衣索比亞馬加比一書 第 28 章

And after they had dwelt there and his children had multiplied, there were among them those who praised the Lord and honoured Him and did not transgress His commandment.

And there were prophets too who prophesied what had been and what should be; and there were among the children of sinners those who lied and oppressed: Cain, the first-born of Adam, became fierce and slew his brother Abel.

Women and

men; and there were among them good ones and evil ones.

And Abel was righteous, but Cain became a sinner by the slaying of his brother Abel the righteous.

And again Seth the righteous was born, for Adam begot him.

And there were among them prophets and righteous ones, and there were among them sinners and corrupt ones.

And there were among them good and blessed ones who did the will of their father Adam, and all that he told to Seth his son, from Adam until Noah the righteous, who kept the commandment of the Lord.

And he too entrusted to his children and told them the will of the Lord; and they would tell their children and entrust to them the will of the Lord, even as their father Noah told them, that they should not make void the commandment of the Lord.

And they continued teaching those who came after them, their children.

But Satan, warring against them, against those who said Yes to him, would speak with them in the idols at the graves of their fathers, the going forth of an image; and they would do all that he commanded them, that teacher of evil.

And they worshipped idols according to their ordinance, until Abraham the righteous came forth, who did the will of the Lord.

And the Lord made a covenant with him by fire and by whirlwind, for he was the first of his kindred to walk in the way of righteousness.

And the Lord swore to him that He would give him a land of inheritance, to him and to his seed for ever.

And likewise with Isaac He made a covenant, to give him the inheritance of his father Abraham; and with Jacob too He made a covenant in the same way, to give him the inheritance of his father Isaac.

And their seed after them, the children of Jacob, He made kings and priests from among the tribes of the people of Israel; and He blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply exceedingly.

And He gave them the inheritance of their fathers; yet they did not cease to provoke the Lord, even while He nourished them and gave them delight in all things.

And in the day He would slay them, then they would seek Him and turn and return to the Lord; for the Lord loves them and has mercy on them.

And not for their own sake, but for the sake of their fathers; for He is merciful and compassionate to all that He created.

And He stretches out His right hand in blessing, to satisfy the hungry soul; and He opens His eye for mercy, and to multiply the grain for food.

And He gives food to the young of the raven and to all that call upon Him; and the children of Israel too He delivers from the hand of their enemies and their foes, when they cry out to Him.

And again they turn back to provoke Him, and He sends against them the nations and their enemies who are round about them, and they destroy them and slay them and lead them captive.

And again they cry out to the Lord with groaning and with weeping, and He sends them help; for there were times when He delivered them by the hand of the prophets.

And there were times when He delivered them by the hand of the judges; but when they provoked the Lord, He gave them over to their enemies, who plundered them and led them captive.

And David arose and delivered them from the hand of the Philistines; and again they provoked the Lord, and He sent against them those who afflicted them.

And there was a time when He delivered them by the hand of Jephthah; and again they forgot the Lord who delivered them, and He would send against them fierce enemies who tormented them and led them captive and plundered them; for the Lord requited them.

And again they cried out to Him when they were oppressed, and He delivered them by the hand of Gideon; and again they provoked the Lord by the work of their hands.

And He again sent against them those who afflicted them; and they turned back and wept and cried out to the Lord.

And again He delivered them by the hand of Samson; and they rested for a little while, then rose up to provoke the Lord by their wickedness which they had done before.

And He again sent against them others who afflicted them; and again they cried out and wept to the Lord, that He should send them help; and He delivered them by the hand of Deborah and Barak.

And again they abode a few days while they worshipped the Lord; and again they forgot Him and provoked the Lord because of their former wickedness.

And He sent against them others who afflicted them; and again He delivered them by the hand of Judith; and again they abode for a little, then rose up to provoke the Lord as before by their wickedness.

And He raised up against them nations that ruled over them; and they groaned and cried out to the Lord, and He delivered them by the hand of Mattathias and his sons at the corner of the house.

For he struck off the head of the watchman Akimelek, who had come to make war against the land of Judah; and when that watchman died, his hosts were scattered and fled, and the children of Israel slew them as far as the Jabbok and left none remaining.

And after this they rested a little, then rose up to provoke the Lord; and He sent against them nations that ruled over them; and again they cried out and groaned to the Lord, and He despised their weeping and their groaning, because at all times they provoked the Lord and forgot His commandment.

And they led them captive and carried them away to the land of the Chaldeans together with their priests.

And even there the corrupt children of Israel did not cease to provoke the Lord, working defilement and idolatry, and mingling with the nations that had led them captive.

And the Lord was wroth with them there too for their wickedness, to destroy them in a moment; and He put wrath into the heart of Artaxerxes king of the Chaldeans, that he should bring ten thousand denarii into the treasuries of the king, and should condemn them on a day appointed with a sign, that none of their seed should remain in the land of Persia, from India even to Ethiopia.

And thus he made a written decree by the authority of the king, and gave it the seal that was on his hand, that it should reach into all the land of Persia.

And that they should slay them on a single day, as the king commanded, on which day he desired to root them out; and he commanded that the gold and silver of their plunder should be brought back to the treasuries of the king.

And in that day, when the children of Israel heard, they cried out and wept and groaned to the Lord, and told it to Mordecai; and Mordecai told it to Esther.

And Esther said, Fast and pray and groan to the Lord, the God of Israel, all the congregation of the children of Israel, wherever you are.

And Mordecai too put on sackcloth and put ashes upon his head, and they fasted and prayed and repented, wherever the children of Israel were.

And Esther too was greatly distressed; and though she was queen, she put on sackcloth and spread out ashes and bared her head, and did not anoint herself with fragrance as the queens of Persia do; and she wept and groaned to the Lord out of the depth of her heart, to the God of her fathers.

And therefore the Lord gave her favour before Artaxerxes king of Persia, and she made a great banquet for the God of her fathers.

And the king and Haman entered the banquet which Esther had made; and there the Lord requited Haman according as he had purposed to do against Mordecai, and they hanged him upon a high tree.

And a decree of the king was commanded, that they should let the Jews alone wherever they were, in all their will, and should not enslave them nor wrong them nor oppress them nor take their goods.

And they should not destroy their cities nor plunder their cattle, but should love them and honour them wherever they were in all the land of Persia; for thus does the Lord teach them in Israel, when they ask and groan to Him in repentance.

And when they provoke Him, He sends against them nations that afflict them; in that day they weep and groan and cry out, that He may send them their help and deliver them from the hand of those who afflict them.