Genesis A Part 6

x.x.xIII.

Abraham then answered: 2690

"I did that, not for evil nor for hostility nor for any woe that I might bring upon thee. But by this strat- agem, O ruler of men, I protected myself against blows of the fierce sword, far from my kinsfolk [as I was]

Since the Holy One[37] first led me from the family of 2695 the prince, my father, I have sought out many peoples, strange allies, and this woman with me, dest.i.tute of friends: I always kept this peril in mind, when some foe 2700 should deprive me--a stranger--of my life, who wished to have this woman for his own. Therefore I have told warriors in plain words that Sarra was my sister, wher- 2705 ever on this earth we have had to contend against foreigners in our exile. I did the same thing in this country, great king, after I chose thy protection: nor was there any knowledge in my heart as to whether 2710 the fear of G.o.d Almighty was in this race, when I first came here; therefore I concealed from thy ministers and from thyself as well as possible the true statement that Sarra was wont to enter my bed with me as my wife." 2715

Then Abimaeleh began to enrich Abraham with worldly treasures and returned his wife to him: he gave him to boot, when he received his wife, live stock and bright silver and serving-folk. The protector of the n.o.bles 2720 spoke further to Abraham, in these words:

"Dwell with us and choose thee a dwelling-place in this land, a n.o.ble site where it is most to thy liking: I must have thee; be a faithful friend to us; we will give 2725 thee riches."

Then quickly the dispenser of treasure spoke further to Sarra, in other words:

"Nor need Abraham, thy lord and master, set it in reproach against thee that thou hast trodden the ways of my dwelling, O woman G.o.ddess-fair: for I have richly 2730 repaired thine offence with him, with white silver. Do not trouble yourselves to seek riches and strange friends away from this land, but dwell here."

Abraham did as his king bade him, and at the ruler's 2735 behest accepted friendship, love, and peace. He was dear to G.o.d: therefore he enjoyed tranquility happily and proceeded under the shadow of his Creator, covered 2740 by His protecting wings, while he lived. But G.o.d was still angry at Abimeleh for the sin which he had committed against Sarra and Abraham, when he sepa- rated these two loving ones, the wife and the husband. 2745 He received a severe penalty for this deed: for neither free nor slave women could reward[38] the men their masters with children, for the Lord prevented it, until the holy Abraham began to pray Eternal G.o.d for grace 2750 in behalf of his king. The Protector of the Angels granted him his prayer, and restored to the king the fertility of the free and the enslaved, men and women; again the Ruler of the skies allowed the number of their off- 2755 spring to increase, their prosperity and possessions: the Almighty Keeper of Mankind became mild in heart towards Abimeleh, as Abraham entreated Him.

Then the Almighty Lord came to Sarra, as He Himself 2760 promised: Our Master, the Ruler of Life, had fulfilled His promise to the dear man and woman. A son was be- gotten of Abraham upon his wife, whom the Prince of the Angels named Isaac even before the mother was great 2765 with child by the chieftain. Abraham with his own hand set the sign upon him, as the Lord glorious in splendor bade him, about a week from the time when his mother 2770 brought him into the world to mankind.

x.x.xIV.

The boy grew and throve, inasmuch as n.o.ble [traits]

were native to him from his ancestors. Abraham had [numbered] 100 years when, to his joy, his wife bore him a son: he had waited for this for a long time, since the 2775 Lord first through His own word foretold this day of happiness. Now the matter so happened that his wife once saw Ismael playing before Abraham where they were both seated at a banquet, holy in heart, and all 2780 their household retainers were drinking and singing.

Then the n.o.ble woman spoke, as wife to husband:

"Forgive me, my dear lord, keeper of the ring! But bid Agar depart elsewhere, and take Ismael with her. 2785 We should no longer be together, for my pleasure, if I might have my way. Never shall Ismael share the heritage with Isaac, my own son, after thee, when thou yieldest up thy spirit from the body." 2790

Then was Abraham heavy at heart, because he must drive away his own son into exile; then speedily the True G.o.d came to his aid, for He knew that the heart of the man was in dire straits. The King of the Angels, 2795 the Eternal Lord, spoke to Abraham:

"Let the sorrow and heart-felt grief slip from thy breast, and obey the woman, thy wife. Bid both Agar and Ismael to go away, [send] the boy from thy home. 2800 I will make his race far-spreading and powerful in the number of its sons, prosperous in blessings, as I promised thee by my word."

