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Now that other son AKAM?ÊL, the son of SAMSON, spake unto his mother DELILAH, saying, "Why am I not reigning and sitting upon this throne?" And his mother said unto him, "Cease, my son. This throne did not belong to thy father, and this city was not thy father's city; when the God of thy father hath let thee grow up thou shalt go to thy father's throne." And her son said unto her, "Nay, I will neither forsake thee, my mother, nor MAKSÂBÂ my mother, and I will be king here."
And one day the two youths were drunk after [their] meal was ended, and the doors were shut. And the two women were sitting together about to eat flesh, and the two youths were playing before them, and they ate with them, and a maidservant held the dish between them. And ’AKÊMÊ?ÊL, the son of DELILAH, took from the dish [a piece of] flesh, which would fill both his hands, and put it to his mouth, and ?EBRÊLÊS, the son of MAKSÂBÂ, the King of the PHILISTINES, snatched away that part of the flesh that was outside his mouth. And ’AKÊMÊ?ÊL drew his sword and cut off his head, and it fell into the dish before he could swallow what he had seized; and his body fell upon the paving of the house; and his hands and his feet twitched convulsively, and he died straightway. And fear and dismay laid hold upon their two mothers, and they spake never a word to anyone because they were afraid, but they swallowed the food which was in their mouths, and they looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
And that handmaiden rose up from them, and she took the head of ?EBRÊLÊS out of the dish, and put it back on its neck and covered it over with her garment. And DELILAH rose up and seized the sword of the dead son of her sister, and went to kill ’AKÊMÊ?ÊL, but he saved himself by hiding behind a pillar. And he made ready to kill his mother. And her sister rose up and seized her, saying, "Why should we be destroyed through their [quarrel?]. This [youth] is [sprung] from a bad root, and cannot [bear] good fruit; come, my sister, let him not destroy thee also." And she took the sword from her hand, and drew up from her pillow (?) rich purple clothing which kings wear, and she gave it to him, and she spake kindly words unto him, saying, "Take the apparel, my son, and thou thyself shalt sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the PHILISTINES." And ’AKÊMÊ?ÊL raged like a savage bear, for he wished to slay both women until he made them to leave the house. And they went out, and when he had made them leave the house he took the purple apparel, and went out. And the two women came back, and made the dead body ready for burial, and they buried it secretly.
And when the time for the evening meal had come, the young men and the stewards sought for [their king] and found him not, and they asked about him, and his mother said unto them, "Your king is sick, and this man will sit in place of him." And they took him and set him on the throne, and they prepared a feast, and rejoiced. And from that time onward the son of SAMSON reigned over them, and there was none who transgressed his commandment—now he committed this act [of murder] fif[teen] winters after he was born—and the kingdom of the PHILISTINES became his and his seed's after him. Therefore, beloved, it is well known that the kingdom of the PHILISTINES belongeth to the seed of SHEM.
And we could also inform you that when God had given unto ABRAHAM glory and riches, he lacked a son. And SÂRÂH and ABRAHAM talked together on their bed, and he said unto her, "Thou art barren," and she said unto him, "It is not I who am barren but thyself"; and they continued to discuss the matter and to dispute together about it. And there came a famine in the land of CANAAN, and ABRAHAM heard that there was some food in the land of EGYPT, the country of PHARAOH. And when he had spent all his possessions in charity to the poor during the days of the famine, without providing for the morrow, the famine waxed strong in the land of CANAAN, and he lacked food to eat. And he said, "I give thanks unto God that what He hath given unto me I have expended on my servants. But as for thee, my sister SÂRÂH, come, let us go into the land of EGYPT in order to save ourselves from death by famine." And she said unto him, "Thy will be done, O my lord, and if thou die I will die with thee, and if thou live I will live with thee; it is not for me to gainsay thy word for ever." And then they rose up and set out on their journey.
