Lost Books of the Bible (145 page)

31 Then Ahikar and said answered, 'To hear is to obey.' And he arose right away and bound his hands behind him, and chained his feet.

32 And Nadan took him and went with him to the king. And when Ahikar entered the king's presence he did obeisance before him on the ground, and wished for power and perpetual life to the king.

33 Then said the king, ' Ahikar, my Secretary, the Governor of my affairs, my Chancellor, the ruler of my State, tell me what evil have I done to you that you have rewarded me by this ugly deed.'

34 Then they showed him the letters in his writing and with his seal. And when Ahikar saw this, his limbs trembled and his tongue was tied at once, and he was unable to speak a word from fear; but he hung his head towards the earth and was speechless.

35 And when the king saw this, he felt certain that the thing was from him, and he arose at once and commanded them to kill Ahikar, and to strike his neck with the sword outside of the city.

86 Then Nadan screamed and said, ' Ahikar, blackface! What good did your meditation or your power bring you in the doingof this deed to the king?' This is what that storyteller said.

37 And the name of the swordsman was Abu Samik. And the king said to him, 'swordsman arise, and go, sever the neck of Ahikar at the door of his house, and cast away his head from his body a hundred cubits.' (A cubit is about 18 inches. 100 cubits is about 150 feet.)

38 Then Ahikar knelt before the king, and said, 'Let my lord the king live forever! And if you desire to kill me, let your wish be fulfilled, but I know that I am not guilty. The wicked man has to give an account of his wickedness; nevertheless, my lord the king, I beg of you and of your friendship, permit the swordsman to give my body to my slaves, that they may bury me, and let your slave be your sacrifice.'

39 The king arose and commanded the swordsman to do with him according to his desire.

40 And then and there he commanded his servants to take Ahikar and the swordsman and for Ahikar to go with him naked that (they might kill him.

41 And when Ahikar knew for certain that he was to be killed he sent to his wife, and said to her, 'Come out and meet me, and let there be with you a thousand young virgins, and dress them in gowns of purple and silk that they may weep for me fore my death.

42 And prepare a table for the swordsman and for his servants. And mingle plenty of wine, that they may drink.'

43 And she did all that he commanded her. And she was very wise, clever, and prudent. And she brought into action all of her possible courtesy and learning.

44 And when the army of the king and the swordsman arrived they found the table set in order, and the wine and the luxurious foods and they began eating and drinking until they were gorged and drunken.

45 Then Ahikar took the swordsman aside apart from the company and said, ' Abu Samik, do you not know that when Sarhadum the king, the father of Sennacherib, wanted to kill you, I took you and hid you in a certain place until the king's anger subsided and he asked for you?

46 And when I brought you into his presence he rejoiced in you. Now remember the kindness I did you.

47 And I know that the king will change his mind about me and will be angry with a great rage about my execution.

48 Because I am not guilty, and it shall he when you shall present me before him in his palace, you shall meet with great good fortune, and know that Nadan, my sister's son, has deceived me and has done this bad deed to me, and the king will be sorry for having slain me. Now, I have a cellar in the garden of my house, and no one knows of it.

49 Hide me in it with the knowledge of my wife. And I have a slave in prison whom deserves to be killed.

50 Bring him out and dress him in my clothes, and command the servants when they are drunk to slay him.  They will not know whom it is they are killing.

51 And cast away his head a hundred cubits from his body, and give his body to my slaves that they may bury it.  And you shall have laid up a great treasure with me. (I will owe you greatly.)

52 And then the swordsman did as Ahikar had commanded him, and he went to the king and said to him,  'May your head live for ever!' (This is a wicked pun, but refers to the continuation of the king’s dynasty through his wisdom.)

53 Then Ahikar's wife let down to him in the hiding-place every week what sufficed for him and no
one knew of it but herself.

54 And the story was reported and repeated and spread abroad in every place of how Ahikar the Sage had been killed and was dead, and all the people of that city mourned for him.

55 And they wept and said:  'Pity for you, Ahikar! And for your learning and your courtesy! How sad about you and about your knowledge!  Where can another like you be found? And where can there be a man so intelligent, so learned, so skilled in ruling as to resemble you that he may fill your place?'

56 But the king was repenting about Ahikar, and his repentance brought him nothing.

57 Then he called for Nadan and said to him, 'Go and take your friends with you and make a mourning and a weeping for your uncle Ahikar, and lament for him as the custom is, doing honor to his memory.'

58 But when Nadan, the foolish, the ignorant, the hardhearted, went to the house of his uncle, he neither wept nor sorrowed nor wailed, but assembled heartless and dissolute people and set about eating and drinking.

59 And Nadan began to seize the maidservants and the slaves belonging to Ahikar, and bound them and tortured them and beat them with a harsh beating.

60 And he did not respect the wife of his uncle, she who had brought him up like her own boy, but wanted her to fall into sin with him.

