Kebra Nagast Ch. 31 – 40

THE ‘BOOK OF THE GLORY OF KINGS’

KEBRA NAGAST

Translated from the Ethiopic

by SIR E. A. WALLIS BUDGE M.A., LITT.D., D.LITT., LIT.D. F.S.A.

MCMXXXII

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD

31. Concerning the sign which SOLOMON gave the Queen

And the Queen rejoiced, and she went forth in order to depart, and the King
set her on her way with great pomp and ceremony. And SOLOMON took her aside so
that they might be alone together, and he took off the ring that was upon his
little finger, and he gave it to the Queen, and said unto her, “Take (this) so
that thou mayest not forget me. And if it happen that I obtain seed from thee,
this ring shall be unto it a sign; and if it be a man child he shall come to me;
and the peace of God be with thee! Whilst I was sleeping with thee I saw many
visions in a dream, (and it seemed) as if a sun had risen upon ISRAEL, but it
snatched itself away and flew off and lighted up the country of ETHIOPIA; peradventure
that country shall be blessed through thee; God knoweth. And as for thee, observe
what I have told thee, so that thou mayest worship God with all thy heart and
perform His Will. For He punisheth those who are arrogant, and He showeth compassion
upon those who are humble, and He removeth the thrones of the mighty, and He maketh
to be honoured those who are needy. For death and life are from Him, and riches
and poverty are bestowed by His Will. For everything is His, and none can oppose
His command and His judgment in the heavens, or in the earth, or in the sea, or
in the abysses. And may God be with thee! Go in peace.” And they separated from
each other.

32. How the Queen brought forth and came to her own Country

And the Queen departed and came into the country of BZADĔYnine months
and five days after she had separated from King SOLOMON. And the pains of childbirth
laid hold upon her, and she brought forth a man child, and she gave it to the
nurse with great pride and delight. And she tarried until the days of her purification
were ended, and then she came to her own country with great pomp and ceremony.
And her officers who had remained there brought gifts to their mistress, and made
obeisance to her, and did homage to her, and all the borders of the country rejoiced
at her coming. Those who were nobles among them she arrayed in splendid apparel,
and to some she gave gold and silver, and hyacinthine and purple robes; and she
gave them all manner of things that could be desired. And she ordered her kingdom
aright, and none disobeyed her command; for she loved wisdom and God strengthened
her kingdom.

And the child grew and she called his name BAYNA-LEḤKEM. And the child reached
the age of twelve years, and he asked his friends among the boys who were being
educated with him, and said unto them, “Who is my father?” And they said unto
him, “SOLOMON the King.” And he went to the Queen his mother, and said unto her,
“O Queen, make me to know who is my father.” And the Queen spake unto him angrily,
wishing to frighten him so that he might not desire to go (to his father) saying,
“Why dost thou ask me about thy father? I am thy father and thy mother; seek not
to know any more.” And the boy went forth from her presence, and sat down. And
a second time, and a third time he asked her, and he importuned her to tell him.
One day, however, she told him, saying, “His country is far away, and the road
thither is very difficult; wouldst thou not rather be here?” And the youth BAYNA-LEḤKEM
was handsome, and his whole body and his members, and the bearing of his shoulders
resembled those of King SOLOMON his father, and his eyes, and his legs, and his
whole gait resembled those of SOLOMON the King. And when he was two and twenty
years old he was skilled in the whole art of war and of horsemanship, and in the
hunting and trapping of wild beasts, and in everything that young men are wont
to learn. And he said unto the Queen, “I will go and look upon the face of my
father, and I will come back here by the Will of God, the Lord of ISRAEL.”

33. How the King of ETHIOPIA travelled

And the Queen called TR, the chief of her caravan men and merchants, and
she said unto him, “Get ready for thy journey and take this young man with thee,
for he importuneth me by night and by day. And thou shalt take him to the King
and shalt bring him back hither in safety, if God, the Lord of ISRAEL, pleaseth.”
And she prepared a retinue suitable to their wealth and honourable condition,
and made ready all the goods that were necessary for the journey, and for presenting
as gifts to the King, and all that would be necessary for ease and comfort by
the way. And she made ready everything for sending him away, and she gave to the
officers who were to accompany him such moneys as they would need for him and
for themselves on the journey. And she commanded them that they were not to leave
him there, but only to take him to the King, and then to bring him back again
to her, when he should assume the sovereignty over her land.