And when they drew nigh [to EGYPT] ABRAHAM said unto SÂRÂH, "One thing I must ask of thee, and do thou what I ask of thee"; and SÂRÂH said, "Speak, my lord." And he said unto her, "I have heard that the habits of the EGYPTIANS are lawless, and that they live in idolatry and fornication. And when they have seen thee they will plot evil against me, and slay me because of the goodliness of thy beautiful form; for there is among them no one that can be compared unto thee. And now, in order that thou mayest save my life, do thou say, if they happen to ask thee questions about me, 'I am his sister,' so that thou mayest save my soul from death by the hand of the strangers." And SÂRÂH said, "Thy will shall be done. The word which thou tellest me I will speak, and what thou tellest me to do I will do." And they wept and worshipped God, and they came into the great city of the King of EGYPT.
And when the EGYPTIANS saw ABRAHAM and SÂRÂH they marvelled at the beauty of their appearance, for they imagined that they had been brought forth by the same mother. And they said unto ABRAHAM, "What is this woman to thee?" And ABRAHAM said unto them, "She is my sister." And they also asked SÂRÂH "What is this man to thee?" And she said unto them, "He is my brother." Therefore did the people make a report to PHARAOH that a pair of goodly form had arrived, one a woman and the other a young man, and that there was no one like unto them in all the land. And PHARAOH rejoiced, and he sent a message to ABRAHAM, saying, "Give me thy sister that I may betroth her to myself." And ABRAHAM pondered in his mind, saying, "If I keep her back he will kill me and take her"; and he said, "Do so, provided that thou dost make me well content." And PHARAOH gave him one thousand, silver ?aflâ?et, and took SÂRÂH to make her his wife. And he brought her into his house, and set her upon his bed and PHARAOH the King of EGYPT would have companied with her. But the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him by night carrying a sword of fire, and he drew nigh unto him, and he lighted up the whole chamber with his fiery flame, and he wished to slay PHARAOH. And PHARAOH fled from one wall of the chamber to the other, and from one corner of the chamber to the other; wheresoever he went the Angel followed him; and there was no place left whereto he could flee and hide himself. Then PHARAOH stretched out his hands and said unto the Angel, "O lord, forgive me this my sin." And the Angel said unto him, "Why dost thou attack the wife of [another] man?" And PHARAOH said unto him, "O lord, slay thou not innocent blood. For he said unto me 'She is my sister,' and therefore I took her to myself innocently. What shall I do to deliver myself from thy hands?" And the Angel said unto him, "Give ABRAHAM'S wife back to him, and give him a gift, and send him away to his own country." And straightway PHARAOH called ABRAHAM, and gave unto him his wife SÂRÂH, together with a handmaiden whose name was ’AGÂR (HAGAR), and he gave unto him gold, and silver, and costly apparel, and sent him away in peace.