61 But Ahikar had been cast into the hiding-place, and he heard the weeping of his slaves and his neighbors, and he praised the Most High God, the Merciful One, and gave thanks, and he always prayed and besought the Most High God.

62 And the swordsman came from time to time to Ahikar while he was within the hiding-place: and Ahikar met and encouraged him. And the swordsman comforted him and wished his deliverance.

63 And when the story was reported in other countries that Ahikar the Sage had been killed all the kings were grieved and despised king Sennacherib, and they lamented over Ahikar the solver of riddles.

CHAP. IV.

And when the king of Egypt had made sure that Ahikar was slain, he began right away to write a letter to king Sennacherib, saying to him in it of the peace and the health and the might and the honor which we wish specially for you, my beloved brother, king Sennacherib.

2 I have been desiring to build a castle between the heaven and the earth, and I want you to send me a wise, clever man from yourself (your realm) to build it for me, and to answer me all my questions, and that I may have the taxes and the custom duties of Assyria for three years.'

3 Then he sealed the letter and sent it to Sennacherib.

4
He took it and read it and gave it to his chancellors and to the nobles of his kingdom, and they were perplexed and ashamed, and he was angry with a great rage, and was puzzled about how he should act.

5 Then he assembled the old men and the learned men and the wise men and the philosophers, and the diviners and the astrologers, and every one who was in his country, and read them the letter and said to them,  Who among you will go to Pharaoh king of Egypt and answer him his questions?'

6 And they said to him, ' our lord the king, you know that there is none in your kingdom who is acquainted with these questions except Ahikar, your vizier and secretary.

7 But as for us, we have no skill in this, unless Nadan his sister's son does, for he taught him all his wisdom and (learning and knowledge. Call him to you, possibly he can untie this hard knot.'

8 Then the king called Nadan and said to him, 'Look at this letter and understand what is in it.' And when Nadan read it, he said, ' my lord, who is able to build a castle between the heaven and the earth?'

9 And when the king heard the words of Nadan he was sorry with a great and harsh sorrow, and stepped down from his throne and sat in the ashes, and began to weep and wail over Ahikar

10 Saying, 'I am in grief.  Ahikar, knew the secrets and the riddles! Woe is me for you,  Ahikar, teacher of my country and ruler of my kingdom, where shall I find anyone like you? Ahikar, teacher of my country, where shall I turn for you? Woe is me for you! How did I destroy you! And I listened to the talk of a stupid, ignorant boy without knowledge, without religion, and without manliness.

11 Oh, Oh, I say to myself! Who can give you to me just for one more time, or bring me word that Ahikar is alive? And I would give him the half of my kingdom.

12 Where is this to me? Ah, Ahikar! That I might see you just for once, that I might take my fill of gazing at you, and delighting in you.

13 Oh!  My grief for you is to all time!  Ahikar, how could I have killed you?  I was impulsive in your case and so I had not seen the end of the matter.'

14 And the king went on weeping night and day. Now when the swordsman saw the anger and sorrow of the king on account of Ahikar, his heart was softened towards him, and he approached into his presence and said to him:

15 My lord! Command your servants to cut off my head.' Then said the king to him: 'Woe to you, Abu Samik, what is your fault?'

16 And the swordsman said unto him, ' my master, every slave who acts contrary to the word of his master is killed, and I have acted contrary to your command.'

17 Then the king said unto him. 'Woe unto you, Abu Samik, in what way have you acted contrary to my command?'

18 And the swordsman said unto him, ' my lord, you commanded me to kill Ahikar, and I knew that you would change your mind concerning him, and that he had been wronged, and I hid him in a certain place, and I killed one of his slaves, and he is now safe in the cistern, and if you command me I will bring him to you.'

19 And the king said unto him. 'Woe to you, Abu Samik, you have mocked me and I am your lord.'

20 And the swordsman said unto him, 'No, but by the life of your head, my lord! Ahikar safe and alive.'

21 And when the king heard what he was saying, he felt sure of the matter, and his head swam, and he fainted from joy, and he commanded them to bring Ahikar.

22 And he said to the swordsman, ' trusty servant, if your speech is true, I would pleased and obliged to enrich you, and exalt your dignity above that of all your friends.'

23 And the swordsman went along rejoicing until he came to Ahikar's house. And he opened the door of the hiding-place, and went down and found Ahikar sitting, praising God, and thanking Him.

24 And he shouted to him, saying, ' Ahikar, I bring the greatest of joy, and happiness, and delight!'

25 And Ahikar said to him, 'What is the news, Abu Samik?' And he told him all about Pharaoh from the beginning to the end. Then he took him and went to the king.

26 And when the king looked at him, he saw him in a state of need, being bereft, and that his hair had grown long like that of the wild beasts' and his nails  were like the claws of an eagle, and that his body was dirty with dust, and the color of his face had changed and faded and was now like ashes.