became with child; now the behaviour of women is bad. And the husband of the woman had left her when she was with child, and she brought forth and gave the child to a nurse who brought it up. And in the second year she went astray and became with child by KARM, for the person of KARM was exceeding goodly in ISRAEL. And the woman wished to throw the child whom she had conceived into the river when he was born and to wait for the merchant her husband as if she had not gone astray, and had not done anything (wrong). Even as SOLOMON the wise man saith, "There are three things which are difficult to me in my mind, and the fourth of these I cannot comprehend:The track of the eagle in the heavens, the path of the serpent on the rock, the track of a ship on the sea." Now the fourth of them of which he speaks concerneth the wicked woman, who, having wronged her husband, and washed herself, sitteth down like a woman who hath done nothing, and she sweareth an oath falsely.

And at that time the wife of BAL, the King of BABYLON, conceived and brought forth something which was like unto an eagle, a perfect bird but altogether without wings. And she called a handmaiden who was a favourite, and sent the thing away in a wicker-basket and commanded her to cast it into the sea (i.e., river), without letting anyone know about it. And the time for the bringing forth of the wife of the merchant arrived, and she brought forth a man child, comely in form (and worthy of) compassion. And without suckling it she called to a handmaiden who was a favourite, and put it into the inner part of a box and commanded her to throw him into the sea (i.e., river), without anyone knowing about it; for she was afraid of her husband. And in the same night two women brought forth, (the merchant's wife) and the wife of the King, and at daybreak the two women sent their handmaidens to cast their children into the river.

And by the Will of God these two handmaidens met each other before they had thrown the children into the river, and they talked together. And the handmaiden of the King asked the handmaiden of the merchant, saying, "What is in thy box?" and she showed her the beautiful child. And the King's handmaiden said unto her, "Why hast thou brought him here?" And the merchant's handmaiden said unto her, "Because the wife of my lord hath gone astray with a certain ISRAELITE, and she conceived and brought forth a child, and she hath commanded me to throw him into the river." And the King's handmaiden said unto her, "Why doth she not bring up a child who is so beautiful?" And the merchant's handmaiden said unto her, "Her husband left her with child, and she brought forth a child, and is rearing him; how then can she rear this child who is of strange and alien seed?" And the merchant's handmaiden asked the King's handmaiden, saying, "What hast thou in thy box?" And the King's handmaiden said unto her, "My lady hath brought forth a child that hath not the appearance of a man but of a wingless eagle, and she hath commanded me to throw it into the river. And now, give me this child of thine that I may give it to my mistress, and do thou take this bird, and cast it into the river"; and they did so. And the handmaiden of the King took the child (of KARM) to her mistress, and the Queen rejoiced, and it was reported to the King that the Queen had borne a son. And the Queen gave the boy to the nurses, and he grew up in the house of the King, and she called his name "NĔDNAR" (NEBUCHADNEZZAR), which is, being interpreted, "By the luck of the bird."

And through this it is well known that the King of BABYLON is the seed of SHEM. And he came and overthrew JERUSALEM by the Will of God, and he carried away captive the children of ISRAEL, and he made them to wander in the town of BABYLON with the grandchildren of MANASSEH. And he was so very rich that he set up a pillar of gold on the plain of BABYLON sixty cubits high, and he was very arrogant, and he used to say, "I make the sun to shine in the heavens"; and he worshipped idols. And God abased him so that he might know Him, and He set his portion with the beasts of the field. And when he knew the Name of the Lord after seven years He had compassion upon him, and brought him back in repentance. And the kingdom of BABYLON was his, and it belonged to those who were of his seed for ever.

77. Concerning the King of PERSIA

And the King of PERSIA is likewise of the seed of SHEM, and we will inform you concerning the matters that relate to him. JUDAH begot two sons, and he brought in TĔ‛M (TAMAR) for his eldest son, and he died. And JUDAH sent his younger son to her that he might raise up seed to his brother by his brother's wife. And he did that which God hated, and he did not wish to raise up seed to his brother as his father JUDAH had commanded him. Now when he lay with TAMAR he made his seed to go into the ground, so that it might not germinate in her womb and be called the seed of his brother, but he wished to raise up seed by his own wife in his own name. And when God saw his evil act He turned His face away from him and slew him. And JUDAH, the father-in-law of TAMAR, brought her back, and set her in the house of her father, and said unto her kinsfolk, "Keep carefully this Israelitish woman, and let her not defile herself with an alien. For I have a little son, and if God will let him grow up I will give him to her." And whilst TAMAR was living as a widow in her father's house, behold, JUDAH her father-in-law came to the place where his sheepfolds were to shear wool with great satisfaction and pleasure. And when TAMAR heard that her father-in-law had come, she cast away from her the apparel of widowhood, and she put herself in splendid apparel, and she veiled herself after the manner of a harlot, and she followed him and sat down. And he sent a message to her, saying, "I wish to company with thee." And she said unto him, "What wilt thou give me for my hire?" And he said unto her, "I will send to thee in the morning early a sucking lamb"; and she said unto him, "Give me a pledge until thou givest me the lamb." And he gave her (his) staff, and ring, and the close-fitting cap that was under his headdress. And he companied with her, and she took (the things) and departed unto her house. And he sent the lamb unto her early in the morning. And his servants enquired and said, "Where is the house of the harlot?" And they said unto him, "There is no harlot in our town"; and they returned into their city and told him that there was no harlot in their town. And JUDAH said, "Leave ye (it); the Will of God be done."

Then TAMAR conceived and they told her father-in-law that she had conceived. And he went and took the elders of ISRAEL to the father of TAMAR, and he said unto him, "Bring to me thy daughter who hath conceived that we may stone her with stones even as MOSES commanded, for she hath brought reproach upon the house of ISRAEL." And the father and kinsfolk of TAMAR told her that her father-in-law spake thus. And she brought out the ring, and the staff, and the cap, and gave (them) to her father and her kinsfolk, and she said unto them, "The owner of these things hath seduced me; let them stone me with him with stones." And when JUDAH saw his possessions he recognized (them) and he said, "TAMAR is more righteous than I"; and he left her and came to his house. And TAMAR brought forth twins, two nations, F (PEREZ) and Z And FS (PERSIA) was founded in the name of F, and he ruled over it and his seed after him, and they were called "FARAS" (PERSIANS). Behold now, it is proved that the King of PERSIA is of the seed of SHEM.

78. Concerning the King of MOAB

And the King of MOAB is of the seed of SHEM, and we will inform you how this hath come to pass. When God made ABRAHAM to depart from his father's country into the land of K (HARRAN), He made LOT to pass over into the land of SODOM and GOMORRAH. And when God wished to blot out the people of SODOM and GOMORRAH, He sent His Angels MICHAEL and GABRIEL to bring out LOT and to burn up the cities of SODOM and GOMORRAH; and they destroyed them and brought out LOT with his children. And his wife turned round so that she might see the city of her father and her mother. Now the wrath of God came down on the city of SODOM (in the form of) a rain of fire from heaven, which burned up mountains, and hills, and stones, and earth. And lightnings, and forked lightnings, and peals of thunder came down mingled with the crashing of the wrath of God, and a cloud of fire which made the heat to emit smoke. And when all this uproar was being heard the Angels said unto LOT, "Turn not round after ye have gone forth from the city, turn not round that ye die not the death." But when AḲM the wife of LOT, heard this, she turned round, and she became a pillar of salt, and she existeth to this day, to this very day. And as for LOT, God made him to dwell in the mountains of ARARAT. And he planted a new vineyard, and his daughters made their father to drink wine, and they plotted a wicked plot, and they said, "How (i.e., why) shall the possession of our father be wasted (or, blotted out)? Our mother hath been destroyed on the road, and there is no one to marry us here." And they made their father drunk, and his elder daughter lay with him whilst his mind was clouded with wine, and LOT the righteous man did not know when his daughter lay with him and when she rose up from him, for his mind was clouded with strong drink. And NOAH was drunk and naked before his wife and children, and he cursed his son who laughed at him; and (the act of lying with his daughter) was not reckoned against LOT as sin, for he did it unknowingly. And his elder daughter conceived and brought forth a child, and she called him "MOAB", which is, being interpreted, "From my father on my knee". And he was the father of the MOABITES and the AGARENES. Behold now, it is clear that the King of MOAB is of the seed of SHEM.

79. Concerning the King of AMALEK

And it came to pass that when the elder daughter of LOT had brought forth her son, she said unto the younger daughter, "Come now, let us make our father drink wine, so that thou also mayest company with him that, peradventure, thou mayest get offspring." And again they prepared wine, and again they spoke to him the words of foolishness, and said unto him, "Drink wine, O our father, so that thy heart may be comforted"; and he, the simple man, drank and became drunk. And again, when he had drunk and his mind was clouded with wine, the younger daughter came and lay with him, and again he did not know of her lying with him, or of her rising up from him. And she also conceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name "AMMON", and he is the father of the AMALEKITES. Behold now, it is clear that the King of AMALEK is of the seed of SHEM.

80. Concerning the King of the PHILISTINES

And behold, the seed of SAMSON reigned over the PHILISTINES. And SAMSON was of the seed of DAN, (one) of the twelve sons of JACOB, and he was the son of a handmaiden of JACOB; and we will inform you how this SAMSON came into being. The Angel of the Lord appeared to the mother of SAMSON and said unto her, "Keep thyself from all pollution, and company with no man except thy husband, for he who shall be born of thee shall be a NAZARITE, holy to the Lord, and he shall be the deliverer of ISRAEL from the hand of the PHILISTINES." And then she brought forth SAMSON. And again the Angel appeared unto her and said unto her, "Thou shalt not let a razor go upon his head, and he shall neither eat flesh nor (drink) wine, and he shall marry no strange woman but only a woman of his own kin and from the house of his father." And how God gave him strength ye have heard in the Book of JUDGES. But he transgressed the commandment of God, and came and married a daughter of the uncircumcised PHILISTINES. And because of this God was wroth, and He delivered him into the hands of men of the uncircumcised PHILISTINES, and they blinded his eyes, and they made him act the buffoon in the house of their king. And he pulled the roof down upon them, and slew seven hundred thousand of them, and during his life he slew seven hundred thousand of them with iron, and stone, and (his) staff, and the jaw-bone of an ass. For their number was as that of the locusts, until he released ISRAEL from the service of the PHILISTINES.

And then DAL(DELILAH) conceived by SAMSON, and whilst she was with child SAMSON died with the PHILISTINES; and DELILAH brought forth a son and she called his name "MENAHEM", which is, being interpreted, "Seed of the strong man". Now DELILAH was the sister of MAKS the wife of the King of the PHILISTINES, and when SAMSON slew the King of the PHILISTINES in the house with his people and his household, and he died with him, DELILAH went to her sister MAKS the Queen of the PHILISTINES. Now both women were beautiful, and they had no children, but both had conceived; MAKShad been with child six months by ḲW, the King of the PHILISTINES, and DELILAH had been with child four months by SAMSON; and the husbands of both were dead. And the two women loved each other exceedingly. And their love for each other was not like the love of sisters, but like that of the mother for the child, and of the child for the mother; even so was their love. And they lived together. And the dominion over those who were left of the slaughter (made) by SAMSON in the house of the king was in the hands of MAKS for none of the mighty men of war of the kingdom of the PHILISTINES were left, and therefore MAKSruled over those that were left. And they spake unto her morning and evening, saying, "We have no other king except thyself, and except that one that shall go forth from thy belly. If our Lord D will do a favour unto us that which is in thy belly shall be a son, who shall reverence our god D and shall reign over us. And if it be a daughter we will make her to reign over us, so that thy name and the name of ḲW our lord shall be your memorial over us."

And then MAKSbrought forth a man-child and all the men of the PHILISTINES rejoiced, and they did homage to her and sang, saying, "D and B have honoured her and loved MAKS and the seed of ḲW is found again from MAKS" And DELILAH also bore a son, and the two women brought up the children in great state and dignity. And when the children were five years old they ate and played together before them, and the mothers made garments of costly stuff for them, and (set) daggers above their loins, and chains on their necks. And the people seated the son of MAKS on the throne of his father, and made him king over the PHILISTINES.

THE 'BOOK OF THE GLORY OF KINGS'

KEBRA NAGAST

Translated from the Ethiopic

by SIR E. A. WALLIS BUDGE M.A., LITT.D., D.LITT., LIT.D. F.S.A.

MCMXXXII

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD

61. How SOLOMON Returned to JERUSALEM

And then SOLOMON came back to the city of JERUSALEM, and he wept there with the elders of JERUSALEM a great weeping in the house of God. And after this the King and ZADOK the priest embraced each other, and they wept bitterly in the habitation of ZION, and they remained silent for a long time. And the elders rose up and spake unto the King, saying, "Be not thou sorrowful concerning this thing, O our Lord, for we know, from first to last, that without the Will of God ZION will not dwell (in any place), and that nothing happeneth without the Will of God. And as concerning ZION in olden time, in the days of ELI the priest, before our fathers had asked for a king, the PHILISTINES carried ZION away captive into (their) campGod having neglected ISRAEL in the battle, and its priests AFN(HOPHNI) and PAS (PHINEHAS) having fallen by the edge of the sword. And the PHILISTINES carried away the Tabernacle of the Law of God, and brought it into their city, and set it in the house of their god DAGON. And DAGON was broken to pieces and destroyed, and became like dust, and their land became a desert through mice, and they ate up all the fruit of their land, and their persons became sores and boils. And they gathered together their priests, and magicians, and star-gazers, and they entreated them and said unto them, 'How can we relieve ourselves of these sores and the tribulation which have come upon us, and upon our country?' And those magicians meditated and withdrew themselves to be alone, and they brought their magical instruments, and pondered, and considered, and planned how they could relieve them from tribulation of their city and their persons. And they discovered that this punishment had come upon them and their city because of ZION. And they went to their kings and their governors, and they said unto them, 'All these things have befallen you through the heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God. And now, know ye how ye will take her back into her city, and her country, and her house. And we must by no means send her away empty, but must give her an offering, so that she may forgive you your sins, and do away your tribulation when she hath returned to her city. And if ye will not send her to her city, no good will come of making her to live with you, but ye shall continue to be punished until ye are destroyed.'

