said

And I said: They bought me out of the land of Canaan.

And he said unto me: Truly thou liest; and straightway he commanded me to be stripped and beaten.

And when I made no change in my statement, though I was beaten, he ordered me to be imprisoned, until, he said, the owners of the boy should come.

And the woman said unto her husband: Wherefore dost thou detain the captive and wellborn lad in bonds, who ought rather to be set at liberty, and be waited upon?

And he said to her: It is not the custom of the Egyptians to take that which belongeth to others before proof is given.

This, therefore, he said concerning the merchant; but as for the lad, he must be imprisoned.

And they came and said unto me: How is it that thou saidst that thou wast a slave? and lo, we have learnt that thou art the son of a mighty man in the land of Canaan, and thy father still mourneth for thee in sackcloth and ashes.

And I said unto them, I know not, I am a slave.

Then said the merchant unto them: Release me from the judgement of Pentiphri.

Now the Memphian woman said to her husband: Buy the youth; for I hear, said she, that they are selling him.

Now the Memphian woman said to her husband: Buy the youth; for I hear, said she, that they are selling him.

The eunuch therefore went and gave them eighty pieces of gold, and he received me; but to the Egyptian woman he said I have given a hundred.

And when he had said these things he stretched out his feet, and died at a good old age.

And he kissed them, and said: As Isaac was born to Abraham in his old age, so also was I to Jacob.

And when I went into Egypt, to Joseph, and my brother recognized me, he said unto me: What did they tell my father when they sold me?

And I said unto him, They dabbled thy coat with blood and sent it, and said: Know whether this be thy son's coat.

And I said unto him, They dabbled thy coat with blood and sent it, and said: Know whether this be thy son's coat.

And he said unto me: Even so, brother, when they had stripped me of my coat they gave me to the Ishmaelites, and they gave me a loin cloth, and scourged me, and bade me run.

And when he had said these things, he said unto them: Know ye, therefore, my children, that I am dying.

And when he had said these things, he said unto them: Know ye, therefore, my children, that I am dying.

And when he had said these things he stretched out his feet.

Isaiah said to Hezekiah the king, but not in the presence of Manasseh only did he say unto him: 'As the Lord liveth, whose name has not been sent into this world, and as the Beloved of my Lord liveth, and the Spirit which speaketh in me liveth, all these commands and these words will be made of none effect by Manasseh thy son, and through the agency of his hands I shall depart mid the torture of my body.

And Isaiah said unto him: 'The counsel of Sammael against Manasseh is consummated: nought will avail thee.'

And Isaiah said to Hezekiah: 'the Beloved hath made of none effect thy design, and the purpose of thy heart will not be accomplished, for with this calling have I been called and I shall inherit the heritage of the Beloved.'

And Isaiah himself hath said: 'I see more than Moses the prophet.'

But Moses said: 'No man can see God and live'; and Isaiah hath said: 'I have seen God and behold I live.'

But Moses said: 'No man can see God and live'; and Isaiah hath said: 'I have seen God and behold I live.'

And Balchîrâ said to Isaiah: 'Say: "I have lied in all that I have spoken, and likewise the ways of Manasseh are good and right.

And this he said to him when he began to be sawn in sunder.

And Isaiah answered and said: 'So far as I have utterance (I say): Damned and accursed be thou and all thy powers and all thy house.

And to the prophets who were with him he said before he had been sawn in sunder: 'Go ye to the region of Tyre and Sidon; for for me only hath God mingled the cup.'

And the vision which Isaiah saw, he told to Hezekiah and Josab his son and Micaiah and the rest of the prophets, (and) said:

And having seized me by my hand he raised me on high, and I said unto him: 'Who art thou, and what is thy name, and whither art thou raising me on high? for strength was given me to speak with him.'

And he said unto me: 'When I have raised thee on high [through the (various) degrees] and made thee see the vision, on account of which I have been sent, then thou wilt understand who I am: but my name thou dost not know:

And he said unto me: 'Hast thou rejoiced because I have spoken courteously to thee?' And he said: 'And thou wilt see how a greater also than I am will speak courteously and peaceably with thee.'

And he said unto me: 'Hast thou rejoiced because I have spoken courteously to thee?' And he said: 'And thou wilt see how a greater also than I am will speak courteously and peaceably with thee.'

And I said unto the angel (who was with me): '(What is this war and) what is this envying?'

And he said unto me: 'So has it been since this world was made until now, and this war (will continue) till He, whom thou shalt see will come and destroy him.

And I asked the angel who conducted me, and I said unto him: 'To whom is this praise sent?'

And he said unto me: '(It is sent) to the praise of (Him who sitteth in) the seventh heaven: to Him who rests in the holy world, and to His Beloved, whence I have been sent to thee. [Thither is it sent.]'

