upon

And he said: "Only worship, Abraham, and utter the song which I have taught thee;" because there was no earth to fall upon.

Thou, O Light, shinest before the light of the morning upon Thy creatures, [so that it becometh day upon the earth,] And in Thy heavenly dwelling places there is no need of any other light than (that) of the unspeakable splendour from the lights of Thy countenance.

Thou, O Light, shinest before the light of the morning upon Thy creatures, [so that it becometh day upon the earth,] And in Thy heavenly dwelling places there is no need of any other light than (that) of the unspeakable splendour from the lights of Thy countenance.

And such was the appearance of their countenances, of a lion, of a man, of an ox, of an eagle: four heads [were upon their bodies] [so that the four creatures had sixteen faces]; and each had six wings; from their shoulders, [and their sides] and their loins.

And I saw upon the seventh firmament upon which I stood a fire widely extended, and light, and dew, and a multitude of angels, and a power of invisible glory over the living creatures which I saw; but no other being did I see there.

And I saw upon the seventh firmament upon which I stood a fire widely extended, and light, and dew, and a multitude of angels, and a power of invisible glory over the living creatures which I saw; but no other being did I see there.

And I looked from the mountain in which I stood [downwards] to the sixth firmament, and saw there a multitude of angels, of (pure) spirit, without bodies, who carried out the commands of the fiery angels who were upon the eighth firmament, as I was standing suspended over them.

And behold, upon this firmament there were no other powers of (any) other form, but only angels of (pure) spirit, like the power which I saw on the seventh firmament.

And I saw there, on the fifth firmament, the powers of the stars which carry out the commands laid upon them, and the elements of the earth obeyed them.

And I saw beneath [the surfaces of the feet, and I saw beneath] the sixth heaven and what was therein, and then the earth and its fruits, and what moved upon it and its animate beings; and the power of its men, and the ungodliness of their souls, and their righteous deeds [and the beginnings of their works], and the lower regions and the perdition therein, the Abyss and its torments.

I saw there the sea and its islands, and its monsters and its fishes, and Leviathan and his dominion, and his camping-ground, and his caves, and the world which lay upon him, and his movements, and the destructions of the world on his account.

And He said: "This is the human world, this is Adam, and this is their desire upon the earth, this is Eve; but he who is between them representeth ungodliness, their beginning (on the way) to perdition, even Azazel."

Why hast Thou given to such power to destroy the generation of men in their works upon the earth?"

And He said to me: "Being angered at the nations on thy account, and on account of the people of thy family who are (to be) separated after thee, as thou seest in the picture the burden (of destiny) that (is laid) upon them — and I will tell thee what shall be, and how much shall be, in the last days.

And I looked and saw there what was before me in creation; I saw Adam, and Eve existing with him, and with them the cunning Adversary, and Cain who acted lawlessly through the Adversary, and the slaughtered Abel, (and) the destruction brought and caused upon him through the lawless one.

I saw there the likeness of the idol of jealousy, having the likeness of woodwork such as my father was wont to make, and its statue was of glittering bronze; and before it a man, and he worshipped it; and in front of him an altar, and upon it a boy slain in the presence of the idol.

And those whom thou sawest emerge from the left side of the picture — the meaning is: There shall be many from the heathen who set their hopes upon him; and as for those whom thou sawest from thy seed on the right side, some insulting and striking, others worshipping him — many of them shall be offended at him.

Before the Age of the righteous beginneth to grow, my judgement shall come upon the lawless heathen through the people of thy seed who have been separated for me.

In those days I will bring upon all creatures of the earth ten plagues, through misfortune and disease and sighing of the grief of their soul.

Thus much will I bring upon the generations of men that be upon it on account of the provocation and the corruption of its creatures, whereby they provoke me.

Thus much will I bring upon the generations of men that be upon it on account of the provocation and the corruption of its creatures, whereby they provoke me.

But while He was still speaking, I found myself upon the earth.