Now there was a law in the country of ETHIOPIA that (only) a woman should reign,
and that she must be a virgin who had never known man, but the Queen said (unto
SOLOMON), “Henceforward a man who is of thy seed shall reign, and a woman shall
nevermore reign; only seed of thine shall reign and his seed after him from generation
to generation. And this thou shalt inscribe in the letters of the rolls in the
Book of their Prophets in brass, and thou shalt lay it in the House of God, which
shall be built as a memorial and as a prophecy for the last days. And the people
shall not worship the sun and the magnificence of the heavens, or the mountains
and the forests, or the stones and the trees of the wilderness, or the abysses
and that which is in the waters, or graven images and figures of gold, or the
feathered fowl which fly; and they shall not make use of them in divining, and
they shall not pay adoration unto them. And this law shall abide for ever. And
if there be anyone who shall transgress this law, thy seed shall judge him for
ever. Only give us the fringes of the covering of the holy heavenly ZION, the
Tabernacle of the Law of God, which we would embrace (or, greet). Peace be to
the strength of thy kingdom and to thy brilliant wisdom, which God, the Lord of
ISRAEL our Creator, hath given unto thee.”

And the Queen took the young man aside and when he was alone with her she gave
him that symbol which SOLOMON had given her, that is to say, the ring on his finger,
so that he might know his son, and might remember her word and her covenant which
she had made (with him), that she would worship God all the days of her life,
she and those who were under her dominion, with all (the power) which God had
given her. And then the Queen sent him away in peace.

And the young man (and his retinue) made straight their way and they journeyed
on and came into the country of the neighbourhood of G Now this is the G
which SOLOMON the King gave to the Queen of ETHIOPIA. And in the Acts of the Apostles
LUKE the Evangelist wrote, saying, “He was the governor of the whole country of
G an eunuch of Queen HENDAK who had believed on the word of LUKE the Apostle.”

34. How the young man arrived in his mother’s country

And when the young man arrived in his mother’s country he rejoiced there in the
honour (which he received), and in the gifts (that were made) to him. And when the
people saw him they thought him to be the perfect likeness of SOLOMON the King.
And they made obeisance to him, and they said unto him, “Hail, the royal father
liveth!” And they brought unto him gifts and offerings, fatted cattle and food,
as to their king. And (the people of) the whole country of G as far as the border
of JUDAH, were stirred up and they said, “This is King SOLOMON.” And there were
some who said, “The King is in JERUSALEM building his house”now he had finished
building the House of Godand others said, “This is SOLOMON the King, the son of
DAVID.” And they were perplexed, and they disputed with one another, and they sent
off spies mounted on horses, who were to seek out King SOLOMON and to find out if
he were actually in JERUSALEM, or if he were with them (in G. And the spies
came to the watchmen of the city of JERUSALEM, and they found King SOLOMON there,
and they made obeisance to him, and they said unto him, “Hail, may the royal father
live! (Our) country is disturbed because there hath come into it a merchant who
resembleth thee in form and appearance, without the smallest alteration or variation.
He resembleth thee in noble carriage and in splendid form, and in stature and in
goodly appearance; he lacketh nothing in respect of these and is in no way different
from thyself. His eyes are gladsome, like unto those of a man who hath drunk wine,
his legs are graceful and slender, and the tower of his neck is like unto the tower
of DAVID thy father. He is like unto thee exactly in every respect, and every member
of his whole body is like unto thine.”

And King SOLOMON answered and said unto them, “Where is it then that he wisheth
to go?” And they answered and said unto him, “We have not enquired of him, for he
is awesome like thyself. But his own people, when we asked them, ‘Whence have ye
come and whither do ye go?’ said, ‘We have come from the dominions of HENDAK(CANDACE)
and ETHIOPIA, and we are going to the country of JUDAH to King SOLOMON.'” And when
King SOLOMON heard this his heart was perturbed and he was glad in his soul, for
in those days he had no children, except a boy who was seven years old and whose
name was BE‛ (REHOBOAM). It happened to SOLOMON even as Paul stateth, saying,
“God hath made foolishness the wisdom of this world,”
for SOLOMON had made a plan in his wisdom and said, “By one thousand women I shall
beget one thousand men children, and I shall inherit the countries of the enemy,
and I will overthrow (their) idols.” But (God) only gave him three children. His
eldest son was the King of ETHIOPIA, the son of the Queen of ETHIOPIA, and was the
firstborn of whom (God) spake prophetically, “God sware unto DAVID in righteousness,
and repented not, ‘Of the fruit of thy body will I make to sit upon thy throne.'”
And God gave unto DAVID His servant grace before Him, and granted unto him that
there should sit upon the throne of Godhead One of his seed in the flesh, from the
Virgin, and should judge the living and the dead, and reward every man according
to his work, One to whom praise is meet, our Lord JESUS CHRIST, for ever and ever,
Amen. And He gave him one on the earth who should become king over the Tabernacle
of the Law of the holy, heavenly ZION, that is to say, the King of ETHIOPIA. And
as for those who reigned, who were not (of) ISRAEL, that was due to the transgression
of the law and the commandment, whereat God was not pleased.