"And their kings and governors said unto their priests, 'What gift now say ye that we ought to give her, and how shall we send her back? Find out, and tell us what we must do.' And the priests of the PHILISTINES took counsel together again, and they said unto their kings and governors, 'Make for her according to the heads of your houses, sixty figures of mice in gold, since mice have destroyed your land, and sixty figures of the member of a man, since your own persons have suffered from sores and boils on your members.' And the PHILISTINES made as they commanded them one hundred and twenty offerings of gold, and gave them to ZION. And again they said unto the priests, 'How shall we send her away? And whom do ye say shall set her in her city?' And again the magicians of the PHILISTINES said unto them, 'Let them bring two she-camels that brought forth their firstborn at the same time, and let them attach a wagon to themand they must keep back their young ones and shut them up in the houseand they must yoke the two she-camels together, and then set them free and let them go where they will. And if they march straight for JERUSALEM we shall know that peradventure God hath had compassion on our land; but if they wander about, and go hither and thither, and wish to turn back to the place whence they started, then we shall know that God is (still) wroth with us, and that He will not remove His punishment until He hath blotted out ourselves and our city.'

"And the PHILISTINES did as the priests commanded their governors, and they sent away ZION, and prostrated themselves before her. And those camels made their way straight to the country of JUDAH, and they came to the threshing floor and the house of thy kinsfolk received them. And those who did not receive them were the men of the house of D, and they did not do homage to ZION, for they regarded her in anger as their destroyed (?) God. And they cut up the pieces of wood of the wagon, and they made those camels to be sacrifices, and ZION returned to her place. And whilst ZION was in (her) house SAMUEL the Prophet ministered unto her, and vision and prophecy were revealed unto him, and he pleased God in all his actions, and he ruled ISRAEL for forty-eight years.

"And after him our people entreated God to give them a king like the nations that were round about them. And SAMUEL the Prophet anointed SAUL king, and he reigned forty years. And he was of the tribe of BENJAMIN, which was the youngest branch of the peoples of ISRAEL. And SAMUEL the Prophet also anointed thy father DAVID. And when the PHILISTINES fought with SAUL the King, SAUL was conquered and died with (YNH his son. And those of his sons who were left wished to carry away ZION, when they knew that their father and their brother were dead. And then when they wished to hide her and to transfer her to the Valley of G(GILBOA) in order that thy father DAVID might not carry them off, she would not let them carry her away until thy father came and carried her away from their city, but not with offerings, and not with incense and burnt offerings. For it was impossible to carry ZION away unless she wished it and God wished it. And again, when thy father reigned rightly over ISRAEL he took her from the city of SAMARIA and brought her here to JERUSALEM, dancing on his feet before her, and clapping his hands because of joy for her; for she was taken by him that she might come to the city of DAVID thy father. And as for that which thou sayest concerning the going of ZION to their city, to the country of ETHIOPIA, if God willed it and she herself willed it, there is no one who could prevent her; for of her own will she went, and of her own will she will return if God pleaseth. And if she doth not return it will be God's good pleasure. And as for us, if God hath willed it JERUSALEM shall remain to us wherein thou hast built for us a house of God. And now, let not thine heart be sad, but comfort thou thyself with what we have said unto thee. And the wisdom, which the Lord God of ISRAEL hath given thee, hath sprouted from thee. For wisdom is a strange thing. As a lamp is not the sun, and as vinegar and aloes are neither profitable nor useful additions to honey, even so the words of fools are not beneficial to the wise man. And as smoke is to the eye, and unripe fruit to the tooth, even so the words of fools are not beneficial to the wise."

62. Concerning the answer which SOLOMON made to them

And SOLOMON the King answered and said unto them, "Hearken ye unto me and to what I shall say unto you. Supposing He had taken me away whilst I was carrying ZIONwhat is impossible to God? And supposing He had taken you away whilst ye were carrying herwhat is impossible to God? And supposing He were to make them to inherit our city, and destroy uswhat is impossible to God? For everything is His, and none can gainsay His Will, and there is none who can transgress His command in heaven above or on earth below. He is the King Whose kingdom shall never, never pass away, Amen. But now let us go and kneel in the House of God."

And the elders of ISRAEL together with their King went into the House of God, and they entered the Holy of Holies, and they made supplication, and prostrated themselves, and ascribed blessing to God. And SOLOMON wept in the habitation of the heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, and they all wept with him, and after a little while they held their peace. And SOLOMON answered and said unto them, "Cease ye, so that the uncircumcised people may not boast themselves over us, and may not say unto us, 'Their glory is taken away, and God hath forsaken them.' Reveal ye not anything else to alien folk. Let us set up these boards, which are lying here nailed together, and let us cover them over with gold, and let us decorate them after the manner of our Lady ZION, and let us lay the Book of the Law inside it. JERUSALEM the free that is in the heavens above us, which JACOB our father saw, is with us, and below it is the Gate of Heaven, this JERUSALEM on the earth. If we do the Will of God and His good pleasure, God will be with us, and will deliver us out of the hand of our enemy, and out of the hand of all those who hate us; God's Will, and not our will, be done, and God's good pleasure, and not our good pleasure, be done. Through this He hath made us sorrowful. Henceforward His wrath will cool in respect of us, and He will not abandon us to our enemies, and He will not remove His mercy far from us, and He will remember the covenant with our fathers ABRAHAM, and ISAAC, and JACOB. He will not make His word to be a lie, and will not break His covenant so that our fathers' seed shall be destroyed."

63. How the Nobles of ISRAEL agreed (with the King)

And then the elders of ISRAEL made answer and said unto him, "May thy good pleasure be done, and the good pleasure of the Lord God! As for us, none of us will transgress thy word, and we will not inform any other people that ZION hath been taken away from us." And they established this covenant in the House of Godthe elders of ISRAEL with their King SOLOMON unto this day. And SOLOMON lived (thus) for eleven years after the taking away of ZION from him, and then his heart turned aside from the love of God, and he forgot his wisdom, through his excessive love of women. And he loved very greatly the daughter of PHARAOH, the king of EGYPT, whose name was MSH and he brought her into the house which he had made; and there were figures of the sun, moon, and stars in the roof thereof, and it was illumined by night as brightly as by day. Its beams were made of brass, and its roof of silver, and its panels (?) of lead, and its walls of stone, red with black, and brown with white (and) green; and its floor was of blocks of sapphire stone and sardius. And he used to go and dwell therein through his love for his house and his wife MSH the daughter of PHARAOH the king of EGYPT.

Now the queen possessed certain idols which her father had given her to bow down before, and because, when SOLOMON saw her sacrificing to them and worshipping them, he did not rebuke her or forsake her, God was wroth with him, and made him to forget his wisdom. And she multiplied her sacrifices, and her worship, and her folly, according to the stupidity of the EGYPTIANS, and all the people of her house worshipped the idols, and learned the foolish service of idols. And enjoying the pleasure of their foolish service they worshipped with the daughter of PHARAOH, and the children of ISRAEL joined themselves to her, and the women and their handmaidens joined themselves unto her in the worship and foolish service of idols. And SOLOMON himself found pleasure in hearing their foolish service and folly. And when she saw that he loved her, and hearkened, and held his peace, and asked many questions about the foolish service of the gods of the EGYPTIANS, she made herself exceedingly agreeable to him, and she spoke to him with honeyed words, and with the tender speech of women, and with the sweet smile that accompanieth the presentment of an evil deed, and with the turning of the face and the assumption of a look of good intent, and with the nodding of the head. With actions of this kind she caused his heart to turn away from his good intent, and she enticed him to the evil of her work, wishing to drag him down into the folly of the foolish service of idols through carelessness. And as the deep sea draweth down into its depths the man who cannot swim, until the water overwhelmeth him and destroyeth his life, even so did that woman wish to submerge SOLOMON the King.

64. How the Daughter of PHARAOH Seduced SOLOMON

And then the daughter of PHARAOH appeared before SOLOMON, and said unto him, "It is good to worship the gods like my father and all the kings of EGYPT who were before my father." And SOLOMON answered and said unto her, "They call gods the things which have been made by the hands of the worker in metal, and the carpenter, and the potter, and the painter, and the hewer in stone, and the sculptor; these are not gods, but the work of the hand of man, in gold, and silver, in brass and lead, in iron and earthenware, and in stone, and ye call 'our gods' the things that are not your gods. But we worship none else than the Holy God of ISRAEL and our Lady, the holy and heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, whom He hath given us to worship, us and our seed after us."

And she answered and said unto him, "Thy son hath carried away thy Lady ZION, thy son whom thou hast begotten, who springeth from an alien people into which God hath not commanded you to marry, that is to say, from an ETHIOPIAN woman, who is not of thy colour, and is not akin to thy country, and who is, moreover, black." And SOLOMON answered and said unto her, "Though thou speakest thus art thou not thyself of (that race) concerning which God hath not commanded us that we should take wives from it? And thy kin is her kin, for ye are all the children of HAM. And God, having destroyed of the seed of HAM seven kings, hath made us to inherit this city, that we and our seed after us may dwell therein for ever. And as concerning ZION, the will of God hath been performed, and He hath given her unto them so that they may worship her. And as for me, I will neither sacrifice to nor worship thine idols, and I will not perform thy wish."

And though she spake in this wise unto him, and though she shewed herself gracious unto him evening and morning, and night and day, he continued to refuse her (request). And one day she beautified and scented herself for him, and she behaved herself haughtily towards him, and treated him disdainfully. And he said unto her, "What shall I do? Thou hast made thy face evil towards me, and thy regard towards me is not as it was formerly, and thy beautiful form is not as enticing as usual. Ask me, and I will give thee whatsoever thou wishest, and I will perform it for thee, so that thou mayest make thy face (or, attitude) gracious towards me as formerly"; but she held her peace and answered him never a word. And he repeated to her the words that he would do whatsoever she wished, and she said unto him, "Swear to me by the God of ISRAEL that thou wilt not play me false." And he swore to her that he would give her whatsoever she asked for, and that he would do for her everything that she told him. And she tied a scarlet thread on the middle of the door of (the house of) her gods, and she brought three locusts and set them in the house of her gods. And she said unto SOLOMON, "Come to me without breaking the scarlet thread, bend thyself and kill these locusts before me and pull out their necks"; and he did so. And she said unto him, "I will henceforward do thy will, for thou hast sacrificed to my gods and hast worshipped them." Now he had done thus because of his oath, so that he might not break his oath which she had made him to swear, even though he knew that it was an offence (or, sin) to enter into the house of her gods.

Now God had commanded the children of ISRAEL, saying, "Ye shall not marry strange women that ye may not be corrupted by them through their gods, and through the wickedness of their works and the sweetness of their voices; for they make soft the hearts of simple young men by the sweetness of their gentle voices, and by the beauty of their forms they destroy the wisdom of the foolish man." Who was wiser than SOLOMON? yet he was seduced by a woman. Who was more righteous than DAVID? yet he was seduced by a woman. Who was stronger than SAMSON? yet he was seduced by a woman. Who was handsomer than AMN? yet he was seduced by TAMAR the daughter of DAVID his father. And ADAM was the first creation of God, yet he was seduced by EVE his wife. And through that seduction death was created for every created thing. And this seduction of men by women was caused by EVE, for we are all the children of EVE.

65. Concerning the sin of SOLOMON

Now SOLOMON sinned an exceedingly great sin through the worship of idols, and from being a wise man he became a fool, and his sin is written down in the Book of the Prophets. And the Archbishops who were there answered and said, "Hath God had mercy on SOLOMON for this error which is written down (as) his sin?" Yea, God hath had mercy upon him, and his name is numbered with (the names of) ABRAHAM, ISAAC, and JACOB, and DAVID his father in the Book of Life in heaven. For God is a forgiver of those who have sinned. Come now, and consider, which was the greater of the two, the sin of his father DAVID or the sin of his son SOLOMON? DAVID caused URIAH to be slain in battle by means of a plan of deceit so that he might take his wife BS (BATHSHEBA), the mother of SOLOMON; and he repented, and God had compassion on him. And when he was dying he advised his son SOLOMON, saying, "Kill JOAB as he killed AM (ABNER), and kill SHIMEI because he cursed me"; and he performed the will of his father and slew them after the death of DAVID his father. And SOLOMON killed no one except his brother when he wished to marry the Sam, the wife of his father DAVID whose name was AB (ABISHAG). And as concerning the error of SOLOMON which is written down I will reveal it to you, even as God hath revealed it to me.

66. Concerning the prophecy of CHRIST

Now, according to the interpretation of prophecy, the name SOLOMON signifieth in the secret speech "CHRIST". And as SOLOMON built the house of God, so CHRIST raised up His Body and made it into the Church. And when He said unto the JEWS, "Throw down this house, and in three days I will build it up (again)," He spake to them of the house of His Body. And as SOLOMON multiplied wives from alien peoples because of their beauty and winsomeness, and desires (arose) in him in his feigning love (for them), so CHRIST gathered together from alien peoples those who had not the Law, but who believed on Him. And there was no uncircumcised man to Him, and no pagan; and there was no slave, and no JEW, and no servant and no free man; but He gathered them all into His heavenly kingdom by His Flesh and Blood. And in the Song of Songs SOLOMON himself sang and said, "There are sixty mighty men round about the bed of SOLOMON, all of them trained in war and holding swords, each man with his sword upon his thigh." The number sixty indicateth the number of the righteous Patriarchs, and the Prophets, and the Apostles, and the Martyrs, and the Believers, and the Saints, and the Monks who have resisted the evil thought and the war of SATAN. And the word "sword" is, being interpreted, the word of the Scriptures. The word of the Lord cutteth like a straight sharp razor, and in like manner the Scriptures cut from men's hearts the danger caused by lying dreams by night. And the words "bed of SOLOMON" are, being interpreted, the Church of CHRIST.