And ABRAHAM and his wife returned to their country in peace. And SÂRÂH said unto ABRAHAM, "I know that I am barren. Go thou in to this my handmaiden whom PHARAOH gave unto me; peradventure God will give thee seed in her. As for me, my person is shrunk and withered, and the flower of my body hath dried up." And she gave ’AGÂR unto him. And ABRAHAM went in to ’AGÂR, and she conceived by him, and she brought forth a son and called his name ISHMAEL, which is, being interpreted, "God hath heard me." And afterwards God gave ABRAHAM seed from his wife SÂRÂH and he begat ISAAC. And afterwards SÂRÂH became jealous of ISHMAEL, the son of her handmaiden, because he would reach manhood before her son, and she said, "Peradventure he will slay my son and inherit his father's house." And ABRAHAM offered up offerings to God and said, "Lord, what shall I do in respect of ISHMAEL, my son, my firstborn? I wish him to live for me before Thee, but SÂRÂH, my sister, is jealous because Thou hast given me seed in her old age." Now ISHMAEL was fourteen years old before ISAAC was born. And God said unto ABRAHAM, "What SÂRÂH saith is true; cast out the handmaiden with her son ISHMAEL. Let ISHMAEL live before Me, and I will make him a great nation, and he shall beget twelve nations and shall reign over p. 144 them. And I will establish My covenant with ISAAC My servant, the son of SÂRÂH, and in him I will bless all the nations of the earth, and I will make for him a great kingdom over all the nations of the earth, and in the heavens also I will make him king."1
And therefore the children of ISHMAEL became kings over TEREB, and over ?EBE?, and over NÔBÂ, and SÔBA, and KUERGUE, and KÎFÎ, and MÂKÂ, and MÔRNÂ, and FÎN?ÂNÂ, and ’ARSÎBÂNÂ, and LÎBÂ, and MASE?A, for they were the seed of SHEM. And ISAAC reigned over JUDAH and over ’AMÔRÊWÔN, and over KÊ?ÊWÔN, and ’ÎYÂBÛSÊWÔN, and FÊRZÊWÔN, and ’EÊWÊWÔN, and KÊ?ÊDÊWÔN, and RÔMYÂ, and ’AN?ÔKYÂ (ANTIOCHIA), and SÔRYÂ (SYRIA), and ARMENIA, and FELES?EÊM (PALESTINE), and ETHIOPIA, and EDOM, and PHILISTIA, and ÎYÔÂB, and AMALEK, and PHRYGIA, and BABYLON, and YÔNÂNES?, and ’EBRÂYAST. For as God sware He gave all kingdoms to the seed of SHEM, and an exalted throne and dominion to the seed of SHEM, even as his father NOAH, by the word of God, blessed his son SHEM, saying, "Be lord to thy brethren and reign over them." And this that he said had reference to the Redeemer, the King of us all, JESUS CHRIST the King of heaven and earth, Who magnifieth kings, and Who when He pleaseth abrogateth their power; for unto Him belong power and dominion over all created things for ever and ever. Amen.
And the King of ETHIOPIA returned to his country with great joy and gladness; and marching along with their songs, and their pipes, and their wagons, like an army of heavenly beings, the ETHIOPIANS arrived from JERUSALEM at the city of WA?ÊRÔM in a single day. And they sent messengers in ships to announce [their arrival] to MÂKEDÂ, the Queen of ETHIOPIA, and to report to her how they had found every good thing, and how her son had become king, and how they had brought the heavenly ZION. And she caused all this glorious news to be spread abroad, and she made a herald to go round about in all the country that was subject unto her, ordering the people to meet her son and more particularly the heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the God of ISRAEL. And they blew horns before her, and all the people of ETHIOPIA rejoiced, from the least to the greatest, men as well as women; and the soldiers rose up with her to meet their King. And she came to the city of the Government, which is the chief city of the kingdom of ETHIOPIA; now in later times this [city] became the chief city of the Christians of ETHIOPIA. And in it she caused to be prepared perfumes innumerable from INDIA, and from BÂLTÊ to GÂLTÊT, and from ’ALSÂFU to ’AZAZAT, and had them brought together there. And her son came by the ’AZYÂBÂ road to WA?ÊRÔM, and he came forth to MASAS, and ascended to BÛR, and arrived at the city of the Government, the capital [city] of ETHIOPIA, which the Queen herself had built and called "DABRA MÂKEDÂ", after her own name.