35. How King SOLOMON sent to his son the commander
of his army

And SOLOMON the King sent the commander of his army, on whose hand he was wont
to lean, with gifts and meat and drink to entertain that traveller. And the commander
set out with a great number of wagons, and he came to BAYNA LEḤKEM, and embraced
him, and gave him everything that SOLOMON the King had sent unto him. And he said
unto him, “Make haste and come with me, for the heart of the King is burnt up as
with fire with the love of thee. Peradventure he will find out for himself whether
thou art his own son or his brother; for in thine appearance and in thy conversation
(or, manner) thou art in no way different from him. And now, rise up quickly, for
my lord the King said unto me, ‘Haste and bring him hither to me in honour, and
comfort, and with suitable service, and in joy and gladness.'” And the young man
answered and said unto him, “I thank God, the Lord of ISRAEL, that I have found
grace with my lord the King without having seen his face; his word hath rejoiced
me. And now I will put my trust in the Lord of ISRAEL that He will show me the King,
and will bring me back safely to my mother the Queen, and to my country ETHIOPIA.”

And JOAS (?), the son of Y
the commander of the army of King SOLOMON, answered and said unto BAYNA LEḤKEM,
“My lord, this is a very small matter, and thou wilt find far greater joy and pleasure
with my lord the King. And as concerning what thou sayest, ‘my mother’ and ‘my country’,
SOLOMON the King is better than thy mother, and this our country is better than
thy country. And as for thy country, we have heard that it is a land of cold and
cloud, and a country of glare and burning heat, and a region of snow and ice. And
when the sons of NOAH, SHEM, and HAM, and JAPHET, divided the world among them,
they looked on thy country with wisdom and saw that, although it was spacious and
broad, it was a land of whirlwind and burning heat, and (therefore) gave it to CANAAN,
the son of HAM, as a portion for himself and his seed for ever. But the land that
is ours is the land of inheritance (i.e., the promised land), which God hath given
unto us according to the oath that He swore to our fathers, a land flowing with
milk and honey, where sustenance is (ours) without anxiety, a land that yieldeth
fruit of every kind in its season without exhausting labour, a land which God keepeth
watch over continually from one year to the beginning of the revolution of the next.
All this is thine, and we are thine, and we will be thine heirs, and thou shalt
dwell in our country, for thou art the seed of DAVID, the lord of my lord, and unto
thee belongeth this throne of ISRAEL.”

And the headmen of the merchant TR answered and said unto BENAIAH, “Our country
is the better. The air (i.e., climate) of our country is good, for it is without
burning heat and fire, and the water of our country is good, and sweet, and floweth
in rivers, moreover the tops of our mountains run with water. And we do not do as
ye do in your country, that is to say, dig very deep wells (in search of) water,
and we do not die through the heat of the sun; but even at noonday we hunt wild
animals, namely, the wild buffaloes, and gazelles, and birds, and small animals.
And in the winter God taketh heed unto us from (one) year to the beginning of the
course of the next. And in the springtime the people eat what they have trodden
with the foot as (in) the land of EGYPT, and as for our trees they produce good
crops of fruit, and the wheat, and the barley, and all our fruits, and cattle are
good and wonderful. But there is one thing that ye have wherein ye are better than
we are, namely wisdom, and because of it we are journeying to you.”

And JOAS (read BENAIAH), the commander of the army of King SOLOMON, answered
(saying), “What is better than wisdom? For wisdom hath founded the earth, and made
strong the heavens, and fettered the waves of the sea so that it might not cover
the earth. However, rise up and let us go to my lord, for his heart is greatly moved
by love for thee, and he hath sent me to bring thee (to him) with all the speed
possible.”