And Solomon said to him: "Tell me, O demon, to what zodiacal sign thou art subject." And he answered: "To the Water-pourer. And those who are consumed with desire for the noble virgins upon earth, these I strangle. But in case there is no disposition to sleep, I am changed into three forms. Whenever men come to be enamoured of women, I metamorphose myself into a comely female; and I take hold of the men in their sleep, and play with them. And after a while I again take to my wings, and hie me to the heavenly regions. I also appear as a lion, and I am commanded by all the demons. I am offspring of the archangel Uriel, the power of God."

And the angel bade the whales of the sea come out of the abyss. And he cast his destiny upon the ground, and that [destiny] made subject [to him] the great demon. And he commanded the great demon and bold Ornias, to cut stones at the Temple. And accordingly I Solomon glorified the God of heaven and Maker of the earth. And he bade Ornias come with his destiny, and gave him the seal, saying: "Away with thee, and bring me hither the prince of all the demons."

And when she was come, I said to her: "Tell me who art thou?" But she said to me: "I am called Onoskelis, a spirit wrought, lurking upon the earth. There is a golden cave where I lie. But I have a place that ever shifts. At one time I strangle men with a noose; at another, I creep up from the nature to the arms. But my most frequent dwelling-places are the precipices, caves, ravines. Oftentimes, however, do I consort with men in the semblance of a woman, and above all with those of a dark skin. For they share my star with me; since they it is who privily or openly worship my star, without knowing that they harm themselves, and but whet my appetite for further mischief. For they wish to provide money by means of memory (commemoration?), but I supply a little to those who worship me fairly."

And I praised the Lord God of heaven and earth, and bade another demon come forward to me; and there came before me one in the form of a lion roaring. And he stood and answered me saying: "O king, in the form which I have, I am a spirit quite incapable of being perceived. Upon all men who lie prostrate with sickness I leap, coming stealthily along; and I render the man weak, so that his habit of body is enfeebled. But I have also another glory, O king. I cast out demons, and I have legions under my control. And I am capable of being received in my dwelling-places, along with all the demons belonging to the legions under me." But I Solomon, on hearing this, asked him: "What is thy name?" But he answered: "Lion-bearer, Rath in kind." And I said to him: "How art thou to be frustrated along with thy legions? What angel is it that frustrates thee?" And he answered: "If I tell thee my name, I bind not myself alone, but also the legions of demons under me."

I therefore Solomon prayed to my God, and I invoked the angel of whom Enépsigos spoke to me, and used my seal. And I sealed her with a triple chain, and (placed) beneath her the fastening of the chain. I used the seal of God, and the spirit prophesied to me, saying: "This is what thou, King Solomon, doest to us. But after a time thy kingdom shall be broken, and again in season this Temple shall be riven asunder; and all Jerusalem shall be undone by the King of the Persians and Medes and Chaldaeans. And the vessels of this Temple, which thou makest, shall be put to servile uses of the gods; and along with them all the jars, in which thou dost shut us up, shall be broken by the hands of men. And then we shall go forth in great power hither and thither, and be disseminated all over the world. And we shall lead astray the inhabited world for a long season, until the Son of God is stretched upon the cross. For never before doth arise a king like unto him, one frustrating us all, whose mother shall not have contact with man. Who else can receive such authority over spirits, except he, whom the first devil will seek to tempt, but will not prevail over? The number of his name is 644, which is Emmanuel. Wherefore, O King Solomon, thy time is evil, and thy years short and evil, and to thy servant shall thy kingdom be given."

And there came before my face another enslaved spirit, having obscurely the form of a man, with gleaming eyes, and bearing in his hand a blade. And I asked: "Who art thou? But he answered: "I am a lascivious spirit, engendered of a giant man who dies in the massacre in the time of the giants." I said to him: "Tell me what thou art employed on upon earth, and where thou hast thy dwelling."

The sixteenth said: "I am called Atrax. I inflict upon men fevers, irremediable and harmful. If you would imprison me, chop up coriander and smear it on the lips, reciting the following charm: 'The fever which is from dirt. I exorcise thee by the throne of the most high God, retreat from dirt and retreat from the creature fashioned by God.' And at once I retreat."