And DAVID the King came with great pomp unto his mother's city, and then he saw in the height the heavenly ZION sending forth light like the sun. And when the Queen saw this she gave thanks unto the God of ISRAEL, and praised Him. And she bowed low, and smote her breast, and [then] threw up her head and gazed into the heavens, and thanked her Creator; and she clapped her hands together, and sent forth shouts of laughter from her mouth, and danced on the ground with her feet; and she adorned her whole body with joy and gladness with the fullest will of her inward mind. And what shall I say of the rejoicing which took place then in the country of ETHIOPIA, and of the joy of the people, both of man and beast, from the least to the greatest, and of both women and men? And pavilions and tents were placed at the foot of DABRA MÂKEDÂ on the flat plain by the side of good water, and they slaughtered thirty-two thousand stalled oxen and bulls. And they set ZION upon the fortress of DABRA MÂKEDÂ, and made ready for her three hundred guards who wielded swords to watch over the pavilion of ZION, together with her own men and her nobles, the mighty men of ISRAEL. And her own guards were three hundred men who bore swords, and in addition to these her son DAVID had seven hundred [guards]. And they rejoiced exceedingly with great glory and pleasure [being arrayed] in fine apparel, for the kingdom was directed by her from the Sea of ’ALÊBÂ to the Sea of ’ÔSÊKÂ, and everyone obeyed her command. And she had exceedingly great honour and riches; none before her ever had the like, and none after her shall ever have the like. In those days SOLOMON was King in JERUSALEM, and MÂKEDÂ was Queen in ETHIOPIA. Unto both of them were given wisdom, and glory, and riches, and graciousness, and understanding, and beauty of voice (or, eloquence of speech), and intelligence. And gold and silver were held as cheaply as brass, and rich stuffs wherein gold was woven were as common as linen garments, and the cattle and the horses were innumerable.
And on the third day MÂKEDÂ delivered over to her son seventeen thousand and seven hundred chosen horses, which were to watch the army of the enemy, and would again plunder the cities of the enemy, and seven thousand and seven hundred mares that had borne foals, and one thousand female mules, and seven hundred chosen mules, and apparel of honour, gold and silver measured by the gômôr, and measured by the ?ôr, some six and some seven, and she delivered over to her son everything that was his by law, and all the throne of her kingdom.
And the Queen said unto her nobles: "Speak ye now, and swear ye by the heavenly ZION that ye will not make women queens or set them upon the throne of the kingdom of ETHIOPIA, and that no one except the male seed of DAVID, the son of SOLOMON the King, shall ever reign over ETHIOPIA, and that ye will never make women queens." And all the nobles of the king's house swore, and the governors, and the councillors, and the administrators.
And she made ÊLMEYÂS and ’AZÂRYÂS (AZARIAH) the chief of the priests and the chief of the deacons, and they made the kingdom anew, and the sons of the mighty men of ISRAEL performed the Law, together with their King DAVID, in the Tabernacle of Witness, and the kingdom was made anew. And the hearts of the people shone at the sight of ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, and the people of ETHIOPIA cast aside their idols, and they worshipped their Creator, the God Who had made them. And the men of ETHIOPIA forsook their works, and loved the righteousness and justice that God loveth. They forsook their former fornications, and chose purity in the camp that was in the sight of the heavenly ZION. They forsook divination and magic, and chose repentance and tears for God's sake. They forsook augury by means of birds and the use of omens, and they returned to hearken unto God and to make sacrifice unto Him. They forsook the pleasures of the gods who were devils, and chose the service and praise of God. The daughters of JERUSALEM suffered disgrace, and the daughters of ETHIOPIA were held in honour; the daughter of JUDAH was sad, whilst the daughter of ETHIOPIA rejoiced; the mountains of ETHIOPIA rejoiced, and the mountains of LEBANON mourned. The people of ETHIOPIA were chosen [from] among idols and graven images, and the people of ISRAEL were rejected. The daughters of ZION were rejected, and the daughters of ETHIOPIA were honoured; the old men of ISRAEL became objects of contempt, and the old men of ETHIOPIA were honoured. For God accepted the peoples who had been cast away and rejected ISRAEL, for ZION was taken away from them and she came into the country of ETHIOPIA. For wheresoever God is pleased for her to dwell, there is her habitation, and where He is not pleased that she should dwell she dwelleth not; He is her founder, and Maker, and Builder, the Good God in the temple of His holiness, the habitation of His glory, with His Son and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
And MÂKEDÂ, the Queen of ETHIOPIA, gave the kingdom to her son DAVID, the son of SOLOMON, the King of ISRAEL, and she said unto him, "Take [the kingdom]. I have given [it] unto thee. I have made King him whom God hath made King, and I have chosen him whom God hath chosen as the keeper of His Pavilion. I am well pleased with him whom God hath been Pleased to make the envoy of the Tabernacle of His Covenant and His Law. I have magnified him whom God hath magnified [as] the director of His widows, and I have honoured him whom God hath honoured [as] the giver of food to orphans."