And the son of the Queen rose up, and arrayed JOAS (BENAIAH), the son of Y
and the fifty men who were in his retinue, in gorgeous raiment, and they rose up
to go to JERUSALEM to SOLOMON the King. And when they came nigh unto the place where
the horses were exercised and trained, JOAS (BENAIAH), the son of Y went on
in front, and came to the place where SOLOMON was, and he told him that (the son
of the Queen) was well-favoured in his appearance, and that his voice was pleasant,
and that he resembled him in form, and that his whole bearing was exceedingly noble.
And the King said unto him, “Where is he? Did I not send thee forth to bring him
as quickly as possible?” And JOAS (BENAIAH) said unto him, “He is here, I will bring
him quickly.” And JOAS (BENAIAH) went and said unto the young man, “Rise up, O my
master, and come”; and making BAYNA LEḤKEM to go quickly he brought him to the King’s
Gate. And when all the soldiers saw him they made obeisance unto him, and they said,
“Behold, King SOLOMON hath gone forth from his abode.” And when the men who were
inside came forth, they marvelled, and they went back to their places, and again
they saw the King upon his throne; and wondering they went forth again and looked
at the young man, and they were incapable of speaking and of saying anything. And
when JOAS (BENAIAH), the son of Y came in again to announce to the King the
arrival of the young man, there was none standing before the King, but all ISRAEL
had thronged outside to see him.

36. How King SOLOMON held intercourse with his son

And JOAS (BENAIAH), the son of Y went out and brought BAYNA LEḤKEM inside.
And when King SOLOMON saw him he rose up, and moved forward to welcome him, and
he loosed the band of his apparel from his shoulder, and he embraced him, with his
hands (resting) on his breast, and he kissed his mouth, and forehead, and eyes,
and he said unto him, “Behold, my father DAVID hath renewed his youth and hath risen
from the dead.” And SOLOMON the King turned round to those who had announced the
arrival of the young man, and he said unto them, “Ye said unto me, ‘He resembleth
thee,’ but this is not my stature, but the stature of DAVID my father in the days
of his early manhood, and he is handsomer than I am.” And SOLOMON the King rose
up straightway, and he went into his chamber, and he arrayed the young man in apparel
made of cloth embroidered with gold, and a belt of gold, and he set a crown upon
his head, and a ring upon his finger. And having arrayed him in glorious apparel
which bewitched the eyes, he seated him upon his throne, that he might be equal
in rank to himself. And he said unto the nobles and officers of ISRAEL, “O ye who
treat me with contumely among yourselves and say that I have no son, look ye, this
is my son, the fruit that hath gone forth from my body, whom God, the Lord of ISRAEL,
hath given me, when I expected it not.”

And his nobles answered and said unto him, “Blessed be the mother who hath brought
forth this young man, and blessed be the day wherein thou hadst union with the mother
of this young man. For there hath risen upon us from the root of JESSE a shining
man who shall be king of the posterity of our posterity of his seed. Concerning
his father none shall ask questions, and none shall say, ‘Whence is his coming?’
Verily he is an ISRAELITE of the seed of DAVID, fashioned perfectly in the likeness
of his father’s form and appearance; we are his servants, and he shall be our king.”
And they brought unto him gifts, each according to his greatness. And the young
man took that ring which his mother had given him when they were alone together,
and he said unto his father, “Take this ring, and remember the word which thou didst
speak unto the Queen, and give unto us a portion of the fringe of the covering of
the Tabernacle of the Law of God, so that we may worship it all our days, and all
those who are subject unto us, and those who are in the kingdom of the Queen.” And
the King answered and said unto him, “Why givest thou me the ring as a sign? Without
thy giving me a sign I discovered the likeness of thy form to myself, for thou art
indeed my son.”

And the merchant TR spake again unto King SOLOMON, saying, “Hearken, O King,
unto the message which thy handmaiden, the Queen my mistress, sent by me: ‘Take
this young man, anoint him, consecrate him, and bless him, and make him king over
our country, and give him the command that a woman shall never again reign (in this
country), and send him back in peace. And peace be with the might of thy kingdom,
and with thy brilliant wisdom. As for me, I never wished that he should come where
thou art, but he urged me exceedingly that he should be allowed to come to thee.
And besides, I was afraid for him lest he should fall sick on the journey, either
through thirst for water, or the heat of the sun, and I should bring my grey hairs
down to the grave with sorrow. Then I put my trust in the holy, heavenly ZION, the
Tabernacle of the Law of God, that thou wilt not withhold it in thy wisdom. For
thy nobles cannot return to their houses and look upon their children, by reason
of the abundance of wisdom and food which thou givest them, according to their desire,
and they say, The table of SOLOMON is better for us than enjoying and gratifying
ourselves in our own houses. And because of this I, through my fear, sought protection
so that thou mightest not stablish him with thee, but mightest send him (back) to
me in peace, without sickness and suffering, in love and in peace, that my heart
might rejoice at having encountered thee.'”

