Chapter 5
Then humbly Loth[33] bowed at the feet of the strangers 2440 and eagerly offered them the repose and refreshments and shelter and service of his dwelling. They accepted thankfully the benevolence of the good man, and followed him forthwith inside his walls, as the Hebrew chieftain invited them. There in his hall the generous wise- 2445 souled man gave them fair hospitality, until twilight departed: then came night, after the close of day, and veiled with darkness the lake-streams, seas, and broad 2450 land, and [all] the pomp of this life. Then the men of Sodoma came, young and old, hateful to God, to demand the strangers, with a great throng so that they surrounded 2455 Loth and his guests by the multitude of their force; they bade [him] lead out of the lofty hall the holy mess- engers [and put] the men in their power; they said openly in words that they would have intercourse with the men shamefully, and had no regard for decency. Then 2460 Loth, who often knew what was best, quickly arose in his house, and went out at once; and the son of Aron, mindful of his cunning, spoke thus over all the mass of people:
"Here are within two spotless [maidens], my daughters: 2465 neither of these damsels knows intercourse as yet through sleeping with a man: do then as I bid you, and cease from this sin. I give them both to you, before you commit this vileness against nature, heinous evil against 2470 the sons of men. Receive these maidens and let my guests go free, since I will defend them against you as well as I can, before God!"
Thereupon the crowd, the shameless race, answered 2475 him through common consent:
"It seems very right and fitting that thou shouldst depart out of this neighborhood, thou who bereft of friends and with the step of an exile soughtest this people from afar, in thy need: wilt thou, if thou mayst, be our 2480 ruler here, the teacher of the people?"
Then I heard of Loth how the heathen masses gripped him with their hands, with hostile grasp: his guests aided him well and the righteous strangers drew him 2485 out of the clutches of the enemy back within the walls, and then speedily closed fast the eyesight of every one of the people of Sodoma standing around: the whole 2490 crowd of citizens forthwith became blind; nor could they, in their evil rage, break into the house after the guests, as they intended, but the messengers of God were [too] active for them; the stranger had power, irre- 2495 sistible vigor, and was very severe upon the people in [inflicting] punishment. Then the dear ministers of peace spoke fairly to Loth, in these words:
"If thou hast a son, or dear relative, or any friend among these people besides these maidens whom we see 2500 here, lead out of this city those who are dear to thee, with great haste, and save thine own life, lest thou perish with these law-breakers. For the Lord has commanded us, because of the people's sins, to give over Sodoma and 2505 Gomorra to black flame and fire, and to slay these people, [striking] the race in their cities with deadly horrors, and so wreak His wrath [upon them]. It has nearly reached the appointed time. Set out on thy way, to save thy life: the Lord is merciful to thee...."[34] 2510
Loth then hastily answered them:
"I cannot, with these womenfolk, seek my safety so far from here in a journey on foot. You manifest to me kindness and fair friendship, you grant me grace 2515 and good-will. I know a lofty town near here, a little fortress: leave me there, in honor and peace, so that we may seek safety above, in Sigor. If you will protect that 2520 lofty fastness from the fire, we can abide in that place unharmed, in safety, and so preserve our lives."
Then the righteous angels answered him benevol- 2525 ently:
"Thou shalt be successful in this petition, now thou speakest about that city: withdraw immediately to that fastness. We shall keep thee in peace and safety. We must not wreak the wrath of God upon these law- 2530 breakers and destroy the sinful race, before thou hast led thy children and wife likewise into Sægor."
Then the kinsman of Abraham set out for the fastness: the chieftain did not spare the pace for his womenfolk, 2535 but he pushed his steps most hastily until he had brought his wife and children to the citadel of Sægor. When the sun rose, [when] the peaceful luminary of the nations went forth, then, I have heard, the Master of Glory sent 2540 sulphur out of heaven, and swart flame for the punish- ment of men, swelling fire, since they had offended the Lord for a long period in former days: thus the Ruler of spirits gave them retribution. Utmost terror seized upon 2545 the heathen race: tumult arose in the city, the outcry of the accursed race over shameful death, just beginning. The flame seized upon all that it found green, in the rich city, just as around outside no small portion of the broad 2550 earth was filled with conflagration and terror: trees and earth's harvests turned to ashes and embers, even as far as the avenging curse direly extended over the 2555 broad country of the people. The devastating fire rushing on in tumult devoured all things together, far and wide, that men had owned in the cities of Sodoma and Gomorra: all this, together with the people, God 2560 the Lord destroyed.
When Loth's wife, his bride in the city, heard the din of fire, the death of the people, then she looked back- ward [to see] this devastation. The Scriptures tell us that she immediately turned into the likeness of a pillar of salt: ever since then this statue has stood there 2565 motion less (this is a strange story), where she incurred this severe penalty because she would not obey the ministers of glory in their commands: now, stiff and erect, she will have to await her doom in that place, at 2570 the Lord's Judgment Day, when the world has com- pleted its [allotted] number of years. This is one of the miracles which the King of Glory has wrought.
