1 Meqabyan (Ethiopian) 5

The watchman exalted himself, and with a single command the Lord caused his belly to be filled, from his feet to his head; and with that drop of moisture, by one command, he died.

And again Nimrod exalted himself, who made a bed of iron out of his great strength; yet him too the Lord cast down.

And again Nebuchadnezzar exalted himself and said, There is no other king besides me, and I am the one who makes the sun to rise upon the earth; and out of the greatness of his pride he spoke thus.

And the Lord drove him out from among men.

And when he came to know Him, He brought him back again into his kingdom. Who is it that has set himself against the Lord and exalted himself above the Lord his Maker, he who is not even of clay?

And who is it that has transgressed His law and His ordinance, and whom the earth has not swallowed up?

And you also, Tseerutsaydan, do you desire to exalt yourself even above your Maker? Yet there awaits you what awaited them, that He should pluck you out of your pride and bring you down into the dust of death.

And further, into Sheol, the place of thick darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, beneath the lowest depths, into a great and burning pit where there is no escape for ever.

You are but a man, and dust you are, who tomorrow shall die like those proud kings who were like you, who left behind their dwelling in this world.

And as for us, we say: You are a man and not God; for the Lord is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and the Creator of you yourself.

And it is He who brings low the proud and exalts the humble, and it is He who gives strength to the weak and gives weakness to the strong.

And it is He who gives death to the living, and it is He who raises up the dead who have lain in the grave and become ashes.

And He delivers the slaves into life out of the bondage of sin.

O King Tseerutsaydan, why do you boast in your defiled gods that have no profit?

The Lord made the heavens and established the earth, and created the great sea; He set the sun and the moon, and ordained the seasons and the years.

And man goes forth to his labour; he toils and serves until evening; and the stars of heaven too are lit up at His word.

And He numbers them all by their names, and there is none that the Lord does not know.

And the angels of heaven too are His, that they should serve Him and praise His holy name; and they are sent to all the angels concerning those who shall inherit life.

The angel Raphael was sent to Tobit, and he delivered Tobias in the land of Raguel.

And an angel was sent to Gideon, to instruct him how he should destroy the Philistines; and an angel was sent from Moses the leader, when he brought Israel across the Red Sea.

For the Lord said, He alone shall lead them, and there is no strange god with Him.

And He brought them up upon the heights of the land.

And He fed them with the produce of the fields and nourished them with honey out of the rock, for He loved them exceedingly.

And you too He made king over His people, and gave you authority over four kingdoms, that you might guard the people and shepherd them in uprightness and do the will of Him who created you.

And He has made you king all the more that you should love the Lord your God; for above all He has loved you and made you king.

And you too, it is right that you love the Lord your God exceedingly, even as He has loved you and entrusted to you all His flock; and do you the will of the Lord, that your days may be prolonged upon the earth, and that He may be with you.

And He will subdue under you all your enemies, and set you upon all your thrones, and spread His wings over your head.

If you but know it, the Lord has chosen you even as He chose Saul from among the children of Israel and made him king over Israel His people, while he was looking for his father's donkeys, and he sat upon the throne with Samuel the prophet.

And He gave him a portion greater than his brethren, and said to him, Behold, from this day the Lord has made you king over His people; rule over His people.

And He set him to deal with those who do good according to their good, and with those who do evil according to their evil; for the Lord set you over them, that you might both slay and make alive.

And to those who do good, that you should repay them with good, and to those who do evil, that you should repay them with evil; for the Lord set you over all that you should do His will, whether while you smite or while you make alive.

And you too, do the will of the Lord at all times and in every hour, that He may do your will in all that has been in your mind and in all that you have asked, while you humble yourself before Him; for you also are a servant to Him who rules all, to Him who dwells on high.

And to Him whom none can judge, He it is who judges all.

To Him whom none can appoint, He it is who appoints all.

To Him whom none can put away, He it is who puts away all.

To Him whom none can deliver, He it is who delivers all.

To Him whom none can compel, He it is who compels all; and there is none that escapes out of His hand, for the judgment of heaven and earth is with Him.

And there is nothing hidden before His eyes, but all is open before Him.

And He sees all, while there is none that sees Him; He hears the prayer of him who prays to Him with a pure heart, and He receives his prayer, for He created man in His own image and after His likeness.

And He nourishes all out of His store, which is never wanting; for He is King, who abides for ever.