And the King rose up and girded up his apparel, and he bowed low before his mother, and said unto her, "Thou art the Queen, O my Lady, and I will serve thee in every thing which thou commandest me, whether it be to death or whether it be to life. Wheresoever thou sendest me I will be sent, and wheresoever thou orderest me to be there will I be, and whatsoever thou commandest me to do that will I do. For thou are the head and I am the foot, and thou art the Lady and I am thy slave; everything shall be performed according to thy order, and none shall transgress thy commandment, and I will do everything that thou wishest. But pray for me that the God of ISRAEL may deliver me from His wrath. For He will be wroth—according to what they tell us—if we do not make our hearts right to do His Will, and if we do not readily observe all His commands in respect to ZION, the habitation of the glory of God. For the Angel of His host is with us, who directed us and brought us hither, and he shall neither depart from us nor forsake us.
"And now, hearken unto me, O my Lady. If I and those who are after me behave rightly and do His Will, God shall dwell with us, and shall preserve us from all evil and from the hand of our enemy. But if we do not keep our hearts right with Him He will be wroth with us, and will turn away His face from us, and will punish us, and our enemies will plunder us, and fear and trembling shall come to us from the place whence we expect them not, and they will rise up against us, and will overcome us in war, and will destroy us. On the other hand, if we do the Will of God, and do what is right in respect of ZION, we shall become chosen men, and no one shall have the power to treat us evilly in the mountain of His holiness whilst His habitation is with us.
"And behold, we have brought with us the whole Law of the kingdom and the commandment of God, which ZADOK the high priest declared unto us when he anointed me with the oil of sovereignty in the house of the sanctuary of God, the horn of oil, which is the unguent of priesthood and royalty, being in his hand. And he did unto us that which was written in the Law, and we were anointed; AZARIAH to the priesthood and I to the kingdom, and ’ALMEYÂS, the mouth of God, keeper of the Law, that is to say, keeper of ZION, and the Ear of the King in every path of righteousness. And they commanded me that I should do nothing except under their advice, and they set us before the King and before the elders of ISRAEL, and all the people heard whilst ZADOK the priest was giving us the commands. And the horns and the organs were blown, and the sounds of their harps and musical instruments, and the noise of their outcries which were made at that time were in the gates of JERUSALEM. But what shall I tell unto you, O ye who were present there? It seemed to us that the earth quaked from her very foundations, and that the heavens above our heads thundered, and the heart trembled with the knees."
"And when these had become silent there rose up the priest who gave us the Commandments, with the fear of God, and he shed tears whilst our bodies quaked and our tears flowed down. God is indeed, without falsehood, in our hearts, and He dwelleth in His commandment. And His commandment is uttered, and it removeth itself not from those who love Him and who keep His commandment, and He is with them continually. And now, hearken to the judgment and laws which the elders and the sons of the mighty men of ISRAEL brought, which they wrote before King SOLOMON and have given unto us, so that we may not turn aside either to the right hand or to the left from what they have commanded us. And also they told us and made us to understand that we bear death and life, and that we are like unto a man who hath fire in his left hand and water in his right, and who can put his hand into whichever he pleaseth. For punishment and life are written therein; for those who have done evil, punishment, and for those who have done good, life."
And ’ÊLMEYÂS and AZARIAH brought forth that writing which was written before God and before the King of ISRAEL, and they read it before MÂKEDÂ and before the great men of ISRAEL. And when they heard these words all those who were round about, both small and great, bowed down and made obeisance, and they glorified God Who had made them hear these words and had given them this commandment, so that they might perform the justice and judgment of God. And moreover, He made them members of His house, for ZION was among them, and she is the habitation of the glory of God, and she delivered them from all evil, and blessed the fruit of their lands, and multiplied their sheep and cattle, and blessed their wells of water, and blessed their labours, and the fruit of their gardens, and made their children to grow up, and protected their aged men, and became the foreguard and rearguard wheresoever they dwelt, and vanquished their enemies wheresoever they went. And all the people of ETHIOPIA rejoiced.