XXXI.
Then Abraham went forth alone, at dawn, so that he 2575 again stood in the place where the pious leader had formerly spoken with his Lord in words. He saw the reek of death and destruction ascending widely from the earth. Riches and feasting preoccupied [the people] to such an extent that they had become bold in wicked 2580 deeds, eager for sin: they forgot the Truth and God's commandments, and who had given them prosperity and wealth in their cities; therefore the King of the Angels sent his fervid fire to punish them. Our faithful 2585 Lord then remembered Abraham mercifully, the dear man, as he often had done, and saved his kinsman, Loth, when the multitude perished. The [latter] hero, famed for his deeds, did not dare to tarry longer in the strong- 2590 hold for fear of the Lord, but Loth departed from the city with his children to seek a dwelling-place far from the place of slaughter, until they found a cave in the side of a high dune: there the pious Loth, dear to his 2595 Lord, dwelt in righteousness for a great number of days, with his two daughters....[35]
They did thus with the drunken man: ... the elder of the two went first to her father's bed. Nor did the 2600 venerable man know when the two maidens ... were with him in the manner of a bride, fast bound [as he was] in heart, mind, and memory, drunken with wine, 2605 so that he could not escape the enterprise of the maidens. The young women became pregnant, and the devoted sisters brought men-children into the world, sons to their old father. One of these noble children was called Moab by his mother, that daughter of Loth who was the 2610 elder in years of life; the Scriptures tell us, the sacred Books, that the younger called her son Ammon. From these princes sprang numberless people, the glories of 2615 two nations: one of these nations all earth-dwellers call Moabites, a widely famed race; the other, men and sons of heroes call Ammonites.
XXXII.
Then the brother of Aron set out with his wife to take 2620 his possessions and his household to Abimelech. Abra- ham told all men that Sarra was his sister, [and] thus preserved his life by his words: he knew very well that 2625 he had few relatives and friends among that people. Then the king sent his ministers and bade them bring to him [the wife of Abraham].[36] Thus for the second time in a foreign land, the wife of Abraham was taken 2630 from her husband to the embrace of a stranger. Then the eternal Lord assisted him, as he had often done: our Preserver came himself by night to where the king lay drunken with wine. Thereupon the Lord of Truth 2635 began to speak to the king through a dream, and threat- ened him in wrath:
"Thou hast taken Abraham's wife, his bride from the hero; for that deed death shall tear thy soul from thy breast!"
To him thus the sinner, gorged with feasting, replied 2640 in his sleep:
"What! Wilt Thou ever, High King of the Angels, through thy wrath let him be deprived of life who lives 2645 here in righteous habits, [who] in his counsel is upright in mind, and who asks mercy of Thyself? In her own words, unasked, this woman told me first that she was 2650 Abraham's sister. I have not sinned against her, nor wrought any evil at all, up to this time!"
Then again the Eternal Lord and True God spoke to him straightway through that dream:
"Give back this woman to Abraham, his wife, into 2655 his possession, if thou wishest for life any longer in this world, as protector of the nobles. He is good and wise, and may himself speak with [God] and see the King of Glory. Thou shalt die, with thy flocks and thy sub- stance, if thou deniest his wife to the warrior: if he will 2660 at once honestly and patiently prefer to me thy earnest wishes, he may obtain his request that I yet allow thee living to enjoy pleasures and prosperity in thy days, 2665 [allow thee] in sound health [to enjoy thy] riches."
Then the keeper of the people broke forth from sleep, bade his councillors come to him; shaken with terror, Abimeleh quickly told the nobles the word of the Master. The men dreaded [as retribution] for this deed, blows 2670 from the hand of the Lord in accordance with the dream. The king himself bade them bring Abraham before him, in great haste. Then the ruler of the kingdom spoke:
"Man of the Ebrews! this wilt thou now tell me in 2675 words: what have I done that, since thou broughtest thy possessions into this country among us, Abraham, thou hast thus bitterly contrived a plot against me? Thou, a foreigner, wouldst deceive us in this country 2680 with evil and pollute us with sin: thou saidest in plain words that Sarra was thy sister, thy blood relation; through that woman thou wouldst have foully put upon me sin, measureless evil! We received thee honorably, 2685 and in friendship gave thee a dwelling-place among this people, land at thy pleasure: now thou makest return and thankest us [most] ungratefully for our favors!"
XXXIII.
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, destitute 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 God 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 Abimæleh 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 nobles 2720 spoke further to Abraham, in these words:
"Dwell with us and choose thee a dwelling-place in this land, a noble 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 goddess-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 God: therefore he enjoyed tranquility happily and proceeded under the shadow of his Creator, covered 2740 by His protecting wings, while he lived. But God 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 God 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.
XXXIV.
The boy grew and throve, inasmuch as noble [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 noble 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 God 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 God, 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 assurance 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.
XXXV.
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 noble one's fortitude 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 asses, 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 noble 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 noble victim that you expect to bring as a burnt-offering to God?"
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 God, 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 God'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 God 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 God, [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.]