And again SOLOMON sang, saying, "King SOLOMON hath made a litter for himself," and these words are to be interpreted that CHRIST hath put on our body. The name SOLOMON in the language of the HEBREWS is, being interpreted, "CHRIST". And the foolish JEWS imagine that the words of DAVID, "The Lord said unto me, 'Thou art my son and I this day have begotten thee,'" were spoken concerning SOLOMON his son. "O God, give Thy judgment to the king, and Thy righteousness to the son of the king, so that he may judge thy people with righteousness and thy needy ones with justice. And he shall live and they shall give him of the gold of ARABIA, and shall pray for him continually, and shall follow him (with good words), and he shall be a support for the whole earth on the tops of the mountains, and his fruit shall be greater than the cedar, and he shall flourish in the city like the grass of the earth, and his name shall be blessed for ever, and his name shall be before the sun. I have brought thee forth from the belly before the Morning Star. God hath sworn, and He will not repent, thou art His priest for ever, after the appointment of MELCHIZEDEK."

And concerning this prophecy and others like thereunto, which DAVID prophesied concerning CHRIST, the foolish JEWS, who are blind of heart, say that what DAVID said in the beginning of his book was spoken concerning his son SOLOMON; this do the JEWS say, and they make CHRIST to be SOLOMON because of the similarity of name, and the wisdom, and because He was the Son of DAVID in the flesh. And although those who came after DAVID and SOLOMON, namely ELIJAH and ELISHA, knew this, they ascribed SOLOMON'S sin to him in the Book of KINGS in order that they might put to shame the JEWS, who are blinded in heart and the enemies of righteousness. And SOLOMON the King, the son of DAVID the King and Prophet, was himself also King and Prophet, and he prophesied many similitudes concerning CHRIST and concerning the Church, and he wrote four books of prophecy, and is numbered with ABRAHAM, ISAAC, and JACOB, and DAVID his father in the kingdom of the heavens.

67. Concerning the lamentation of SOLOMON

And now I will tell you how he died. His days were sixty (years), when a sickness attacked him. And his days were not as the days of DAVID his father, but they were twenty (years) shorter than his, because he was under the sway of women and worshipped idols. And the angel of death came and smote him (in) the foot, and he wept and said, "O Lord God of ISRAEL, I am conquered by the terrestrial law, for there is no one free from blemish before Thee, O Lord, and there is no one righteous and wise before Thee, O Lord. For Thou dost scrutinize and try the heart. Nothing is hidden from Thee. Thou lookest upon the hidden things (as if they were) revealed, and Thou searchest out the heart. Have mercy upon me, Lord. Thou examinest the heart of man and dost try the reins. Have mercy upon me, Lord. Thou hearest both the whisper and the thunderclap. Have mercy upon me, Lord. And if Thou hast mercy upon the righteous who have not transgressed Thy commandments, what is there wonderful in Thy mercy? Have mercy upon me, Lord. But if Thou shouldest show mercy upon me, a sinner, Thy mercy would be a marvellous and gracious thing. Have mercy upon me, Lord. And although I have sinned remember ABRAHAM, and ISAAC, and JACOB, my fathers who did not transgress Thy commandment. Have mercy upon me, Lord, for Thou art merciful and forgiving; for the sake of DAVID Thy servant have mercy upon me, Lord. O Master of the world, and of kings and governors, have mercy upon me, Lord. O Thou who makest fools to be wise, and the wise to be fools, have mercy upon me, Lord. O Turner of sinners and Rewarder of the righteous, have mercy upon me, Lord." And as he spake these words tears streamed down his face, and he searched for his napkin.

And the Angel of God went down to him and said unto him, "Hearken thou unto what I shall say unto thee, for the sake of which God hath sent me. From being a wise man thou hast turned thyself into a fool, and from being a rich man thou hast turned thyself into a poor man, and from being a king thou hast turned thyself into a man of no account, through transgressing the commandment of God. And the beginning of thy evil was the taking of many wives by thee, for through this thou didst transgress His Law, and His decree, and the ordinance of God which MOSES wrote and gave to you, to ISRAEL, that ye should not marry wives from alien peoples but only from your kinsfolk and the house of your fathers, that your seed might be pure and holy and that God might dwell with you. But thou didst hold lightly the Law of God, thinking that thou wast wiser than God, and that thou wouldst get very many male children. But the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men, and He hath only given thee three sons: the one who carried off thy glory into an alien land, and made the habitation of God to be in ETHIOPIA; the one who is lame of foot, who shall sit upon thy throne for the people of ISRAEL, the son of the kin of thy kin from TARBA, of the house of JUDAH; and the one who is the son of a Greek woman, a handmaiden, who in the last days shall destroy REHOBOAM and all thy kin of ISRAEL; and this land shall be his because he believeth in Him that shall come, the Saviour. And the tribe of REHOBOAM, and those who are left of ISRAEL, shall crucify Him that shall come, the Redeemer, and the memory of you shall be blotted out from the earth. For they shall think out a plan which they shall not be able to establish, and He will be wroth with them and blot out the memorial of them.

"And as for thee, JOSEPH, the son of JACOB, shall be a symbol of thee. For his brethren sold him into the land of EGYPT from SYRIA, the country of L(LABAN), and on his going down into the land of EGYPT there arose a famine in SYRIA and in all the world. And through his going down he called his kinsfolk and delivered them from famine and gave them a habitation in the land of EGYPT, the name whereof is GH (GOSHEN). For he himself was King under PHARAOH, King of EGYPT. Similarly the Saviour Who shall come from thy seed shall set thee free by His coming, and shall bring thee out of SHE, where until the Saviour cometh thou shalt suffer pain, together with thy fathers; and He will bring thee forth. For from thy seed shall come forth a Saviour Who shall deliver thee, thee and those who were before thee, and those who shall (come) after thee, from ADAM to His coming in the kin of your kin, and He shall make thee to go forth from SHE as JOSEPH brought out his kinsfolk from the famine, that is to say the first SHE in the land of famine, so also shall the Saviour bring out of SHE you who are His kinsfolk. And as afterwards the EGYPTIANS made (the kinsmen of JOSEPH) slaves, so also have the devils made you slaves through the error of idols.

"And as MOSES brought his kinsmen out of the servitude (of EGYPT), so shall the Saviour bring you out of the servitude of SHE. And as MOSES wrought ten miracles and punishments (or, plagues) before PHARAOH the King, so the Saviour Who shall come from thy seed shall work ten miracles for life before thy people. And as MOSES, after he had wrought the miracles, smote the sea and made the people to pass over as it were on dry land, so the Saviour Who shall come shall overthrow the walls of SHE and bring thee out. And as MOSES drowned PHARAOH with the EGYPTIANS in the Sea of ERITREA, so also shall the Saviour drown SATAN and his devils in SHE; for the sea is to be interpreted by SHE, and PHARAOH by SATAN, and his hosts of EGYPTIANS by devils. And as MOSES fed them (with) manna in the desert without toil, so shall the Saviour feed you with the food of the Garden (i.e., Paradise) for ever, after He hath brought you out from SHE. And as MOSES made them to dwell in the desert for forty years, without their apparel becoming worn out, or the soles of their feet becoming torn, so the Saviour shall make you to dwell without toil after the Resurrection. And as JOSHUA brought them into the Land of Promise, so shall the Saviour bring you into the Garden of Delight. And as JOSHUA slew the seven Kings of CANAAN, so shall the Saviour slay the seven heads of IBL. And as JOSHUA destroyed the people of CANAAN, so shall the Saviour destroy sinners and shut them up in the fortress of SHE. And as thou hast built the house of God, so shall churches be built upon the tops of the mountains."

68. Concerning MARY, Our Lady of Salvation

"And again, there shall be unto thee a sign that the Saviour shall come from thy seed, and that He shall deliver thee with thy fathers and thy seed after thee by His coming. Your salvation was created in the belly of ADAM in the form of a Pearl before EVE. And when He created EVE out of the rib He brought her to ADAM, and said unto them, 'Multiply you from the belly of ADAM.' The Pearl did not go out into CAIN or ABEL, but into the third that went forth from the belly of ADAM, and it entered into the belly of SETH. And then passing from him that Pearl went into those who were the firstborn, and came to ABRAHAM. And it did not go from ABRAHAM into his firstborn ISHMAEL, but it tarried and came into ISAAC the pure. And it did not go into his firstborn, the arrogant ESAU, but it went into JACOB the lowly one. And it did not enter from him into his firstborn, the erring REUBEN, but into JUDAH, the innocent one. And it did not go forth from JUDAH until four sinners had been born, but it came to F (PEREZ), the patient one, And from him this Pearl went to the firstborn until it came into the belly of JESSE, the father of thy father. And then it waited until six men of wrath had been born, and after that it came to the seventh, DAVID, thy innocent and humble father; for God hateth the arrogant and proud, and loveth the innocent and humble. And then it waited in the loins of thy father until five erring fools had been born, when it came into thy loins because of thy wisdom and understanding. And then the Pearl waited, and it did not go forth into thy firstborn. For those good men of his country neither denied Him nor crucified Him, like ISRAEL thy people; when they saw Him Who wrought miracles, Who was to be born from the Pearl, they believed on Him when they heard the report of Him. And the Pearl did not go forth into thy youngest son ADR For those good men neither crucified Him nor denied Him when they saw the working of miracles, and wonders by Him that was to be born from the Pearl, and afterwards they believed in Him through His disciples.

"Now the Pearl, which is to be your salvation, went forth from thy belly and entered into the belly of ‛BĔ‛ (REHOBOAM) thy son, because of the wickedness of ISRAEL thy people, who in their denial and in their wickedness crucified Him. But if He had not been crucified He could not have been your salvation. For He was crucified without sin, and He rose (again) without corruption. And for the sake of this He went down to you into SHE, and tore down its walls, that He might deliver you and bring you out, and show mercy upon all of you. Ye in whose bellies the Pearl shall be carried shall be saved with your wives, and none of you shall be destroyed, from your father ADAM unto him that shall come, thy kinsman (JOACHIM), and from EVE thy mother, the wife of ADAM, to NOAH and his wife TARM to T(TERAH) and his wife AMY and to ABRAHAM and his wife S(SARAH), and to ISAAC and his wife RĔBḲ(REBECCA), and to JACOB and his wife LĔY(LEAH), and to YAHand his bride TĔ‛EM (TAMAR), and to thy father and his wife BS (BATHSHEBA), and to thyself and TARBthy wife, and to REHOBOAM thy son and his wife AM and to AḲ (JOACHIM) thy kinsman, who is to come, and his wife ḤANN

"None of you who shall have carried the Pearl shall be destroyed, and whether it be your men or your women, those who shall have carried the Pearl shall not be destroyed. For the Pearl shall be carried by the men who shall be righteous, and the women who have carried the Pearl shall not be destroyed, for they shall become pure through that Pearl, for it is holy and pure, and by it they shall be made holy and pure; and for its sake and for the sake of ZION He hath created the whole world. ZION hath taken up her abode with thy firstborn and she shall be the salvation of the people of ETHIOPIA for ever; and the Pearl shall be carried in the belly of AYBĔ‛ (REHOBOAM) thy son, and shall be the saviour of all the world. And when the appointed time hath come this Pearl shall be born of thy seed, for it is exceedingly pure, seven times purer than the sun. And the Redeemer shall come from the seat of His Godhead, and shall dwell upon her, and shall put on her flesh, and straightway thou thyself shalt announce to her what my Lord and thy Lord speaketh to me.

"I am GABRIEL the Angel, the protector of those who shall carry the Pearl from the body of ADAM even to the belly of ḤANN so that I may keep from servitude and pollution you wherein the Pearl shall dwell. And MICHAEL hath been commanded to direct and keep ZION wheresoever she goeth, and URIEL shall direct and keep the wood of the thicket which shall be the Cross of the Saviour. And when thy people in their envy have crucified Him, they shall rush upon His Cross because of the multitude of miracles that shall take place through it, and they shall be put to shame when they see its wonders. And in the last times a descendant of thy son ADR shall take the wood of the Cross, the third (means of) salvation that shall be sent upon the earth. The Angel MICHAEL is with ZION, with DAVID thy firstborn, who hath taken the throne of DAVID thy father. And I am with the pure Pearl for him that shall reign for ever, with REHOBOAM thy second son; and the Angel URIEL is with thy youngest son ADRS). This have I told thee, and thou shalt not make thy heart to be sad because of thine own salvation and that of thy son."

And when SOLOMON had heard these words, his strength came (back) to him on his bed, and he prostrated himself before the Angel of God, and said, "I give thanks unto the Lord, my Lord and thy Lord, O thou radiant being of the spirit, because thou hast made me to hear a word which filleth me with gladness, and because He doth not cut off my soul from the inheritance of my father because of my sin, and because my repentance hath been accepted after mine affliction, and because He hath regarded my tears, and hath heard my cry of grief, and hath looked upon my affliction, and hath not let me die in my grief, but hath made me to rejoice before my soul shall go forth from my body. Henceforward (the thought of) dying shall not make me sorrowful, and I will love death as I love life. Henceforward I will drink of the bitter cup of death as if it were honey, and henceforward I will love the grave as if it were an abode of costly gems. And when I have descended and have been thrust down deep into SHE, because of my sins, I shall not suffer grief, because I have heard the word which hath made me glad. And when I have gone down into the lowest depth of the deepest deep of SHE, because of my sins, what will it matter to me? And if He crush me to powder in His hand and scatter me to the ends of the earth and to the winds because of my sins, it will not make me sorrowful, because I have heard the word that hath made me to rejoice, and God hath not cut my soul off from the inheritance of my fathers. And my soul shall be with the soul of DAVID my father, and with the soul of ABRAHAM, and ISAAC, and JACOB my fathers. And the Saviour shall come and shall bring us out from SHE with all my fathers, and my kinsmen, old and young. And as for my children, they shall have upon earth three mighty angels to protect them. I have found the kingdom of the heavens, and the kingdom of the earth. Who is like unto God, the Merciful, Who showeth mercy to His handiwork and glorifieth it, Who forgiveth the sins of the sinners and Who doth not blot out the memorial of the penitent? For His whole Person is forgiveness, and His whole Person is mercy, and to Him belongeth praise." Amen.