And the King answered and said unto him, “Besides travailing with him and suckling
him, what else hath a woman to do with a son? A daughter belongeth to the mother,
and a boy to the father. God cursed EVE, saying, ‘Bring forth children in anguish
and with sorrow of heart, and (after) thy bringing forth shall take place thy return
to thy husband’; with an oath He said, ‘Bring forth,’ and having sworn, thy return
to thy husband (shall follow). As for this my son, I will not give him to the Queen,
but I will make him king over ISRAEL. For this is my firstborn, the first of my
race whom God hath given me.”

And then SOLOMON sent unto the young man evening and morning dainty meats, and
apparel of honour, and gold and silver. And he said unto him, “It is better for
thee to dwell here in our country with us, where the House of God is, and where
the Tabernacle of the Law of God is, and where God dwelleth.” And the young man
his son sent a message unto him, saying, “Gold, and silver, and (rich) apparel are
not wanting in our country. But I came hither in order to hear thy wisdom, and to
see thy face, and to salute thee, and to pay homage to thy kingdom, and to make
obeisance to thee, and then (I intended thee) to send me away to my mother and to
my own country. For no man hateth the place where he was born, and everyone loveth
the things of his native country. And though thou givest me dainty meats I do not
love them, and they are not suitable for my body, but the meats whereby I grow and
become strong are those that are gratifying to me. And although (thy) country pleaseth
me even as doth a garden, yet is not my heart gratified therewith; the mountains
of the land of my mother where I was born are far better in my sight. And as for
the Tabernacle of the God of ISRAEL, if I adore it where I am, it will give me glory,
and I shall look upon the House of God which thou hast builded, and I will make
offering and make supplication to it there. And as for ZION, the Tabernacle of the
Law of God, give me (a portion of) the fringe of the covering thereof, and I will
worship it with my mother and with all those who are subject to my sovereignty.
For my Lady the Queen hath already rooted out all those who served idols, and those
who worshipped strange objects, and stones and trees, and she hath rooted them out
and hath brought them to ZION, the Tabernacle of the Law of God. For she had heard
from thee and had learned, and she did according to thy word, and we worship God.”
And the King was not able to make his son consent to remain (in JERUSALEM) with
all (his persuadings).

37. How SOLOMON asked His Son Questions

And again SOLOMON held converse with his son when he was alone, and he said unto
him, “Why dost thou wish to depart from me? What dost thou lack here that thou wouldst
go to the country of the heathen? And what is it that driveth thee to forsake the
kingdom of ISRAEL?”

And his son answered and said unto him, “It is impossible for me to live here.
Nay, I must go to my mother, thou favouring me with thy blessing. For thou hast
a son who is better than I am, namely BE‛ (REHOBOAM) who was born of thy wife
lawfully, whilst my mother is not thy wife according to the law.”

And the King answered and said unto him, “Since thou speakest in this wise, according
to the law I myself am not the son of my father DAVID, for he took the wife of another
man whom he caused to be slain in battle, and he begot me by her; but God is compassionate
and He hath forgiven him. Who is wickeder and more foolish than men? and who is
as compassionate and as wise as God? God hath made me of my father, and thee hath
He made of me, according to His Will. And as for thee, O my son, thou fearer of
our Lord God, do not violence to the face of thy father, so that in times to come
thou mayest not meet with violence from him that shall go forth from thy loins,
and that thy seed may prosper upon the earth. My son REHOBOAM is a boy six years
old, and thou art my firstborn son, and thou hast come to reign, and to lift up
the spear of him that begot thee. Behold, I have been reigning for nine and twenty
years, and thy mother came to me in the seventh year of my kingdom; and please God,
He shall make me to attain to the span of the days of my father. And when I shall
be gathered to my fathers, thou shalt sit upon my throne, and thou shalt reign in
my stead, and the elders of ISRAEL shall love thee exceedingly; and I will make
a marriage for thee, and I will give thee as many queens and concubines as thou
desirest. And thou shalt be blessed in this land of inheritance with the blessing
that God gave unto our fathers, even as He covenanted with NOAH His servant, and
with ABRAHAM His friend, and the righteous men their descendants after them down
to DAVID my father. Thou seest me, a weak man, upon the throne of my fathers, and
thou shalt be like myself after me, and thou shalt judge nations without number,
and families that cannot be counted. And the Tabernacle of the God of ISRAEL shall
belong to thee and to thy seed, whereto thou shalt make offerings and make prayers
to ascend. And God shall dwell within it for ever and shall hear thy prayers therein,
and thou shalt do the good pleasure of God therein, and thy remembrance shall be
in it from generation to generation.”