And I fell on my face to worship him, but the angel who conducted me did not permit me, but said unto me: 'Worship neither throne nor angel which belongs to the six heavens—for for this cause I was sent to conduct thee—until I tell thee in the seventh heaven'.

And I said to the angel who was with me; for the glory of my appearance was undergoing transformation as I ascended to each heaven in turn: 'Nothing of the vanity of that world is here named.'

And he answered me, and said unto me: 'Nothing is named on account of its weakness, and nothing is hidden there of what is done.'

And I said to the angel who conducted me: 'What is this which I see, my lord?'

And he said: 'I am not thy lord, but thy fellow servant.'

And again I asked him, and I said unto him: 'Why are there not angelic fellow servants (on the left)?'

And he said: 'From the sixth heaven there are no longer angels on the left, nor a throne set in the midst, but (they are directed) by the power of the seventh heaven, where dwelleth He that is not named and the Elect One, whose name has not been made known, and none of the heavens can learn His name.'

And he said: 'Hear, furthermore, therefore, this also from thy fellow servant'; when from the body by the will of God thou hast ascended hither, then thou wilt receive the garment which thou seest, and likewise other numbered garments laid up (there) thou wilt see,

And the angel who conducted me discovered what I thought and said: 'If in this light thou dost rejoice, how much more wilt thou rejoice, when in the seventh heaven thou seest the light, where is the Lord and His Beloved [whence I have been sent, who is to be called "Son" in this world.

And when I heard (that) I was troubled, and he said: 'Do not be troubled.'

And I asked the angel who was with me and said: 'Who is he who forbade me and who is he who permitted me to ascend?'

And he said unto me: 'He who forbade thee, this is he who is over the praise-giving of the sixth heaven.

And he said unto me: 'Crowns and thrones of glory they do not receive, till the Beloved will descend in the form in which you will see Him descend [will descend, I say] into the world in the last days the Lord, who will be called Christ. Nevertheless they see and know whose will be thrones, and whose the crowns when He has descended, and been made in your form, and they will think that He is flesh and is a man.

And I said unto him that which I had asked him in the third heaven:

And I said: 'In truth, there is nothing hidden in the seventh heaven, which is done in this world.'

And I said to the angel: 'Whose are these garments and thrones and crowns?'

And he said unto me: 'These garments many from that world will receive, believing in the words of That One, who shall be named as I told thee, and they will observe those things, and believe in them, and believe in His cross: for them are these laid up.'

And thereupon the angel who conducted me, said to me: 'Worship this One,' and I worshipped and praised.

And the angel said unto me: 'This is the Lord of all the praisegivings which thou hast seen.'

And the second whom I saw was on the left of my Lord. And I asked: 'Who is this?' and he said unto me: 'Worship Him, for He is the angel of the Holy Spirit, who speaketh in thee and the rest of the righteous.'

And my Lord drew nigh to me and the angel of the Spirit and He said: 'See how it is given to thee to see God, and on thy account power is given to the angel who is with thee.'

And I heard the angel who conducted me and he said: 'This is the Most High of the high ones, dwelling in the holy world, and resting in His holy ones, who will be called by the Holy Spirit through the lips of the righteous the Father of the Lord.'

For they have denied Me and said: 'We alone are and there is none beside us.'

And the angel who conducted me [from this world was with me and] said unto me: 'Understand, Isaiah, and see how the transformation and descent of the Lord will appear.'

After this I saw, and the angel who spoke with me, who conducted me, said unto me: 'Understand, Isaiah son of Amoz; for for this purpose have I been sent from God.'

And when her husband Joseph said unto her: 'What has astonied thee?' his eyes were opened and he saw the infant and praised God, because into his portion God had come.

Some said: 'The Virgin Mary hath borne a child, before she was married two months.'

And many said: 'She has not borne a child, nor has a midwife gone up (to her), nor have we heard the cries of (labour) pains.' And they were all blinded respecting Him and they all knew regarding Him, though they knew not whence He was.

And the angel who conducted me said: 'Understand, Isaiah:' and I saw when He sent out the Twelve Apostles and ascended.

And there was much sorrow there, while they said: 'How did our Lord descend in our midst, and we perceived not the glory [which has been upon Him], which we see has been upon Him from the sixth heaven?'

Both worshipped Him and praised Him and said: 'How did our Lord escape us whilst descending, and we perceived not?'

And in like manner He ascended into the third heaven, and they praised and said in like manner.

And in the fourth heaven and in the fifth also they said precisely after the same manner.

And this angel said unto me: 'Isaiah, son of Amoz, it is enough for thee; for these are great things; for thou hast seen what no child of flesh has seen.

These things Isaiah saw and told unto all that stood before him, and they praised. And he spake to Hezekiah the King and said: 'I have spoken these things.'

And they said to him, 'Go, sacrifice to the gods and beseech them that perchance they may provide thee with a boy.'

And after many days King Sennacherib looked at Haiqar and saw that he had grown very old, and moreover he said to him.

