THE SAMARITAN CHRONICLE OR THE BOOK OF JOSHUA » ' I THE SON OF NUK TRANSLATED FEOM THE ARABIC, -WITH NOTES BT OLIVER TURNBULL CRANE, M.A. MEMBER OF THE AMERICAS' OHIESTAL SOCIETY NEW YORK JOHN" B. ALDEN, PUBLISHEE 18S0 C2^ Copyright, 1890, BT OUVER TUKNBULL CRANE. I. Prologue 13 H. The account of the investiture of "Vflsh'a the son of Ntln with the Klialifate of the Prophet — peace be upon him 15 in. The affair of Bila'am with the king of Ukh 17 IV. The accoimt of the stratagem and artifice used by Bila'am against the children of Israil 24 V. The history of Midyan 26 VI. The account of what our master Mfisa, the Pro phet — peace be upon him — expounded, before his death 29 VII. The account of what Yiish'a, his disciple, said, after the disappearance of his lord and mas ter 31 VHI. The account of what was done after the retm-n of Yflsh'a to the people 33 DC. The beginning of the book of Yflsh'i the son of Ntjn, the disciple of the master Mflsa, the Pro phet — peace be upon him 34 X. The account of Yflsh'a's assembling the children of IsrMl, and his renewing the covenant with them 35 XI. The accoimt of how they answered him, and the covenant that they entered into at that time . . 38 xn. The accoimt of what Vush'a the son of Nun did in organizing the army, and the members thereof. 38 XUI. The account of the spies whom Yflsh'a the king sent forth '. -41 XIV. The accoimt of the summoning of the children of IsrMI to xuidertake the journey . 45 XV. The accoimt of the passage of the children of Israil through the Urdun (Jordan) 46 iv- CONTENTS. XVI. An account of the hymn of praise which Yflsh'S. the king offered up 48 XVII. An account of ancient Yariha (Jericho), at the time of its conquest 50 XVIII. An account of the discovery of the one who took the devoted thing 53 XIX. The account of how certain peoples of t:he Kana'anites practiced a stratagem, and obtain ed protection of the king 55 XX. An accoimt of the Kana'anites, whose territories the land was 57 XXI. The account of this army, and its triumph, and the destruction of its enemies 59 XXII. An accoimt of the apportionment of the territo ries belonging to the children of IsraU, and their boundaries 61 XXni. The account of what Yush'a did until the sur veyors returned unto him 63 XXIV. The account of the return of the men who were eminent in making surveys and estimating just proportions unto Yush'a the son of Nfln the king 66 XXV. An account of the circumstances of the children of IsraU, after the distribution 68 XXVI. The history of Shaubak the son of Haman, the king of the Persians 69 XXVn. Statement of a. copy of the letter which the giants sent unto Yush'a the son of Nfln, the king 71 XXVIII. The history of the messenger, and what came of him 73 XXIX. An accoimt of the reply sent to the giants 75 XXX. The account of what happened before the de parture of the messenger from Yflsh'a ,the king 81 XXXI. An account of the return of the messenger, and what he did when he reached them (i. e., the enemies) 83 XXXII. The account of the reading of the letter, and what the enemy did when it was read 83 XXXIII. The account of the setting out of Yflsh'a the king upon his expedition 86 XXXIV. The accoimt of what h^pened to the children of Israil in this place 87 CONTENTS. V XXXV. The account of how Cod facilitated the escape ¦ of the children of Israil from the magicians. . . 89 XXXVI. A statement of a copy of the letter 89 XXXVII. An account of Nabih, and what he did 90 XXXVIII. An account of what was done during the days of Divine favor 95 XXXIX. The history of the duration of the days of Divine favor, up to the tiine of the beginning of error. 98 XL. The history of the vicegerents of the Lord, and of the ministers of tlie days of Divine favor, during the preceding period that has been mentioned 100 XLI. The history of the beginning of error after the death of Shamsham, the king of that time 102 XLII. An account of how the beginning of error was stopped among the people 104 XLIII. The history of the erring man who was envious of the descendant of Finahas — peace be upon him 108 XLIV. The account of the cause of the destruction of this erring raan, and ofhis sons and company. 110 XLV. The history of Bokhtoiiassar (Nebuchadnezzar), the king of el-MausU (Mosul) ; which is found in the books of the chronicles of his deeds. . . Ill XLVI. Thehi3toryofel.Iskandar( Alexander the Great) 116 XLATII. The history of Adriniis (Hadrian), and how lie destroyed el-Qiids (Jerusalem), andwhathap- pened to him with Afrim (Ephraim) and Man- ashshih (Manasseh) 120 XLVIII. The history of 'Aqbun the imam 126 XLIX. The history of what happened unto Natanal fi-om the Romans, after the death of his father 128 L. The history of Baba Rabba, and what hap pened to hira with the Romans 130 PREFACE. The Samaritan Book of Joshua was first brought to the notice of European scholars by the eminent Orientalist, Joseph J. Scaliger, who obtained a manuscript of it from the Samari tans of Cairo, in the year 1584. This MS. was deposited by him in the library of the Uni versity of Leyden, and for a long period re mained the only copy of tlie work in Europe ; in fact, it is only within the last half of the pres ent century that other MSS. have been obtain ed ; one of these is now in the possession of the British Museum, and another is said to be in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. To the celebrated Swiss theologian and scholar, Johann Heinrich Hottinger, is due the credit of first making the contents of this work fully known to scholars ; this he did in his JExer- citatioves Anti-Morinianoe de Pentateuclio Sa- maritano, published in 1644, wherein he gave a condensed Latin translation, or rather epitome, of the whole chronicle : he likewise treated of it in other of his ' writings, especially in his Smegma Orient, (1657), which contains a fair resum^ of its contents. Hottinger's works re mained the principal source from which scholars drew their information of tlie character and con tents of this chronicle of the Samaritans, until in the year 1848, T. W. J. Juynboll edited the Arabic text of the Leyden MS. with a complete 8 PREFACE. Latin translation to which were added elaborate dissertations and copious critical notes. This translation of Juynboll's at once superseded all that had preceded it, and has ever since re mained the standard. The translation now offered — the first that has ever been attempted in English — is made directly from the Arabic text as printed by Juynboll, while the MS. in the British Museum has been examin ed and consulted in many cases. To those who may take the trouble to compare this Englisli translation with Juynboll's Latin, it may occa sion surprise to find that, in the interpretation of a considerable number of passages they ma terially differ; if such will, however, only turn to the oi-iginal Arabic and consult it, the writer confidently believes that the English rendering •will be found to more exactly represent the origi nal than the Latin. It should be borne in mind, however, that the Leyden MS. is in the Samaritan characters, though written in the Arabic language, which the scribe often wrote in a most careless and negligent manner, and hence the MS. is in many places exceedingly difiicult to decipher. Juynboll edited it in Arabic characters, but, on account of the wretchedness of the writing, was often driven to conjectural readings and emenda tions, yet he always placed in the margin the exact, or supposed, words of the text, thus affording the student an opportunity to form an independent judgment as to the justice and accuracy of his emendations, and upon careful consideration one is soraetimes forced to the conclusion that Juynboll has unintentionally erred, both in his reading of the text and in his conjectural corrections, and that the discarded words in the margin are in some cases to he preferred to his attempted improvements. These facts will e-xplain some of the variations which PHEFACE. 9 distinguish this translation from the Latin one of Juynboll. It is not the intention of the writer to detract one whit from the great praise which is due to Juynboll, for the care he bestowed upon his work and for his truly able translation and the schol arly and erudite notes that he added to it ; to all of which the wiiter hei'c ma,kes acknowledg ment of his great indebtedness. Next to the Jews there is scarcely any people that excite the interest of biblical students more warmly than the Samaritans. Their origin, their history, their literature and their traditions are questions tliat have brought to tlieir investigation a succession of able scholars, and are to day still subjects of intense interest and research. The present translation is put forth with the hope that it may not be unwelcome to the many who are interested in these subjects, but to whom this Chronicle in the original language has been a sealed book. Among the Samaritans themselves this book is not held to be of Divine inspiration — ^for they believe that only the five books of Moses are in- .spired — nevertheless, they greatly revere it and hold it in the highest estimation, and believe it to contain a true and authentic history of the period of which ij treats. As to when it was composed and who was its author Ave have no positive knowledge. From the inscription which the Ley den MS. bears we learn that the first part of that codex, as it now stands, was written in A. D. 1362-S, and the latter part in A. D. 1513. Juynboll's researches led him to the conclusion that it was redacted into its present form about A. D. 1300, out of earlier documents. This is probably the fact, and it is all that can be safely predicated as to the time of its compilation. A marked feature of the book is the number 10 PREFACE. of legends and traditions it contains, some of which — so far as we are aware — are to be met with nowhere else. Most of them, however, are intimately connected with similar legends cur rent in the East, and show a common origin with those of the Jews, and frequently with those of the Mohammedans. In the notes an effort has been made to notice such Jewish or Moslein legends and traditions as are identical or show an affinity with those mentioned iu the text, in order that the reader may see wherein the vari ous versions agree or differ. Care has been taken also to identify, so far as it was possible, all places or localities mentioned in the Chronicle, and to give their ancient Hebrew names. This, it is be lieved, will not be without value to all such as are unfamiliar with the modern Arabic names of places in Palestine, and who might otherwise be at a loss to know what were the places that are hidden under the Arabic names in the Chronicle. To all who are interested in the history, geo graphy and legends of Palestine this Chronicle of the Samaritans will be of particular interest ; and while it is not to be denied that many of its statements are incredible, still the fact remains that much that it contains is of true value and is not to be ignored, but may be used discrimi- nately to good advantage by scholars to shed light upon a large range of subjects, our knowl edge of which is and always has been extremely limited ; in support of this we might refer to the recognition it has received at the hands of such writers as Bishop Patrick, Dean Stanley, Capt. Conder and others. In conclusion, the translator wishes to express his obligation to his father, Rev. Oliver Crane, DD. , LL.D. , for his kindly interest and encour agement throughout, and for many good criti cisms and suggestions in revising the manuscript, PREFACE. 11 and also to his friend Antdn 'Abdallah SSlih of Beirut, Syria, for valuable assistance in interpre ting certain obscui-e and corrupt passages in the original. O. T. C. MoBBisTowisr, N. J., December, 1889. CHAPTER I. IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE.* This is the book narrating the chronicles of the children of Israil, from the time that our master Musa (Moses), the prophet — peace be upon him — the son of 'Amr§,n, invested Yush'a (Joshua) the son of Nun with the Khalifate^ over his people. All of this is translated from the Hebrew language into the Arabic language, after the manner of a rapid translation by word of mouth, and giving only the statement of the nar rative, and nothing more : even what God — Pow erful and Glorious — showed forth of signs and miracles and wonders, which man is too weak to adequately specify and describe ; such as, what happened at the Urdun (Jordan), and also at the time when the giants were humbled, p.nd with what victory and power and might and authority God came to his (Jo.shua's) assistance ; also what they (the children of Israel) witnessed at the time of their entering the land, besides what they witnessed in WS.dy el-Mujib,^ and on mountSinS, (Sinai) and its vast wilderness, with the essential incidents of this event which God made manifest, even the quaking of its mountains, together with what there was of thunders and lightnings con nected with this, and the joining of fires to the very heaven, and their hearing the code of their laws from the divine and eternal voice, from 1 Note 1. = Note 2. » Note 3. 14 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. whom shone forth flashes of light, representing the form of its -writer, even the Creator. After wards what happened to them at the greater Sea,* not to mention Avhat their adversaries wit nessed in -Greater Misr (Egypt ^), and Avhat cal amities OA-ertook their enemies, such as Fir'aun (Pharaoh)and his army, and 'Amlaq (the Ama- lekites) and its host, and Sihun (Sihon) and his kingdom, and 'Uj (Og) the father of 'Anaq^ with his haughtiness, and Bila'im (Balaam) with his sorcery, and the kings of M&b (Moab) Avith their greatness. Also Avhat happened unto Qarun (Korah) the son of the uncle of Harun (Aaron)'' and to the company who Avere with hira, namely that some of them the earth opened its mouth and swallowed, and they Avent down alive to the deepest depths, Avhile as to others of them the divine fii-e came forth and consumed their bodies. And also Avhat happened to the people Avhile they were in the Avilderness forty years, suffering want, without a guide and Avith no proA'-isions or clothing, aud barely living and existing ; whom the cloud overshadowed by day and the pillar of fire protected from cold by night,- and Avhose food Avas the manna from heaven ; and when there was need of Avater, our master Musa — peace be upon him — the son of 'Amran, brought it forth for them from the rock^ and from the parched ground and stone, until they themselves had drank, and all that Avere in their company both of living souls and animals. And it shall, come to pass, that Avhen they avIio are possessed of intelligence, but are yet un believing, shall have heard of Avhat God did bountifully bestow upon them (the children of Israil), and with what happiness He did surround them, and how He lifted off ol them all calami- * Note 4. » Note 5. c j^ote 6. • 2f ote 7. 8 Note 8. ^ Note 9. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 15 ties, Avhether heavenly or earthly, and also what new things He revealed unto them, then they will knoAv that, there is no Lord but their (the children of Israil's) Lord and no prophet, but their prophet, and no book but their Book, and no true religion but their religion; and (they shall also understand) the excellency of the per fect creed, and the certainty of its validity, and that it' is greatest in rendering praise to the Creator — Mighty and Glorious — the One Avho is omnipotent to do Avhatsoever He pleaseth. And when one shall hear of the decline of the kingdom of the children of Israil, and Avhat cal amities and misfortunes and exiles and disper sions overtook them by reason of their disobe dient doings and their rebellious actions, his fear will be increased for Him frora Whom noth ing escapes and of Whose kingdom nothing is destroyed — Blessed be He and exalted! And now of Him do Ave imjilore complete right- guidance and all-embracing favor in His mercy. Verily He is a hearer and ansAverer (of prayer). CHAPTER II. THE ACCOUNT OE THE INVESTURE OF YUSH'A THE SITN OF NUN WITH THE KHALIFATS OF THE PROPHET — ^PBACE BE UPON HIM. At the completion of the hundred and nine teenth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, of the life of our master Musa ^ the Prophet — peace be upon him — God revealed unto him in the plain of Mab (Moab), that he should lay his hand upon the head of Yush'a, the son of 1 Note 10. 16 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. Nun, the spiritual man ^; meaning by this, that he (Moses) should give him (Joshua) information of the profound secret, and reveal to him the vision of his dream and the science of knowl edge,^ as much as he was capable of bearing ; by the which his heart Avould be strengthened and his spirit perfected and his soul elevated, and the rule over the creatures (the children of IsrMl) be rendered easy unto him ; and that he should also inform him of the Name,* by which he should put to flight hostile armies, and by which a na tion that no country could contain and whose numbers were countless might be confounded. And He ordered him (Moses) to set him (Josh ua) before el-'Azar (Eleazar) the imim — ^ peace be upon him — and to assemble unto him (Joshua) the people of learning and knowledge Avith the nobles and rulers, and ratify a compact Avith him, and make anew a covenant Avith him, and invest him with the kingly authority, and in stall him in the rule over all the children of IsrS,il. Thereupon the Prophet laid on el-'Azar the imam — peace be upon him — ^the command, whichrested on him, to superintend the affair with completeness and splendor, and npt to enter upon any affair or turn aside under any circumstance, except after he had seen to this. And at the completion of his inauguration, the priests sound ed AA'ith the trumpets, and the heralds made proc lamation for his standard, and the banners and flags were unfurled to his reign. Our master, the prophet Mijsa — peace be upon him — had seen that he (Joshua) was wont to go forth in the front line of battle during his (Moses') days, in order that he might by actual trial gain expe rience of what he kncAV and had observed. And immediately he (Moses) gave command that, a Note 11. » Note 12. * Note 13. « Note 14. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 17 there should be selected out from the children of TsrMl — meaning by this, that there should be chosen from among them — twelve thousand men ; from each tribe one thousand men ; and there upon he Avould with these make an attack upon the Midyanites, to take satisfaction for Israil out of them and their country. Noav, before men tion is made of the cause of this retaliation, we would remark, that the children of IsrMl had been restrained from intermeddling in any way Avdth the affaii-s of the 'Ammanites and M Whites, and Avere under orders not to appropriate to themselves any of their territory ® ; and they did do only Avhat necessity compelled them to do with them. Hereafter we will explain and elu cidate this, by the Avill of God and His assist ance, and the goodness of His guidance and favor. CHAPTER m. THE AFFAIR OF BILA'AM WITH THE KING OF MAB. When the children of Israil went doAvn into the plain of M^b, God rcA^ealed unto our master Musa, the Prophet — upon him be the most ex cellent peace— that he sliould not have anything to do with the 'Anmianites and Mabites, nor should he wage Avar Avith them ; " Because I," said God, "wiU not appropriate any of their lands to the children of Israil." ^ And he (Moses) obeyed this and did accordingly. Noav when it reached the ears of the kings of Mab and 'Am man and Midyan what had happened unto Sihun « See Deut. ii : 9 and 19. i Deut. ii. 9 and 19. 2 18 THE SAMARITA.. , and 'Ug, of destruction and ruin and the taking captive of people and the taking of cities, for sooth they were sore distressed and feared ex ceedingly because of this; and they sent mes sages unto Bila'&m, the son of B'aur^ (Beor),by men pre-eminent in sorcery and wisdom — ^for all the soldiers knew of him by reason of his invoca tions. And the delegates came into his presence, and said unto him : " The five kings of M^b and 'Amman send unto thee their salutations, and say to thee : O, our master and our chief, we know that circumstances are brought about by thee, a knoAvledge of wliich the people of learn ing fall short of attaining unto, and that whatso ever thou blessest, is blessed, and whomsoever thou cursest, is cursed; and that thou canst put to rout all armies by thy inA'ocations and words. Now, perchance, there has already reached thee what has happened in Misr through the children of Israil, and in the sea and in the Avilderness, and what has happened unto 'Amlaq, the chief of tribes, by reason of them, and what they did with Sihun and 'Ug, and what they haA'e resolved upon in reference to their permanent dwelling- places. And now their army has descended upon our border, and they are working for our destruction, and already they cover the face of the land; and Ave have come unto thee and hope to obtain relief of thee and security from them, through thy own free blessing and propitious aid, and also through what Ave have decided upon of happiness for thee, and the rendering of thy Avill absolute. Perchance now, our condition Avill be improved through thy agency, and thou Avilt curse this people, and Avilt preA-ail over them and effect a change in present circumstances through thy renown which is spread abroad, and * Note 15. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 10 the dignity of thy authoiity in consequence of thy circumstances, riches and servants ; and there wiU be glory to us and to thee among all kings, in addition to what reward Avill be added unto this, in consideration for thy grand beneficence toward a people wliom no countiy can contain, and whose numbeis are countless and beyond reckoning ; for thou AA'ilt have prevented a mul titude from being murdered by fire. For the character and manner of this army is, that it is not restrained by a feeling of shame from an old man, nor does it accord protection to a Avoman, or have pity on a child, or shoAv compassion to ward an animal; for they do nothing else but murder Avith the sword, ;ind stone to death with stones, and crucif}', and burn Avith fire : yea, this is its custom, and it does not allow any mercy to be shoAvn, or protection to be granted, unto any, and it spares not even a leafless palm branch in its annihilating and destroying. By God, O our master, hasten unto us, bringing Avith thee what ever is necessar}'-, and be not Avauting unto us in this matter which involves the preserA'ation of life; and we wiU rcAvard a good deed with its like, and an evil deed Avith ils like. And noAv, peace." And Avhen Bila'am heard this message, he made reply to the company of Avise and trained men, aud said unto them : "I Avill treat with due respect your rights, and the rights of those Avho urge you on in this message; but my action is controlled by the One Avhoin I serve, if He gives me permission to go Avith you, I would ac complish your desne and the desire of those Avho urge you on in the mes.sage, and I Avould accom plish their (the children of Israil't;) destruction, and in the end complete their annihilation, and would leave unto you a memory, for which you would praise me to the end of the ages. And 20 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JUSMU^i. now decide to lodge with me this night, and 1 Avill hear what shall be addressed unto me, and we Avill wholly act in accordance thercAvith, whether it be of good or eAil." And the people consented, and lodged with him. And he began to offer worship to the One whom he was accus tomed to serve, and it was said unto him : " Do not thou go with the people, nor curse Isr&il, for they are blessed." And he came to them witli these words; thereupon they returned to the kings, and informed them of what had hap pened; but this only increased the more their desire after him, and this was high honor to him. And now there rode unto Bila'am more illus trious delegates than those who had gone before, and greater by far than they; yet they made less promises to him, and said in the second message : " Now see to it that thou comest unto us ; for we are able to honor thee, and to give bountifully unto thee." Thereupon the people came unto him with this message; and Bila'am answered the messengers and said : " It is necessary that ye understand that, if the - kings should give unto me their houses full of silver or gold, I cannot transgress what my Lord commands; but now abide this night with me, and I will hear what communication shall be addressed to me, and I will act in accordance with it, whether it be favorable or unfavorable." So the people lodged with him ; and the man started in on the beginning of his performance and service and worship. And when God per ceived his inclination, and what his secret thoughts were bent upon, and how he was exalted in self-glorification. God then desired to make a manifestation of His mysteries : now behold He could not do this Himself, nor could He do it through oue who worshipped Him after the manner of anyone of the children of Israil, nor THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 21 could He do it by Aviiting, or by the agency oc any of His angels, but forsooth only by sending unto him His very Command.^ And the com panion of Bila'am * upon beholding the spectre of the Command of God, fled aAvay from it, and he became the visible form of the agent of the Creator who addressed Bila'&m ; for this Avas the device employed to communicate with him. And the Command of God said to him : "Did not I say unto thee, O Bila'am, when the people came unto thee; 'go with them'?"; making inquiry to see Avhat craving Bila'am had for the journey. But he answered him not a syllable, though his usual custom was to say : "Not so ; for without my God I give ear to nothing." And he did not fully believe that he had heard the correct interpretation of the speech, until He commanded him to mount and ride, and then he made haste to saddle his ass, and went along with the wise men of M§,b. And the anger of the Creator was aroused, because of his starting out on the journey before he had sought instruc tion (of God), and He placed Himself in the Avay to make an attack upon him. Noav he (Balaam) was riding upon his she-ass, and boasting of her before the people of learning, that he had no need of a guide when with her, and that he had no necessity ever to beat her. But when she espied the Agency of the Creator — Mighty and Glorious — standing in the way, with His drawn sword in His hand, she swerved aside out of the way through fear of Him ; and this was the first of the putting to shame of Bila'&m and of his remorse ; and he beat her with his staff. And the Agency of the Creator removed to a place between walls in a field,^ and stood still ; and when the ass beheld Him, she shied into one of » Note 16. * Note 17. * Note 18. 22 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. the walls and injured Bila'^m's foot, and he beat her more Adolently. And Avhen the learned and Avise men beheld this, they said unto hirh : " O our master, it cannot be that there is a cause for her opposition to the execution of this mandate of the Divine Word?" And he ansAvered and said unto them : " It was desired that this man date should be carried out." And the Agency of God again passed on, until He stojiped in a narrow place where there was no Avay of turning out either to the right or to the left ; and when the ass beheld Him, she lay down imder him (Balaam), and he again beat her A'iolently. And God put speech on the tongue of the animal, ® and thereupon she said to Bila'&m : " What have I done unto thee that thou shouldst beat me these three times ? Am not I thine ass upon whom thou hast ridden since thou wast created up till now ? Have I ever acted badly toward thee like as this time ? " And he said : " No." Then God opened the eyes of Bila'am, so that he saw the Agency, of God, even an angel standing in the way with His draAvn sword in His hand, and he threw himself down before Him ; and He said unto him : '• Why hast thou beaten thine ass three times ? If thou hadst got right in front of me, I would have killed thee and saA-ed her alive ; for I have seen the wickedness of thy inclina tion. Now however, go along with the people, but keep carefully to Avhat I shall say unto thee, and do not overstep it." Thereupon Bila'&m journeyed on ; and Avhen the kings heard of his journeying, they came out to meet him, and they found him perplexed in his affair, and he in formed them as to what had happened, and that in accordance with it he could not do anything except by the command of God — Mighty and • Note 19, THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 23 Glorious. .A.nd the people took him to tlie cliff Avhich is described in the holy Pentateuch,^ that he might behold all the children of Isriil. Now after the man had been thus met and honored and made much of, his zeal Avas in creased to obtain to the uttermost degree the love of the people. Thereupon he built on the cliff that has been described seven altars, and offered up on every altar a calf aud a ram, and began Avorshipping that he might hear what Avould be addressed unto him. And he heard Avhat did not please him, and he announced what he had heard to the company of the kings ; and they said to him : " Remove unto another place, and perhaps there the cursing of this people Avill be easier." And he obej^ed them, and he did like as he had done the first time, and he heard greater things than the first communication ; and he began to go to the extreme in gloiifying the children of Israil and honoring them. And the king of Mab said to him : "If thou dost not curse them, do not bless them." Then he be sought them that he raight remove unto another place, and he went and did as he had done the second time. And his eyes fell upon the desert and he saw the tribes of the children of IsrMl, and divine spirits Avere guarding them, that is, the angels were protecting them from every soul ; and he turned away the evil eye from them,^ and hastened to glorify and bless them, until he said concerning them : " O Isriil, cursed be he who curseth thee, and blessed be he Avho blesseth thee." And the anger of the king Avas aroused against him; but Bila'am said unto him : " Let not thine anger be aroused against me ; did I not say unto thee that I could not act contrary to what I am commanded ? But now » Num. xxii. 41. » Note 20. 24 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. assemble the kings Avith thee, that I may inform . your company of Avhat will happen unto you and others besides you of the people, and I will give you information about a device, Avhich, if carried out, Avill occasion their annihilation. Thereupon the kings assembled, and he made knoAA^n unto them marvellous news, the explanation of which would be long ; and he said to them : " Round about these people the holy angels keep guard, and the King of the heaA'ens and the earth is with them, and it is not alloAvable to make use of sorcery against them, nor the science of astrol ogy ; ^ nor will His heart repudiate them, except when they giAe themselves OA'er to unbelief, or are led to do so by some stratagem, then the Creator Avill become angry Avith them and they will perish, and not a single one of them will sur vive." CHAPTER IV. THE ACCOUNT OF THE STRATAGBai AND ARTIFICE USED BY bila'am AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL. When the kings heard him relate what has preceded, they said to him : " How is the way to accomplish what thou hast mentioned con cerning theu' destruction ? " And he looked up the last resource of infidelity and pollution, and made it knoAvn unto them, and said to them: " Select of the most beautiful and fair women as many as ye can, and the king shall be the first to send forth his daughter with them ; there upon give unto each one of them an idol which she may worship, and an . ornament which she may look at, and perfume which she may inhale, 5 See Num. xxUi. 21 and 23. TUE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 25 and food and dihik; and the daughter of the king should be in a chariot Avhich is wafted along with the wind, and it should be enjoined upon her that she should make it her aim to go to the tabernacle, and pay her respects to no one ex cept to their chief unto whom the croAAd shoAv deference, for he is their chief. And if in this she meets his approval, then she shall say unto him : " Wilt thou not receive me, or eat of my food and drink of my drink and offer service unto my god? for after this I will be thine, and with thee will do Avhatsoever thou desirest." For know, O king, that by the chief of this people being polluted, both he and his company will perish, and of them there Avill not remain a survivor." And the kings did what he recom mended unto them ^; and there Avere collected to them twenty-four thousand girls, and they sent them away on the Sabbath day. And as they descended opposite the tabernacle, the chief of the tribe of Shim'aun (Simeon) ^ rose up ; for he was the chief of fifty-nine thousand men, and was in the advance. And the daughter of the king ^ advanced unto him, for she on beholding the great deference shown to him by his com panions supposed him to be the prophet Musa — peace be upon him, and he ate of her food and drank of her drink and worshipped the idol which was in her hand, and after this she Avas submis sive to him in his desire. Thereupon eveiy one of them — 1 mean this paiticular tribe— took one girl for himself ; and the Creator became angry at the people, and destroyed of them in the Avink of an eye four thousand men * together with four thousand girls. And had not Finahas (Phine- has) the imam ^ — ^peace be upon him — rushed from the presence of Musa the Prophet — peace 1 Note 21. 2 ifote 22. » Note 23. * Note 24. ' Note 25. 26 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. be upon him — Avhile he aud liis assembly were weeping at the door of the tabernacle, and seized in his hand a lance and bursting in upon them thrust through the man and girl — ^I mean the daughter of the king — aud dispatched them, assuredly would the Avrath of the Creator have destroyed the whole people ; but by this action he removed and Avarded off the Divine anger from the children of IsrS,il. And to Finahas — peace be upon him — there resulted from this noble fame and an excellent remembrance, and a covenant to the end of the ages. And praise be to God the Creator without cessation 1 CHAPTER V. the HISTORY OF MIDYAN. When the stratagem of Bila'&m against the children of Tsr&il was accomphshed and there had perished of them this great number, and they had been overtaken by this calamity, God re- v^ealed to the prophet Musa — ^peace be upon him — that he should take vengeance for the children of Israil upon the people of Midyan, before that he should return to his elements (meaning by this, before his decease). So he commanded Yiish'a the son of Nun,i at the time of his in vesting him with his successorship, that he should go forth Avith the company Avhieh he specially mentioned, and with him Finahas, the imS,m, for he had gained the victory and a name, and he it Avas who had averted the DiA"lne anger, and not anyone else, for he had hastened to obey his Lord. Now Bila'am had returned unto the king of MS.]? to congratulate him over the calamity of 1 Note 26. THE SAM A HIT AN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 27 the children of IsrMl, and he found the kings collected together and indulging in joy and mer riment, and before they Aveie aAvare, 12,000 men had surrounded their city, Avhereupon they made haste in sending out the harlots Avitli ornaments and censers and perfumes, taking for granted that what they had made a successful beginning in would be carried out to perfect completion. But they (i. e., the Israelites) slaughtered these (the Avomen) with the SAVord. Then Finahas — peace be upon him — Avith his cousin, went in advance and sounded Avith the trumpets, and the walls of the fortress fell doAvn in ruins, and the army entered into Midyan, and they killed simultaneously the five kings and every man whom they found in it. And they began to make inquiries about Bila'am, and they found him in a house of Avorship, and, lo, he Avas engaged in worship and was performing service. And they brought him out, and he Avas talking in speech that was unintelligible and could not be understood, because of the greatness of his con fusion and bewilderment and the aberration of his mental faculties. And Y-ush&, the son of Nun, exerted himself to preserve him alive, that our master Musa — ^the peace of God be upon him — might behold him ; but they of the tribe of Shima'un Avho beheld him Avere not obedient, nay, even, they cried out the Law against him, and put him to death.^ And Yush^ said : " Who killed him ? Why have ye done this, seeing we had taken him under our protection ? And they said unto him : " O our master, there should be no protection granted to an infidel, nor security to a sorcerer ; had we not killed him, he might have effected the accomplishment of a stratagem against thee and against thy » Note 27, 28 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. people. Aud we haA^e dared to go contrary to thee iu killing him, because of what Avas iu our hearts concerning his deed, and if there be sin in our action in violating the protection accorded to him, lo, we assume it ; but to our master belongs such exalted sentiments that he will look with liberality upon our excuse." And he approved of what they said aud justified their action. And the people plundered Midyan, and drove aAvay its cattle and took captive its women and children; and not a thing remained in it but they took it. And they returned laden with booty, victorious and safe ; not a single man of them was missing. And our master Musa, the prophet — ^peace be upon him — Avith el-'Azar (Eleazar), the im^m, the son of Harun (Aaron), and a crowd of the chiefs went out to meet them. And when they beheld what there was among their number of captive women, our master Musa, the Prophet — upon him be the most excel lent peace — became angry at them, and said to them : " This crowd has been the cause of your destruction." Thereupon he commanded them to kill every woman who had kuown a man, and ever}"- boy child, and that none should remain except female children who had not known a man ; and that they, together with the company that was with them, should separate themselves seven days for the purpose of purification. And they did so. And the number of the female captives who remained over after those who were killed, was thirty-two thousand giils ; and of sheep there was 675,000 head, and of cattle there was 72,000 head ; and of horses and mules and camels, 61,000 head ; and of gold and sih'er and vessels and general goods, such a quantity as is impossible to define and describe. But, more Avonderful than this, was the unharmed condition of the 12,000 men who had entered a THE SAMARITAN BOOK: OF JOSHUA. 29 province such as this Avas, Avithout the loss of a single man of them, or even one of them being overtaken by the bloAv of a sAvord or hit Avith a stone. Blessed be God, the One who is able to do whatsoever He pleaseth, and of Him do I ask assistance, and upon Him do I put my trust, and unto Him do I return penitently. CHAPTER VI. THE ACCOUNT OF WHAT OUR MASTER MUSA, THE PROPHET — ^PEACE BE UPON HOI — EX POUNDED, BEFORE HIS DEATH. When God informed our master ilusa, the Prophet, of the tirae when he could no longer remain alive. He commanded him to go up unto the mountain knoAvn as Nab-ah (Nebo). And he (Moses) proceeded to give instructions to YushS,, the son of Nun, and to the children of his brother, and to the assembly of the leaders, Avith regard to all necessary matters. And they remained with him some time, along Avith all the ofScers of the army and the people of Avisdom ; and he put them under a covenant that they would go Avith the children of IsrS.il in the way Avhich he had commanded unto them, and not swerve from it either to the right or to the left ; and he ordered the priests to sound upon the trumpets, and to send forth heralds Avho should proclaim throughout the congregation of the children of Israil : " Whoever desires to see our master Musa the Prophet— the most excellent, peace be upon him — let him come, that he may hear his blessing and Avhatever he shall reveal, and look upon him and bid him farewell, before he goes to the place Avhich God has chosen for him." Thereafter he entered into the tabernacle and 30 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. offered on the brazen altar the sacrifices, and lifted up the veil, even the veil of the holy house, and cast incense upon the golden altar, and worshipped his Lord ; and then he bid farcAvell to the temple and what there was in it of omnipo tence and divine majesty, and went out. And all the children of Isriil according to their ranks Aveie gathered together unto him, and he sat down upon an exalted seat, as was his custom, whereon he was elevated above the people, and the light of his countenance shone as the rays of the sun. And he began to deliver an address unto the congregation of the childi-en of IsrMl, in Avhich he gathered together just as many as a servant of God could, of passages of praise to God, Avhose names are holy : and in it he ex pounded intelligence of the days of Divine favor which were to come, and the cause of Wrath and Error. And he informed the children of IsrMl concerning the deluge of fire, and the day of vengeance and leward, ^ and defined the time of his return unto them.^ Then he announced unto them what should happen unto every tribe, and that he would marshal them complete in the days of final perfection and completion. And he blessed them altogether, and they listened unto him. And, when the time came to bid farewell to each individual army, they began to cry aloud and Avail and weep ; and after a space of time he commanded them to be quiet and to sit doAvn. Then he departed, walking sloAvly up the ascent of the mountain unto which God had ordered him to ascend, and Avith him were YushS, the son of Nun, and el'Azar the imS.m, and the assembly of the leaders who were bidding him farewell and weeping at the approach of his separation from them and clinging to him. And » Note 28. 