And the Queen said unto her son, "My son, God hath given unto thee the right, walk thou therein and withdraw not thyself from it, neither to the right hand nor the left. And love thou the Lord thy God, for He is merciful unto the simple-minded. For His way is known from His commandment, and His goodness is comprehended through the guidance of His word."
Then she turned towards ’ÊLMEYÂS and AZARIAH and all the mighty men of ISRAEL [saying], "Do ye protect him and teach him the path of the kingdom of God, and the honour of our Lady ZION. And whatsoever our Lady loveth not let us not do. Tell us [this] truly and carefully for ever and from generation to generation, so that she may not be wroth with us, if we do not perform her service well, so that God may dwell with us. And thou, my son, hearken unto the word of thy fathers, and walk in their counsel. And let not drink make thee foolish, nor women, nor pride of apparel, nor the bridles and trappings of horses, nor the sight of the weapons of war of those who are at the head or at the rear. But let thy confidence be in God and in ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, thy Creator, so that thou mayest vanquish thine enemy, and so that thy seed upon the earth may multiply, and so that thy foes and adversaries, near and far, may be overthrown."
And those sons of mighty men answered and said with one voice, "O our Lady, we are with you always, and we will remember the lord, the King. Behold, what is written and the performance thereof shall take place if the God of ISRAEL shall be unto him a helper, and if he hearkeneth to the word of his mother; and we will inform him about the path of doing good works. For there is no one to be found in these days as wise as thyself, except our lord the King. Thou hast drawn us hither as thy servants with our Lady, the heavenly ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of the Lord our God just as a man draweth a camel that is loaded with valuable possessions with a little piece of thin, tough cord fastened over his nose. And now, reject us not and treat us not as strange people, but make us like unto thy slaves who wash thy feet, for whether we die or whether we live we are with thee; we have no longer any hope in the country of our birth, but only in thee and in our Lady the heavenly ZION, the habitation of the glory of God."
And the Queen answered and said unto them, "Not as servants as ye say but as a father and a teacher will we treat you. For ye are the guardians of the Law of God, and the guides of the commandment of the God of ISRAEL, and the men of the house of God, and the guardians of ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, and we do not wish to transgress your commandments, for ye shall be unto us a guide to the path of God away from all evil. At your words we will withdraw from that wherewith God is not well-pleased, and we will draw nigh unto every good thing wherewith God is well-pleased at your commandment. Only do ye instruct all this people, and teach them the words of knowledge, for never before have they heard such things as they have heard this day. It is only those who have understanding in them that wisdom and understanding illumine like the light of the sun. As for me, up to this present I have not drunk deeply of the water of knowledge. Now it is sweeter than honey, and quencheth the thirst more than wine, and it satisfieth and maketh wisdom to bubble up, and it stimulateth the understanding, and maketh a man to pour forth words like a drunken man, and maketh the unsteady man like one who flieth, and maketh a man as hot as he that carrieth a heavy load on a difficult road in a parched land that is burnt up by a blazing sun. When the hearts of the wise are open to prophecy and to knowledge, they do not fear the king because of the greatness of his glory if he turneth himself aside from the way of God. And mark this: The word of the Law, which hath been uttered, is indeed understanding unto those who wish for it, and who drink it in and soak themselves therein. I pray Thee, O Lord God of ISRAEL, Thou Holiest of the Holy, grant unto me that I may follow wisdom, and may not become a castaway; grant unto me that I may make her a wall unto myself, and may never fall down; grant that I may make her a foundation for me, and may never be overthrown; grant that I may stand upon her as [firmly as] a pillar, and may never shake; grant that I may hide in her, and never have her stripped from me; grant that I may build myself upon her, and may not topple over; grant that I may become vigorous through her, and not suffer from exhaustion; grant that I may stand through her, and may not fall; grant that I may lay hold upon her, and may not slip away; grant that I may grasp her firmly, and may not slide; grant that I may dwell in her in her peace; [grant that] I may be satisfied at her table, and may not vomit, and drink her and not get drunk upon her, and may be satisfied with her and not spit her out.