Then the man obeyed his Master and drove from his home the sad-minded pair, [drove] from his patrimony 2805 the woman and his own son....[39]

"Clear it is and manifest that the True G.o.d, the King of Glory, is on thy side, since he gives thee the victory, with wise power, and strengthens thy heart[40] with 2810 divine gifts. Therefore thou hast succeeded hitherto in whatsoever thou hast begun to perform against friend or foe, in word or deed. The Lord our Master thrusteth forward thy desires with His own hands: that is widely known among men. I pray thee now, 2815 chief of the Ebrews, by my words, to give me a faithful a.s.surance of thy pledge that thou wilt be a true friend to me, in return for the good things which I have given 2820 for thy glory, since thou camest solitary from afar into this country with the tread of an exile. Requite me now with thy favor, so that I may not be sparing of land and pleasure to thee. Be propitious now to this people 2825 and city of mine, if Our Almighty Lord who holdeth the fates will grant that thou mayst further distribute riches and pleasing treasures, and set up thy landmarks, among 2830 the warriors in this country."

Then Abraham gave pledges to Abimeleh that he would [do] thus.

x.x.xV.

After this the holy son of Thare, chief of the Ebrews, was a dweller in the Filistine nation for a long time, 2835 alone amid strangers. The Lord of the Angels showed him a dwelling-place which the men dwelling in the city called the land of Bersaba. There the pious man built a high hall, constructed a place of shelter and planted 2840 a grove, erected an altar and on the sacrificial stone made an offering, an oblation, at once, to his Master who had given him a prosperous life under the sky.

Then the powerful King began to try this hero, 2845 tested stringently what the n.o.ble one's fort.i.tude was, and spoke to him in stern words with his voice:

"Go forth now speedily, Abraham, hasten thy steps, 2850 and take with thee thine own child. Thou shalt thyself offer up Isaac to me, thy son as a sacrifice. After thou ascendest on foot the steep dune, the bordering circle of that high land which I shall show thee from here, there 2855 thou shalt prepare a funeral pyre, the death-pile of thy son, and then thyself sacrifice thy son with the edge of the sword and then burn his dear body with black flame, and thus make offering to me."

He did not decline the expedition, but straightway began to hasten the procedure: the word of the King 2860 of Angels was sacred to him, and his Master was beloved.

Then the pious Abraham forsook his nightly repose, with no resistance at all to the command of the Saviour, but the holy man girded himself with his grey sword 2865 and declared that the fear of the Keeper of Spirits dwelt in his breast. Worn with age, the dispenser of gold began to harness his a.s.ses, and bade two young men go with him: his own son was the third and he himself the fourth. Without delay he then set out to lead Isaac 2870 from his own home, the ungrown child, as the Lord bade him; hastened exceedingly and hurried forth on the way, as the Lord showed him the paths over the wastes, until the glorious beginning of the third day 2875 arose across deep water. There the worthy man saw a high dune rise, as the King of Glory had foretold to him. So Abraham spoke to his servants:

"My men! Remain ye here in this place. We shall 2880 return, after we have offered to the King of Spirits what was entrusted to us both."

The n.o.ble man then departed with his own son toward 2885 the designated spot which the Lord showed him, striding through the forest; the son bore the wood, the father fire and sword. Then the man young in years began to ask Abraham about the affair, in these words:

"We have here fire and sword, my lord: where is the 2890 n.o.ble victim that you expect to bring as a burnt-offering to G.o.d?"

Abraham replied (he had once for all decided that he would do as the Lord directed him):

"That the True King, Guardian of mankind, will 2895 himself provide, as it seemeth to him meet."