69. Concerning the Question of SOLOMON

And SOLOMON turned and looked at the Angel and stretched out both his hands, and said, "My lord, is the coming of the Saviour of which thou speakest near or far off?" And the Angel answered and said unto him, "He will come three and thirty generations from thy kin and from thy seed and will deliver you. But ISRAEL will hate their Saviour, and will be envious of Him because He will work signs and miracles before them. And they will crucify Him, and will kill Him, and He shall rise up again and deliver them, for He is merciful to the penitent and good to those who are His chosen ones. And behold, I tell you plainly that He will not leave in SHE His kinsmen of ISRAEL by whom the Pearl hath been carried."

And when the Angel of God had spoken these words unto SOLOMON, he said unto him, "Peace be unto thee." And SOLOMON answered and said unto him, "My lord, I beseech thee, I would ask thee one question; be not unheedful of my cry." And the Angel said unto him, "Speak, ask me thy question, and I will make thee to know what I have heard and seen." And SOLOMON said unto him, "Now I am grieved because of ISRAEL, His people, whom He hath chosen as His firstborn from among all the ancient tribes of His inheritance; tell me, will they be blotted out after the coming of the Saviour?" And the Angel of God answered him again and said unto him, "Yea, I have told thee that they will crucify the Saviour. And when they have poured out His blood on the wood of the Cross they shall be scattered all over the world." And SOLOMON said, "I weep for my people. Woe to my people! who from first to last have always provoked their Creator to wrath. I and those who have been before me are unworthy to have mercy shown unto us because of the evil of our works, for we are a faithless generation. Woe unto those who shall pour out innocent blood, and calumniate the righteous man, and divide his spoil, and who neither believe on His word nor walk in His Commandment! Their judgement is waiting, and their error abideth; great is their punishment. And their sin is waiting, and it shall never be forgiven to them, and the sin of their fathers shall be remembered; for their work was sin, and they shall be destroyed by that which they themselves have imagined. And woe also unto my soul! for I who have been honoured shall on my death be treated with contempt; and I who have been renowned for wisdom upon the earth shall become dust. In what way is the king superior if he hath not done good upon the earth to the poor? Their falling into the grave is the same, and their path in the deep is the same. Of what benefit (or, use) are we who are men? We are created in vain, and after a little time we become as if we had never been created. As for the breath which we breathe, if it cease for a short time, our soul passeth away, and if the beat of the spark of our heart which moveth in our mind passeth away we become dust, and our friends and acquaintances hold us to be a loathsome thing. And the understanding of our mind which is above (in) our heads (is destroyed) when our soul is poured out, and we become worms and filth; and when the heat of our body hath passed away we become nothingness and we pass away like the dissolving of a cloud. What then? To multiply speech is useless, and the goodliness of the stature is destroyed, and the strength of kings is blotted out, and the might of governors is destroyed and is no more found. And we all pass away like shadows, and when we have passed away in death our name is forgotten, and the trace of us cannot be found; after three generations of our children there is none who will remember our name."

And straightway he turned his face to REHOBOAM his son, and he said unto him, "O my son, withhold thyself from evil and do the things that are good, so that thou mayest find many days upon earth. And do not bow down to strange gods, and do not worship them, but fear and honour God only, so that thou mayest conquer thy foes and thy adversaries, and mayest inherit the habitation of thy father in the heavens, and also eternal life."

And he said unto him, "Write me in the roll of the Book, and lay it in the chest." And he said unto ZADOK the priest, "Anoint my son and make him king. As my father DAVID, my lord, made me king whilst he was alive, even so do I make my son REHOBOAM king. And his seed shall be the salvation of myself and of my fathers for ever, according to what the Angel of the Lord spake unto me."

70. How REHOBOAM reigned

Then ZADOK the priest took REHOBOAM and made him king, and he anointed him and performed for him whatsoever the Law demanded. And REHOBOAM laid a tablet of wood upon the Tabernacle, and he found it with the name of his father SOLOMON (written upon) it, and then they set him upon the king's mule, and said unto him, "All hail! Long live the royal father!" and the city resounded with cries, and the trumpet was blown. And before REHOBOAM could return to his father SOLOMON died. And they laid SOLOMON in the tomb of his father DAVID, and they mourned for him with great mourning, for there was not found his like in wisdom in those days.

And when seven days had passed REHOBOAM made the mourning for his father to cease. And the people of ISRAEL gathered themselves together to REHOBOAM, and they said unto him, "Lighten for us (our) labour, for thy father made it very heavy in the hewing of wood, and in the dressing of stone, and in making wagons for bringing down cedarwood." And REHOBOAM took counsel with the councillors and the elders of the house of the king, and they said unto him, "Answer them graciously. For at this present thou art like a young animal and thy loins are not able to bear the yoke. And now, speak unto them graciously, and say unto them, 'I will do for you everything ye wish.' And when thy hand hath gotten power over them thou canst do with thy people what thou wishest." And REHOBOAM drove out the elders and brought in the foolish young men who had been brought up with him. And he took counsel with them, and told them of the message which the house of ISRAEL had sent to him and what the elders of the house of the king had counselled him to do. And those foolish young men said unto him, "An aged man giveth the counsel of an aged man, and the elder giveth the counsel of an elder, and a man stricken in years giveth the counsel of the man who is stricken in years, and a young man like thyself giveth the counsel which appertaineth to youth. As for these men who are stricken in years, their loins are as tender as those of a young animal that cannot walk. And as concerning this matter of which thou speakest, who can dispute the command of our Lord the King?" And one of them leaped up into the air before REHOBOAM, and another drew his sword, and another brandished his spear, and another seized his bow and quiver. And when they had made an end of their playing they counselled him, saying, "O our lord, may we be with thee, and thou with us! Now thy father in wisdom gave us, the sons of men of ISRAEL who are learned in the art of war, to grow up with thee that thy kingdom might be strong after him. O our lord, show not a timid face to those men, lest they think that thou art weak and art not able to make war against them and against thine enemies. For if they see in us an attitude of weakness in word and in deed, we shall be held in contempt by them, and they will not give us gifts, or presents, or slaves, or tribute, and thy kingdom will be destroyed. But address them with bold words, and speak unto them haughtily, saying, 'In respect of my father ye say in wood and in stone, but I will make you to serve me with chains of iron and with scorpion-whips. For my thin flank shall be stronger than the thickest part of my father's body, and my counsel is greater than the counsel of my father who begot me. None shall diminish for you the labour and the forced service, nay it shall be increased for you in every particular. And if ye will not do my command, I will make your cattle my plunder, and your children shall be captives, and my knife of slaughter shall consume you. And I will seize your cities and your fields, and your plantations, and your wells, and your gardens, and your lands, and your fruit (or, crops), and I will bind your honourable ones in chains of iron, and your riches shall (provide) food for my servants, and your women shall be for the adornment of the house of my nobles. And I will not alter this my decision, and will not diminish it, and I will neither make it to be a lie nor to have no effect; and I will carry it out quickly, and will write it down for ever. For the whole of this land was given to DAVID my grandfather for his kingdom, and to my father SOLOMON after him. And (God) hath given it to me after my fathers as to them, and I will make you to serve me as ye served them; and now take counsel and obey me.'"

And thus also did REHOBOAM speak unto the elders of ISRAEL. And the people all rose up together in their full number, and they said, "Get back to (your) house(s), O ISRAEL. Have we none else whom we can make king save in the house of JUDAH and in the house of BENJAMIN? We will reject their houses and the men of both of them, and we will make as our king and governor the man whom we wish for and in whom our soul delighteth." And they took up their weapons of war, and fled in a body, and came to the city of SAMARIA of BH R where they took counsel and were gathered together in a body. And the house of ISRAEL cast lots among themselves so that they might make king the man whom they chose from the house of the father of the man wherein the lot fell. And the lot fell on the house of EPHRAIM, on the son of N, and they chose a man from the house of his father, and made JEROBOAM king. And thus was the kingdom separated from REHOBOAM, the son of SOLOMON, and there were left to it only the house of BENJAMIN and the house of JUDAH his father.

And the word which God spake unto DAVID His servant was not made a lie, "Of the fruit of thy body I will make to sit upon thy throne"; and again He said, "Ordained like the moon for ever"; and again He said, "God sware unto DAVID truly and will not repent." He Who reigned on the throne of DAVID His father was JESUS CHRIST, his kinsman in the flesh by a virgin, Who sat upon the throne of His Godhead; and upon earth He granted to reign upon His throne the King of ETHIOPIA, SOLOMON'S firstborn. To REHOBOAM God gave only two stems (or, roots); and the King of Ris the youngest son of SOLOMON. And God did this in order that foolish people might not call us JEWS, because of SOLOMON and because of REHOBOAM his sonnow God knoweth the heartand He did this that they might not imagine such a thing. They called REHOBOAM "King of JUDAH", and they called the King of SAMARIA "King of ISRAEL". And of the generations of REHOBOAM, from REHOBOAM to (JOACHIM) were forty-one generations. And there were born to MALKtwo children, LEVI and SHEM, the begetter of H And H begat ḲALY, and ḲALY begat JOACHIM, and JOACHIM begat MARY, the daughter of DAVID. And again begat MALK and MALKbegat M and Mbegat and JACOB, and ḤANNA, the wife of JOACHIM. And took a wife and died without children. And JACOB took to wife YAD the wife of and he begat by her JOSEPH the carpenter, who was the betrothed of MARY. And JOSEPH was the son of JACOB in the flesh and the son of according to the Law; now God had commanded MOSES that the ISRAELITES were to marry their kinsfolk, each in the house of his fathers, and that they were not to marry alien women.

THE 'BOOK OF THE GLORY OF KINGS'

KEBRA NAGAST

Translated from the Ethiopic

by SIR E. A. WALLIS BUDGE M.A., LITT.D., D.LITT., LIT.D. F.S.A.

MCMXXXII

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD

51. How he said unto ZADOK the Priest, "Go and bring the Covering (or, Clothing) which is upon it (i.e., ZION)"

And he said unto ZADOK the priest, "Go, bring that covering which is upon ZION, and take thee this covering which is better than that, and lay it over the two (coverings) which are below it." (Now this covering was made of threads of the finest gold wirework twisted together and hammered out into a pattern, and they were not woven like the threads of purple.) "And the five mice which were given to ZION, and the ten figures of their shame (i.e., the emerods) which the nobles of the PHILISTINES made for their redemptionnow on the fringes are figures of gold that came forth from the land of Ḳ, which MOSES in SINAI commanded should be made (or, worked) in the fringe of the apparel of AARON his brothergather (all these) together in the covering of ZION and give (them) to my son DAVID. For his mother said in (her) message by TR her servant, 'Give us some of the fringe of the covering of ZION, so that we may worship it, we and those who are in subjection unto us and all our kingdom.' And now, give it to him, and say unto him, 'Take (and) worship this covering of ZION, for thy mother sent a message concerning this, and hath said unto thee thyself, 'Give us some of the fringe of its covering, which we can worship, so that we may not, like the heathen, worship another (god).' And ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, shall be unto thee a guide wheresoever thou art. But it must remain with us perpetually, although we have not paid it all the honour which is its due; and you, although it be not with you, must honour it, and revere it according to what is due to it and what is meet. For God said unto ELI by the mouth of SAMUEL the Prophet, 'I wished you to remain, thou and thy father's house, to offer up incense to the Tabernacle of My Law, and to dwell before Me for ever, but now I have repented. I will turn My face away from thee because thou hast treated My offerings with contempt, and hast preferred thy sons to Me. And now, him that honoureth Me I will honour, and him that esteemeth Me lightly I will esteem lightly; and I will destroy all thy seed.' This He said because the LEVITES had esteemed Him lightly. And say unto him: Take this covering of ZION, and this votive gift shall be in the place of it, and place it in thy sanctuary. And when thou takest an oath and makest another to take an oath, swear thou and make him to swear by it, so that thou dost not make mention of the names of other gods of the heathen. And when thou sacrificest let thy face be towards us, and sacrifice to JERUSALEM and the holy ZION; and when thou prayest let thy face be towards JERUSALEM, and pray towards us."

52. How ZADOK the Priest Departed

And ZADOK the priest went and gave DAVID the covering of ZION, and he delivered unto him all the commands which SOLOMON had spoken. And DAVID, the son of SOLOMON, rejoiced because of this, and he marvelled and held himself to be blessed exceedingly, and said, when the covering of the Tabernacle of the Law of God was committed to his charge, "This shall be to me my Lady." And AZY answered and said before his father, "Thou rejoicest over the covering, but how very much more wilt thou rejoice over the Lady of the covering!" And his father said unto him, "Verily he rejoiceth over the Lady of the covering, and he might subjugate all of us if he were not going to his own country." And he said unto the king, "Make now a covenant with me that thou wilt give to this my son this possession for his Lady and his sponsor and his protection, that he may guard it all the days of his life, for himself and for his seed after him; and that thou wilt give him tithe, and that thou wilt give him a city of refuge in thy kingdom, and also the tenth of the cities in all thy kingdom; and that he shall be unto thee priest, and seer, and prophet, and teacher to thee and to thy seed after thee, and the anointer with oil of thy kingdom for thy children and thy children's children." And he said, "I agree." And they struck (i.e., made) a covenant, and he received from his father the votive offering, and the covering of ZION, and a chain of gold.