2 Note 29. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 31 when the farewells Avere prolonged with them, and the night drew near, a pillar of divine fire despended^ and separated between them and their master — peace be upon him — and no one knoAvs what happened to him after this, even unto this time. His allotted period of life had reached its limit, and the term of his existence among men — peace be unto him — and now his dealings were directly with his Lord and His angels. And of God do we beg that He Avould unite us to him through His mercy. Behold He is OA^er all things powerful, and He is my suffi ciency and illustrious Protector. CHAPTER VIL THE ACCOUNT OF WHAT YUSH'A, HIS DISCIPLE, SAID, AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HIS LOKD AND MASTER. When the master Mfisa, the Prophet — peace be upon him — disappeared from him and from the congregation of the children of Israel, and the COMMAND separated him from them, which event he was unable to aA'^ert from himself, and there passed nway from them the sight of him, and when all had completely despaired of his re turn, Yush'a, the son of Nun, wept for him and proclaimed with his loudest voice, saying: "O Master ! the death of every one of the children of Adam, from first to last, was Avitnessed, and his grave seen ; but thou ! who has seen thy grave ? What prophet of the prophet can attain unto thy glory, or prolong his memory unto the extent thy memory is prolonged ? Where is one who has brought to life the dead and caused ' Note 30, 32 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. the living to die, through the permission of his Lord, besides thee ? ^ Unto what prophet do the infidels bear testimony as to his prophetic ofiice, except thee ? What prophet, in the ages past or yet to come, did cause his congregation to hear the voice of the Creator fiom the regions of the heavens, except thee ? Where is one who shall aiise, and his Avords ascend on high, and Avard off the DiAdne anger, and bring down Divine mercy, except thee ? What prophet fasted before his Lord, until he fasted one hundred and twenty days including the nights, ^ except thee ? What prophet boasted of his being the one who held converse with God without anything interven ing between them, except thee ? Where is one, who has trodden the fire, aiid cleft the darkness, and rent the clouds, and reached unto the cur tain of omnipotence, besides thee ? What book ascribed to any prophet has in it the teaching of the worship of the Creator, and of how access may be had to Him, except thy book ? O one who killed the Nil (Nile) Avith his rod ! * O one Avho did reA'eal new things ! O one who showed foi-th wonders ! O one who manifested signs ! O one who lighted up the darkness ! O one who cleft the sea with his rod! O one-who put to rout armies Avith his hand ! O one who warded off the Divine anger by his petitions ! O one who brought down Divine mercy by his intercessions ! O one whose A^ery sustenance was the Avoi-ship of his Lord ! O one Avho Avent out from the boundaries of humanity and human power into the Divine power ! O one who un derstood the past and kncAv Avhat Avas to come ! O one who ruled his enemies by his invocation ! O my master and my lord ! How can I exist and hoAv can thy people exist, now that thou art » Note 31. 2 Note 32. « Note 33. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 33 gone ? " After this his Aveeping increased as did also the weeping of the congregation that Avas with him, and Avhen the grief and Availing had been long indulged in, with submission and humility, it Avas announced to Yush'S, the son of Niin, saying : Return thou aud those that are Avith thee of the army, and do not oppose the command of God " — May His name be glorious. CHAPTER VIIL THE ACCOUNT OF WHAT WAS DONE AFTER THE RETURN OF YUSH'A, TO THE PEOPLE. When Yush'a, and the priests^returned after bidding farcAvell to the prophet — peace be upon him, — .the congregation of the children of Israil met them, and they commenced weeping for their master, yea, every company by company, and they continued Aveeping for him thirty days and nights. And the nations heard their clamor and wailing and crying, aud they assembled to gether in confederation on the borders and re joiced exceedingly when they Avere informed of the death of the prophet — peace be upon him, — and tliey resolved to encounter the children of Israil. But Avhen God — Powerful and Mighty — per ceived the conspiracy of the Canaanites, of those who Avere assembled unto them, He made a mani festation of Divine power and revealed unto Yusha, the son, of Ni5n, that he should strengthen his own and the people's courage, by saying unto them : " That as He had been Avith them in the past, so Avould He be with them in the future so long as they continued in worshipful submis sion." Praise he unto Him to Whom belongs the kingdora and the majesty and the poAver and eteinal existence. There is no God but He, and no kingdom but His kingdom. 3 34 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. CHAPTER IX. THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK YUSH'A, THE SON OF NUN, THE DISCIPLE OF THE MASTER KUSA, THE PROPHET — ^PEACE BE UPON HIM. After the death of Musa, Kalimu'l-lah,i God made a revelation unto Yush'a, the son of Nun, the disciple of Musa the servant of God, say ing unto him: " O Yiish'^, arise, start out, and with thy people pass over the Urdun (Jordan) unto the land which I am about to give unto the children of Israil ; all the places which your feet shall tread shall belong to you. Your boundary shall be from the Avilderness to el-Lubnan (Lebanon), and .from the river el- Farah (Euphrates) unto the uttermost sea; and no enemy shall stand before you. O Yush'a, as I Avas with Musa — ^peace be upon him — so Avill I be •with thee, and I Avill not forsake thee nor desert thee. Be strong and exalt thyself exceedingly. Fear not nor be dismayed, for I am with thee and with thy people in every place. O Yush'a, do not abolish the reading of what Musa the proj)het inscribed and wrote, Avith Avhat is intrusted unto the Liwanites (Levites) in the place in the holy house, and learn from it night and day, even all the days of thy life, that thou mayest be in structed ; for if thou observest the same and dost not swerve from what is commanded thee to the right or to the left, thou wilt succeed and prosper, and thy enemies Avill be put to rout by thee, and thou shalt tread upon their necks." And at this time the communication ended. » Note 34, THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 35 CHAPTER X. iCHE ACCOUNT OF YUSHA's ASSEMBLING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL, AND HIS RENEWING THE COVENANT WITH THEM. After Yush'a, had heard Avhat God revealed unto him, he joined unto himself el-'Azar, the imam — peace be upon'him, and he sat doAvn upon his sacred chair, Avhile Yush'a, sat upon his royal chair. And there gathered unto them, the holy priests, and the Liwanites Avho offered the sac rifices, and the twelve chiefs Avho always attended them, and the chief judges, and the seventy chosen wise men, and the officers over the thou sands, and hundreds, and fifties, and tens. And with the assembling of this congress, the trum pets sounded and the heralds Avent forth pro claiming a general assembling of the cliildren of Israil. And it was not but an hour before there were gathered unto them the old men and the young, with many of the Avomen and children and all the army. And then Yiish'^, began to enumerate to them the things that God — Power ful and Mighty — had manifested by the hand of our master Musa the Prophet — peace be upon him — in their behalf and that of their predecessors. Next he recalled to them wherein thej'- had acted contrary to Him, and tried Him, and rebelled against Him. And he said unto them : " O as sembled men, I am going to bind you to' the covenant and compact Avhich existed before the death of the Prophet — peace be upon him— that you will not associate others Avith God, and that you Avill see to the promulgation of the laws upon Avhich this covenant is founded, and it is, namely, the explanation of the law, and the explanation 36 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. of what the obedient will receive and Avhat shall befall the disobedient. And now this covenant in Avhich I do confirm you is not with you and you alone, but includes you and those whom ye shall beget unto the end of the ages." And he told them what the other nations were wedded to, concerning the worship of idols ; and in formed them that God was with them as long as they remained in obedience, but that He would remove His favor from them upon their acting disobedientlj'-, and that then their Avays Avould not prosper, nor Avould there be a united nation. Then he proclaimed in his loudest A'oice : " As sembled men, let there not be among you a disseminator of corrupt designs, spikes of corn and wormwood,^ (meaning by this, one Avho asso ciates others with God and unites the worship of others with His worship) ; nor let there be among you one who cogitates in his heart Avicked doctrines, or opposition to the command of God — Powerful and Mighty — ^lest there be a de struction of this mighty, holy nation and all its greatness, and separation from the Creator — ^may His name be holy — and your enemies attain unto their desires and plunder you of your cattle, and wives and children. For whoever adopts these views, or any part of them, there shall fall upon him all the calamities which are written in the Holy Law, and God will blot out the remem brance of him from under the hea\'en, and will make him distinguished by reason of his calam ities, apart from all the tribes of Israil. And sOj be sincere Avith your souls and your con science, that I may rencAV the covenant with you in accordance Avith what you may say ; and God and His heavens and His earth, and His angels, shall bear Avitness against you in what hap- 1 See Deut. xxts. 18. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 37 pens betAveen us and you ; may the sentence be in your favor and not against you. And now if ye continue in keeping Avhat has been commanded you, God — ^may He be blessed and exalted — Avill bless you and keep you and protect you and lead you to victoiy and Avill subdue your enemies and give you the land, concerning whicli He SAvore, by His own omnipotence, unto 3'our ancestors, Ibra him and Ishaq (Isaac) and Y&qiib (Jacob) — peace be upon them. And He Avill keep you, aud Avill keep the land in all happiness, and lie Avill remove calamities and al! dis-asters, and multiply you; but Avhen ye shall haA^e been disobedient and rebel lious, the Divine favor Avill be removed from you, and the Divine poAver from j-^our side, and from your support, and the angels Avill be removed from j'our side, and the name of the greatest King depart from giving you assistance, and there shall fall upon you those things which are Avritten in the book of Wrath and Curse, and He will scatter your troops, and forget your affairs, and the enemies will take possession of you, and there will remain no longer to you a king, or shrine, or possessions, or men, and God will disperse you throughout the regions of the eai-th from one ex tremity of it to the other, and He aa^U make you servants and subjects. So now, Avhatever ye say and believe and coA'enant, let it be the real covenant binding upon you, and let this second coA^enant be added unto that Avhich He cove nanted with you through our master Musa the Prophet — peace be upon him. Therefore act sincere from your souls, and the secret thoughts of your hearts. 38 THE SA3IARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. CHAPTER XL THE ACCOUNT OF HOW THEY ANSWERED HIM, AND THE COVENANT THAT THEY ENTERED INTO AT THAT TDIE. The congregation of the children of Israil answered him, Avhile crying out, weeping aud humbling themselves before God, and casting their souls into His hands, saying : " O our master and our lord, Ave hear and Avill obey the command of God — Mighty and Powerful — and of His true aud faithful Prophet, and also thy command, O king, and the command of our imam and our rulers, and there will be no oppo sition to what ye order, and no deviation from what ye say either to the right or to the left, nor from whatever our master Musa, the Prophet — ¦ peace be upon him — has ordained, and there shall be no rejection of a single part of it ; and-Avho- ever shall rebel or deviate, and act treacherously, let upon him be the Curse and "Wrath, for after this, manner did our master Musa the Prophet — peace be upori him — agree with us and im pose conditions upon us, and put us under oath, and covenant with us, and offer up foi- us the sacrifices, and we ansAvered him as we have an swered you. And God is the witness over us in this, and He is our sufficiency and bountiful Pro tector." CHAPTER XII. THE ACCOUNT OF WHAT YUSH'A, THE SON OF NUN, DID IN ORGANIZING THE ARMY, AND THE MEMBERS THEREOF. When Yush'^ beheld the zeal of the people he said : " The One who has insight into you and your purposes is God." And he renewed with them the covenant and compact, and offer ed for them the offerings, and the imSim blessed THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 39 them. Thereupon he and the imam, each of them, sat down on his throne ; and he summon ed the leaders, and demanded of them that thev should make out a census of the children of Israil, tribe by tribe, and that the enumeration throughout the congregation, should embrace all n)en from the age of twenty years up to the age of fifty years, excepting the tribe of L^wi (Levi). And he ordered that this tribe should be enumerated, from the boy of a month old up wards : for so had our master Musa, the Pro phet — peace be upon him — given orders before his death. But such as Avere under twenty years of age and over fifty years of age Avere not to be included in the enumeration. And the lead ers made out the census, and the whole amounted to 601,730 men, although of this number the tribe of Rawban (Reuben), and the tribe of Gad, and the half tribe of Manashshah (Manasseh), had their landed possessions be hind the Urdun (Jordan), even nine cities Avith their districts, which had belonged to Sihun and 'Ug, the sons of Andq ; three cities and their provinces had been conquered by Nabih and his cousin of the tribe of Manashshah^ For it did come to pass that, Avhen our mas ter Musa, the Prophet — peace be upon him — conquered these cities and destroyed their in- liabitants, that there gathered unto him the lead ers of these two tribes and a half, and they said unto him : " O our master and our lord, these cities suit us, for we have many animals and cattle, even though they be approximately less than one sixth of the assigned lands, while the whole number of the census of our men comes close on to one fifth of the army of the children of Isr&il." And he rebuked them, sup- » Note 35. 40 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. posing that they preferred settling apart from their brethren. But they answered: "Behold we AviU leave our luggage and our cattle in these cities, and Ave Avill march forward under one enrolment, thi-usting aside every pretext, and we will not return to our assigned lands until our brethi-en have got possession of all their assigned lands, and after that we will return un to our assigned lands and to our own places." And our master. Musa the Prophet — the most excellent, peace be upon him — answered them favorably, in reply to what they had asked of him, and assigned to them while he was alive this region. And the first of those whom Yiish'a, the son of Nun, enrolled in his army, were the two and a half tribes, and the whole number of their enrolment was 110, 680 men. And the whole number of the enrolment of the nine aud a half tribes was 491,150 men ; and — according to these figures — the chiefs appor tioned out the land from the Urdun to the sear And this is the enrolment, based on the census, of the prosperous, victorious, holy, triumphant and blessed army. And the census of the tribe of Law? was apart from the company of Avhich mention has been made before; for the mem bers of this tribe did not engage in the wars, nor did they separate from the service of their Lord; and the whole of their census, from a boy one month old and upAvards, was 23,000 men. And Avhen the leaders came with the en rolment of the census, Yuslia the son of Nfln made them appear before him, and he announced good tidings unto them, namely, that God Avould bless them so as that there Avould result from one, a thousand ^ as our master Musa the Prophet — ^peace be upon him — promised them from God — may His name be blessed. * See Joshua xxiii. 10, and Deut. xxxii. 30. THE SAJSIAUFTAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 41 CHAPTER XIIL THE ACCOUNT OF THE SPIES WHOM YUSHA, THE KINO, SENT FORTH. When Yush'^, the son of Nun, heard about the mustering of the Kan&anites, and the assembling of the giants, he sent out spies from the men of experience, intelligence, prudence and piety, to see the army of the enemies and make an in vestigation, and to proceed to Yar'ha (Jericho) and uiake an investigation as to the number of its men, and of those Avho Avere collected unto them, and then returning make it known to him. So the spies bid the army farewell, and invoked God's favor, and started out on their journey, having changed their outward appearance to the condition of ones who had come from far distant places. Noav the spies kueAV all the languages spoken in the army of the enemies. And Avhen they arrived at it they began to Aveep, and the enemy asked them, what ncAvs they had, and they said : " We are men from the people of the east, our companions have heard tidings of this great nation, Avhich Avas for forty years in the Avilderness Avithout a guide or provisions, and the report reached our company that they have a Lord whom they speak of as ' The King of the heav ens and earth,' and that He has appropriated unto them both oui- country and your countiy, and so our companions have sent us out, that we may find out the truth of Avhat has been reported unto us, and make it knoAvn to them. And we have journeyed and already passed by you a long time ago, Avhile ye were busily engrossed in your occupations, and we did come to the army of 43 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. that nation and found them perplexed, Avander- inc round and round in the Avilderness, and the secret among them was, that their God had be come angry at them, and would not bring any of them into the land except two men ; so Ave have returned with this good news, gladdened and re joicing. Now when it Avas so at this time that, we know Avhat this nation had done Avith Sihun and "Ug, and Avith their lands and territories, and also what they did Avith the kings of Midyan and M&b, and the taking captive of their Avornen and chil dren, aud that this nation Avas bent upon entering your country and then our country, AA'e made h-aste that we might make known to our compan ions the truth of this. And Ave journeyed unto them from the mountains, and Ave had but just reached the vicinity of the camps, when there came forth unto us three or four men, and each of thera took hold of one of us, and fetched us into the presence of the ncAV king, avIio had been invested Avith the kingdom as successor to Musa the Prophet — the best of peace be upon him. Now his companion Avas merciful who lifted not up his glance to any one ; but this one Avas as a giant man, Avhose conversation broke souls, and whose speech split hearts, and Avhose reproach struck astonishment into minds. And we had bat ju.st stood in liis presence Avhen he kncAV our name and ouroriginand our countiy, and when we started out, and the places at which we had encamped, and in all that he mentioned unto us he was correct. And we at once believed in him and his Lord, through fear of him, but he answered us, that : This faith is not a faith to be accepted, when ye do so through fear ; yet there is no fear for you ; go, return and say to all whom ye meet and to your companions : Look out for your oavu Avelfare, and whoever flees THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 43 away is safe, but whoever remains shall perish.' For after the space of a week, the water of the Urdun will stand still for me by the conimand of our Lord — the Highest— until His people shall cross over ; and not a fortress shall be shut in their faces, when they shall have gone around it seven circuits, for its Avails Avill fall, and all they who remain, who are found inside, Avill perish : and the city and the territory Avill be our ter ritory, and the assigned lands shall become oui-s, assigned unto us by the King of the heavens and earth ; whose creatures and ser vants all kings are. And this is the whole of Avhat Ave heard from him, and Ave know that his name is Yush'^ the son of Nun, and that he is the one who put to rout the Aml&q (the Ama- lekites), and is the slayer of Sihun and the destroyer of 'Ug, and the one Avho ruined the kings of Midyan and M&b. O woe unto us and woe unto you, and Avhatever is attached unto our country and your country ; for they are a people Avho have no pity, nor do they leaA'e survivors or show compassion, nor do they make a truce, except Avith those who are outside of us and you, for we stand, in their estimation, in the character of infidels and profligates and as a haughty and lebellious people; and the one who is lucky among us and among you is he who takes his own people betAveen his hands and flees away with all speed, until he shall have got out be yond all their assigned lands, ere he feels regret Avhere regret Avill profit him nothing." And the raen rode on and pursued their journey, and after this manner did they speak with all whom they met until they returned to Yariha (Jericho), and here it became known about them, and they were sought after to be destroyed, and they begged protection of a Avoman who was called iNote 36. 