And his son answered and said unto him, “O my lord, it is impossible for me to
leave my country and my mother, for my mother made me to swear by her breasts that
I would not remain here but would return to her quickly, and also that I would not
marry a wife here. And the Tabernacle of the God of ISRAEL shall bless me wheresoever
I shall be, and thy prayer shall accompany me whithersoever I go. I desired to see
thy face, and to hear thy voice, and to receive thy blessing, and now I desire to
depart to my mother in safety.”

38. How the King planned to send away his son with the children
of the nobles

And then SOLOMON the King went back into his house, and he caused to be gathered
together his councillors, and his officers, and the elders of his kingdom, and he
said unto them, “I am not able to make this young man consent (to dwell here). And
now, hearken ye unto me and to what I shall say unto you. Come, let us make him
king of the country of ETHIOPIA, together with your children; ye sit on my right
hand and on my left hand, and in like manner the eldest of your children shall sit
on his right hand and on his left hand. Come, O ye councillors and officers, let
us give (him) your firstborn children, and we shall have two kingdoms; I will rule
here with you, and our children shall reign there. And I put my trust in God that
a third time He will give me seed, and that a third king will be to me. Now BALṬ,
the King of R, wisheth that I would give my son to his daughter, and to make him
with his daughter king over the whole country of R. For besides her he hath no
other child, and he hath sworn that he will only make king a man who is of the seed
of DAVID my father. And if we rule there we shall be three kings. And REHOBOAM shall
reign here over ISRAEL. For thus saith the prophecy of DAVID my father: ‘The seed
of SOLOMON shall become three heads of kingdoms upon the earth.’ And we will send
unto them priests, and we will ordain laws for them, and they shall worship and
serve the God of ISRAEL under the three royal heads. And God shall be praised by
the race of His people ISRAEL, and be exalted in all the earth, even as my father
wrote in his Book, saying, ‘Tell the nations that God is king’;
and again he said, ‘Announce to the peoples His work, praise Him and sing ye unto
Him’; and again he saith, ‘Praise God with a new song. His praise is in the congregation
of the righteous, ISRAEL shall rejoice in his Creator.’
Unto us belongeth the glory of sovereignty and we will praise our Creator. And the
nations who serve idols shall look upon us, and they shall fear us, and make us
kings over them, and they shall praise God and fear Him. And now, come ye, let us
make this young man king, and let us send him away with your children, ye who possess
wealth and position. According to the position and wealth that ye have here shall
your children (rule) there. And they shall see the ordering of royalty, and we will
establish them according to our law, and we will direct them and give them commands
and send them away to reign there.”

And the priests, and the officers, and the councillors answered and said unto
him, “Do thou send thy firstborn, and we will send our children also according to
thy wish. Who can resist the commandment of God and the king? They are the servants
of thee and of thy seed as thou hast proclaimed. If thou wishest, thou canst sell
them and their mothers to be slaves; it is not for us to transgress thy command
and the command of the Lord thy God.” And then they made ready to do for them (i.e.,
their children) what it was right to do, and to send them into the country of ETHIOPIA,
so that they might reign there and dwell there for ever, they and their seed from
generation to generation.