And when they were gone I ordered Ornias to be brought forward, and said to him: "Tell me how you know this;" and he answered: "We demons ascend into the firmament of heaven, and fly about among the stars. And we hear the sentences which go forth upon the souls of men, and forthwith we come, and whether by force of influence, or by fire, or by sword, or by some accident, we veil our act of destruction; and if a man does not die by some untimely disaster or by violence, then we demons transform ourselves in such a way as to appear to men and be worshipped in our human nature."

And it came to pass, which I was in my kingdom, the King of the Arabians, Adares, sent me a letter, and the writing of the letter was written as follows: -- <BLOCKQUOTE> "To King Solomon, all hail! Lo, we have heard, and it hath been heard unto all the ends of the earth, concerning the wisdom vouchsafed in thee, and that thou art a man merciful from the Lord. And understanding hath been granted thee over all the spirits of the air, and on earth, and under the earth. Now, forasmuch as there is present in the land of Arabia a spirit of the following kind: at early dawn there begins to blow a certain wind until the third hour. And its blast is harsh and terrible, and it slays man and beast. And no spirit can live upon earth against this demon. I pray thee then, forasmuch as the spirit is a wind, contrive something according to the wisdom given in thee by the Lord thy God, and deign to send a man able to capture it. And behold, King Solomon, I and my people and all my land will serve thee unto death. And all Arabia shall be at peace with thee, if thou wilt perform this act of righteousness for us. Wherefore we pray thee, contemn not our humble prayer, and suffer not to be utterly brought to naught the eparchy subordinated to thy authority. Because we are suppliants, both I and my people and all my land. Farewell to my Lord. All health!" </BLOCKQUOTE>

And I Solomon read this epistle; and I folded it up and gave it to my people, and said to them: "After seven days shalt thou remind me of this epistle. And Jerusalem was built, and the Temple was being completed. And there was a stone, the end stone of the corner lying there, great, chosen out, one which I desired lay in the head of the corner of the completion of the Temple. And all the workmen, and all the demons helping them came to the same place to bring up the stone and lay it on the pinnacle of the holy Temple, and were not strong enough to stir it, and lay it upon the corner allotted to it. For that stone was exceedingly great and useful for the corner of the Temple."

I said therefore to him: "How wast thou found in the Red Sea?" And he answered: "In the exodus of the sons of Israel I hardened the heart of Pharaoh. And I excited his heart and that of his ministers. And I caused them to pursue after the children of Israel. And Pharaoh followed with (me) and all the Egyptians. Then I was present there, and we followed together. And we all came up upon the Red Sea. And it came to pass when the children of Israel had crossed over, the water returned and hid all the host of the Egyptians and all their might. And I remained in the sea, being kept under this pillar. But when Ephippas came, being sent by thee, shut up in the vessel of a flask, he fetched me up to thee."

And he had a virgin daughter, by name Asenath, of eighteen years, tall and comely, and beautiful to behold exceedingly beyond every virgin upon the earth.

And Pentephres said to her: "Lo! Joseph, the mighty one of God, cometh to us to-day, and this man is ruler of all the land of Egypt; and King Pharaoh appointed him ruler of all our land and king, and he himself giveth corn to all this country, and saveth it from the coming famine; and this Joseph is a man that worshippeth God, and discreet and a virgin as thou art to-day, and a man mighty in wisdom and knowledge, and the spirit of God is upon him and the grace of the Lord is in him.

And, when Asenath heard these words from her father, a great sweat was poured out upon her over her face, and she waxed wroth with great anger, and she looked askance with her eyes at her father and said: "Wherefore, my lord father, speakest thou these words?

And Joseph was clad in a tunic white and rare, and the robe that was thrown round him was purple, made of fine linen interwoven with gold, and a golden wreath was upon his head, and round his wreath were twelve choice stones, and above the stones twelve golden rays, and in his right hand a royal staff, which had an olive branch outstretched, and there was abundance of fruit thereon.