44 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. Rahab the innkeeper,^ whose house was beside the walls of the city, and she took them out aud concealed them, and gave excuse unto those who sought them, saying, that they had already re turned. Then she made a covenant with them and they with her, that, if God — Mighty and Powerful — should vanquish for them this city, they would spare her, and spare whatever souls were in her courtyard, of her own people. And the spies enjoined upon her to fix upon the roof of her house a sign which they should knoAV, so that when she knew they Avere draAving nigh unto the city, she should display it ; but they stipulated Avith her, that they would be innocent of the blood of all such as Avere found, of her OAvn people, outside of the courtyard. And she brought them out, by night, and God willed their safe escape, and they returned to the army. And they told 'the king and the im^m and their congregation, Avhat they had witnessed and what had happened to them, and Avhat favor the AVoman had done in their behaK. And the congregation answered them that they would spare the Avoman, in accordance with Avhat they had covenanted with her. And the report of her spread abroad throughout the army, and the Avhole congrega tion of them kneAV about her. 2 Note 37. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 45 CHAPTER XIV. THE ACCOUNT OF THE SUMMONING OF THE CHIL DREN OF ISRAIL TO UNDERTAKE THE JOUR NEY. When Yush'&, the king, heard the statement of the spies, he sent forth the leaders, to pro claim throughout the army that they should proceed on the journey, having with them pro- \ isions for three days, and also to say in the pro clamation : " O assemblies of men ? Fear not, nor be dismayed, for God, your God, is about to journey with you, that He may shoAv forth Avith you a miracle at tliis time, to make you success ful over your enemies ; and as to the miracle Avhich God Avill show forth with you at the Urdun, the like of it has not been heard of in the ages past, nor shall the like of it be heard of in the ages yet to come. And it is the first terror of you that shall fall upon the hearts of your enemies. Therefore, know, that the holy priests shall carry the golden ark, Avhich is the ark of the covenant, Avhich covenant is celestial substanre, for it is the tablets Avhose Avriting was of Divine light ' : lo they are celestial substance ; and when the priests witli tlie ark shall enter the water of the Urdun, the Avater Avill stand still, and subside by the poAver of the ALMIGHTY, until that the Avater beloAV flows away, while the water above shall mount up and increase upon itself, until all the children of IsrM, and those who are in their company, shall pass over in absolute dryness." » Note 38. 46 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. Then Yush'a, the son of Nun, himself called out and said : " O assemblies of men ! God commands you that there should be between you and the priests who carry the ark an extent of space equal to two thousand yards, so do not approach unto it Avithin this distance, that God may complete His work Avith you." Then he ordered the twelve chiefs to take from under the feet of the priests, twelve stones, after that the children of Israil had finished the passage over the Urdun, and that each one of them should write his name upon his stone,^ in order that Avhat had happened might be preserved and per petuated through the eternity of the ages to come, even the miracle Avhich God — may His name be glorious — Avoidd show on the Urdun. And the Liwanites (Levites) proclaimed Avith loudest voice : " Praise be to the God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, to Whose commands, animate aud inanimate things are obedient, and the heavens and the earth and the seas and the rivers and all that therein is. There is no God but He, and no kingdom lasts but His kingdom, nor any power but His power, nor is there any lord but under His lordship, nor any sovereign except under His sovereignty. Praised be He and ex alted aud holy be His names. Perish whoever deny Him and believe in another than He, for He is the God. CHAPTER XV. THE ACCOUNT OF THE PASSAGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL THROUGH THE URDUN (JORDAN.) And the children of Israil did as the king commanded them. And the cloud was lifted up, on the first (day) of the first month, of the first 2 Note 39. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 47 year, of the first period of seven years of the Jubil(Jubilee)' even from the beginning of the entering in of the children of Israil within the boundaries of the a.ssigned lands. And up to this time there had elapsed, of the days of the world as established by the laAv, two thousand, seven hundred and ninety-four complete years, and this reckoning of time is correct, Avhich the learned knoAV by chronological computations based on the era of the flood. And the priests proceeded forward Avhen the cloud Avas lifted up, and attained to the distance from the army which he prescribed unto them. And Avhen the priests with the ark approached the water of the Urdun. tlie Liwtinites shouted aloud, and the congrega tion of the children of Isr&il joined in with them, saying Avith one voice : " There is no poAver or strength in the presence of Thy power, O Lord of Avorlds ! " And the Avater stood still, and rose up in accumulation, by the power of its Creator ; He who is almighty over whatever He wills, the Worker of miracles and Avonders. And con tinued to be heaped up, Avave upon wave, until it became like unto huge mountains, Avhile the priests stood praising God, and shouting halle luiahs aud saying: " Praise be unto Him, in obe dience to Avhora every thing exists." And they stood, with the ark, on the dry ground in the midst of the Urdun, until all the children of Israil, Avith their large throng, and their cattle, had passed over on the dry ground through the midst of the Urdun, on its bottom, and it was diy like as in the days of harvest. And the Liwanites were praising and shouting halleluiahs, and saying: "Praise be unto Him in obedience to Avhom every thing exists. Praise be unto Him by Avhose will this is come to pass." And when the people came out of the Urdun they ob- 1 Note 40. 48 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. served the commandment, and took the twelve stones from under the feet of the priests, and each man wrote his name upon his stone, and the king also took a similar stone. And when the priests Avith the ark came up out, the Avaters rushed down with great tumult, and winds blew violently with the rushing down of the Avaters. And the nations heard about this great miracle, and their hearts were broken up, and their con federated troops were scattered. And the water of the Urdun destroyed, at that time, many places which Avere near it, by reason of the great vio lence of the Avind which accompanied it. And God. does whatever He wishes — Glorious be His name. And of Him do I ask assistance, and upon Him do I put my trust, and unto Him be the praise for what He has bestoAved. CHAPTER XVL AN ACCOUNT OF THE HTilN OF PRAISE, WHICH YUSBA THE EJNG OFFERED UP. Then Yush'S,, the son of Nun, and the children of Israil offered up the hymn of praise, which our master Musa the Prophet — ^peace be upon him — offered up at the sea of el-Qulzum,^ and they added thereunto praises and halleluiahs, and ren dered praise and thanksgiAdng for what God had generously bestoAved upon them. And among the number of the hymns of praise which they offered up, they said : " Who is like unto Thee, O Thou who art perfect in holiness? O Thou who dost inspire terror ! O Tiiou Avho dost re veal secret things ! O Thou Avho dost perform new things ! O Thou worker of miracles ! O Thou displayer of wonders ! How, O our Lord, 1 Note 41. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 49 shall we address Thee ? O Thou revealer of signs ! O Thou who makest light the darkness ! Who is like unto Thee ? There is no likeness like unto thy likeness, for Thou art the origin of actions and likenesses and bodies, and forms, and shapes, and spiritual things, Avhich are endoAvedAvith tlie attributes of Thy nature." On that day Yush'^, the son of Nun, Avas magnified in honor among the children of Israil, and they feared him as they had feared Musa the Prophet— peace be upon him, — and, they knew that God Avas Avith him. And Yush'a, tlie son of Niin, set up twelve stones as a monument, lising up in the Urdun. And the chiefs erected the twelve stones in a place called Jalil (Gilgal), that the generations to come might behold them, and remember the drying up of the Urdun, and so praise the Doer of miracles ; and that fathei's might tell sons of this deed, and that kings and nations might hear that our God is the one conquering God. And when all the kings of esh-Sham (Syria) heard of the children of Israil's crossing over into the land appointed unto them, and about the stoppage of the Avater of the Urdun, and its drying up, they arrayed themselves in funeral robes, and were smitten Avith fear, and some of them died through fear of the cliildren of Israil, on account of the greatness of the awe which they inspired, And God made a revelation to Yush'S., the son of Nun, saying : " To-day have I spread aAve of you and of your people over these nations, and I haA'e lifted off from thee, and from thy people, every impurity and infirmity." And Yush'S, named the place Jalil, and it is its name unto the end of the ages. And praise be unto God, the One who en dureth Avithout cessation. 4 60 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. CHAPTER XVIL THE ACCOUNT OP ANCIENT YAPIHA (JERICHO), AT THE TIME OP ITS CONQUEST. Upon the departure of the king from the place which he had named Jalil, they encamped in the districts of Yariha, on the first day (of the feast of unleavened bread), the fourteenth day (of the first month) .^ And they kept the passover at this time, and ate unleavened bread from the new crops. And the manna ceased Avith their entrance into the land, and their eating of its crops, and of the fruit of its trees. And when the army had draAvn near round about the city. Yush'S, the son of Nun, retired apart from the camps, that he might Avorship his Lord by night, and when he had finished his devotions, -he lifted up his eyes, and, behold, the figure of a man standing, Avith his sword drawn in his hand, and he called out to him : " Yush'a ! " Thereupon he (Joshua) replied : " Art thou of us, or of our adversaries ? " And he answered him, and said : "I am of the messengers of God, who rule over pun ishments." ^ And he (Joshua) cast himself before him on the ground, because of his majesty. Then he rose up and said to him : " Lay upon thy servant the command Avhich has been brought unto him." And he said unto him : " King, take off thy shoes from off thy feet ; for the place whereon thou standest is a holy place. God — Powerful and Mighty — says unto thee ; O Yush'^, look before thee, behold I am about to place in thy hand this disobedient city, even Yariha, Avith its l-ing and its people ; now therefore 1 See Joshua v. 10. Compare LXX in loco. " Note 42. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 61 choose for thyself, from among the children of Isr&il, men of might, from every tribe a thousand men. And they shall go round about the city, six circuits in six days, with the golden ark, the ark of the covenant, before them ; and tliey shall not talk in conversation, or be intent upon any thing except offering up praises and halleluiahs, nor shall they make an intermission in this, or raise any great tumult during the space of six days ; yet the tAA'o priests shall be along Avith the two clamorous trumpets.^ But on the seventh day they shall go round about the city the seventh time, and the tAvo priests shall sound with the tAvo trumpets, and Avhen the company hear the sound of the trumpets ; then let them shout with a loud voice, three times, saying : ' God is omnipotent in battles. God is His name.' And at the completion of this act, the wall of the city will be demolished, and the fort resses Avill fall down before the people, and the armj' shall enter the city and destroy it." And Yush'a returned and assembled the leaders of his people, and commanded that they should select twelve thousand men. And when they came unto him, he gave orders to them to march, and with them should be the saintly priests, bearing the ark and the two trumpets. And he gave in structions unto the company, that they should offer ujj halleluiahs and praises, during the six daj's, in a Ioav tone of voice : but on the seventh day they should go round about the city six times, " And on the seventh time around the priests shall sound Avith the two trumpets, and upon their hearing the trumpets, the whole army shall shout with a loud voice, and instantly acl- A'ance: and then the fortifications Avill be de molished, and God will put the city in your hands. And Avhen this has been successfully ac- 1 See Note 42. 52 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. complished by you, and ye have attained the city, ye shall put to death every breathing thing Avhich ye find iu it, Avhether of men or animals. And ye shall destroy it and burn it, and shall not leave in it any, except the Avoman who is knoAATQ as Rahab the innkeeper ; her ye shall spare, and also those souls that are in her court yard, according as the spies made covenant with her. O asserablies of men ! Be watchful of your selves ; do not take anything from the city ; burn its gold and silver and brass and iron, and all its appurtenances, and do not meddle Avith anything that is devoted ; for then would ye and the army perish." And the people did as he instructed them. And in the seventh circuit the priests sounded with the two trumpets, and they cried out with a great shout ; and at that, the walls of the city fell down, and the army entered in, and put to death every breathing thing in it, from raan even to animals. And they collected all the furniture which was in it, and placed it in the middle of the city, and burned it ; and it became a mound never to be rebuilt. And Yush'a proclaimed in the loudest voice ; " O assemblies of men ! It is forbidden unto you, and unto those who shall rise up of your seed, to build up in this city one • single stone." And it is the first of the rebellious cities, known as Ancient Yariha ; and this city A\'as devoted, destroyed, burned and converted into a mound, neA'-er to be built up or restored, throughout eternal ages.^ And this was done after the spies had entered the courtyard of the woman, and brought out her aud every soul that was in her courtyard, and preserved them from death. And the name of Y-ush'S,, by this act of his, was spread abroad unto the different regions of the earth. And a man of the children of Israil committed a trespass, and entered into the temple » Note 43. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 53 of the idols of this city, and he found therein a goodly thing of gold, and a tongue of gold, their Aveight Avas two thousand, two hundred and fifty raithqals,* and he took them and concealed them in his tent ; now it had been forbidden him to even touch it, not to mention his taking it in theft, and hiding it in his place of abode. And the Lord became angry with the children of Israil, on account of him. And neither the leaders nor the king knew about this deed. But praise be unto Him Avho knows secrets, and who shows forth miracles. Blessed be His name, and exalted be His fame. CHAPTER XVIII. THE ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE ONE WHO TOOK THE DEVOTED THING. When it was morning of the day of which mention has already been made, Yush'a the king, and all the arraj', came before the temple, and he made the chiefs present themselves before el- 'Azar, the im^m — ^peace be upon him, and upon hira Avere the jewels. And the jewel which Avas inscribed with the name of Yahudah (Judah) grew black^ ; and he, in succession, presented the tribe of Yahudah, in its companies, name by name, before the jewel ; and i t grew black at the name Avhich was called Aichan (Achan), of the family of Zarah (Zerah), the son of Yahudah. And the man at once presented himself and stood before Yush'a the king. And the king said unto him : " O raan I lift up thy face to the King of the heavens and earth, and know that He knoAvs secrets, and, O, woe be to the one who imagines that he can conceal from Him anything, or cover * Note 44. * Note 45. 54 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. up from Him a matter. So noAV confess as to hoAV you have sinned, and what you have taken of the devoted thing; for God has become angrj' Avith His people on your account." And the man ansAvered him, and said : " I knoAV, O king, that I have committed a great sin before God, Who knows what is secret and concealed, and I haA^e been a traitor to the covenant of God, and of His messenger ; for I entered the temple of the chief idol of Yariha, and tliere found a goodly thing of gold, and a tongue of gold, and their weight was two thousand two hundred and fifty mithqals. and my soul became greedy for this, and I took it and buried it in my tent. And uoav if a crime like mine can be pardoned, Avell and good, seeing that God is merciful and compas sionate; but if there is no pardon for it, then let there be executed what thou shalt command in my affair." Then the king sent immediately trust worthy people, and they brought what the man had mentioned he had felt greedy after, and so had taken it. And the governor and his associates, the chiefs, brought hira before the teraple of the Creator, and coramand Avas given that he should be burned outside the camp. And he took the man and burned both him and whatever children he had, and cattle, and all that he possessed, and he placed all in a deep A'alley, and commanded the whole army to stone it Avith stones. And he named the valley : The A'alley of 'Akur (Achor). And after this God removed His anger from the children of Israil ; for what they did appeased Him. And unto Hira be praise ; for His bounty and the excellency of His favor and goodness. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 65 CHAPTER XIX. THE ACCOUNT OF HOW CERTAIN PEOPLES OP THK KANAANITES PRACTICED A STRATAGEM, AND OBTAINED PROTECTION OP THE KING. After the capture of the city, the king and his people returned unto the place Avhich Avas named Jalil. And they took no notice until there came unto them a corapany of men whose faces Avere blackened, and their garments and shoes Avorn out, aud Avith them was bread that had become putrid. And they approached unto the king and unto the chiefs of the children of Israil, in tliis place, and saluted them, as the like of them AvercAVont to salute, and they prostrated themselves before the assembly ; then they said to the king : " We seek protection of thee and of thy people, that Ave may exist in your company ; for Ave are of those who choose for ourselves, God your Lord." And he answered them: "Verily I wiU. not grant protection unto you, unless ye inform nie Avho ye are and from Avhat place ye come." And they ansAvered him : " We are peo ple from a far distance, Ave have heard of your fame, and what signs and wonders God — Power ful and Mighty — has revealed to the children of IsrMl, even in the sea, and in the desert, and in WMy el-Mujib,^ and what has happened unto the kings through you. And uoav, O king, Ave have repaired unto thee that we might be in the company of those who beg protection Avith thee ; for Ave belicA'e in thy Lord, and we will not re sist whatever thou shalt prescribe unto us, be it small or great. And behold thou seest our 1 Note 46. 