And they loaded the wagons, and the horses, and the mules in order to depart, and they set out on their journey prosperously, and they continued to travel on. And MICHAEL the (Arch) Angel marched in front, and he spread out (his wings) and made them to march through the sea as upon dry land, and upon the dry land he cut a path for them and spreading himself out like a cloud over them he hid them from the fiery heat of the sun. And as for their wagons, no man hauled his wagon, but he himself (i.e., MICHAEL) marched with the wagons, and whether it was men, or horses, or mules, or loaded camels, each was raised above the ground to the height of a cubit; and all those who rode upon beasts were lifted up above their backs to the height of one span of a man, and all the various kinds of baggage which were loaded on the beasts, as well as those who were mounted on them, were raised up to the height of one span of a man, and the beasts were lifted up to the height of one span of a man. And every one travelled in the wagons like a ship on the sea when the wind bloweth, and like a bat through the air when the desire of his belly urgeth him to devour his companions, and like an eagle when his body glideth above the wind. Thus did they travel; there was none in front and none behind, and they were disturbed neither on the right hand nor on the left.

53. How the Wagon was given to ETHIOPIA

And they halted by G the city of the mother of the king, which SOLOMON the king had given to the Queen of ETHIOPIA when she came to him. And from there they came in one day to the border of GĔBĔṢ. (EGYPT), the name of which is "MESR". And when the sons of the warriors of ISRAEL saw that they had come in one day a distance of thirteen days' march, and that they were not tired, or hungry, or thirsty, neither man nor beast, and that they all (felt) that they had eaten and drunk their fill, these sons of the warriors of ISRAEL knew and believed that this thing was from God. And they said unto their king, "Let us let down the wagons, for we have come to the water of ETHIOPIA. This is the TAKKAZwhich floweth down from ETHIOPIA, and watereth the Valley of EGYPT"; and they let down their wagons there, and set up their tents.

And the sons of the warriors of ISRAEL went and drove away all the people, and they said unto (DAVID) their king, "Shall we tell thee a matter? Canst thou hold it (secret)?" And the King said unto them, "Yes, I can (hold it secret). And if ye will tell it to me I will never let it go forth or repeat it to the day of my death." And they said unto him, "The sun descended from heaven, and was given on SINAI to ISRAEL, and it became the salvation of the race of ADAM, from MOSES to the seed of JESSE, and behold, it is with thee by the Will of God. It is not through us that this hath been done, but by the Will of God; it is not through us that this hath been done, but by the Will of Him that fashioned it and made it hath this happened. We wished, and God hath fulfilled (our wish); we agreed concerning it, and God made it good; we held converse (concerning it), and God performed; we meditated (upon it), and God devised the plan; we spoke, and God was well pleased; we directed our gaze, and God directed it rightly; we meditated, and God hath justified. And now God hath chosen thee, and is well pleased with thy city, to be the servant of the holy and heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God; and it shall be to thee a guide for ever, to thee and thy seed after thee if thou wilt keep His command and perform the Will of the Lord thy God. For thou wilt not be able to take it back, even if thou wishest, and thy father cannot seize it, even if he wisheth, for it goeth of its own free will whithersoever it wisheth, and it cannot be removed from its seat if it doth not desire it. And behold, it is our Lady, our Mother and our salvation, our fortress and our place of refuge, our glory and the haven of our safety, to those who lean upon it."

And AZY made a sign to MEY, and he said unto him, "Go, beautify, and dress our Lady, so that our King may see her." And when AZY had said this, King DAVID was perturbed and he laid both hands upon his breast, and he drew breath three times and said, "Hast thou in truth, O Lord, remembered us in Thy mercy, the castaways, the people whom Thou hast rejected, so that I may see Thy pure habitation, which is in heaven, the holy and heavenly ZION? With what shall we requite the Lord in return for all the good things which He hath done for us? there being with Him no glory and praise! He hath crowned us with His grace, so that we may know upon earth His praise and may all serve Him according to His greatness. For He is the Good One to His chosen ones, and unto Him belongeth praise for ever."

And King (DAVID) rose up and skipped about like a young sheep and like a kid of the goats that hath sucked milk in abundance from his mother, even as his grandfather DAVID rejoiced before the Tabernacle of the Law of God. He smote the ground with his feet, and rejoiced in his heart, and uttered cries of joy with his mouth. And what shall I say of the great joy and gladness that were in the camp of the King of ETHIOPIA? One man told his neighbour, and they smote the ground with their feet like young bulls, and they clapped their hands together, and marvelled, and stretched out their hands to heaven, and they cast themselves down with their faces to the ground, and they gave thanks unto God in their hearts.

54. How DAVID (the King of ETHIOPIA) Prophesied and Saluted ZION

And King (DAVID) came and stood up before ZION, and he saluted it, and made obeisance thereto, and said, "O Lord God of ISRAEL, to Thee be praise, because Thou doest Thy Will and not the will of men. Thou makest the wise man to forget his wisdom, and Thou destroyest the counsel of the counsellor, and Thou raisest the poor man from the depth, and Thou settest the sole of his foot upon a strong rock. For a full cup of glory is in Thy hand for those who love Thee, and a full cup of shame for those who hate Thee. As for us, our salvation shall go forth out of ZION, and He shall remove sin from His people, and goodness and mercy shall be poured out in all the world. For we are the work of His hands, and who shall rebuke us if He loveth us as ISRAEL His people? And who shall reprove Him if He raiseth us up to heaven His throne? For death and life are from Him, and glory and dishonour are in His hand, He hath the power to punish and to multiply His compassion, and He can be wroth and multiply His mercy, for it is He who trieth the heart and the reins. He giveth and He taketh away, He planteth and He uprooteth. He buildeth up and He throweth down. He beautifieth and He deformeth; for everything belongeth to Him, and everything is from Him, and everything existeth in Him. And as for thee, O Tabernacle of the Law of God, salvation be whither thou goest, and from the place whence thou goest forth; salvation be in the house and in the field, salvation be here and be there, salvation be in the palace and in the lowly place, salvation be on the sea and on the dry land, salvation be in the mountains and in the hills, salvation be in the heavens and on the earth, salvation be in the firm grounds and in the abysses, salvation be in death and in life, salvation be in thy coming and in thy going forth, salvation be to our children and to the tribe of thy people, salvation be in thy countries and in thy cities, salvation be to the kings and to the nobles, salvation be to the plants and to the fruits, salvation be to men and to beasts, salvation be to the birds and to the creeping things of the earth; be salvation, be an intercessor, and a merciful one, and have regard for thy people. Be unto us a wall, and we will be unto thee a fence; be thou a king unto us and we will be thy people; be thou a guide unto us and we will follow after thee. And be not impatient, and mark not closely, and be not angry at the multitude of our sins, for we are a people who have not the Law, and who have not learned Thy praise. And from this time forward guide us, and teach us, and make us to have understanding, and make us to have wisdom that we may learn Thy praise. And Thy name shall be praised by us at all times, and all the day, and every day, and every night, and every hour, and all the length of time. Give us power that we may serve Thee. Rise up, ZION, and put on thy strength, and conquer thine enemies, and give us strength, our queen, and put thou to shame those who hate thee, and make to rejoice those who love thee."

And then he made a circuit and said, "Behold ZION, behold salvation, behold the one who rejoiceth, behold the splendour like the sun, behold the one adorned with praise, behold the one who is decorated like a bride, not with the apparel of fleeting glory, but the one who is decorated with the glory and praise which are from God, whom it is meet that (men) shall look upon with desire and shall not forsake; whom (men) shall desire above all things and shall not reject; whom (men) shall love willingly and shall not hate; whom (men) shall approach willingly and shall not keep afar off. We will draw nigh unto thee, and do not thou withdraw far from us; we will support ourselves upon thee, and do not thou let us slip away; we will supplicate thee, and do not thou be deaf to us; we will cry out to thee; hear thou our cry in all that we ask of thee, and desire not to withdraw thyself from us, until thy Lord cometh and reigneth over thee; for thou art the habitation of the God of heaven."

Thus spake DAVID the King, the son of SOLOMON, King of ISRAEL. For the spirit of prophecy descended upon him because of his joy, and he knew not what he said and he was like PETER and JOHN on the top of Mount T. And they all marvelled and said, "This, the son of a prophet, is he to be numbered among the prophets?"

55. How the People of ETHIOPIA Rejoiced

And (the people of ETHIOPIA) took flutes, and blew horns, and (beat) drums, and (played on) pipes, and the Brook of EGYPT was moved and astonished at the noise of their songs and their rejoicings; and with them were mingled outcries and shouts of gladness. And their idols, which they had made with their hands and which were in the forms of men, and dogs, and cats, fell down, and the high towers (pylons or obelisks ?), and also the figures of birds, (made) of gold and silver, fell down also and were broken in pieces. For ZION shone like the sun, and at the majesty thereof they were dismayed. And they arrayed ZION in her apparel, and they bore the gifts to her before her, and they set her upon a wagon, and they spread out purple beneath her, and they draped her with draperies of purple, and they sang songs before her and behind her.

Then the wagons rose up (i.e., resumed their journey) as before, and they set out early in the morning, and the people sang songs to ZION, and they were all raised up the space of a cubit, and as the people of the country of EGYPT bade them farewell, they passed before them like shadows, and the people of the country of EGYPT worshipped them, for they saw ZION moving in the heavens like the sun, and they all ran with the wagon of ZION, some in front of her and some behind her. And they came to the sea AL-AḤMAR, which is the Sea of ERITREA (i.e., the RED SEA), which was divided by the hand of MOSES, and the children of ISRAEL marched in the depths thereof, going up and down. Now at that time the Tabernacle of the Law of God had not been given unto MOSES, and therefore the water only gathered itself together, a wall on the right hand and a wall on the left, and allowed ISRAEL to pass with their beasts and their children and their wives. And after they had crossed the sea God spake to MOSES and gave him the Tabernacle of the Covenant with the Book of the Law. And when the holy ZION crossed over with those who were in attendance on her, and who sang songs to the accompaniment of harps and flutes, the sea received them and its waves leaped up as do the high mountains when they are split asunder, and it roared even as a lion roareth when he is enraged, and it thundered as doth the winter thunder of DAMASCUS and ETHIOPIA when the lightning smiteth the clouds, and the sound thereof mingled with the sounds of the musical instruments. And the sea worshipped ZION. And whilst its billows were tossing about like the mountains their wagons were raised above the waves for a space of three cubits, and among the sound of the songs the (noise of the) breaking of the waves of the sea was wonderful. The breaking of the waves of the sea was exceedingly majestic and stupefying, and it was mighty and strong. And the creatures that were in the sea, those that could be recognized, and those that were invisible, came forth and worshipped ZION; and the birds that were on it flapped their pinions and overshadowed it. And there was joy to the Sea of ERITREA, and to the people of ETHIOPIA, who went forth to the sea and rejoiced exceedingly, and with a greater joy than did ISRAEL when they came out of EGYPT. And they arrived opposite Mount SINAI, and dwelt in Ḳ, and they remained there whilst the angels sang praises; and the creatures of the spirit mingled their praises with (those) of the children of earth, with songs, and psalms, and tambourines joyfully.

And then they loaded their wagons, and they rose up, and departed, and journeyed on to the land of MEDY, and they came to the country of BT, which is a country of ETHIOPIA. And they rejoiced there, and they encamped there, because they had reached the border of their country with glory and joy, without tribulation on the road, in a wagon of the spirit, by the might of heaven and of MICHAEL the Archangel. And all the provinces of ETHIOPIA rejoiced, for ZION sent forth a light like that of the sun into the darkness wheresoever she came.

56. Of the Return of ZADOK the Priest, and the giving of the Gift

And when ZADOK the priest returned to SOLOMON the King he found him sorrowful. And the King answered and said unto ZADOK the priest, "When the Queen came there appeared to me by night this vision: It seemed as if I were standing in the chamber of JERUSALEM, and the sun came down from heaven into the land of JUDAH, and lighted it up with great splendour. And having tarried a time it went down and lighted up the Country of ETHIOPIA, and it did not return to the land of JUDAH. And again the sun came down from heaven to the country of JUDAH, and lighted it up more brilliantly than it did the first time; but the ISRAELITES paid no heed to it, and they wished to extinguish its light. And it rose below the earth in a place where it was not expected, and it illumined the country of R, and the country of ETHIOPIA, and afterwards all those who believed on it."

And ZADOK the priest answered and said unto him, "O my lord, why didst thou not tell me before that thou hadst seen a vision of this kind? Thou makest my knees to tremble. Woe be unto us, if our sons have carried off our Lady, the holy, heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God!" And the King answered and said unto him, "Our wisdom is forgotten and our understanding is buried. Verily the sun that appeared unto me long ago when I was sleeping with the Queen of ETHIOPIA was the symbol of the holy ZION. But tell me: yesterday when thou didst take off the splendid covering that was lying upon ZION, didst thou not make certain that ZION was (there)?" And ZADOK the priest answered and said, "I did not, lord; it had three coverings over it, and I took off the outermost, and dressed ZION in the covering which thou didst give me, and I brought (the other) to thee." And the King said unto ZADOK, "Go quickly and look at our Lady and examine her closely." And ZADOK the priest took the keys, and went and opened the house of the sanctuary, and he examined (the place) quickly, and he found there nothing except the wooden boards which AZY had fastened together and had made to resemble the sides of the pedestal of ZION.

57. Concerning the Fall of ZADOK the Priest

And when ZADOK saw this he fell forward on his face flat upon the ground, and his spirit was poured out over him, for he was terrified; and he became like a dead man. And when he tarried in coming out SOLOMON sent to him S (BENAIAH), the son of Y and he found ZADOK like one dead. And he lifted up the head of ZADOK, and felt his heart and his nose to find out whether there was any sign of breath being in him; and he fanned him, and lifted him up, and rubbed him and laid him out upon the table. And he rose up and looked at the place where ZION had been set, and he found her not, and he fell down upon the ground. And he cast dust upon his head, and (then) rose up and went out and wailed at the doors of the house of God; and the sound of his cries was heard as far as the King's house. And the King rose up and commanded the crier to go round, and the soldiers to blow the trumpets, so that the people might go forth and pursue the men of the land of ETHIOPIA, and if they overtook them they were to seize his son and bring him back with ZION, and slay the (other) men with the sword. For with his mouth he spake and said, "As the Lord God of ISRAEL liveth, they are men of death and not of life; for verily they deserve death because they have robbed the house of the sanctuary of God, and have desired to pollute the habitation of His Name in a land wherein there is not the Law."