Tell me who shall have a place in my service after thee.' And Haiqar said to him, 'O my lord, may thy head live for ever! There is Nadan my sister's son, I have made him my child.

And the king said to him, 'O Haiqar! bring him to my presence, that I may see him, and if I find him suitable, put him in thy place; and thou shalt go thy way, to take a rest and to live the remainder of thy life in sweet repose.'

And he looked at him and admired him and rejoiced in him and said to Haiqar: 'Is this thy son, O Haiqar? I pray that God may preserve him. And as thou hast served me and my father Sarhadum so may this boy of thine serve me and fulfil my undertakings, my needs, and my business, so that I may honour him and make him powerful for thy sake.'

And Haiqar did obeisance to the king and said to him, 'May thy head live, O my lord the king, for ever! I seek from thee that thou mayst be patient with my boy Nadan and forgive his mistakes that he may serve thee as it is fitting.'

O my son! let not thy parents curse thee, and the Lord be pleased with them; for it hath been said, "He who despiseth his father or his mother let him die the death (I mean the death of sin); and he who honoureth his parents shall prolong his days and his life and shall see all that is good."

And the king arose and called Nadan and said to him: 'Whilst Haiqar remains in health, no one shall rule over his goods, nor over his household, nor over his possessions.'

And when the king heard what was in the letter he was perplexed with a great perplexity and was wroth with a great and fierce wrath, and said, 'Ah, I have shown my wisdom! what have I done to Haiqar that he has written these letters to my enemies? Is this my recompense from him for my benefits to him?'

And Nadan said to him, 'Be not grieved, O king! nor be wroth, but let us go to the plain of Nisrin and see if the tale be true or not.'

And Nadan said to him, 'Hast thou seen, O my lord the king! what this wretch has done? but be not thou wroth and be not grieved nor pained, but go to thy house and sit on thy throne, and I will bring [paragraph continues] Haiqar to thee bound and chained with chains, and I will chase away thine enemy from thee without toil.'

And the king returned to his throne, being provoked about Haiqar, and did nothing concerning him. And Nadan went to Haiqar and said to him, 'W'allah, O my uncle! The king verily rejoiceth in thee with great joy and thanks thee for having done what he commanded thee.

Then answered Haiqar and said, 'To hear is to obey.' And he arose straightway and bound his hands behind him, and chained his feet.

Then said the king, 'O Haiqar, my Secretary, the Governor of my affairs, my Chancellor, the ruler of my State, tell me what evil have I done to thee that thou hast rewarded me by this ugly deed.'

Then Nadan screamed and said, 'O Haiqar, O blackface! what avails thee thy meditation or thy power in the doing of this deed to the king?'

Thus says the story-teller. And the name of the swordsman was Abu Samik. And the king said to him, 'O swordsman! arise, go, cleave the neck of Haiqar at the door of his house, and cast away his head from his body a hundred cubits.'

Then Haiqar knelt before the king, and said, 'Let my lord the king live for ever! and if thou desire to slay me, let thy wish be fulfilled; and I know that I am not guilty, but the wicked man bas to give an account of his wickedness; nevertheless, O my lord the king! I beg of thee and of thy friendship, permit the swordsman to give my body to my slaves, that they may bury me, and let thy slave be thy sacrifice.'

And when Haiqar knew for certain that he was to be slain he sent to his wife, and said to her, 'Come out and meet me, and let there be with thee a thousand young virgins, and dress them in gowns of purple and silk that they may weep for me before my death.

Then Haiqar took the swordsman aside apart from the company and said, 'O Abu Samik, dost thou not know that when Sarhadum the king, the father of Sennacherib, wanted to kill thee, I took thee and hid thee in a certain place till the king's anger subsided and he asked for thee?

And then the swordsman did as Haiqar had commanded him, and he went to the king and said to him, 'May thy head live for ever!'

And they wept and said: 'Alas for thee, O Haiqar! and for thy learning and thy courtesy! How sad about thee and about thy knowledge! Where can another like thee be found? and where can there be a man so intelligent, so learned, so skilled in ruling as to resemble thee that he may fill thy place?'

Then he called for Nadan and said to him, 'Go and take thy friends with thee and make a mourning and a weeping for thy uncle Haiqar, and lament for him as the custom is, doing honour to his memory.'

Then he assembled the old men and the learned men and the wise men and the philosophers, and the diviners and the astrologers, and every one who was in his country, and read them the letter and said to them, 'Who amongst you will go to Pharaoh king of Egypt and answer him his questions?'

And they said to him, 'O our lord the king! know thou that there is none in thy kingdom who is acquainted with these questions except Haiqar, thy vizier and secretary.

Then the king called Nadan and said to him, 'Look at this letter and understand what is in it.' And when Nadan read it, he said, 'O my lord! who is able to build a castle between the heaven and the earth?'