56 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. blackened faces, and our Avorn-out clothes, and our dried-out food ; for Ave did not start out from our places, to come here, in garments of old clothes, but this is the necessary result after the long journey. And now trust us Avith protection, that we may exist in the company of this great, blessed, holy people." And Yiish'a bid sorae of his people advance unto them, and he entered into a covenant Avith them, and swore unto them by the God of Isriil, that they would not kill thera, nor those who were membei-s of their com pany. And when it Avas after three days, the king found out, that tliey Avere of his enemies, from three towns near by him, on the south of the blessed mountain,^ and they were : Jaba'un (Gibeon), and Qiryah^ (Kirjath-jearim), and Birut (Beeroth). And no one of the army was able to go to this place, because of the protection granted, and the oath, and covenant. Thereupon the king summoned the men, and said unto them : " Why did ye conceal from nie, and say that ye were from a distance, while ye were neigh bors ? " And they answered hira, and said : " We knew that the God of the children of Israil, had commanded you to destroy these places, and not to spare the sword in any place in which a soul was, and we feared for ourselves, and did what we did; and now we are in thy hands, O king, do Avith us whatever you decide upon." And he set thera at liberty, and made proclama tion throughout the children of Israil, saying : " Do not kill them ; but they shall become among the class of those cutting wood and drawing water for the beasts." And they did this with them, according to what he commanded. " Note 47. « Note 48. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 57 CHAPTER XX. AN ACCOUNT OF THE KANAANITES, WHOSE TER- BITORIES THE LAND WAS. Some of the Kana'anites, Avhen they heard of the children of Israil's passing over the Urdun, had fled to one people and another; but when they had been informed of Avhat had befallen Yariha and its people, all those Avho Avere dAvel- ling around the Urdun, and the great sea, gath ered themselves together, and entered into an agreement, and made preparation to meet the children of Israil, and join in battle with them. And they sent five of their chiefs, Avith the ma jority of the army .Avith thera ; and they were bidden to advance and make an attack upon the three toAvns Avhich had sued for themselves pro tection with the children of Isi-ail. And they began with Jaba'un, and put its people to great straits. -And the inhabitants of Jaba'-fin sent unto Yush'a, the king, to inform hira of the truth con cerning the intentions of the kings, and that they had already commenced by destroying them, and that they were uoav in a state of severe siege and extrem.e distress ; and they pled their cause with him with the greatest emphasis, and begged him to deliver them from this enemy, Avho was carry ing out the designs against them. And while they proceeded on their journey, the king col lected his assembly, and God made a revelation to hira in that night, saying : " Do not fear, O Yush'a, behold 1 am about to give over into thy hands these five chiefs ; do not let a single man of them, or of their soldiers, escape safe." So he marched forward and surprised the army of the 68 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. enemies by night, and the Avatchword of the chil dren of Isl-ail was God the Omnipotent in bat tles, God is His Name. And the five kings Avere diiven in flight before them unto Kasahah,^ and unto Zilaqadah (Makkedah). And when the children of Israil came up Avith them, they con quered them, and did not spare in killing them. And Yiish'a spoke unto the day to stand still, and it stood StiU; and the day Avas great, for God heard the A'oice of the children of Israil, and sent forth the angels with them. And the five kings, the chiefs already mentioned, fled and found a caA'ein Maqadah. Then the king ordered to place great stones on the mouth of the cave, that he might keep them under guard, until they (the chSdren of Israil) should return, when they should have made an end of destroying the rest of the army. And he killed the multitude of the people, and not a single man of them did escape safe. Then they returned to the cave, and the king gave command to bring them (the five kings) out, and to throw them doAvn upon their faces, and he ordered the prominent leaders of the army to tread A\ith the soles of their shoes upon their necks ; and he said to the children of Israil : " Be strong and of good couz-age, and fear not, nor be dismayed, for thus shall God do with your ene mies." Then he gave command that the kings should be killed, and be crucified until the set ting of the sun; and after sunset he gave orders, that thej- should be placed in the cave to Avhich they had fled, along Avith the Avood upon which they had been crucified, and also that there should be placed over the mouth of the cave, a mound of stones, to perpetuate the knoAvledge of this unto the end of the ages. And they did what he ordered, and then, being gladdened, as sembled together. 1 Note 49. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 69 CHAPTER XXI. THE ACCOUNT OF THIS ARMY, AND ITS TRIUMPH, AND THE DESTRUCTION OF ITS ENEiHES. When it was in the beginning of the eighth month (noAV this is the time of the journeying of this army), the king divided the infantry and cavalry into three bands, and sent each band in a different direction, while he and they who Avere Avith him journeyed along in the highway, tend ing towards the liostile people; and he first alone was the one who surprised the enemies' camp, and he held thera for a considerable tirae in au en gagement, and they Avere not as yet recovered from the surprise, Avhen there arose a cloud of dust, and the army approached from every side. And when the children of Israil beheld one another, they shouted out with loudest voice : God is our Lord, who wages instead of us the war." And God on that day showed miracles with the enemy, for it came to pass that every one who would flee fire met him and burned him up. And a spectre appeared among thera, so that the horses did stampede with them, upon hearing the shouts of the children of Israil and carried them down to death; and the hours of the day were lengthened out. for them, as God had promised thera, until they had accomplished in it the results of a whole year, and not a remnant of the enemies was left after this battle. And the king f roniMah- zun^Avrote a letter unto el-'Azar, the imam, bind ing it on the Aving of a bird ; telling him in it the good ncAvs about Avhat God had bestoAved upon them, and Avhat He had shown forth among them 1 Note 50. 60 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. of miracles and signs, which should be eulogized. And he also informed him that he would not return until he should have taken possession of the remaining territorial districts for the children of Israil. And he set the bird at liberty on the morning of the fifth day, and it immediately proceeded on its journey, under the blessing of God and the goodness of His guidance and grace. And he (Yush'a) continued descending upon one city after another, and taking possession of them, and doing with the rebellious like unto what we have already mentioned, until he had completed the subjugation of the territories, and then he returned in the first month of the second year. And it resulted, that he, in one year, took possession of all their territories, and this was the region of the seven Kana'anites, whose fame is enduring, well knoAvn and spread abroad. Then he and all who Ave re with him removed apart for purification ; now there descended from the blessed mountain a great riA'er which watered the lowlands, and to it the king went down with all his army. And Avhen he had completed his purification, el-'ALzar the imam offered up for them the sacrifices, and they celebrated a grand feast,2 the carrying out of which was complete and consummate. Never was there Avitnessed a better feast than it ; for the people Avere united, not haAing as yet dispersed throughout their territorial sections, and when they did shout, and praise, and exult with halleluiahs, they were heard in the most distant and remote places. And when the feast Avas over, the king and his assembly gathered together, and began to arrange the distribution of the territories among their people ; and they asked God, Mighty and PoAver- ful, for His favor and guidance. 2 Note 61. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 61 CHAPTER XXII. AN ACCOUNT OF THE APPORTIONMENT OF THE TERRITORIES BELONGING TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL, AND THEIR BOUNDARIES. The king selected raen from the geometricians and their associates, and from the land sur veyors, and those who Avere well skilled in mat ters pertaining to lands, and from those who assisted in surveying, and those Avho Avere expert in estimating. And he gave instructions that they should divide it into ten parts ; and he him self set about equitably distributing the nine and one half tribes over the ten sections. There upon he defined unto them the boundaries of the lands, according to Avhat our master Musa the Prophet— -peace be upon him — explained in the chapter of the boundaries, which is mentioned in the LaAV, ^ Avhere he says : " When ye come into the land of Kana'an (and this is the land that shall ' fall unto you for an inheritance, according to the boundaries thereof), then your south quarter shall be from the Avilderness of Sin along by the places of Edum." And this is the boundary of the lands of the tAvo and one half tribes. And then he again says: "And your boundary, on the south shall be, from the furthest eastern part of the salt sea unto the side of Misr (Egypt) ; and the goings forth of this boundary shall be at the gulf." That is, from the isthmus of the wilderness ; by Avhich is meant the land of el-Hejaz (Arabia), and esh-Sham (Syria), and the pass of Haljat (?), a narrow place which reaches to the sea (the Arabah). * Num. xxxiv. 62 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. " And the goings forth thereof shall be south ward of Quds-er-Raqim "; meaning thereby, to the south of a place called Quds-barna (Kadesh- barnea), upon the borders of esh-Sham and el- Heiaz ; for the idea held by the people of that time was to the effect that it came unto el-Khaq (?) until it reached unto the Nil of Misr (Nile of Egypt), which is the valley Avliose goings forth are to the sea, the coast line of which extends from Misr to Falastin (Palestine) and to er-Rum (Greece). " And your Avestern boundary shall be the last sea." And the last sea is from Misr unto esh-Sham. " And the border toAvards esh- Sahni extends from the great sea to the mountain 5l-Jabal (ilount. Hor) and to Ainn^n of Hums (Hazar-enan). " The king here meaning the bend in the mountain el-Libnan (Lebanon), as far as the lirait of its land in the district of Dimashq (Damascus), until coming eastward it goes around it, and returns sloping dowuAvards unto the L'rduii, aud its goings forth are unto the salt sea, whicli is the final point designated in the beginnings of the chapter. "And this," (said Joshua) "is the smaller part of the assigned land but they (the survej'ors) shall make a return on the half of the greater assigned territories, accord ing to the sum of the census of the nine and one half tribes." Then he instructed them that they should set apart forty-eight cities, out of aU the teiTitories of the children of IsrMl, unto the LiwRnitei, taken out from the divisions ; and from their total number there should be six cities of them (even three cities fi-om the Avliole number of the cities of the two and one half tribes, and three cities from the Avhole of the assigned lands of the nine and one half tribes), concerning which cities God — Mighty and Powerful — ^gave command that they should be set apart, and he named them : " Cities of re- TUE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 63 pulse " ; that is, of refuge to the one who flees thereunto, even to the one Avho should kill his companion inadvertently, that is, by accident, or through carelessness, without intention, or malice aforethought ; so Avould these cities bea repulse to the avenger. Aud the slayer shall not be killed until he shall have stood before the judge and the assembly of the leaders ; and now if he did kill intentionally, he shall himself be killed ; but, if it Avas through carelessness, then he shall flee unto some one of these cities, and he shall not go forth from it until the chief imam dies ; and if he do go forth outside of the bound ary of this city, and the avenger meet him and sliiy him, then shall he be innocent of his blood. And the men (that is, the geometricians and the estimators and they who Avere Avell skilled in matters pertaining to lands) started out on their journey, according as they had been com manded. CHAPTER XXIII. the account of what yush'a did until the surveyors returned unto him. After this the king assembled the two and one half tribes before el-'Azar, the imam — peace be upon him — and the leaders ; and they thanked them for their deeds and the help and assistance they had rendered, and said unto them : " Ye have zealously observed the covenant of God and the covenant of our master Musa — the best of peace be upon hira — and there uoav no longer re mains to us an argument against you ; for, verily, ye have acted kindly, and liave preserved life and borne hardships, and have been patient in abstaining from visiting those Avhom ye have left behind, until your brothers have gained their goal 64 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. in taking possession of their assigned lands. And now your standing is exalted, and your deeds grow before God your Lord, who is the rewarder of good deeds, Avith their like a thousand-fold: and ye have got possession of your assigned 'lands, Avhich are most excellent for your people, and in them ye have no opponent or oj^pressor. And these are our wishes of good fortune to you in it: may God multiply unto you in addition to it, its like." Then he gathered to gether their prominent men, and invested thera with robes of honor, and gave presents unto them. And he commanded them and enjoined upon them, to go OA-er the list of the census ; and they did this, and not a single man of them Avas miss ing. And they did eat and drink together, and renewed the coA'enant between them, that they Avould remain in obedience unto God always, and in the love of His Prophet, and keep His com mandments; and that they Avould come to the support of one another whenever anj'- tidings should reach them, whether by night or by day, in ease or in distress, in joy or in sorrow ; nor would they have a falling out with each other, nor pretend to be asleep ; but, on the contrary, Avould vie with one another in shoAving haste and speed. And they proceeded to bind themselves unto this with a great oath. And el-'Azar, the imam — ^peace be upon hira — offered up for them the sacrifices, and then the leaders of the congre gation of the children of Israil gathered together to bid them farcAvell. Thereupon the king ap pointed as king over the 110,580 men (which Avas the number of the two and one half tribes), Nabih (Nobah) the son of Jil'ad (Gilead), of the tribe of Manashehah, and invested him with the royal robe, and placed upon him a crown, and had him ride one of his chosen horses, and sent forth before him a herald, proclaiming : " This is THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 65 the king of the two and one half tribes, who is in vested with their judicial matters, Avho shall over see their affairs ; the chief leader of their army ; the chief orator among them ; the one Avho shall be asked concerning their affairs; and every judgment of his shall be carried out, and in what ever matter of judgment he has doubt he shall refer it for explanation to el-'Azar, the imam — peace be upon him. O assembled men ! whoso ever shall oppose his decree, or withdraw from obedience to him, the blood of this one can be shed, and all the people shall be innocent of his crime." Then he delivered unto him a copy of the book of our raaster Musa, the son of 'Araran the Prophet — peace be upon him — and he enjoined him to read it night and day, and informed him that in it Avere marvellous indicatory signs, show ing hoAV life may be. prolonged in this present fleeting world and in the Avorld to come, and also that in its reading was protection from spirits, and the evil eye, and calamities, and witchery, and the skill of the enemy .^ And he gave over to him tweh'^e tribes, Avhom he commanded to adhere unto him and not leave him, until he should have corresponded with every chief of a tribe resident at the court of the king and the saint of God ; and he also selected for him men from the learned, who might ease him in the ad ministration of the government, and whom he might consult in important matters which unex pectedly arose to him." And, moreover,^ he gave over to him two thousand men of the Liwanites, Avho should take up their residence in the cities that had been set apart unto them among these .tribes, and these should receive the portion of God, and the portion of His saints : tithes and votive offerings ; and should perform whatsoever sacrifices were incumbent upon them in every 1 Note 52. 6 66 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. month, and should execute the judicial sentences in the presence of their leaders, and should es tablish prayers for them, and oversee the matters which it is unlawful for any body else but them to do. Thereupon the banners Avere unfurled before him (Nabih) and the trumpets sounded, and the saint of God and the king (Joshua) rode out Avith their assembly to bid them farewell ; and it was a gi-eat day, the like of which it Avas not possible could have existed in the world. And they proceeded on their journey under the protection of God, victorious, triumphant, happy and rejoicing. And Avhen the neAvs reached their friends who Avere Avatching over their affairs on the other side of the Urdun, their assembly came out to meet them. And they settled down in their places. And Nabih divided out that region according to the sum of the numbeir of his. com panions. And the LiAvanites entered into their places, and attended to the offering of praises and halleluiahs. And glory be to God, for His bountiful favors unto them. CHAPTER XXIV. THE ACCOUNT OF THE RETURN OP THE MEN WHO WERE EJIINENT IN MAKING SURVEYS AND ESTIMATING JUST PROPORTIONS, UNTO yush'a the SON OF NUN, THE KING. After the return of the geometricians, and those Avho Avere trained in surveying the land out into fields and equitably proportioning them, and in rendering correct judgments as to their trees and everything that would hinder their cultiva tion, the king and the tweh'-e chiefs assembled together. ^ Now these were they to Avhom our master Musa the Prophet — ^peace be upon him — THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 67 had given instructions that they should unite Avith him in dividing out the land; Avith the restriction, however, that no one' should obsti nately oppose him, nor should any quarrel or dis pute' occur between them ; and they began to arrange the division of it into ten parts, aud distributed the tribes over the ten parts accord ing to the greater or less numbers a tribe had, until they liad equalized all this. And Avhen they did come to an agreement AA'ith regard to it, they permanently settled it, and perfected it, and clearly set it forth ; and Avhen the opinion of the assembly was agreed as to the rectitude of this, they brought up the lists unto the saint of God, the imam el-'Azar — peace be upon him — and when he had carefully perused it, he wrote Avitli his OAVU hand a copy of the distribution and divisions of the tribes. Thereupon lie wrote ten tickets, inscribed on Avhich Avere the parts of the distributions and of the assigned lands, and he -wrote the name of each one of the parts of the tribes upon a ticket, and gaA^e unto each several chief his ticket. And then each chief went apart Avith his people and assembled the leaders of his folloAvers, and divided out every part ac cording to the sum of the census, to every man according to the size of his famil}-. And with every one (of the chiefs) there Avent forth some of the geometricians and surA^eyors to equitably arrange matters among them. And the district embracing the excellent mountain fell among the assigned lands of Yusha the king, the son of Nun, and of his comrade Kalab (Caleb) the leader of a Avliole tribe, and with Avhich he had started out on the journey (from Egypt) in com pany with him (Yusha). ^ Tlius Avas every one permanently located in his place. And he (Yiisha) distributed some of the LiAvanites, every 1 Note 53. 