When, then, Joseph had come into the court and the doors thereof had been shut, and every strange man and woman remained outside the court, for that the guards of the gates drew to and closed the doors, Pentephres came and his wife and all their kindred except their daughter Asenath, and they made obeisance to Joseph upon their faces upon the earth; and Joseph descended from his chariot and greeted them with his hand.

When, then, Joseph had come into the court and the doors thereof had been shut, and every strange man and woman remained outside the court, for that the guards of the gates drew to and closed the doors, Pentephres came and his wife and all their kindred except their daughter Asenath, and they made obeisance to Joseph upon their faces upon the earth; and Joseph descended from his chariot and greeted them with his hand.

Now therefore he hath come to us in his chariot as the sun from heaven, and he entered our house to-day, and he shineth into it like light upon the earth.

And Joseph came into the house of Pentephres and sat upon a chair.

Then she hasted and came up into her loft by herself, and fell upon her bed in infirmity, for that there was in her joy and sorrow and great fear; and a continuous sweat was poured over her when she heard these words from Joseph, and when he spake to her in the name of God Most High.

Then, therefore, Asenath put off her royal robe, and put on the mourning tunic, and loosed her golden girdle and girded herself with a rope, and put off the tiara, that is the mitre, from her head, likewise also the diadem, and the chains from her hands and her feet were also all laid upon the floor.

And after these things she took the leathern cover containing the cinders and poured them upon the floor; and thereupon she took sackcloth and girded her loins; and she loosed also the net of the hair of her head and sprinkled ashes over her head.

And she strewed cinders also upon the floor, and fell upon the cinders and kept beating her breast constantly with her hands and weeping all the night with groaning until the morning.

And she strewed cinders also upon the floor, and fell upon the cinders and kept beating her breast constantly with her hands and weeping all the night with groaning until the morning.

And, when Asenath arose in the morning and saw, and lo! the cinders were beneath her as clay from her tears, she again fell upon her face upon the cinders till the sun set.

And, when Asenath arose in the morning and saw, and lo! the cinders were beneath her as clay from her tears, she again fell upon her face upon the cinders till the sun set.

And on the eighth day, when the dawn came and the birds were already chirping and the dogs barking at the passers-by, Asenath lifted up her head a little from the floor and the cinders whereon she was seated, for that she was exceeding weary and had lost the power of her limbs from her great humiliation; for Asenath had waxed weary and faint and her strength was failing, and thereupon she turned toward the wall, sitting under the window that looked east; and her head she laid upon her bosom, twining the fingers of her hands over her right knee; and her mouth was shut, and she opened it not during the seven days and during the seven nights of her humiliation.

But now have I shunned their sacrifice, and my mouth hath become estranged from their table, and I have no courage to call upon the Lord God of heaven, the Most High and powerful one of the mighty Joseph, for that my mouth is polluted from the sacrifices of the idols.

Then Asenath rose up from the wall where she was sitting, and raised herself upon her knees toward the east, and directed her eyes toward heaven, and opened her mouth and said to God:

"Lord God of the righteous, who createdst the ages and givest life to all things, who gavest the breath of life to all thy creation, who broughtest the invisible things out into the light, who madest all things and madest manifest things that did not appear, who liftedst up the heaven and foundedst the earth upon the waters, who fixedst the great stones upon the abyss of the water, which shall not be submerged but are unto the end doing thy will, for that thou, Lord, saidst the word and all things came into being, and thy word, Lord, is the life of all thy creatures, to thee I flee for refuge, Lord my God, to thee will I cry, Lord, and to thee will I confess my sins, to thee will I pour out my petition, Master, and to thee will I reveal my lawlessnesses.