58. How SOLOMON Rose up to Slay them

Thus spake King SOLOMON. And the King rose up in wrath and set out to pursue (the men of ETHIOPIA). And when the King, and his nobles, and his mighty men of war rose up (i.e., had set out), the elders of ISRAEL, and the widows, and the virgins gathered together in the house of God, and they wept for ZION, for the Tabernacle of the Law of God had been taken away from them. Now after ZADOK had remained (senseless) for a season, his heart returned to him. And then the King commanded that the soldiers should go forth on the right hand and on the left, on the chance that some of the (fugitives) might turn aside through fear of the theft. And the King himself rose up and followed the track of the road of the men of ETHIOPIA, and he sent out mounted horsemen, so that they might (ride on before him and) find out where they were, and might return and bring him news (of them). And the horsemen journeyed on and came to the country of MESR (EGYPT), where the men of ETHIOPIA had encamped with their king, and where they had made peace with ZION, and they rejoiced. And the soldiers of King SOLOMON questioned the people, and the men of the country of EGYPT said unto them, "Some days ago certain men of ETHIOPIA passed here; and they travelled swiftly in wagons, like the angels, and they were swifter than the eagles of the heavens." And the King's soldiers said unto them, "How many days ago is it since they left you?" And the men of EGYPT said unto them, "This day is the ninth day since they left us." And some of the King's horsemen who returned said unto King SOLOMON, "Nine days have passed since they left EGYPT. Some of our companions have gone to seek for them at the Sea of ERITREA, but we came back that we might report this to thee. Bethink thyself, O King, I beseech thee. On the second day they went forth from thee, and they arrived on the third day at the river TAKKAZ(of) the land of MESR (EGYPT). And we being sent forth by thee from JERUSALEM, arrived on the day of the Sabbath. And we came back to thee to-day (which is) the fourth day of the week. Consider in thy wisdom the distance which those men traversed." And the King was wroth and said, "Seize the five of them, until we find out the truth of their words."

And the King and his soldiers marched quickly, and they came to G And the King asked the people, saying, "When did my son leave you?" And they answered and said unto him, "He left us three days ago. And having loaded their wagons none of them travelled on the ground, but in wagons that were suspended in the air; and they were swifter than the eagles that are in the sky, and all their baggage travelled with them in wagons above the winds. As for us, we thought that thou hadst, in thy wisdom, made them to travel in wagons above the winds." And the King said unto them, "Was ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, with them?" And they said unto him, "We did not see anything."

59. How the King Questioned an Egyptian, the Servant of PHARAOH

And SOLOMON left that place, and he met a noble of the nobles of EGYPT, whom King PHARAOH had sent unto him with a gift; and there was an abundance of treasures with him, and he came and made obeisance to the King. And SOLOMON the King made haste to question him, even before he had presented his gift and embassy, and said unto him, "Hast thou seen men of ETHIOPIA fleeing by this road?" And the ambassador of PHARAOH answered and said unto the King, "O King, live for ever! My lord, King PHARAOH, sent me unto thee from ALEXANDRIA. And behold, I will inform thee how I have come. Having set out from ALEXANDRIA I came to KĔR(CAIRO), the city of the King, and on my arrival these men of ETHIOPIA of whom thou speakest arrived there also. They reached there after a passage of three days on the TAKKAZ the river of EGYPT, and they were blowing flutes, and they travelled on wagons like the host of the heavenly beings. And those who saw them said concerning them, 'These, having once been creatures of earth, have become beings of heaven.' Who then is wiser than SOLOMON the King of JUDAH? But he never travelled in this wise in a wagon of the winds. And those who were in the cities and towns were witnesses that, when these men came into the land of EGYPT, our gods and the gods of the King fell down, and were dashed in pieces, and the towers of the idols were likewise broken into fragments. And they asked the priests of the gods, the diviners of EGYPT, the reason why our gods had fallen down, and they said unto us, 'The Tabernacle of the God of ISRAEL, which came down from heaven, is with them, and will abide in their country for ever.' And it was because of this that, when they came into the land of EGYPT, our gods were broken into fragments. And thou, O King, whose wisdom hath no counterpart under the heavens, why hast thou given away the Tabernacle of the Law of the Lord thy God, which thy fathers kept pure for thee? For, according to what we hear, that Tabernacle used to deliver you out of the hand of your enemies, and the spirit of prophecy, which was therein, used to hold converse with you, and the God of heaven used to dwell in it in His Holy Spirit, and ye are called men of the house of God. Why have ye given your glory to another?" And SOLOMON answered in wisdom and said, "How was he (i.e., DAVID) able to carry away our Lady, for she is with us?"

60. How SOLOMON Lamented for ZION

And SOLOMON entered into his tent, and wept bitterly, and said, "O God, willest Thou to take away the Tabernacle of Thy Covenant from us in my days? If only Thou hadst taken away my life before this which Thou hast taken away in my days! For Thou canst not make Thy word to be a lie, and Thou canst not break Thy Covenant which Thou didst make with our fathers, with NOAH Thy servant who kept righteousness, and with ABRAHAM who did not transgress Thy commandment, and with ISAAC Thy servant who kept his body pure from the pollution of sin, and with ISRAEL, Thy holy one, whom Thou didst make many by the Holy Spirit, and didst call 'Thy trace' (sic), ISRAEL, and with MOSES and AARON Thy priests, in whose days Thou didst make the Tabernacle of the Law to come down from heaven upon earth, to the children of JACOB Thine inheritance, with Thy Law and Thy Commandment, in the form of the constitution of the angels. For Thou hadst already founded ZION as the habitation of Thy glory upon the mountain of Thy sanctuary. And again Thou didst give it to MOSES that he might serve it nobly upon the earth, and might make it to dwell in the 'Tent of Witness', so that Thou Thyself mightest come there from the mountain of Thy sanctuary, and mightest make the people to hear Thy voice, so that they might walk in Thy Commandments."

"Now I know that Thou esteemest Thine inheritance more lightly than Thy people ISRAEL. And until this present it was with us, and we did not minister unto it rightly, and for this reason Thou art angry with us, and Thou hast turned Thy face from us. O Lord, look not upon our evil deeds, but consider Thou the goodness of our forefathers. My father DAVID, Thy servant, wished to build a house to Thy Name, for he had heard the word of Thy prophet, who said, 'Which is the house for My habitation, and which is the place for Me to rest in? Is it not My hands that have made all this, saith the Lord, Who ruleth everything?' And when he had meditated upon this Thou didst say unto him, 'It is impossible for thee to build this, but he who hath gone forth from thy loins shall build a house for me.' And now, O Lord, Thy word hath not been made a lie, and I have built Thy house, Thou being my helper. And when I had finished building Thy house, I brought the Tabernacle of the Covenant into it, and I offered up sacrifices to Thy thrice-holy Name, and Thou didst look on these (benevolently). And the house was full of Thy glory, the whole world being filled with Thy Godhead, and we Thy people rejoiced at the sight of Thy glory therein. And this day it is three years since that time, and Thou hast snatched away Thy light from us that Thou mayest illumine those that are in darkness. Thou hast removed our honour that Thou mayest honour those who are unworthy; Thou hast blotted out our majesty that Thou mayest make majestic him that is not majestic; Thou hast taken away our life that Thou mayest build up him whose life is far from Thee.

"Woe is me! Woe is me! I weep for myself. Rise up, DAVID, my father, and weep with me for our Lady, for God hath neglected us and hath taken away our Lady from thy son. Woe is me! Woe is me! Woe is me! For the Sun of righteousness hath neglected me. Woe is me! For we have neglected the command of our God, and we have become rejected ones on the earth. As priests we have not acted well, and as Kings we have not done what is right in respect of judgement to the orphans. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! What is right hath passed from us, and we are rebuked. Woe be unto us! Our joy hath turned aside to our enemies, and the grace that was ours hath been removed from us. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! Our back is turned towards the spears of our enemies. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! Our children have become the spoil and captives of those whom we recently had spoiled and made captives. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! Our widows weep, and our virgins mourn. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! Our old men wail and our young men lament. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! Our women shed tears and our city is laid waste. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! From this day to the end of our days (we must mourn), and our children likewise. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! For the glory of the glorious daughter of ZION is removed, and the glory of the daughter of ETHIOPIA, the vile, hath increased.

"God is wroth, and who shall show compassion? God hath made unclean, and who shall purify? God hath planned, and who shall gainsay His plan? God hath willed, and who shall oppose His intention? God speaketh, and everything shall come to pass. God hath abased, and there is none that shall promote to honour. God hath taken away, and there is none who shall bring back. God hateth, and there is none who shall make Him to love. Woe be unto us! Our name was honoured, to-day it is nothing. Woe be unto us! From being men of the household we have become men of the outside, and from being men of the inner chambers we have been driven out through our sins. For God loveth the pure, but the priests would have none of the pure, and have loved the impure. And the prophets rebuked us, but we would not accept rebuke, and they (wished to) make us hear, but we would not hear. Woe be unto us! Through our sins we are rejected, and because of our defection we shall be punished. Sovereignty profiteth nothing without purity, and judgement profiteth nothing without justice, and riches profit nothing without the fear of God. The priests love the words of fables more than the words of the Scriptures; and they love the sound of the harp more than the sound of the Psalter; and they love the service of the world more than prayer; and they love the disputing of the world more than the voice of the Godhead; and they love laughter and fornication more than the weeping of life; and they love the food that passeth away more than the fasting to God; and they love wine and sweet drink more than sacrificing to God; and they love idleness more than prayer; and they love possessions more than (the giving of) alms; and they love sleeping more than praising; and they love dozing more than watching. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us!

"O Queen, we have been negligent in respect of the Commandment of God. We have loved the words of the fablemongers more than the word of the priests. We have wished to gaze upon the face of our women rather than upon the face of God in repentance. We have loved to look upon our children rather than to hear the word of God. We have consoled ourselves more with the sardius stone than with the administering right judgement to the orphans. We have loved to look upon our honour rather than to hear the voice of God. We have loved the word of foolishness more than the words of the wise. We have loved the words of fools more than hearing the words of the Prophets. Woe be unto us! Of our own free will we have polluted our life. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! The repentance and mercy which God loveth we have not done. Woe be unto us! He gave us glory, and we have thrown it away. He made us very wise, and of our own free will we have made ourselves more foolish than the beasts. He gave us riches, and we have beggared ourselves even (to asking for) alms. We looked upon our horses, and forgot our coming back. We have loved fleeting things, and we have not recognized those that abide. We have made our days to deride our life, we have preferred the luxuriousness of food, which becometh dung, to the food of life which endureth for ever. (We have put on) the garments of apparel which benefit not the soul, and have put off the apparel of glory which is for ever. Our governors and the people do what God hateth, and they love not what God loveth, love of their neighbours, and lowliness, and graciousness, and mercy for the poor, and patient endurance, and love of the house of God, and the adoration of the Son. But what God hateth is, augury by birds, and idolatry, and enquiry of witches, and divination, and magic, and flies, and aḳar the animal that hath been torn, and the dead body of a beast, and theft, and oppression, and fornication, and envy, fraud, drink and drunkenness, false swearing (against) neighbours, and the bearing of false testimony (against) neighbours.

"All these things which God hateth they do. And it is because of them that God hath taken the Tabernacle of His Covenant away from us and hath given it to the people who do His Will and His Law, and His Ordinance. He hath turned His face from us and hath made His face to shine upon them. He hath despised us and hath loved them. He hath shown mercy unto them and hath blotted us out, because He hath taken away the Tabernacle of His Covenant from us. For He hath sworn an oath by Himself that He will not abrogate winter and summer, seed time and harvest, fruit and work, sun and moon, as long as ZION is on the earth, and that He will not in wrath destroy heaven and earth, either by flood or fire, and that He will not blot out man, and beast, and reptiles and creeping things, but will show mercy to the work of His hands, and will multiply His mercy on what He hath formed. And when God taketh away the Tabernacle of His Covenant He will destroy the heavens, and the earth, and all His work; and this day hath God despised us and taken from us the Tabernacle of His Law." And whilst SOLOMON was saying these things he ceased not to weep, and the tears ran down his cheeks continually.

And the Spirit of Prophecy answered and said unto him, "Why art thou thus sorrowful? For this hath happened by the Will of God. And (ZION) hath not been given to an alien, but to thy firstborn son who shall sit upon the throne of DAVID thy Father. For God swore unto DAVID in truth, and He repenteth not, that of the fruit of his body He would make to sit upon his throne for ever, in the Tabernacle of His Covenant, the Holy ZION. And I will set him above the kings of the earth, and his throne shall be like the days of heaven and like the ordinance of the moon for ever. And He who sitteth upon the throne of the Godhead in the heavens shall rule the living and the dead in the flesh for ever. And angels and men shall serve Him, and every tongue shall praise Him, and every knee shall bow to Him in the abysses and in the rivers. Comfort thyself with this (word), and get thee back to thy house, and let not thy heart be wholly sad."

And the King was comforted by this (word), and he said, "The Will of God be done, and not the will of man." And again the Angel of God appeared unto him openly, and said unto him, "As for thyself, thou shalt build the house of God, and it shall be glory and as a support for thee; and if thou wilt keep His Commandment and wilt not serve other gods thou shalt be beloved by God, even as DAVID thy father."

THE 'BOOK OF THE GLORY OF KINGS'

KEBRA NAGAST

Translated from the Ethiopic

by SIR E. A. WALLIS BUDGE M.A., LITT.D., D.LITT., LIT.D. F.S.A.