68 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA.. one in the place which had been set apart for, him out of the Avhole of the assigned lands, over and above the division, that they might admin ister the affaiis of the people in reference to pi-ayers and judicial matters, and also re'ceive the tithes and perform the sacrifices. And he assigned unto each tribe chief-justices Avho should correspond with the imam, and give him in formation of what happened in their districts. Then Yush'a the king built a fortress on the mountain to the north of the Blessed Mount, Avhich (fortress) is knoAvn as Shamrun (Samaria). And his wont was to visit with el-'Azar one day in each Aveek; and one day Avitli the learned, that he might take counsel Avith them ; and one day with the chiefs, that he might inquire into their affairs ; and one day he spent in attending to his own business and matters ; and on three days he left not the book of God, during night and day. And this Avas his method in his ad ministration of government, Avhen he Avas not out Avaging war ; for he did not hold himself aloof frora them. And he built a sjraagogue on the summit of the Blessed Mount, and collected and kept in it the tabernacle of the Lord, and no one, after him, did behold it, except the priests and the Liwanites. CHAPTER XXV. AN ACCOUNT OP THE CIPCUMSTANCES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL, AFTER THE DISTRI BUTION. Then the children of Israil began to inhabit their assigned lands and to put them under per fect cultivation, and to worship their Lord Avith acceptable service, and to fulfil on each day Avhatsoever sacrifices were incumbent upon them. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 69 And God showed forth Avith them blessings and Avatchful care, so that calamities Avere remoA'ed away from them ; and not a single one of the kings of the enemies did have poAver to do any ¦violence unto them. So that there Avas a mul titude of their own travellers journeying from every ju-ovince unto the Blessed Mount three times a year, along Avith various kings, Avith wealth and joy and gladness ; and not one of the enemies dared even to look towards them, or stand up iji opposition to them. And the king aud the leadeis and the Avhole army continued in rest and tranquillity for a period of tAventy years. There Avas no molestation or insurrection since now their surrounding enemies Avere far removed from thera and dispersed throughout the regions of the earth ^ ; and they Avho Avere near thera had made peace Avith them, so no one Avas stirring up a commotion, nor was there a kingdom spreading itself abroad except their kingdom, or any hand outstretched except their hands. And not a single day did pa.ss but that they heard news of all their companions ; and thus did they continue to have intelligence of them, until this period came to a close. Then after this there happened those things Avhich by the Avill of God, and His assistance, Ave Avill narrate and explain. (To Him be the praise.) CHAPTER XXVL THE HISTORY OF SHAUBAK THE SON OF HAMAJI, THE KING OP THE PERSIANS. Hamam, the son of R'awan, king of the Per sians, had been put to death along with all the kings Avhom Yush'a had killed, then his child 1 Note 54. 70 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. I grew up, who Avas knoAvn by the name of Shau bak,^ and he was eminent in attainments and in the acquisition of wealth. And he began corre sponding Avith kings throughout all the regions, puSiug some of them up, and stirring up others of them to anger, and influencing some of them by promises, and conciliating others of tliem Avith gifts of riches. Thereupon he said, that he Avished to take revenge for the murder of his father. And he also corresponded Avitli the sur vivors of the Kana'anites, and recalled to their memory what the children of Israil had done with their children, their wives, their cities aud their possessions. Then he sent also unto the king of Arminij'eh (Armenia) the Greater, and Ruraiyeh the Less (Asia Minor). And he joined unto him self the son of Yafet (Japheth) the giant,^ and also sent unto the king of Saida (Sidon) and of el-Qaimun,^ and to the king of esh-Sham (Syria), making known unto them Avhat army had been assembled together unto him, and agreed with them that they should assemble together at el- Qaimiin. And the opinion of the chiefs of the army and its leaders Avere agreed that they should send (as spy) a clothing-merchant, who should count the men, and inform himself as to the army (one Avho was cleA-er in prudent man agement), in order that he might make knoAAm to them the condition of the children of Israil, and how was the Avaj' to them and the means of getting at them. And they resolved to Avrite and forward by his hand a letter from their company to Yush'a the king, so that they might obtain security for him, seeing he acted as a messenger, for upon a messenger rests no crime and hence no fear. 1 Note 55. 2 Note 56. » Note 57. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 71 CHAPTER XXVIL STATEMENT OF A COPY OF THE I,ETTER "WHICH THE GIANTS SENT UNTO YUSH'a THE SON OF NUN, THE KING. The letter began : " From the assembly of the giants, the confed erated, Avell-knoAvn, far-famed, A'ictorious, trium phant, mighty in courage, protected Avith armor, and the foremost of all mortals; to Yush'a the shepherd, the son of Nun, and to his people. Peace from us unto you. We knoAV, O murdering wolf,^ what thou hast done in the cities of our associates, and that thou hast in murder destroj^ed all of their leaders and sent thera doAvn to the bottom of the lowest depths, and hast demolished the places in Avhich there was for us aid, and hast put doAvn the provinces Avhich Avere our supports and from which our helpers Avere CA'er providing them selves with food, and hast destroyed for ns thirty cities,^ besides residences and small toAvns, and that thou didst not reverence old men, nor have compassion upon little infants, nor didst thou give ear unto theui and grant them protection, nor leave a place luito those begging safety of thee, nor grant time for good action. And the reason of this (thy success) AVfis, that then we were distracted by discords and dissensions, and a lack of unity in our counsels ; but noAv under stand, O murdering wolf , that we are coming unto you with all the kings in harmonious agreement, with spirits in concord, and tongues that ha\'e pledged mutual covenants, and hands that have 1 Note 58. 2 Note 59. 72 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. been struck together. With conditions all- perfected, and souls full (of wrath) and accu mulated complaints, and livers, as it Avere, cut asunder, AA-hom no stampede can ever overcome, nor a great fire put to fright.^ And noAV after thirtj- dpys Ave Avill bring on the battle betA\eeu us and tiiee in Merj Balata,* in front of the mountain upon Avhich thou wor- shipest thy Lord, Avhich is referred to as the Mount of Blessing. Aud there Avill be no delay on our part, or on the part of any one of us ; so be prepared for those whom thou shall meet, and make no excuse for th3-self by sa3-ing that thou art taken by surprise, or that a stratagem has been employed against thee, or that the enemy came against thee by night. And, moreover, knoAV that in our company there are thirty-six , kings, and in the army of each king sixty thou sand knights, besides foot-soldiers innumerable and countless, who make sport of devices (em ployed); and there is also with us the son of Yafet the giant, who has Avitli him a thunderbolt of steel, and when he hurls it, and it is granted full success, it kills a thousa.nJ men, and when full success is not granted, it kills five hundred men ; and they Avho are Avith him are kings, and Avith them are instruments and implements of Avar, which they haA^e inherited from their gi-and- father Nuh (Noah) — peace be upon him. There fore takeknoAvIedge of this ajid act iu accordance therewith, and look out for thyself, for thou art about to be brought to account for what thou hast done. And noAv peace." And the messenger took the letter, and pro ceeded on his journey at once. And they began to draw up the army and arrange it in order, and set out upon the journey to el-Qaimun, that they ' See Chap. xsl. « THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 73 might unite Avith their confederates Avhom they had summoned by letter to be present. CHAPTER XXVIII. THE HISTORY OF THE MESSENGER, AND AVHAT CAME OP HIM. The messenger executed his orders on the tenth dajr of the second month of the tAventy first year of the reign of the children of Israil, after their entrance into this territory : and he arrived on the fifth day (of the Aveek), the morroAV being the day of el-Miqra (the Convo cation), that is the festival of Aveeks. And he handed his letter unto the king, as he was sitting upon his royal throne pronouncing sentences upon such of them as Avere Avorthy of death, and such of them as deserved to be burned, and such of them as deserved to be stoned, and such of them as deseiwed to be imprisoned ; for important cases were referred up to him at the tirae of the feasts, and then judgment Avas passed upon these in accordance Avith the light of God and the coramand of His saint. And he (Yush'a) did not turn toAvards the messenger until he had concluded his judgments, and had finished ren dering his judicial decisions at the end of the day, then he took the letter, and read it at his home, aud not a single pei-son knew about it until his feast had passed bjsand so the people did rejoice during their feast; but he himself Avas distracted in mind. MeanAvhilc the messenger Avns behold-^ ing the greatness of the ami}-, and its good qualities, and the circumstances of the king and his prudent management, and the affairs of the Creator and His poAver, and the descending column of fire Avith its majesty-, and he hke wise 74 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. saAV the saint of God and the terror Avhich hedged him about, the like of which had never been beheld, or the like of it heard of in preceding ages. And Avhen the children of Israil had celebrated the feast, the king gathered together his assembly, and had proclamation made through out his army, and sent Avord to his chief com manders to assemble their comrades. Thereupon he brought the messenger into their presence ; but placed him in confinement in a certain place so that he raight not Avitness their agitation or change of countenance. And Avhen the leaders of the people Avere assembled, he read unto them the letter of the giants, and said to them : " Verily, never have I been overtaken by any thing similar to this letter ; and though I have Avaged Avars for sixty years, yet never have I heard its like, nor anythuig approaching unto it." And Avheu they had heard the letter, their color changed and their heads hung down, and they said : " Never have Ave heard the like of this performance, nor have we CA'er encountered anything similar to it, or waged Avar with an army such as this is ; but this war is one for God, and for us and for oiu- cliildren, and for thee, O king, overseer and master ; and now manage us in accordance Avith the guidance and grace of God, and we will be obedient to thy supreme authority." Then he brought out to them a reply which he had dictated, and he had dictated that which he had composed in accordance with the light of God — may His name be mighty — and he said to thera : " This I lay before you as a reply that I have Avritten, and as an address that I have draAvn up, and if it seem to you to be the proper thing, I Avill send it ; but if your opinion be that it should be abandoned, I will discard it." THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. CHAPTER XXIX. AN ACCOUNT OF THE REPLY SENT TO THE GIANTS. It began, saying : " In the name of God, the Supreme King, the God of Avoiids, the Corapassionate, the Merciful, the God of gods and Lord of lords, the King of kings, the Knower of secrets, the One resolute in Avare, the God of Ibrahim and Ishaq and Yaqub, the Destroyer of infidels, the Annihilator of tyrants, the Destroyer of the obstinate, the Extirpator of intriguers, the Col lector of the dispersed, the Scatterer of the confederates, the One Avho brings the dead to life, the One who puts to death the living : His hand is above the highest of the highest, and under His outstretched arms is eternity, the heavens and the earth are in His grasp, the holy angels in all their numbers and the whole creation He did create by His omnipotent poAver, and the spheres and the heavenly bodies moved under His guardian care, their rapid coui-se He stopped by His mere Avord, and put iu raotion moving bodies by His divine authority. Of this Lord do I ask assistance, and upon Him do I place my trust, and in Hira do I grow strong, and Him do I fear, and Ilis mercy is a shield unto rae and unto my children, and He is ray sufficiency and excellent Protector. But UOAV to proceed to what follows: I am Yush'a, the son of Nun, the mortal and spiritual,^ the disciple of Kalimu'l-iaii^ (Moses), a child of Khalilu'1-iair^ (Abrahara) ; uxton me and upon my 1 Note. 11 2 Sole 31. » Note 61. 76 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. people be peace, mercy and success. But as for you, O ye people of unbelief and false religion aud profligacy and. given over unto the curse, corrupters throughout the land, destroyers of the servants of God, wui-shippers of idols, Avho kneel doAvn unto images, Avho bow doAvn unto the celestial bodies, who are subservient unto spirits, AA'ho are slaves unto matter ; let not the peace of God rest upon you or upon your people, and may He not make your way successful or your circumstances prosperous, and may He not haA'e pity upon your young or feel compassion for your aged, may He not permit 3011 to attain unto A'our purposes or accomplish A'our Avishes ; but raay He make your condition ruinous and scatter 3'our confederation : and this He Avill do by the terror of His poAver and the omnipotence of His Avill ; for He is a hearer and ansAverer (of prayer). Ye have mentioned (may God not let the remembrance of j'ou remain, may He not make 3"ou successful in a single thing, muy He not bring to completion an3- thing Avhich ye have begun, maj- He not leave an3'life unto you), that ye are reinforced, jo3-ful Avith good neus, irresis tible in power, and full3' able to undertake the expedition towards me, and engage iu battle Avith me around the place on Avhich I Avorship m3' Lord, which is the Mount of Blessing-s and the holv^ spot, even the house of our Lord and the place of our God. May 3'e haA'e no life and raay that not come to pass, and raa3' j'C not behold my place with 3'our e3-es, and raa3- the hallowed plain not be polluted Avith Aour armaments, and may ye never boast that ye have trodden ra3' soil, nor of even having approached unto 1113' soil, nor of liaA'ing got into my vicinity- through an3- way Avhatever. But uoav as to 3'our grant ing a delay ; God does not grant unto you a delay in undertaking the journej' until after the THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 77 expiration of thirty days, and therefore I will not put off the journey unto you, nor will I grant you any delay except only for seven days, and then I will make the attack and Avith me AA'ill be the troops which I will select; and they Avho have been tyrannical Avill then find out Avith Avliat overthroAV they shall be overthrown. Therefore know for a certainty and consider and under stand and be aAvare, that I shall bring on the battle betAveen me and you in the place knoAvn as el-Qaimun, and it is A'eril3r the place in Avliich ye shall not get aAvay from me, nor. depart from it, nor flee unto anotlier place, but there ^ destro3'ed by the slaughter of the SAVord and put to death by strangling and burned Avith fire and annihilated in A-engeance; it shall not be unto 3"ou, O deluded ones, as ye now boast it shall. And I do not sa3' as 5-0 say, that there Avill march Avith me six hundred thousand men Avho did wage Avar Avith Greater Misr (Eg3'pt), and did eat the sacrifices of the passover, and around whom the angels kept guard, and Avho crossed the sea in dryness and journe3'-ed through the aa'II- derness Avithout any guide, the pillar of fire sheltering them frora the cold by- night and the pillar of cloud sheltering them from the heat by day, and Avhose food Avas the manna frora lieaA'en during- fortv' 3'eai-s, and for Avhose sake the bitter Avater becarae SAveet, and for whose sake the water was brought forth frora the rock, and who heard the voice of the Creator — His mention be honored and His name glorious, and Avho beheld the quaking of the mountain at his command, and the destruction of Sihun and 'Ug and their people, and AA^ho inhabited their cities, and for whose sake the Avater of the Urdun was stayed until they had passed through it, and Avho fought with Yariha and Avith the cities Avliich 3^6 well know. I do not boast thnt there inarch Avitli rae 78 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. giants, as 30 boast ; but there march witli me twelve thousand 3-oung men, who entered Mid yan in safety, fought with it and came out safely therefiom. There is Avith rae no thunderbolt sucia as 3'e mention ; but with me is the Lord of thunderbolts and the Controller of the blowing wiuds, 3-ea Aviih me is the One who takes away spirits and Avho hears the voices of prayer, the Creator of the whole creation and the Distribu tor of gifts, whose greatness is glorious; He is the God who.^e creation is all gods and whose servants. all kings are — blessed be He and ex alted, in His co.mpany are three angels of His of Avhom, one brought the water of the flood upon the world to destroy corrupt transgressors, and another scattered the king of Babil (Babel, Ba- b3-lon) and his host, and demolished their fort ress and changed their languages, and another lifted up his five flngers five kings of cities, even Sadum (Sodom) and its buildings and riches and animals and plants, and rained doAvn upon it sulphur and fire and salt.* He Avho has in His company thousands and mj-riads of thousands of angels similar unto these ; what king then shall boast that he can stand before this King, whose rank and dignity is so great, whose position is so exalted, by Avliose mighty power tlie kings Avere destro3-ed and in obedience to AAdiora the true believers believe ? What array can stand before Him ? What giant can march out against Hira ? What great commander can escape from Him ? Unto Avhat place can any flee from Him? Have ye not heard of our poems wherein we say: "There is no power or might except in God, the Exalted, the Great; if it (the power of God) came to the Avater, it (the Avater) stood stiU. The idols heard it and fell doAvn one after another?" Know that ye are '¦ Note 62. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 79 the ones Avho are consumed, taken and killed : 3*6 shall not find a place unto which to flee, nor a refuge on which 3-e may rely ; j-e are ruined, ye are discomfited, 3-0 are destroyed, 3'ea, your people and your men and yourselves, and ye have made 3'Our AAdves AvidoAvs and have rendered 3-our children orphans ; ye haA'e made your ene mies to rejoice, and 3"e have cut off 3-our purpose before its allotted season and have made Aveak \-our poAver before its tirae ; ye weve ungrateful Avith the Divine me 103-, and God tonk it away from you ; ye have been rebellious iigainst the Divine compassion, and God has ceased to bestow it upon you. The earth Avas broad for you and not narroAV for 3-ou, either in condition or riches, but now there is no place or. locality for 3'ou; seeing 3'e have opposed the One to Avhom belongs the great and high dominion, and have becorae subservient unto a decaying image, and 3'Our in tentions are bent upon the destruction of the holy, favorite people, avIio are the guardians of the children of the prophets of God, and of His apostles. Who did SAvare unto thera - by His Name — mighty and glorious — that He Avould ap portion unto them this territory, and now this Lord — blessed be He and exalted — sa3-s unto His people, that He will guard them as a man guards his e3'e. O ones Avhose hearts God has obscured and Avhose understanding He has bcAvildered and whose spirits He has extinguished and the light of Avhose eyes He has darkened ! Have ye not heard what happened through our friends unto your friends, when our ancestor Ibrahim,^ el- Khalil — peace be upon hira — marched against 3'Our friends, and in his company there Avere only three hundred and eighteen raen ; yet he did de stroy of thera five kings, the like of Avhich was ncA-er heard of, nor did'tlic:.- 3.igH ^eage short of Dimashq (Damascus)?