Then with unfaltering purpose he ascended the steep dune, with his son, as the Eternal had bidden him, until he stood on the crest of the high land, on the [spot][41]

which the mighty, faithful Lord had shown him in his 2900 words. Forthwith he began to build the funeral-pyre and kindle the fire, and he bound his son hand and foot, and then laid young Isaac on the pile, and then straight- way grasped the sword by the hilt: he was resolved to 2905 kill his son with his own hands and allay the flames with his child's blood.

At that moment a minister of G.o.d, one of the angels, called Abraham from above, with a loud voice. Motion- less he answered the angel and awaited the herald's 2910 speech. To him then forthwith G.o.d's glorious spirit- messenger spoke from above, out of heaven, in these words:

"Beloved Abraham! Do not slay thine own son, but take the boy alive from the pile, thy child. The G.o.d 2915 of Glory has spared him. Prince of the Ebrews, through the holy hand of the King of Heaven thou shalt thyself receive recompense and true rewards of victory, ample gifts: the Keeper of Spirits will enrich thee with blessings, 2920 because his peace and favor were dearer to thee than thine own child."

The pyre stood there blazing. The Lord of mankind had made joyful the breast of Abraham, kinsman of Loth, when he gave him back his son, Isaac, alive. Then 2925 the holy hero looked about over his shoulder, and there not far from him the brother of Aron beheld a ram standing alone, caught fast in the thorn-bushes. Abra- ham took this and laid it on the pyre with great zeal, 2930 in place of his own son, brandished the sword, and dec- orated the burnt-offering, the smoking altar, with the blood of the ram, offered that oblation to G.o.d, [and fin- ally] gave thanks for these blessings and for all those[42]

mercies which, late and early, the Lord had bestowed 3935 upon him....[43]

NOTES

[Footnote 1: Thorpe's translation of the _Genesis_, published with his edition, in 1828, was not accessible to the present writer and presumably will not be accessible to the general public, so that on the mere score of availability it seems high time for the appearance of another translation; moreover, in the last eighty-five years critical scholarship has produced a greatly improved text of the poem.]

[Footnote 2: Aside from necessary omissions made for _Genesis B_, the Sections are numbered consecutively in this translation (regardless of vagaries in the original MS. numbering), on the a.s.sumption that each illuminated capital in the MS. was intended to indicate the beginning of a new Section. After the excision of _Genesis B_, the numbering has been resumed with X instead of XV, because the XIII at line 440 in the MS.

must really represent VIII.--Cf. Note 8, page 59, inf. (page 199, inf.)]

[Footnote 3: ll. 39b-41a. _Wraecna_, gen. pl. with _bidan_, = _outcasts_; I take _weardas_ as in apposition with it (the acc. being either a scribal error or an anacoluthon), and then translate _wraecna_ as an adjective for the sake of idiomatic fluency. For _gasta weardas_ as an epithet for angels, though then unfallen, cf. line 12a, sup.--The pa.s.sage has given scholars much trouble and is unsatisfactory, at best.]

[Footnote 4: line 63b. I take aeele as a form of aeelu = n.o.bilitas, princ.i.p.atus, natales, origo, genus, etc. Grein's _Sprachschatz_, 1.52.]

[Footnote 5: line 168a. Three pages seem to be missing in the MS.

Doubtless the remaining events of the third day, with those of the fourth, fifth, and perhaps first part of the sixth, days, including the creation of man, (i.e., apparently the contents of Gen. 1.11-2.17, incl.) were retold in these pages.]

[Footnote 6: line 186b. This line is apparently imperfect, metrically, for the second hemistich seems to be wanting. As the sense is complete, without emendation, I have not followed the various scholars who would insert after "Adam's bride" some such clause as, "Whom G.o.d named Eve."]

[Footnote 7: ll. 221-224a. The text here is corrupt and scholars differ widely in their conjectural emendations and interpretations. Since none of their versions is satisfactory or convincing, I venture upon an independent reading. _Hebeleac_, of course, is the Scriptural Havilah (Gen. 2.11); _Fison_ is obviously Pison, and _Geon_, 230b inf., is Gihon.]