"Lord God of the righteous, who createdst the ages and givest life to all things, who gavest the breath of life to all thy creation, who broughtest the invisible things out into the light, who madest all things and madest manifest things that did not appear, who liftedst up the heaven and foundedst the earth upon the waters, who fixedst the great stones upon the abyss of the water, which shall not be submerged but are unto the end doing thy will, for that thou, Lord, saidst the word and all things came into being, and thy word, Lord, is the life of all thy creatures, to thee I flee for refuge, Lord my God, to thee will I cry, Lord, and to thee will I confess my sins, to thee will I pour out my petition, Master, and to thee will I reveal my lawlessnesses.

Deliver me from them that pursue me, Master, before I be taken by them; for, as an infant in fear of some one fleeth to his father and mother, and his father stretcheth out his hands and catcheth him up against his breast, so also do thou, Lord, stretch out thine undefiled and terrible hands upon me like a child-loving father, and catch me out of the hand of the suprasensual enemy.

Deliver me, Lord, before all these things come upon me; deliver me, Master, the desolate and defenceless, for that my father and my mother have denied me and said, 'Asenath is not our daughter,' because I brake their gods in pieces and made away with them, as having wholly hated them.

And when she saw it Asenath fell upon her face upon the cinders, and straightway there came to her a man from heaven, sending forth rays of light, and stood above her head.

And when she saw it Asenath fell upon her face upon the cinders, and straightway there came to her a man from heaven, sending forth rays of light, and stood above her head.

And he said: "I am the chief captain of the Lord God and commander of all the host of the Most High: stand up and stand upon thy feet, that I may speak to thee my words."

Seeing these things Asenath feared and fell on her face, unable even to stand upon her feet, for she became greatly afraid and all her limbs trembled.

And the man said to her: "Be of good cheer, Asenath, and fear not; but stand up and stand upon thy feet, that I may speak to thee my words."

Then Asenath stood up and stood upon her feet, and the angel said to her: "Go without impediment into thy second chamber and lay aside the black tunic wherein thou art clad, and cast off the sackcloth from thy loins, and shake out the cinders from thine head, and wash thy face and thine hands with pure water and put on a white untouched robe and gird thy loins with the bright girdle of virginity, the double one, and come again to me, and I will speak to thee the words that are sent to thee from the Lord."

And again the divine angel saith to her: "Be of good cheer, Asenath, the virgin and pure, for lo! the Lord God heard all the words of thy confession and thy prayer, and he hath seen also the humiliation and affliction of the seven days of thine abstinence, for that from thy tears much clay hath been formed before thy face upon these cinders.

And no more henceforth shalt thou be called Asenath, but thy name shall be 'City of Refuge,' for that in thee many nations shall seek refuge and they shall lodge under thy wings, and many nations shall find shelter by thy means, and upon thy walls they who cleave unto God Most High through penitence shall be kept secure; for that Penitence is daughter of the Most High, and she herself entreateth God Most High for thee every hour and for all that repent, since he is father of Penitence, and she herself is the completion and overseer of all virgins, loving you exceedingly and beseeching the Most High for you every hour, and for all who repent she will provide a place of rest in the heavens, and she reneweth everyone who hath repented.

And, when the angel of the Lord in the shape of a man had finished speaking these words to Asenath, she rejoiced with great joy over all the things that were spoken by him, and fell upon her face upon the earth, and made obeisance before his feet and said to him: "Blessed is the Lord thy God who sent thee to deliver me from the darkness and to bring me from the foundations of the abyss itself into the light, and blessed is thy name for ever.

And, when the angel of the Lord in the shape of a man had finished speaking these words to Asenath, she rejoiced with great joy over all the things that were spoken by him, and fell upon her face upon the earth, and made obeisance before his feet and said to him: "Blessed is the Lord thy God who sent thee to deliver me from the darkness and to bring me from the foundations of the abyss itself into the light, and blessed is thy name for ever.

And she said: "I pray thee, lord, sit down a little time upon this bed, because this bed is pure and undefiled, for that another man or other woman never sat upon it, and I will set before thee a table and bread, and thou shalt eat, and I will bring thee also wine old and good, the odour whereof shall reach unto heaven, and thou shalt drink thereof and thereafter shalt depart upon thy way."