MCMXXXII

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD

41. Concerning the blessing of Kings

"Hearken thou now to the blessing that shall come upon thee, if thou wilt do the Will of God. Thou shalt be blessed in all thy ways, blessed shalt thou be in the city, blessed shalt thou be in the field, blessed shalt thou be in thy house, blessed shalt thou be outside it, and blessed shall be the fruit of thy belly. And those who were gathered together said, Amen. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy land. Amen. Blessed shall be the fountains of thy waters. Amen. Blessed shall be the fruit that thou hast planted. Amen. Blessed shall be thy cattle-runs and the flocks of thy sheep. Amen. Blessed shall be thy granaries and thy barns. Amen. Blessed shalt thou be in thy coming in. Amen. Blessed shalt thou be in thy going forth. Amen.

"And God shall bring to thee thine enemies who have risen up against thee, and they shall be trodden small beneath thy feet. Amen. And God shall send His blessing on thy houses and on everything to which thou hast put thine hand. Amen. And God shall multiply for thee good things, namely, children of thy body, produce of thy land, and births among thy flocks and herds. Amen. And in the land which He swore (to give to) thy fathers, He will give thee according to the days of heaven. Amen. And God shall open for thee the storehouse of the blessing of the heavens, and He shall give thee blessed rain, and shall bless the fruit of thy labour. Amen. Thou shalt lend unto many peoples, but thou shalt not borrow. Amen. Thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee. Amen. And God shall set thee at the head and not at the tail, and thou shalt be at the top and not at the bottom. Amen. And thou shalt gather together of every blessing of the land for thy flocks and herds, and thou shalt take the spoil of the nations for thine army, and they shall bow down to thee to the face of the earth, to thy sovereignty, because of the greatness of thy glory. Thine honour shall rise up like the cedar, and like the Morning Star, the brilliance of thy glory shall be before all the nations of the earth, and before every tribe of thy people ISRAEL.

"For God shall be with thee in all thy ways, and He will perform thy will in everything that thou determinest. And thou shalt inherit the countries of thine enemy, and the greatness of thy people shall be praised because of the greatness of thine awesomeness, and because of the multitude of thy soldiers. And all those who do not perform the Will of God will fear thee because thou dost do His Will, and dost serve Him, and therefore He will give thee great majesty in the sight of those who see thee. Their hearts shall tremble before the bridle of thy horses, and the quiver of thy bow, and the glitter of thy shield, and they shall bow down to the face of the earth, for their hearts shall be terrified at the sight of thy majesty. And when those who are in the mountains see thee afar off they shall come down to the plain, and those who are on the seas and in the deep waters shall come forth, so that the Lord may bring them into thy hand, because they have transgressed the command of God. And thou, when thou doest His Will, shalt receive from Him everything for which thou hast asked; for if thou lovest Him He will love thee, and if thou keepest His commandment He will grant thee the petition of thy heart, and everything that thou seekest thou shalt receive from Him. For He is the Good One to the good, and the Compassionate to the compassionate, and He doeth the will of those who fear Him, and He giveth a reward to those who wait patiently for Him. Be patient in respect of wrath, and at the end He will make thee to rejoice; love righteousness and He will make life to blossom for thee. Be a good man to the good, and a reprover of sinners. And put aside the wickedness of the evil man by rebuking and correcting him, and condemn and disgrace the evil man who doeth violence to his neighbour in the court of law. And do justice to the poor man and to the orphans, and release them from the hand of him that doeth them wrong. And deliver him that is forsaken and the man who is in misery, and release him from the hand of him that causeth him to suffer. Judge not with partiality, and have no respect of persons, but judge righteously. When thou undertakest to judge, love not gifts (i.e., bribes) and accept not persons. And admonish thy governors (or, judges) that they be free from the taking of gifts, and that they accept not the persons of their friends, or of their enemies, or of rich or poor, in giving judgment; and they shall surely judge their neighbours in righteousness, and with a just judgment.

42. Concerning the Ten Commandments

"And hear ye, ISRAEL, that which God commandeth you to keep; He saith, 'I am the Lord thy God Who hath brought thee out of the land of EGYPT and out of the house of bondage. There shall be no other gods besides Me, and thou shalt not make any god that is graven, and no god that is like what is in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water which is under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, and thou shalt not serve them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. (I am He) Who visiteth the sin of the father on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and I perform mercy to a thousand (or, ten thousand) generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

"Thou shalt not swear a false oath in the Name of the Lord thy God, for the Lord will not hold innocent the man who sweareth a false oath in His Name.

"And observe the day of the Sabbath to sanctify it, even as the Lord thy God commanded. Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day, the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt do no work at all, neither thyself, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy nor thine ass, nor any beast, nor the stranger that abideth with thee. For in six days God made the heavens and the earth, and the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day, and because of this God blessed the seventh day and declared it free (from work).

"Honour thy father and thy mother so that may be good to thee the many days that thou shalt find in the land which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

"Thou shalt not go with the wife of (another) man.

"Thou shalt not slay a life.

"Thou shalt not commit fornication. Thou shalt not steal.

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his house, nor his land, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his cattle, nor his ass, nor any of the beasts that thy neighbour hath acquired."

This is the word which God hath spoken, His Law and His Ordinance. And those who sin He rebuketh, so that they may not be confirmed in error, and may restrain themselves from the pollution wherewith God is not pleased. And this is the thing with which God is not pleased, and it is right that men should abstain from it.

"No man shall uncover the shame of one with whom he hath kinship; for I am the Lord your God. The shame of thy father and mother thou shalt not uncover, for it is thy mother. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy father's wife, for it is the shame of thy mother. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy sister who was begotten by thy father or thy mother. Whether she was born unto him from outside or whether she is a kinswoman of thine thou shalt not uncover her shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame either of thy son's daughter, or the shame of the daughter of thy daughter, for it is thine own shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of the daughter of thy father's wife, for she is thy sister, the daughter of thy mother, and thou shalt not uncover her shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy father's sister, for she is of thy father's house. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy mother's sister, for she is of thy mother's house. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of the wife of thy father's brother, for she is thy kin(swoman). Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy son's wife, for she is thy son's wife. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy daughter and the wife of thy brother's son, for it is thine own shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy brother's wife, for it is thy brother's shame as long as thy brother liveth. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of a woman and that of her daughter, nor that of the daughter of her son, nor that of the daughter of her daughter. Thou shalt not cause their shame to be uncovered; it is thy house and it is sin.

"And thou shalt not take to wife a maiden and her sister so as to make them jealous each of the other, and thou shalt not uncover their shame, nor the shame of the one or the other as long as the first sister is alive. Thou shalt not go to a menstruous woman, until she is purified, to uncover her shame whilst she is still unclean. And thou shalt not go to the wife of thy neighbour to lie with her, and thou shalt not let thy seed enter her.

"And thou shalt not vow thy children to MOLOCH to defile the Name of the Holy One, the Name of the Lord.

"And thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman, for it is pollution.

"And thou shalt not go to a beast and thou shalt not lie with it so as to make thy seed go out upon it, that thou mayest not be polluted thereby. And a woman shall not go to a beast to lie with it, for it is pollution. And ye shall not pollute yourselves with any of these things, for with them the nations whom I have driven out before you have polluted themselves, and with them ye shall not pollute your bodies.

"And sanctify ye your souls and your bodies to God, for He is the Holy One, and He loveth those who sanctify their souls and their bodies to Him. For He is holy, and to be feared, and He is high, and merciful, and compassionate. And to Him praise is meet for ever and ever. Amen."

43. How the men of the Army of ISRAEL received (their) orders

And the city rejoiced because the King had made his son King, and had appointed him King from his own territory to that of another. But the city sorrowed also because the King had commanded that they should give their children who were called "firstborn". And those who were on the right hand should sit in the same way as their fathers sat with King SOLOMON, even so should they sit at the right hand of his son DAVID, the King of ETHIOPIA; and those who were on the left hand should sit as their fathers sat with King SOLOMON, even so should they sit on the left hand of his son DAVID, the King of ETHIOPIA; and their rank should be like that of their fathers, and their names should be like those of their fathers. And each should be according to his ordinance, and each according to his greatness, and each according to his position of authority, and each according to his wages, and each according to his rank; in this wise shall they be. As SOLOMON did to his nobles so shall DAVID do to his nobles; and as SOLOMON ordained for his governors so shall DAVID order the direction of his house.

And the names of those who were appointed to be sent away were these:

AZY (AZARIAH), the son of Z, the priest, who was the high priest.
Y, the son of ARNthe Archdeacon; now the father of ARNwas the Archdeacon of NATHAN the prophet.
ADR, the son of ARDĔRES, leader of the peoples.
FANḲ the son of S scribe of the oxen.
AKḤ, the son of T, the youth.
SNĔY, the son of AKAM, the recorder.
FIḲ, the son of NĔY commander of the armed men, that is to say, chief of the troops.
LD, the son of AK commander of the recruits (?).
F, the son of ADR, commander on the sea.
M, the son of BENY, chief of the house.
AD‛ARAZ, the son of K, servant of decorations.
DALAKĔM, the son of MR, chief of the horse-soldiers.
ADARY, the son of NR, chief of the foot-soldiers.
AWSTĔR, the son of Y, bearer of the "glory".
ASTARAY, the son of AS messenger of the palace (?).
the son of MATY, commander of the host (?)
MR the son of AB judge of the palace.
AB, the son of KY, assessor of taxes (tithes ?).
L WENDEY, the son of NENTEY, judge of assembly.
KM the son of ḤAḌNĔY, chief of the royal workmen.
SERY, the son of AK, administrator of the King's house.

These are all those who were given to DAVID, king of ETHIOPIA, the son of SOLOMON, King of ISRAEL. And SOLOMON also gave him horses, and chariots, and riding-camels, and mules, and wagons for carrying loads, and gold, and silver, and splendid apparel, and byssus, and purple, and gems, and pearls and precious stones; and he gave his son everything that would be wished for in the country of ETHIOPIA.

And then they made ready to set out, and (though) there was great joy with the nobles of the King of ETHIOPIA, there was sadness with the nobles of the King of ISRAEL, because through the firstborn son of SOLOMON, King of ISRAEL, that is to say, the King of ETHIOPIA, the firstborn sons of the nobles of ISRAEL were given to rule over the country of ETHIOPIA with the son of SOLOMON the King. Then they assembled together and wept, together with their fathers, and their mothers, and their relations, and their kinsfolk, and their peoples, and their countrymen. And they cursed the King secretly and reviled him because he had seized their sons against their will. But unto the King they said, "Because of this thou hast done well. Thy wisdom is so good that the kingdom of ISRAEL, by the Will of God and by thy wisdom, extendeth to the country of ETHIOPIA. And God will gather together the other kingdoms (of the world) into thy hand, for thou hast a right mind towards God, and thou wishest that they shall serve the God of ISRAEL, and that idols may be destroyed out of the world."

And they praised him and said unto him, "Now know we that God spake concerning thee to our father ABRAHAM (when He said), 'In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.'" And they made their faces to appear happy, and they jested before him, and they praised him exceedingly (i.e., fulsomely) because of his wisdom. And when they said these things unto him, he understood them in (his) wisdom, and bore with them patiently; now God beareth with us patiently knowing well all our sins. And the whole earth, and the heavens, and the ends of the world, and the sea, and the dry land, are the kingdom of God. He judgeth. And He hath given the earth to the king to be subject unto him, that he may judge (or, rule), as He doth, those who do evil so that he may requite them with evil, and those who do good so that he may reward them with good. For the Spirit of God resteth in the heart of the king, and His hands are in his mind, and His knowledge is in his understanding.

44. How it is not a seemly thing to revile the King

Now it is not a seemly thing to revile the king, for he is the anointed of God. It is neither seemly nor good. If he doeth that which is good he will not suffer loss in three kingdoms: FIRST, God shall overthrow for him his enemy, and he shall not be seized by the hand of his enemy. SECONDLY, God shall make him reign with Him and with His righteousness, and shall make him to sit on His right hand. THIRDLY, God shall make him to reign upon earth with glory and joy, and shall direct his kingdom for him, and shall bring down the nations under his feet. And if he treateth God lightly, and doth not do that which is good, and doth not himself walk in the path of uprightness, God shall work as He pleaseth against him; on earth He will make his days to be few, and in heaven (sic) his place of abode shall be the habitation of SHE with the Devil. And on earth he shall enjoy neither health nor gladness (and he shall live) in fear and terror, without peace and with perturbation.

It is not a good thing for any of those who are under the dominion of a king to revile him, for retribution belongeth to God. Now the priests are like the prophets, only better than the prophets, for the mysteries are given unto them, so that they may lay hold upon the sun of righteousness, whilst the Seraphim, who were created out of fire, are only able to lay hold upon the mysteries with tongs. As for the priests He named them "salt", and moreover, He named the priests "lamp" and also "light of the world", and also "the sun that lighteneth the darkness", CHRIST, the Sun of righteousness, being in their hearts. And a priest, who hath in him understanding, rebuketh the king concerning that he hath seen; and that which he hath not seen God will enquire into, and there is none who can call Him to account. Moreover, the people must not revile the bishops and the priests, for they are the children of God and the men of His house, for which reason they must rebuke (men) for their sins and errors. And thou, O priest, if thou seest sin in a well-known man, shalt not hesitate to rebuke him; let neither sword nor exile make thee afraid. And hear how angry God was with ISAIAH because he did not rebuke King Y (UZZIAH). And hearken also concerning SAMUEL the Prophet, how he rebuked SAUL the king, being in no way afraid of him, and how he rent his kingdom (from him) by his word; and (hearken also) how ELIJAH (rebuked) AHAB. Do thou then fear not, and rebuke and teach him that transgresseth.

And ISRAEL from of old reviled their kings and provoked their prophets to wrath, and in later times they crucified their Saviour. But believing Christian folk dwell in peace, without sickness and suffering, without hatred and offence, with our king . . . who loveth God and who removeth not from his heart the thing of righteousness, and faith in the Churches and in the believers. And his enemies shall be scattered by the might of the Cross of JESUS CHRIST.