"I have drunk of her, but have not tottered; I have tottered through her, but have not fallen; I have fallen because of her, but have not been destroyed. Through her I have dived down into the great sea and have seized in the place of her depths a pearl whereby I am rich. I went down like the great iron anchor whereby men anchor ships for the night on the high seas, and I received a lamp which lighteth me, and I came up by the ropes of the boat of understanding. I went to sleep in the depths of the sea, and not being overwhelmed with the water I dreamed a dream. And it seemed to me that there was a star in my womb, and I marvelled thereat, and I laid hold upon it and made it strong in the splendour of the sun; I laid hold upon it, and I will never let it go. I went in through the doors of the treasury of wisdom and I drew for myself the waters of understanding. I went into the blaze of the flame of the sun, and it lighted me with the splendour thereof, and I made of it a shield for myself, and I saved myself by confidence therein, and not myself only but all those who travel in the footprints of wisdom, and not myself only but all the men of my country, the kingdom of ETHIOPIA, and not those only but those who travel in their ways, the nations that are round about. For the Lord hath given us seed in ZION and a habitation in JERUSALEM. And moreover, there hath come to us a portion with those whom He hath chosen, the seed of JACOB, for He hath set His habitation to abide with us. From this time forth they are set down, and from this time forth we are set upright. From this time forth they are despised and rejected, and from this time forth we shall be honoured and loved for ever and ever and throughout all the generations that are to come.
"And ye, O noble ones, hearken unto me, and learn well what cometh forth from my mouth and my words. Love ye what is right and hate falsehood, for what is right is righteousness and falsehood is the head of iniquity. And ye shall not use fraud and oppression among yourselves, for God dwelleth with you, and the habitation of His glory is among you; for ye have become members of His household. And from this time onward cease ye to observe your former customs, [namely] making auguries from birds, and from signs, and the use of charms, and incantations, and portents, and magic. And if after this day there be found any man who observeth all his former customs, his house shall be plundered, and he and his wife and his children shall be condemned."
And the Queen said unto AZARIAH, "Speak and declare how much thou lovest our Lady with her Heavenly King."
And AZARIAH rose up and said unto the Queen, "O our Lady, verily there is no one like unto thee in wisdom and understanding—the which have been given unto thee by God—except my lord the King, who hath brought us unto this land with our Lady ZION, the holy and heavenly Tabernacle of the Law of God. Now we and our fathers of olden time have said, God hath chosen none except the House of JACOB, us hath He chosen, us hath He multiplied, us hath He held to please Him, and He hath made us kings and made us members of His household, and councillors of His glory and of the Tabernacle of His covenant. And as for a country, we say that He hath chosen no country except ours, but now we see that the country of ETHIOPIA is better than the country of JUDAH. And from the time that we arrived in your country everything that we have seen hath appeared good to us. Your waters are good and they are given without price (or, payment), and [we have] air without fans, and wild honey is as [plentiful as] the dust of the market place, and cattle as the sand of the sea. And as for what we have seen there is nothing detestable, and there is nothing malign in what we hear, and in what we walk upon, and in what we touch, and in what we taste with our mouths. But there is one matter that we would mention: ye are black of face—I only state this [fact] because I can see [that ye are]—but if God illumineth (i.e., maketh white) your hearts, [as far as your colour is concerned] nothing can injure you.
"And withdraw ye yourselves from meat that dieth of itself, and from blood, and from bodies torn by wild animals, and from fornication, and from everything that God hateth, so that we may rejoice in you when we see you fearing God and trembling at His word; even as God commanded our fathers and said unto MOSES, 'Give them commands about everything, and tell them to keep My Law and My Ordinance.' And turn ye not aside, neither to the right hand nor to the left, from that which we command you this day; and now [we command] you that ye worship God, the Holy One of ISRAEL, and do His good pleasure; for He hath rejected our nation even as our prophets prophesied, and hath chosen you. Doth not God your Creator belong to all of you? In what will God find it difficult if He loveth us and hateth them? For everything belongeth to Him, and everything is His handiwork, and there is nothing impossible for the Lord God of ISRAEL.