And she said: "I pray thee, lord, sit down a little time upon this bed, because this bed is pure and undefiled, for that another man or other woman never sat upon it, and I will set before thee a table and bread, and thou shalt eat, and I will bring thee also wine old and good, the odour whereof shall reach unto heaven, and thou shalt drink thereof and thereafter shalt depart upon thy way."

And she said: "I pray thee, lord, sit down a little time upon this bed, because this bed is pure and undefiled, for that another man or other woman never sat upon it, and I will set before thee a table and bread, and thou shalt eat, and I will bring thee also wine old and good, the odour whereof shall reach unto heaven, and thou shalt drink thereof and thereafter shalt depart upon thy way."

The divine angel saith to her: "Enter thy storehouse and thou wilt find a bee's comb lying upon the table; take it up and bring it hither."

And Asenath entered her storehouse and found an honeycomb lying upon the table; and the comb was great and white like snow and full of honey, and that honey was as the dew of heaven, and the odour thereof as the odour of life.

And Asenath took that comb and brought it and set it forth upon the table, and the angel said to her: "Why is it that thou saidst, 'There is no honeycomb in mine house,' and lo! thou hast brought it me?"

Then all those bees encircled Asenath from feet to head, and other great bees like their queens arose from the cells, and they circled round upon her face and upon her lips, and made a comb upon her mouth and upon her lips like the comb that lay before the angel; and all those bees ate from the comb that was upon Asenath's mouth.

Then all those bees encircled Asenath from feet to head, and other great bees like their queens arose from the cells, and they circled round upon her face and upon her lips, and made a comb upon her mouth and upon her lips like the comb that lay before the angel; and all those bees ate from the comb that was upon Asenath's mouth.

Then all those bees encircled Asenath from feet to head, and other great bees like their queens arose from the cells, and they circled round upon her face and upon her lips, and made a comb upon her mouth and upon her lips like the comb that lay before the angel; and all those bees ate from the comb that was upon Asenath's mouth.

Then all those bees encircled Asenath from feet to head, and other great bees like their queens arose from the cells, and they circled round upon her face and upon her lips, and made a comb upon her mouth and upon her lips like the comb that lay before the angel; and all those bees ate from the comb that was upon Asenath's mouth.

Then all those bees encircled Asenath from feet to head, and other great bees like their queens arose from the cells, and they circled round upon her face and upon her lips, and made a comb upon her mouth and upon her lips like the comb that lay before the angel; and all those bees ate from the comb that was upon Asenath's mouth.

Then all the bees rose and flew and departed to heaven; but as many as wished to injure Asenath all fell upon the earth and died.

Then all the dead bees rose and departed into the court that adjoined Asenath's house and took up their lodging upon the fruit-bearing trees.

And, when much fragrance had come forth from the burning of the comb and filled the chamber, Asenath said to the divine angel: "Lord, I have seven virgins who were brought up with me from my youth and were born on one night with me, who wait upon me, and I love them all as my sisters.

Then Asenath called the seven virgins and set them before the angel, and the angel said to them: "The Lord God Most High shall bless you, and ye shall be pillars of refuge of seven cities, and all the elect of that city who dwell together shall rest upon you for ever."

And Asenath remembered the angel's words and his injunctions, and hasted and entered her second chamber, where the chests of her adorning were, and opened her great coffer and brought out her first robe like lightning to behold and put it on; and she girded herself also with a girdle bright and royal that was of gold and precious stones, and on her hands she put golden bracelets, and upon her feet golden buskins, and a precious ornament about her neck, and a golden wreath she put about her head; and on the wreath as upon its front was a great sapphire stone, and round the great stone six stones of great price, and with a very marvellous mantle she veiled her head.

And Asenath remembered the angel's words and his injunctions, and hasted and entered her second chamber, where the chests of her adorning were, and opened her great coffer and brought out her first robe like lightning to behold and put it on; and she girded herself also with a girdle bright and royal that was of gold and precious stones, and on her hands she put golden bracelets, and upon her feet golden buskins, and a precious ornament about her neck, and a golden wreath she put about her head; and on the wreath as upon its front was a great sapphire stone, and round the great stone six stones of great price, and with a very marvellous mantle she veiled her head.