45. How those who were sent away wept and made a plan

And the children of the nobles of ISRAEL, who were commanded to depart with the son of the king, took counsel together, saying, "What shall we do? For we have left our country and our birth place, and our kinsfolk and the people of our city. Now, come ye, let us establish a covenant between us only, whereof our kinsfolk shall know nothing, that we will love each other in that country: none shall hasten or tarry here, and we will neither fear nor have any doubt. For God is here, and God is there, and may God's Will be done! And to Him be praise for ever and ever! Amen." And AZY and M, sons of the priests, answered, "Let not the other matterthat our kinsfolk hate uscause us sorrow, but let us sorrow on account of our Lady ZION, because they are making us to leave her. For in her they have committed us to God, and we have served her to this day; and let us be sorrowful because they have made us to leave her. It is because of her and because of this that they have specially made us to weep." And the others answered and said unto them, "Verily she is our Lady and our hope, and our object of boasting, and we have grown up under her blessedness. And how is it possible for us to forsake ZION our mistress? For we have been given to her. And what shall we do? If we resist his command the king will kill us, and we are unable to transgress the word of our fathers or the king's command. And what shall we do concerning ZION our Lady?"

And AZY, the son of ZADOK the priest, answered and said, "I will counsel you what we shall do. But make a covenant with me to the end of your lives; and swear to me that ye will not repeat it whether we live or whether we die, or whether we be taken captive or whether we go forth (unhindered)." And they swore an oath to him in the Name of the Lord God of ISRAEL, and by the heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, and by what God had promised unto ABRAHAM, and by the purity and excellence of ISAAC, and by His making JACOB to arrive in and inherit a land whereto he was a stranger, and his seed after him.

And when they had sworn thus to him, he answered and said unto them, "Come now, let us take (with us) our Lady ZION; but how are we to take her? I will show you. And carry ye out my plan and if God willeth we shall be able to take our Lady with us. And if they should gain knowledge of our doings and slay us, that shall not trouble us, because we shall die for our Lady ZION." And they all rose up, and kissed his head, and his face, and his eyes, and they said unto him, "We will do everything that thou hast counselled us to do; whether we die or whether we live, we are with thee for the sake of our Lady ZION. If we die it will not cause us sorrow, and if we livethe Will of God be done!" And one of them, the son of YS (BENAIAH), whose name was ZECHARIAH, said, "I cannot sit down because of the great gladness that is in my heart. Tell me, moreover, canst thou indeed carry her off, and is it not a lie? Thou canst go into the House of God in the place of thy father ZADOK, and the keys are continually in thy hand. But ponder well what we counsel thee before they take the keys out of thy hand. Thou knowest the hidden openings (or, windows) which King SOLOMON made; but none of the priests may enter therein except thy father once each year in order to offer up sacrifice in the Holy of Holies on behalf of himself and on behalf of the people. Ponder, consider, and sleep not in the matter of thy wish to carry away ZION. And we will depart with her as soon as she hath been committed to our care, and we shall have joy and our fathers sorrow when she arriveth with us in the country of ETHIOPIA."

And AZY said unto them, "Do ye what I tell you, and we shall succeed. Give ye to me each of you ten drachmas, and I will give them to a carpenter so that he will make haste to prepare for me good planks of woodnow because of his love of money he will fasten them together very quicklyof the height, and breadth, and length and size of our Lady (ZION). And I will give him the dimensions of myself, and I will say unto him, "Prepare for me pieces of wood for a framework (?) so that I may make a raft therefrom; for we are going to travel over the sea, and in the event of the ship sinking I shall be able to get up on the raft, and we shall be saved from the sea. And I will take the framework without the pieces of wood thereof being fixed together, and I will have them put together in ETHIOPIA. And I will set them down in the habitation of ZION, and will drape them with the draperies of ZION, and I will take ZION, and will dig a hole in the ground, and will set ZION there, until we journey and take it away with us thither. And I will not tell the matter to the king until we have travelled far."

And they each gave him ten drachmas, and this money amounted to one hundred and forty drachmas, and he took them and gave them to a carpenter, who straightway fashioned a good piece of work from the remains of the wood of the house of the sanctuary, and AZY rejoiced and showed it to his brethren.

46. How they made a plan concerning ZION

And while AZY was asleep at night the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, "Take to thee four goats, each a yearlingnow they shall be for your sins, thyself, and MEY, and AB, and MRΗand four pure sheep, yearlings also, and an ox whereon no yoke hath ever been laid. And thou shalt offer up the ox as a sacrifice on the east side of her (i.e., ZION), and the sheep and the goats to the right, and left thereof, and at the west of it, which is close to its exit. And your Lord DAVID shall speak to SOLOMON the King and shall say unto him, 'One thing I ask from thee, O father, I would offer up a sacrifice to the holy city JERUSALEM, and to my Lady ZION, the holy and heavenly Tabernacle of the Law of God.' And SOLOMON shall say unto him, 'Do so.' And DAVID shall say unto him, 'Let the son of the priest offer up sacrifice on my behalf, even as he knoweth'; and he will give thee the command, and thou shalt offer up the sacrifice. And thou shalt bring forth the Tabernacle of the Law of God after thou hast offered up the sacrifice, and I will again show thee what thou shalt do in respect of it as to bringing it out; for this is from God. For ISRAEL hath provoked God to wrath, and for this reason He will make the Tabernacle of the Law of God to depart from him."

And when AZY awoke from his dream he rejoiced greatly, and his heart and his mind were clear, and he remembered everything that the Angel of the Lord had shown him in the night, and how he had sealed him (with the sign of the Cross), and given him strength and heartened him. And he went to his brethren, and when they were gathered together he told them everything that the Angel of God had shown him: how the Tabernacle of the Law of God had been given to them, and how God had made blind His eye in respect of the kingdom of ISRAEL, and how its glory had been given to others, and they themselves were to take away the Tabernacle of the Law of God, and how the kingdom of SOLOMON was to be seized by themwith the exception of two "rods", and how it was not to be left to BĔ‛ (REHOBOAM) his son, and how the kingdom of ISRAEL was to be divided. And (AZY said), "Rejoice with me. I rejoice because it hath been shown unto me thus; for the grace of their priesthood and kingdom shall depart with us, and it shall be by the Will of God. Thus said he (i.e., the Angel) unto me. And now come ye, and let us go and tell DAVID our Lord so that he may say to his father, 'I will offer up a sacrifice.'"

And they went and told (DAVID, the son of SOLOMON) and he rejoiced, and he sent to YAS (BENAIAH), the son of Y to come to him, that he might send him to his father, and he came. And DAVID sent him to his father SOLOMON, and he said unto him, "Send me away, for I will depart to my own country, together with everything that thy goodness hath given me; and may thy prayers accompany me always whithersoever I shall go. But now there is one petition which I would make unto thee, if peradventure I have found grace with thee, and turn not away thy face from me. For I thy servant am going to depart, and I wish to offer up a sacrifice of propitiation (or, salvation) for my sins in this thy holy city of JERUSALEM and of ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God. And peace (be) with thy majesty."

47. Concerning the offering of AZY (AZARIAH) and the King

And Y (BENAIAH), the son of Y went and told King SOLOMON, and the King rejoiced over it and commanded them to make ready the altar of offering so that his son might sacrifice. And he brought and gave unto him that which he had vowed to God, one hundred bulls, one hundred oxen, ten thousand sheep, ten thousand goats, and ten of every kind of animal that may be eaten, and ten of every kind of clean bird, so that he might offer libations and sacrifices to the God of ISRAEL; and twenty silver sal of fine white flour, each weighing twelve shekels, and forty baskets of bread. All these things did SOLOMON the King give unto his son DAVID. And again DAVID sent a message saying, "Let AZY the priest offer up sacrifice on my behalf"; and SOLOMON said unto him, "Do that which thou wishest." And AZY rejoiced because of this thing, and he went and brought from his father's flock an ox whereon never yoke had been laid, and four yearlings of the goats and four clean yearlings of the sheep. And the king went to offer up sacrifice, and the priests made themselves ready, and the poor folk were gathered together, and the birds of the heavens rejoiced, and they were all united in their great gladness that day. And AZY mingled (his offerings) with the offerings of the king, and he made an offering with his vessels, even as the Angel of God had commanded him to do by night. And then, after they had offered up their sacrifices, they went back to their houses and slept.

48. How they carried away ZION

And behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared again to AZY and he stood up above him like a pillar of fire, and he filled the house with his light. And he raised up AZY and said unto him, "Stand up, be strong, and rouse up thy brother MĔY, and ABĔS and MAR and take the pieces of wood and I will open for thee the doors of the sanctuary. And take thou the Tabernacle of the Law of God, and thou shalt carry it without trouble and discomfort. And I, inasmuch as I have been commanded by God to be with it for ever, will be thy guide when thou shalt carry it away."

And AZY rose up straightway, and woke up the three men his brethren, and they took the pieces of wood, and went into the house of Godnow they found all the doors open, both those that were outside and those that were insideto the actual place where AZY found ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God; and it was taken away by them forthwith, in the twinkling of an eye, the Angel of the Lord being present and directing. And had it not been that God willed it ZION could not have been taken away forthwith. And the four of them carried ZION away, and they brought it into the house of AZY, and they went back into the house of God, and they set the pieces of wood on the place where ZION had been, and they covered them over with the covering of ZION, and they shut the doors, and went back to their houses. And they took lamps and set them in the place where (ZION) was hidden, and they sacrificed the sheep thereto, and burned offerings of incense thereto, and they spread purple cloths over it and set it in a secret place for seven days and seven nights.

49. How his Father blessed his Son

And then the King of ETHIOPIA rose up to depart to his country, and he came to his father that he might pray on his behalf, and he said unto him, "Bless me, father"; and he made obeisance unto him. And the King raised him up, and blessed him, and embraced his head, and said, "Blessed be the Lord my God Who blessed my father DAVID, and Who blessed our father ABRAHAM. May He be with thee always, and bless thy seed even as He blessed JACOB, and made his seed to be as many as the stars of heaven and the sand of the sea. And as ABRAHAM blessed ISAAC my father even so shall thy blessing bethe dew of heaven and the spaciousness of the earthand may all animals and all the birds of the heavens, and all the beasts of the field, and the fish of the sea, be in subjection unto thee. Be thou full, and not lacking in fullness; be thou perfect, and not lacking in perfection; be gracious, and not obstinate; be in good health, and not suffering; be generous, and not vindictive; be pure, and not defiled; be righteous, and not a sinner; be merciful, and not oppressive; be sincere, and not perverse; be long-suffering, and not prone to wrath. And the enemy shall be afraid of thee, and thine adversaries shall cast themselves under the sole of thy foot. And my Lady ZION, the holy and heavenly, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, shall be a guide unto thee at all times, a guide in respect of what thou shouldst think in thy heart and shouldst do with thy fingers, whether it be far or near to thee, whether it be low or high to thee, whether it be strong or weak to thee, whether it be outside or inside thee, whether it be to thee in the house or in the field, whether it be visible or invisible to thee, whether it be away from or near to thee, whether it be hidden from or revealed to thee, whether it be secret or published abroad to theeunto thee our Lady ZION, the holy and heavenly, the pure Tabernacle of the Law of God, shall be a guide." And DAVID was blessed, and he made obeisance, and departed.

50. How they bade farewell to his Father and how the city mourned

And they bade (the king) farewell and departed. And first of all they set ZION by night upon a wagon together with a mass of worthless stuff, and dirty clothes, and stores of every sort and kind. And (when) all the wagons were loaded, and the masters of the caravan rose up, and the horn was blown, and the city became excited, and the youths shouted loudly, awesomeness crowned it and grace surrounded it (i.e., ZION). And the old men wailed, and the children cried out, and the widows wept, and the virgins lamented, because the sons of their nobles, the mighty men of ISRAEL, had risen up to depart. But the city did not weep for them alone, but because the majesty of the city had been carried off with them. And although they did not know actually that ZION had been taken from them, they made no mistake in their hearts and they wept bitterly; and they were then even as they were when God slew the firstborn of EGYPT. There was not a house wherein there was not wailing, from man even to the beast; the dogs howled, and the asses screamed, and all those who were left there mingled their tears together. It was as though the generals of a mighty army had besieged the great city, and had captured it by assault, and looted it, and taken its people prisoners and slain them with the edge of the sword; even thus was that city of ZIONJERUSALEM.

And King SOLOMON was dismayed at the weeping and outcry of the city, and he looked out from the roof of the palace, the fort of the king's house, and saw the whole city weeping and following them. And as a child, whom his mother hath removed from her breast and left, followeth in her footsteps crying out and weeping, even so did the people cry out and weep; and they cast dust upon their heads, and they shed tears with their eyes. And when SOLOMON saw the majesty of those who had departed, he was deeply moved and he trembled, and his bowels quaked, and his tears fell drop by drop upon his apparel, and he said, "Woe is me! for my glory hath departed, and the crown of my splendour hath fallen, and my belly is burned up because this my son hath departed, and the majesty of my city and the freemen, the children of my might, are removed. From this moment our glory hath passed away, and our kingdom hath been carried off unto a strange people who know not God, even as the prophet saith, 'The people who have not sought Me have found Me.' From this time forth the law, and wisdom, and understanding shall be given unto them. And my father prophesied concerning them, saying, 'ETHIOPIA shall bow before Him, and His enemies shall eat the dust.' And in another (place) he saith, 'ETHIOPIA shall stretch out her hands to God, and He shall receive her with honour, and the kings of the earth shall praise God.' And in a third (place) he saith, 'Behold, the PHILISTINES, and the Tyrians, and the people of ETHIOPIA, who were born without the Law. The Law shall be given unto them, and they shall say unto ZION, 'our mother because of a man who shall be born.' Will this man then be my son who is begotten of me?"