39. How they made the Son of SOLOMON King

And they made ready the ointment of the oil of kingship, and the sounds of the
large horn, and the small horn, and the flute and the pipes, and the harp and the
drum filled the air; and the city resounded with cries of joy and gladness. And
they brought the young man into the Holy of Holies, and he laid hold upon the horns
of the altar, and sovereignty was given unto him by the mouth of ZADOK the priest,
and by the mouth of JOAS (BENAIAH) the priest, the commander of the army of King
SOLOMON, and he anointed him with the holy oil of the ointment of kingship. And
he went out from the house of the Lord, and they called his name DAVID, for the
name of a king came to him by the law. And they made him to ride upon the mule of
King SOLOMON, and they led him round about the city, and said, “We have appointed
thee from this moment”; and then they cried out to him, “B (Long) live the royal
father!” And there were some who said, “It is meet and right that thy dominion of
ETHIOPIA shall be from the River of EGYPT to the west of the sun (i.e., to the setting
sun); blessed be thy seed upon the earth!and from SHOA to the east of INDIA, for
thou wilt please (the people of these lands). And the Lord God of ISRAEL shall be
unto thee a guide, and the Tabernacle of the Law of God shall be with all that thou
lookest upon. And all thine enemies and foes shall be overthrown before thee, and
completion and finish shall be unto thee and unto thy seed after thee; thou shalt
judge many nations and none shall judge thee.” And again his father blessed him
and said unto him, “The blessing of heaven and earth shall be thy blessing,” and
all the congregation of ISRAEL said, “Amen.” And his father also said unto ZADOK
the priest, “Make him to know and tell him concerning the judgment and decree of
God which he shall observe there” (in ETHIOPIA).

40. How ZADOK the priest gave commands to DAVID
the King

And ZADOK the priest answered and said unto the young man, “Hearken unto what
I shall say unto thee. And if thou wilt perform it thou shalt live to God, and if
thou dost not God will punish thee, and thou shalt become the least of all the nations,
and thou shalt be vanquished by thy foes. And God shall turn away His face from
thee, and thou shalt be dismayed, and sad, and sorrowful in thy heart, and thy sleep
shall be without refreshing and health. And hearken unto the word of God, and perform
it, and withdraw not thyself either to the right hand or the left, in respect of
that which we command thee this day; and thou shalt serve no other god. And if thou
wilt not hear the word of God, then hearken to all the curses here mentioned which
shall come upon thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the field, cursed shalt thou be in
the city. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy land, cursed shall be the fruit of thy
belly, and the herds of thy cattle, and the flocks of thy sheep. And God shall send
upon thee famine and pestilence, and He shall destroy that whereto thou hast put
thine hand, until at length He shall destroy thee, because thou hast not hearkened
to His word. And the heavens which are above thee shall become brass, and the earth
which is beneath thee shall become iron; and God shall make the rain (which should
fall upon) thy land to be darkness only, and dust shall descend from heaven upon
thee until it shall cover thee up and destroy thee. And thou shalt be smitten in
battle before thine enemies. Thou shalt go forth to attack them by one road, and
by seven ways shalt thou take to flight before their faces, and thou shalt be routed;
and thy dead body shall become food for the fowl of the heavens, and there shall
be none to bury thee. And God shall punish thee with sores (or, leprosy), and with
the wasting disease, and with the fever that destroyeth, and with the punishments
(i.e., plagues) of EGYPT, and with blindness and terror of heart; and thou shalt
grope about by day like a blind man in the darkness, and thou shalt find none to
help thee in (thy) trouble. Thou shalt marry a wife, and another man shall carry
her away from thee by force. Thou shalt build a house, and shalt not dwell therein.
And thou shalt plant a vineyard and shalt not harvest the grapes thereof. Men shall
slay thy fat oxen before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat of their flesh. Men
shall snatch away thine ass, and shall not bring him back to thee. Thy sheep shall
run to the slaves and to thine enemy, and thou shalt find none to help thee. And
thy sons and thy daughters shall follow other people, and thou shalt see with thine
own eyes how they are smitten, and shalt be able to do nothing. An enemy whom thou
knowest not shall devour the food of thy land and thy labour, and thou shalt not
be able to prevent him; and thou shalt become a man of suffering and calamity. When
the day dawneth thou shalt say, ‘Would that the evening had come!’ and when the
evening cometh thou shalt say, ‘Would that the morning had come!’ through the greatness
of thy fear.(All these things shall come upon thee) if thou wilt not hearken to
the word of the Lord. But if thou wilt truly hearken unto the word of the Lordhear
thouthe goodness of God shall find thee, and thou shalt rule the countries of the
enemy, and thou shalt inherit everlasting glory from the Lord God of ISRAEL, Who
ruleth everything. For He honoureth him that honoureth Him, and He loveth him that
loveth Him, for He is the Lord of death and of life, and He directeth and ruleth
all the world with His wisdom, and His power, and His (mighty) arm.”