And after these things Pharaoh took Joseph and Asenath and set golden wreaths upon their heads, which were in his house from of old and from ancient times, and Pharaoh set Asenath at Joseph's right hand.

And Pharaoh put his hands upon their heads and said: "The Lord God Most High shall bless you and shall multiply and magnify and glorify you unto time eternal."

And Joseph and Asenath came to Jacob in the land of Geshem, and Joseph's brethren met them and made obeisance to them upon their faces on the earth.

Then both went in to Jacob; and Jacob was sitting upon his bed, and he himself was an old man in a lusty old age.

Then Asenath, when she saw him thus, marvelled and fell down and made obeisance on her face upon the earth.

And it came to pass as Joseph and Asenath were passing by, when they were going to Jacob, Pharaoh's firstborn son saw them from the wall, and, when he saw Asenath, he became mad upon her by reason of her surpassing beauty.

Then Pharaoh's son sent messengers, and called Simeon and Levi to him; and, when they came and stood before him, Pharaoh's firstborn son saith to them: "I for my part know that ye are to-day mighty men above all men upon the earth, and with these right hands of yours the city of the Sicimites was overthrown, and with your two swords 30,000 warriors were cut down.

And Simeon was a bold and daring man, and he thought to lay his right hand upon the hilt of his sword and draw it from the sheath thereof and smite Pharaoh's son for that he had spoken hard words to them.

It is not meet for a man who worshippeth God to injure any man in any wise; and, if any wisheth to injure a man who worshippeth God, that man who worshippeth God avengeth not himself upon him, for that there is no sword in his hands.

And Pharaoh's son, when he saw the swords drawn, feared exceedingly and trembled over all his body, for that they glittered like a flame of fire, and his eyes became dim, and he fell upon his face on the earth beneath their feet.

Then Pharaoh's son lied, and he saith to them: "Lo! now blessing and death are before your faces; do ye therefore take the blessing rather than the death, because ye are mighty men and will not die as women; but be brave and avenge yourselves upon your enemies.

And Dan and Gad said to him: "We are thy serving-men to-day and will do all the things that thou hast commanded us, and we will set forth by night and lie in wait in the ravine and hide ourselves in the thicket of the reeds; and do thou take with thyself fifty bowmen upon horses and go a long way before us, and Asenath will come and fall into our hands, and we will cut down the men that are with her, and she herself will flee before with her chariot and fall into thine hands and thou shalt do to her as thy soul desireth; and after these things we will slay Joseph also while he is grieving for Asenath; likewise also his children will we slay before his eyes."

Then Levi, the son of Leah, knew all these things by the spirit as a prophet and told his brethren of Asenath's danger, and straightway each of them took his sword upon his thigh and their shields upon their arms and the spears in their right hands and pursued after Asenath with great speed.

Then Levi, the son of Leah, knew all these things by the spirit as a prophet and told his brethren of Asenath's danger, and straightway each of them took his sword upon his thigh and their shields upon their arms and the spears in their right hands and pursued after Asenath with great speed.

And, as Asenath was fleeing before, lo! Pharaoh's son met her and fifty horsemen with him: and Asenath, when she saw him, was seized with very great fear and was trembling, and she called upon the name of the Lord her God.

And Benjamin was sitting with her on the chariot on the right side; and Benjamin was a strong lad of about nineteen years, and upon him was ineffable beauty and might as of a lion's whelp, and he was also one who feared God exceedingly.

Then Benjamin leaped down from the chariot, and took a round stone from the ravine and filled his hand and hurled at Pharaoh's son and smote his left temple, and wounded him with a grievous wound, and he fell from his horse upon the earth half-dead.

Then the sons of Leah, Reuben and Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulon, pursued after the men who had lain in wait against Asenath and fell upon them unawares and cut them all down; and the six men slew two thousand and seventy-six men.