"And hearken ye unto His command, which I will declare unto you. Let not one overcome his fellow by violence. Plunder not the possessions of your neighbours. Ye shall not revile each other, and ye shall not oppress each other, and ye shall not quarrel with each other. And if by chance an animal belonging to your neighbour come among your property, be not blind to the fact but make it go back to him. And if ye do not know who is the owner of the property, take care of it for him, and as soon as one hath found out to whom it belongeth return his property to him. And if the property of your neighbour hath fallen into a pit, or into a well, or into a hollow or into a ravine, do not pass on and go not by it until ye have told him and helped him to drag out the animal. And if a man hath dug a well or hath built a tower (or, shelter), he shall not leave the well without a cover nor the tower without a roof. And if there is a man who is carrying a heavy load, or if the load hath slipped from the man who is carrying it, ye shall not pass on your way until ye have helped him to lift it up or to lighten it for him; for he is your brother. Ye shall not cook a young animal in the milk of his mother. Ye shall not turn aside the right of the poor and the orphans. Ye shall not accept the person, and ye shall not take bribes to turn aside the right and bear false witness.
"And when ye find a bird in your land with her young ones, ye shall spare her life and shall not take away her young, so that your days may be long upon the earth, and your seed may be blessed with (or, for) length of days. And when ye reap the harvest of your food, ye shall not be careful to reap all of it. Gather not up what falleth from it, and the sheaves which ye have forgotten leave when ye go back, and take them not up, but leave them for the stranger in your city, so that God may bless the fruit of your land. And ye shall not work impurity, and ye shall not judge with partiality, and ye shall not deal oppressively with one another in anything, so that ye may be blessed, and so that the fruit of your land may increase, and so that ye may be saved from the curse of the Law which God hath commanded, saying, 'They shall curse the worker of evil.' And He wrote, saying, 'He who leadeth the blind man out of his path is accursed. And he who addresseth vile words to a deaf (or, dumb) man is accursed. And he who defileth his father's bed is accursed. And he who beateth his neighbour with fraud is accursed. And he who perverteth justice for the alien so that he may slay innocent blood is accursed. And he who treateth his father and his mother lightly is accursed. And he who maketh a filthy graven image of stone or smelted metal, the work of a man's hand, and setteth it up and hideth it in his house, and worshippeth it as a god, not believing that God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who made ADAM in His own image and likeness, and set him over everything which He had created, we all being His work—the man who doth not believe [this] accursed let him be! Amen. And he who lieth with a beast, let him be accursed. And he who lieth with a man as with a woman, let him be accursed. And he who slayeth a life, innocent blood, with fraud and violence, let him be accursed.'
"And over and above all these things ye shall worship no other gods, for God is jealous concerning those who despise Him and do thus, and He setteth His face upon them until He rooteth out their lives from the earth, and blotteth out their memory for ever. Blessed are those who hearken to the voice of God, and perform and keep [His commandments]. And blessed are those who turn aside from those who do evil, so that none of the punishments which shall come upon sinners shall fall upon them. And if it be that thou wilt keep the word of God, withdraw thyself from the way of sinners, so that thou mayest not be beaten with the rod wherewith they shall be beaten. Even as DAVID the grandfather of our lord DAVID saith, 'God will not let the rod of sinners [fall] upon the portion of the righteous,' so that the righteous may not lift up their hands in violence (or, oppression). When a man hath the power to do that which is good, and he watcheth himself and telleth his neighbour, he becometh as it were the owner of two talents, and yet other two talents are added to him, and he getteth abundant reward from God. For he hath done it himself and taught his neighbour to do it, and because of this his reward shall be exceedingly great. And again, blessed shall ye be if ye give your possessions, without usury and not as loans."