* Have ye not heard * Gen. xiv. 80 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. what befell the people of Misr, and AA'hat signs and wondere God — may He be exalted — showed, because of their abusive revilings? Have ye not heard how mj' comrade did kill the Nil with his rod, and crush the sea b3' his p'ra3-er, and stop the water through the reverence and respect which he inspired, and turn back the Divine wrath b}- his intercession, and cause the Divine compassion to descend b3- his \N'ords, and put to rout armies Avith his hand, and how the earth swallowed up those who opposed him ? Have ye not heard what happened unto us in the wilder ness, and Avhat befell Sihun and his kingdom, and 'Ug and his pride, and Bila'ara and his sor cery, and the kings of Mid3'an and their host, and the kings of esh-Sham and their pomp? Have 3"e not heard what happened unto us at the Urdun, and Avhat happened unto us Avith the kings Avlio joined in a confederation and assera- bled together to attack us ? Have ye not heard hoAV I called upon ray Lord to pjrolong the day, and the da3- did return after its setting, and the day stood still for rae lilie as if it had been a whole 3'ear? And it Avill thus stand still for me a second time during your destruction. I do not boast that I am a giant, or the disciple of a giant, or the child of a giant. I boast that I am the disciple of Kalirau'1-iah, the mortal and spiritual; and a child of Khalilu'l-lah, the foundation of the prophets and the top brancli of the pious; I boast in the myriads of the holy Avho march around my army. I ara no giant, but the Lord of the giants is Avith me ; and yet my stature from the ground up is five royal cubits. I do not dress in armor even, and in coats of mail and helmets ; but my clothing is tunics of dark blue and purple and variegated crimson, and the royal croAvn is on my head with the name of my Lord inscribed upon the crown. I ride upon a white colt whose saddle-cloth is of purple and its saddle of pure gold : these are ra3' distinguishing characteristics and these are ray boastings. Aided by the pro phets, surrounded b3- the holy, the Lord of crea tion is in3' armament, and His angels my triumph, and His omnipotent poAver my reliance. And He is the beholder of your affairs as Avell as the affairs of me and my people. We believe in no lord but Him, and no king besides Hira : and He is our sufficiency aud excellent Protector. CHAPTER XXX. THE ACCOUNT OP WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE DEPARTURE OF THE MESSENGER FROM yush'a the KING. When the children of Israil heard this address and this reph-, boAA'iiig doAvn, they prostrated themselves before God, and spake, sa3'ing: "Hoav adorable is He Avho has guided thee ! Hoav ador able is He who has enlightened thy heart ! Hoav adorable is He who has illuminated the light of thy intellect! Hoav adorable is He Avho has sanctified thj- spirit! Hoav adorable is He Avho has ennobled thy soul ! How adorable is He ! Thou hast consoled our souls and hast strength ened our hearts ; Thou has nerved our loins. Thou hast lifted up our heads, Thou hast exalted our renov/n. Thou hast spread abroad our glory, yea our friends do exalt, for Thou hast destroyed our enemies and hast annihilated their host. And noAV we are swift and zealous subjects in Thy pre sence, ready to go unto the horizon of the seas and to the ab3-ss of darkness and unto the burnings of fire. And this is the approval and opinion we express to our master the king, and let hira carry it out by transmitting this letter ; for in it lies 82 THE SAyiARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. the destruction of our enemies and their ruin, and the breaking up of their hearts and their purposes, through the poAver of God and His omnipotent might." And the king gave im mediate dii'ectious that they should make knoAvn to him the list of the enuraeration of those Avho had been chosen from the armj-, and that they make proclamation for them to mount at once. And scarce an hour passed before tliree hundred thousand men had mounted, ever3^ one of Avhora AvasrenoAvnedformanly qualities and.skill, chosen raen they Avere, the hke of Avhom or betterrank and file than theii-s had ever been seen. And the offi- cei-s returned aud said unto him : " O our master and our lord, there have assembled for thee three hundi-ed thousand chosen men, and if thou Avert to command that there should be chosen as many more as the3'-, we would be jirompt to do the same, for in our lists there are other three hundred thousand men, but they are separated from us, and the mustering of thera Avill be ac complished in the course of a week." And Yush'a the king answered them, sa3'ing: "If He would destroy our enemies Avith six hundred thousand men, He is able to destroy them Avith thi-ee hundred thousand men." And he com manded that the messenger should be brought, for he knew that he was possessed of sagacit3'- ; and he re-read the letter to the raultitude in his presence. Thereupon he said unto him : " Look at and behold Avhat I have collected unto rae rae m one single hour, Avith regard to whom I do not need to bother m3'self about their provisions, or look after their condition, and in three daj-s there will gather unto me a number equal to them, through the power of God and His omnipotent might; so now make knoAA'u to thy companions what thou hast Avitnessed of the affairs of God — Mighty and Powerful — even the power of His THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 83 people. And lo ! I am about to march right on the tracks of my letter, with the help of God and his poAver and strength." CHAPTER XXXI. AN ACCOUNT OF THE RETURN OF THE MES SENGER, AND WHAT HE DID WHEN HE REACHED THEM (l. E. THE ENEBHES). When the messenger had heard the king, and his speech, and the reading of the letter and its Avords, and perceived the discipline of the army and its staunch condition, he took the letter and iraraediately started out on his journey, Avitli head doAvn-cast and heart rent asunder and color changed ande3'es Aveeping. Andwhenhe arrived at the array of the enemy, he found them assem bled together in el-Qairaun. And when he beheld thera he wept Avith great Aveeping and cried Avith a loud voice, and said to them : " O woe unto me for yon, and sad am I for your sakes. Whither are ye marching ? Is it unto the sea of darkness ? ^ Unto him Avho does not listen to a Avord of yours, nor sends back peace to you ? Unto those before Avhom ye are as scattered dust? With them ye have no stability or dur ability cr permanency ; every affair of theirs is in earnest, no jesting or secret backbiting exists araong them. Therefore give attention unto the i-epty to the letter, that ye may know that God is over all things, powerful, ere I explain unto you Avhat I have Avitnessed, and inform you of what I have beheld ; for if I should continue for one year explaining and expounding about Him, I should not make known His substance or make known any of His attributes." 1 Note 63, 84 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. CHAPTER XXXn. the ACCOUNT OF THE READING OF THE LETTER, AND WHAT THE ENEMY DID WHEN IT WAS READ. He then took the letter and read it unto the company of the kings. Now the inscription -writ ten upon it Avas : " To the company of reprobates, rebels, liber tines, infidels ; the calumniating, rebellious, pol luted and cowardl3' people ; the filthy, self- disgraced, whose destruction is near at hand, and whose ruin is just impending: " From tlie excellent, the faithful, the associ ates of purity, light, glory, firmness and victoiy, and possessed of authority and influence, the celebrated, far-faraed, set^apart, chosen, protected by God, assisted unto Aictory by His poAver, sheltered under His mercy and corapassion; and He is their sufficiency, and upon Him is their reliance." Upon the reading of this inscription they Avept until their eyes flowed blood, then they opened the letter, and a man read it in a plain tive voice, Avhile they began beating their faces and wailing over themselves to greatest excess. until they had finished its reading. And the letter was not corapleted before their iuAvards were attenuated, and their heads bent down, and their hearts broken, and their tears poured out and their intellects bewildered ; and they were neither able to arise from their places nor rest in quiet in thera, for dementia and perturbation had seized thera. Then they cried out AA-hile Aveeping, aud said: "Woe unto us and unto our children, we have destroyed ourselves, we THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 85 have brought about the violation of our Avoraen, Ave have waked up the sleeping lioness, we have stirred up the crouching lion, we have let loose the elephant that was tied, Ave have roused the bull that was tethered." And now their tongues jabbered on in their luouths, stuttering exceedingly as if tongue-tied, and they neither understood Avhat they said, nor Avhat Avas said .to thera ; yea, they Avere deaf, they Avere dura- founded, they were stunned, they were bewil dered, the hair of their heads stood on end and the3- tore their garraents. Then there came un to thera the sheikh of the magicians, and Avith him Avas the mother of Shaubak, the son of Hamam, who Avas skilled in magic and who Avor- shipped the gieat luminary and the seven stars, and along Avitli her Avas a crowd of the magicians and wizards and conjurers, and these calmed them, saying unto them : " O 3^0 who turn back ! 3'e have wrecked j-our army before ye have seen the enemy, and 3*0 have kdled 3-our- seh'es before your time; not thus should the leaders of the army do among the flock, 3-e have unnerved the men Avith fear, 3^e have slaughtered them without a sword being used. Sit ye doAvn with us and listen with reason unto what we say, and bring hither the messenger whom ye sent, and consider what he shall describe unto you." So they brought the messenger, and he began to describe the king (Yush'a), and the feeling of aAve that he carried aAvay- from him, and he described the army tribe by tribe, and the Divine ordinances Avhich he had Avitnessed, and the grand condition of affairs which he had beheld. Then the messenger said to them : " O assem bled men, accept my counsel, and do not 3-ield yourselves unto any other ; for I have seen what ye have not seen, therefore know Avhat shall ov^irtake you by surprise, for after three days 86 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. will come the hastj- rush and flight, and the abandonment of our baggage, and the saA'ing of ourselves and our possessions; for, verily, he (Yush'a,) is a magnificent commander, he is not to be held as conteraptible and insignificant; and against this people neither sorcery nor stratagem is possible. Every god whom ye wor ship and serve will flee aAvay from before their God Avhom they worship. Have 3'e not heard what happened unto our master and chief Bila 'am? " Thereupon the band of magicians Avent apart by themseU'es and the mother of Shaubak Avith them, aud they agreed in opinion that they would work out for thera liis (Yusha's) dis comfiture, so as that he should not come unto them. And they commenced operations and built their altars and offered up their sacrifices, and they were answered in that which they re quested, and they sat down in order that they might deliver their mandate Avith power and force. But God dela3'ed this unto them, accord ing as He Avdled. Blessed be He and exalted, for the consummation which He brought about. CHAPTER XXXIII. THE ACCOUNT OF THE SETTING OUT OF YUSH'A THE KING UPON HIS EXPEDITION. When Yush'a the king desired to start out on the journey, he met with the saint of God, el- 'Azar the imam — peace be upon him, — and said unto him : " Go forth, iuA-oke a blessing upon thy people and bless them, and when Ave have proceeded on our journey continue repeating it, and do not cease standing before thy Lord- humbly beseeching Him, until thou hearest tidings of us." And el-'Azar, the imam, went THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 87 forth to tlic tabernacle and blessed the people, and iuA'oked a blessing upon thera, and then he proceeded to bid farewell to the king, and to weep, while the priests invoked upon him safety and success and prosperity and good-fortune. Then he comniauded the LiAvanites to make pro clamation throughout the army, in accordance Avith what our master Mu.sa, the Prophet — the most excellent peace be upon him, — hud enjoined upon them in the H0I3' Law at the command of God, Avhere he sa3-s: " When ye go out in bat tle against your enemies, and see horses and foot men, and a people more than 3-6, be not afraid of them ; for God thy God is Avith thee, Avhich brought thee up out of the land of Misr " — and so on to the end of the chapter.^ And this hav ing been executed, at the close of the proclaraa- tion, Finahas (Phinehas), the son of the imam — peace be upon hira, his cousin, sounded on the two trurapets of clamor,^ and the congregation of the children of Isi-ail shouted Avith one voice, and the angels in heaven and on earth did trera- ble by reason of their shout. And having knelt and bowed down, they then mounted and journey ed forward until they arrived in the vicinity of el-Lejjun.^ CHAPTER XXXIV. THE ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL IN THIS PLACE. When the children of Israil arrived at el- Lejjun, before they Avere aAvare of it, Yush'a and those Avho Avere Avith him had got inside of seven walls of iron, and the device of the magicians against them was consummated, in order that the decree of God — may He be exalted — might be 1 Deut XX. 2 Note 64. » Note 65. 8S THE S.\MARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. accomplished, Avith regard to exaltingthe renown of Nabih, the king of the two aud a half tribes, Avho Avas be3'ond the Urdun ; for not a thing of this Avork had been effected, but for the sole purpose that the renown of Nabih might be glorified, and his name spread abroad. And one object of this was, that if the giants Avere put to rout they would cross over with them, and, while thev- were fatigued, follow hard after them ; and it Avas ill their purpose so (to do). And another object of this Avas, to shoAv up the result of the counsel of the deities of the giants ; for Fmahiis alone did blow on the trumpet and dissolved eA'ei-3- perplexing machination Avhich the magicians had wrought. And another object of it was, thatthe erabarrassment of king Yush'a might continue until the souls of the giants had become strong and their hearts elated and they settled down at ease ; that the army of Nabih might cross over from the east : then would the magic from the west be dissolved, and the armj- issue forth and close upon the eneiii}- frora all directions, until not one of thera should escape safe. Noav this Avar Avas the last war that Yush'a the king witnessed; for the time ofhis death had drawn near. And Ave will recount what happen ed, so that even a hearer shall be as if he had been a Avitness of it ; and he Avillbe astonished at this great stratagera, and Avill praise Hira Avho is powerful over all circumstances and spirits. Blessed and exalted and glorious be He above all that the ignorant heathen mention. Mighty be his name ; and He it is from whom help is to be sought, and in whom trust is to be placed. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 89 CHAPTER xxxv. the ACCOUNT OF HOW GOD FACILITATED THE ESCAPE OF THE CHILDREN OP ISRAIL FRO.AI THE MAGICIANS. When Yush'a beheld what had come to pass unto him, he remained in great perplexity and exceeding fear, and began to desire of his Lord that a dove might alight upon him from the doves of Nabih his cousin ; and he had not finished expressing his desire before the dove alighted in the room, and he praised God — Mighty and Powerful : then he looked at it and knew that deliverance Avas certain. And he coraraenced and wrote a letter unto Nabih, his cousin, Avhich I am about to make mention of, by the will of God and His assistance. CHAPTER XXXVI. A STATEMENT OF A COPY OF THE LETTER. " I WRITE unto thee, O my cousin — raaj- God protect thee and take oare of thee, while I ara sad of heart, weak in strength, with weeping eyes, hurabled in soul, on the very verge of destruction, and three hundred thousand men along Avith me ; for the stratagem of the mag icians has been accomplished upon us, and I and my people are imprisoned and perplexed inside seven Avails of iron, and in front of us are thirty- six kings in complete joy and universal exulta tion, while Ave are in sadness and weeping and fear thereby. And now such an affair as this so THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. had not been effectuated against us, except only that there might be accomplished what God — ma3' He be exalted — desires with reference to the exaltation of thy renoAvn, and the spreading abroad of thy authority ; and God, God is the One, O iny^ cousin. Who makes weak and makes strong. Aud truly thou knoAvest what cove nants aud compacts exist between rae and thee, so rise up immediately and do not sleep ; and if thou art asleep, aAvake: and if thou art awake, sit up; and if thou art sitting, stand up ; and if thou art standing, AA'alk; and if thou art Avalking, run ; for I and the company- of th3' brethren, who are looking for deliverance from God — exalted be He — and thee, are imprisoned inside scA'en walls of iron at el-Lejjun, and the host of the enemies are in el-Qairaun : so let not slackness nor rest nor laziness nor hesitation overtake thee, but outstrip the blowing Avinds and raake manifest that by which thou shalt be remembered unto the end of the gliding ages, by the will of God and His assistance." And when Yush'a had finished folding the letter, the dove did not wait until it had been tied on to its Avings, but snatched it in its bill and flapped its wings and soared aloft. CHAPTER XXXVII. THE ACCOUNT OF NABIH AND WHAT HE DH). Now Nabih was sitting upon his judgment throne, his waist girded up and on him a green robe and a gi-een turban, and he was engaged in lookhig into the judicial affairs when the dove threAV the note into the room, and he opened it and read it, and his e3'es gushed forth Avith tears and he cried aloud, at which the court became THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 91 agitated. And he himself then cried out at the top of his voice : " Assembly of my brothers and my cousins and my comrades ! foUow me, and reach your brethren ; for the3' are imprisoned by magic inside seven walls of iron at el-Lejjtin. Assembly of men ! haste ! haste ! ! " And they that Avere around him shouted out Avitli amight3- shout, the sound of Avhich Avas heard unto the horizon of heaven and to the regions of the earth, which Avere their assigned lauds. And noAV the shout increased and voices Avere inter mingled, and there mustered ininiediatel3-, as though they had been for a long time and period prepared and equipt, six thousand men Avhose garraents were Avhite and their horses red, and six thousand men whose garraents Avere red and their horses white, and six thousand men Avhose garments Avere green and their horses black, and six thousand men whose garments Avere black and their horses piebald; not to mention the variously colored and renowned ones who were many and without number. And the women and children joined in rendering aid. And there Avent forth of the men an innumerable mul titude ; and Nabih Avent forth, riding upon a celebrated colt that Avas spotted like a leopard and Avas fleet as the Avinds, and behind hiin was his armj' and he Avas sa3'-ing : " Fire ! Fire ! ! no rest and no repose ! "^ And tho shout rose up on high, and a wonderful Avarning presented itself in the sky, so that the birds dropped doAvn one after another and fled aAvay frora the great wind into the desert, and Avild aniraals did not reraain quiet in their dens, and frora these Avas Avitnessed (an omen) the like of which had never been beheld in the past. And when Nabih drew near to the great meadow,^ he halted until his army had collected together. And it carae to » Note 66. 2 Note 67. 92 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. pass that the mother of Shaubak went up to a lookout she had in el-Qaimun to worship the great luminary according to her custom, and Avlien .she beheld the luminous star — that is to say Nabih — rising up out of the east, she made haste to descend unto her son, and she said to him : " Lo I a luminous moon is rising up out of the east, and about him are brilliant stars — meaning Nabih and his soldiers ; and if he be of our enemies, O woe unto thee and woe unto me ; but if he be for our assistance, then it is well Avith thee and well with me." And he becarae enraged at her because she had hastened unto him with woe, and he killed her — may God have uo mercy on her. And he put on his armor and took his bow and arrows studded with pearls and corals, and then made procla mation throughout his army and advanced alone against Nabih ; and when he drew near to him and beheld him, he said unto him : " O Nabih, Avhat is the matter Avith thee that thou bark- est?" ^ And he answered him: "Yes, my name is Nabih, the son of Gil'ad the son of Makir the son of Manashsheh the son of Yusaf to whom was given the kingdom of Y'aqub the son of Ishaq the son of Ibrahim who killed the kings of esh-Sham ; and my lord has sent rae to anathematize thee and destroy thee, and as ray father killed thy father so will his (ray father's) son kill his (thy father's) son : and uoav, O thou anatheraatized ! O thou unclean one ! who art thou ? " And he said to him : " I am Shaubak, the son of Haraam the son of Fut (Phut), the son of Hani, the son of Nuh whom God did bless at the tirae he came out of the ark. Stand for me until I shoot first, and then I next will receive (thy shot)." And Nabih said unto him : " Of God t ask assistance, because thou shalt shoot first and kill first. Let « Note 68. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 93 drive, O anathematized, O, unclean one ! " So he (Shaubak) let drive at him Avith the first ar- 1 ow : now he Avas — God curse hira — a raan shoot ing with determination and confidence who never missed the mark. But Nabih dodged his head, and it passed by him and did not hit him. Thereupon he shot at hira a second arroAv; but Nabih lifted hiraself in the air, and it passed be tAveen hiin and his saddle. And he shot a third arrow ; and he (Nabih) countered it Avith his right hand. And Shaubak the son of Haraara began to desire to flee aAvay, and Nabih said unto him : " Whither dost thou flee, O anathematized, O unclean one ? I have leceived frora thee three witnesses (of thy skill), now receive of its kind one Avitness from me : take this frora my right hand which God has blessed — and to Him be longs the mighty poAver." Then Nabih shot it, and the arrow rose up to heaven and reversing came down into the head of the man, and pene trated to his belly and to the belly of his horse, and plunged into the earth to a depth of five royal cubits, which is twelve cubits according to this cubit, and in that place immediately a foun tain gushed forth, which is called 'Ain en-Nush- shabeh (the Fountain of the Arrow) unto this time. And when the children of Israil witnessed this miracle, they shouted out iu honor of God — Glorious and Might3' — ^saying : " There ¦ is no power or might except in God." And when Yush'a and they who were imprisoned with hira heard them, God made a revelation unto him, saying : " Speak unto the priests that they sound with the two trurapets." And Avhen they had done so, the walls crumbled and fell doAvn ; and the army closed in upon the enemies, and the trumpets of the angels were heard from heaven. And Yush'a said to the day : " Stand still for me," and it stood still ; and to the winds : \' As- 94 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. sist rae," and they assisted him. And while the eneraies Avere hurling frora the east, the Avest A\-ind was returning each missile unto its hurler,* and thus was it also from all quarters. And as to the man who had the thunderbolt with hira, when he hurled it, it leaped back upon the ene mies and killed of them one thousand men; and the sAvord continued doing its work araong the rest of them, until the horses plunged in blood up to their nostrils.^ Then said Yush'a to his people: "This da3^ has annihilated the poAver of the confederates and of the allies of the confed erates. AU the children of Israil should offer praises and halleluiahs to the King of kings and Lord of lords, who has rescued them and pre served them, and protected them, and delivered thera, and uprooted their eneraies." And the king was offering praise, and sa3'ing : " God is the one who acts as the Hero for us in tlie Avars, God is His narae." And the children of Isi-ail followed him, while all of them were sayuig : "Who is like unto Thee, perfect in holiness? O, One who dost inspire terror ! O Revealer of secret things ! O Doer of Avonders ! O One who dost protect His servants and those Avho love Him, in eveiy place wherein they dwell ! " Now, this is one of the paragraphs of' our master Musa the Prophet — peace be upon him, in his hymn of praise at the sea.^ And Yush'a more over said : "God .shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." And this also is one of the sayings of ]\lusa the Prophet/ — ^peace be upon him.''' And they lodged on the field of battle and rested that night ; and they ceased not to commemorate God the whole night long, Avith hymns of praise and halleluiahs, until the rising of the sun, secure from any attack, amid great noise and merriment and gladness and booty; * Note 60. 6 Note 70. « Exodus xv. ' Exodus xiv : 14. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF .JOSHUA. 95 now that their enemies Avere destro3-ed and the remembrance of thera blotted out. And God is the Victor, the Protector, the Guardian, and He is our sufficiency and illustrious Protector. CHAPTER XXXVIII. AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT WAS DONE DURING THE DAYS OF DIVINE FAVOR. Now the length of this period Avas two hun dred and sixt3' years. And the Avell ordered arrangement of the da3's of Divine faA'or existed during the days of Yush'a the king, and after him until the termination of this period; as lam about to mention and set forth. And they (the children of Isi-ail) continued keeping the Sab baths and the solemn assemblies — I mean, the new moons aud the feasts, and from the era of the king they continued giA-ing the land rest, one year in every seven years ; in this j'ear there was neither sowing nor cultiv-ation, but 3'et every one had what Avas needed. And the children of Israil Avere delivering OA-er to the Liwanites the tenth of all that came to thera, and Avhat they possessed of CA'ery seed-so\A'- ing and fruit, and aniraal and other tinners. And the Liwanite was delivering over the tenth of this unto the high priest. And the children of Israil had another tenth, which before God they were disposing of, for themselves and for the imams and the infirm. And when they planted in the ground a new plant, its fruit Avasnot eaten, except AA'hen in the fourth 3-ear the imam ate of it, and then in the fifth it be came released and made free to every one. And the HebrcAV slave who had seived seven 3-ears was emancipated, and dominion over him was 9S THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. taken away. And when an Israilite, driven by want, sold his child and himself, there was ahvays to liim a right of ransom, and his account was settled, Aviih reference to his years of service to come, on a basis of Avages. And if there was not found for the HebrcAV slave either a near or distant relative Avho would ransom hira, he Avas set free ui the year of jubilee ; and so likcAvise was it with their lands which had been sold. And there Avas in every seven years a division of the land araong the tribes, Avith reference to OA'erplus and deficiency. And they always had chiefs whose duty it was to write up the calendars and keep a record of the things which were brought to the treasury. And the firstUngs of aniraals and seeds and fruits Avere carried unto the min ister ; and not a single ram or sheep or ox was sacrificed except upon the altar on the Blessed Mount, unless it Avas defective and was of the seven species, such as, the deer and the roebuck and the buffalo and the gazelle and the antelope and the giraffe. And they had judges who gave decisions for them, as to the commands and pro hibitions (to be observed) at aU times, so that the3' might keep them with right observance. And no one of them was able to commit an abomination, such as infidelity and other things of magic, but that it was brought to hght, and the doer of the shameful thing, before he Avas aAvare wonld be apprehended, even though he Avas in the most remote parts of the assigned lands, for this was revealed hy the jewels which were on the minister.^ And this minister would raake a wcmian drink of the water of the temple, wlien her hus'oand had suspicions against her ; and if she had indeed been unfaithful to him and had become defiled Avith some one else, he would curse her ; for if she was innocent in this regard, 1 Note 6 TUE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 97 then she would return unharmed; but if she was guilty she Avas detected and immediately destroyed. And likeAvise it Avas that, uo one did kill an innocent person, but that his murderer was made known by circumstances which were brought about, and the truth came to light. And there were transgressions and shortcom- mings and brutal deeds which the slaves did Avithout due consideration, these did the min ister, the imam, assume upon himself on ever3' fast day, which is the tenth da3- of the seventh month wherein expiation is made for souls and spirits, such as for the raising of leavened bread during the feast of unleavened bread. And there were orders of the Liwanites, some of thera wrote the LaAV, and some of them wrote hA'rans of praise and the genealogies, and some of thera watched over the treasury of the children of Israil ; and some of thera had charge over the constant, perpetual burnt offering, and the con tinual ceremony in the teraple ; and some of thera had charge over the anointing ointment, and the aromatic incense, and the perfume of the sacri fice, and the flour and the oil, and the candle sticks ; and some of them had charge OA'cr the vessels of the temple and their arrangement, and the duty of looking after their condition ; and some of them selected the animals (for sacrifice) out from the doubtful ones; and sorae of them did the sacrificing; and some of thera sprinkled the blood upon the altar ; and others of thera did place in position the victiras ; yea, every corapany Avas organized for its special official work, and did not leave Avhat had been pre scribed unto it. And the continual burnt offer ing Avas offered up before the rising of the sun and after the going down of the same ; and at the time Avhen the blood of the burnt-offering was shed upon the altar, the priests sounded the 7 98 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. trumpet on the summit of the Blessed Mount, and then the imams sounded in every district, and it Avas but the wink of an e3'e before all the children of Israil kncAv that the sacrifices had been offered up on the altar, and they rose up to pi-a3- ; and the pra3'er Avas accepted, and the bless ings were simultaneousl3' bestowed, and Grace was full and ]\Iercy all embracing ; 3'ea, circum stances were Avell ordered, and affairs were known and understood through the DiA'ine light and auspicious favor ; for the union betAveen them and their Lord Avas close. Now this is an epitome of the Avhole. .And the children of Israil were continually addressing and consult ing God, who guides with His mercy. And He is our sufficiency and illustrious Protector. CHAPTER XXXIX. THE HISTORY OF THE DURATION OF THE DAYS OF DIVINE FAVOR, UP TO THE TUIE OF THE BEGINNING OF ERROR. Yush'a the son of Nun, reigned forty-five years, ^ and at the approach of his death, he assembled the children of Israil and put them under a coA'enant and bound them to an ob- hgation that they would carefully keep what the Prophet Musa — jjeace be upon him — had enrolled, and he then offered up for him self and for them the sacrifices, and bid them farewell : for he did closely what our master Musa the Prophet — peace be upon him, — did, Avhen he bid farewell. And he selected tweh'e chiefs from the congregation of the nine and a half tribes, and Avhen he had tested them as to their knowledge and aptitude for administration, » Note 71. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 99 he cast lots over them in the presence of the congregation of the children of Isi-ail, at Merj el-Baha (MeadoAv of Beauty) ^; and the lot of king fell upon a man Avhose name Avas Abil, the son of the brother of Kalab,^ of the Judaic tribe. And he invested him Avith the royal authorit3' and jurisdiction, and placed on hira the cl-own, and had proclamation made throughout the congregation that they should be obedient to his commands. And he coramanded him to be obedient unto the minister of God, and alloAV hira an inspection into all his circumstances, and not to carry out a matter before that he had made it known to him, And Yush'a, the son of Nun — peace be upon him, died, and they buried hira in Kefr Ghuweirah* ; and Kalab his com rade died, and they buried him near him. And this new king entered upon administrating the government of the people, and he Avalked with them in perfect ways. And the report of the death of Yush'a reached the khig Mab, and he sent and collected troops, and advanced against his territory ; and this king (Abil) mustered his people, aud God assisted him .to gain the victoiy over them, and aAveof him fell upon the remainder of his enemies, and he conquered territories and added them unto the assigned lands. And he reigned nine 3'ears, and then died. And after him, Tarfi'a of the tribe of Afrim (Ephraim) ^ was appointed successor, and Avhen he Avas in vested with the kingship, the king of 'Amman (Amnion) marched against him ; but God as sisted him to gain the victory over him, and he continued in rule during the period that God had decreed to him, and then he died. There upon after hira, up to the end of the space of tirae, Avhichhas been previously mentioned — ^and it is tAvo hundred and sixty years, there were 2 Note 72. » Note 73. ^ Note 74. ' Note 75. 100 THE SAMAhlTAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. nine kings appointed to the office, who succeeded one another from all the tribes, and continued in their ruling two hundred and fifteen years ; for Yush"a the son of Nun had reigned for the rest of the years. And the last of them was Shamsham (Samson) the king, who Avas unique among them : no one was seen as handsome as he, and who obtained greater victories over their enemies. Yet nevertheless, strength and beauty and success and perfection shall be adjudged unto those who follow after them in the footsteps of those who have preceded them, and who act in accordance with their deeds, and offer sacrifices simUar to their sacrifices. CHAPTER XL. THE HISTORY OF THE VICEGERENTS OF THE LORD, AND OP THE >IINISTERS OF THE DAYS OP DI VINE FAVOR, DURING THE PRECEDING PERIOD THAT HAS BEEN ilENTIONED. When the death of el-'Azar, the imam — peace be upon hira, — drew near, he did as Yush'a the son of Niin had done, and collected the lead ers of the children of Israil, and put them under a covenant and bound them to an obligation of obedience, and bid thera farcAvell, and then bid the temple farewell, and worshipped his Lord ; and when he carae walking out, the holy odors were fi-agrant on the borders of his garraents. And haA-ing gone to Kefr GhuAveirah, he stripped off" the holA' garraents Avhich w-ere on hira, and placed them upon his son Finahas — peace be upon him — and he died and was buried in Kefr Ghuweii-ah ; and all the children of Israil wept for hira, after the custom of their fathers. And ^ after him his son Avas installed, and he did as THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 101 his father had done. And when his death ap proached, he also bound them to a covenant, and offered up the sacrifices, and bid farewell ; and, having gone to Kefr Ghuweirah, stripped off the holy garraents Avhich were on him, and put them upon the one of his offspring Avho Avas to succeed him, and then he died and Avas buried in that place.^ And after him there were installed five ministers for the Lord, and they served Him Avith acceptable service, and did as the3^ who had gone before them had done, even up to the period that has been mentioned ; and its days were Avell managed, adorned Avith the Light and Avith ce lestial and terrestrial happiness, up to the in stalment of 'Uzi, the last of the vicegerents of the Lord ^ in the da3's of Divine favor, and he Avas a young man. And the king of that tirae died, and another king AA'as not appointed. Noav the number of the years of the earth, from the time of Adam up to this time, was three thousand and fifty-four years. And there were gathered unto thera, before the death of Sharashain, a great multitude, so that if it Ava,s spread over the earth it would have filled the world, by reason of the abundance with which God had blessed thera, and multiplied their possessions. But now there came to pass that which Musa, the Prophet — peace be upon hira, — had spoken of in the address that he delivered ; " Y'aqub shall eat, and be satisfied ; Israil shall Avax fat ; " and let it be looked up to the end of the chapter in that great song. 3 For then thej- did go astray from the way which he had prescribed unto them, that they should keep to and do. And the Omnipo tent is our sufficiency ; the Most Glorious, the One who is slow to chastise the rebelUous. 1 Note 76. * Deut. xxxii. 2 jq-Qte 77. 102 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. CHAPTER XLI. THE HISTORY OF THE BEGINNING OP ERROR AFTER THE DEATH OF SHAMSHAM, THE KING OF THAT TIME. Now he was the ruling judge over the children of Israil, and took great revenge upon the na tions, and destro3'ed a multitude of them. And when thej- Av ere informed of his death, they as sembled and bound themselves together bj' oath, and great zeal took possession of them. And when the3- read in the books of Bila'am, that these people could never be destroyed except by unbelief and pollution, the3' began to have recourse to dcA-ices to obtain a knowledge of hoAv to Avork magic, and they did not lea\-e a place, however remote in distance, which was pres cribed for this profession, but that they sent messengers in search of it ; and they obtained therefrom an ample share of the appearance of miracles, the like of Avhich dupe the common people. And they sent some of the learned doc tors frora araong their companions, and with thera this knoAA-ledge ; and they arrived in the neigh borhood of the house of God. Now there Avas at this time no king administering the government, nor saint overlooking the holy matters. And the doctoi-s entered into dealings with a company of the children of Israil who Avere people of pride, and expounded unto thera the secret doctrine, and instructed for them one hundred men of the people, and \\Tought it out through their agency. And they inaugurated this audaciou.^ procedure and action, on a hill to the south of the Blessed 1 Note 78. THE SAM.iRITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 103 Mount, and the place, from the sum of their nura ber, received the name el-Miat. Thereupon they set to building up the place and offering sacri fices to idols, Avhich effect no profit either in the present or in the future. Then the company reraoved, through fear of the children of Israil, to the Avest of the Blessed Mount; and on their going, their like foUoAved after thera, and they settled in a village on the slope of a mountain, and the place, from the number of their com- pan3', received the name el-Miatai, and in it they resided a brief time. Thereupon the3' removed frora it ; for they had multiplied in numbers and increased and branched out, and the place, on account of their great number, received the name Fer'ata. ^ And God did not manifest His re buke nor anger, until the affair of these infidels had reached unto all the leaders of the children of Israil, throughout all their assigned lands. And Avhen they became careless and negligent about rising up against thera, and had turned aside and become polluted ; for some of them Avere overcome with cowardice and laziness, and others of thera Avere engrossed, each one in his own possessions and Avealtli and riches and pride, and supposed that poverty woidd not overtake hira though he raight over-ride the Avorld ; and others of thera were jealous, and the greater part of their Avill was bent towards Avaywardness. And the saints of God Avere overcome Avith blind ness and confusion and cowardice ; for envy was rife in the tribe of Finahas, and discord reigned among them. Now Avhen these infamous deeds and brutal affairs were carried out, the angels shrunk away from them, and the Creator became angry at thera and took away His presence from them, and from the Blessed Mount ; and the light which had shone forth in tlie temple de- 2 Note 79. 104 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. parted, and the Divine fire which had not been separated from the offerings upon the tAvo altars was taken aAva3' ; and decline was perfected in them, and disaster came upon thera ; for their sight was blinded. And Ave take refuge in God from misfortune, and of Him — mighty be His name — do we ask a.ssistance. CHAPTER XLIL THE ACCOUNT OF HOW THE BEGINNING OF ERROR WAS STOPPED AJSIONG THE PEOPLE. When it was the morning of the second day (of the week), the first (day) of the year 361 of the reign of Divine favor — Avhich day is known for greatest calamity and mightiest disaster and long lasting sorrow and wide-spread grief, Avhich is like unto the day on which our father Adam Avas expelled from the garden, even the day in which Avas announced his death and the death of his seed — 'Ozi, the imam, the saint of God Avhose greatness was spoiled and whose glory was ruined and Avhose holiness was de stroyed and Avhose light was extinguished, passed, in the morning of this day — the calamities of which have been mentioned — to the temple, and Ufted up the veil of the inner holy house, and he beheld none of the signs of Divine favor. And he looked, and lo 1 dense darkness, and a black cloud spread abroad within the house, and he remained performing alternate service during the third day and the fourth ; and Avhen it Avas the morning of the fifth day, he looked at this darkness, and lo ! it had spread and enveloped the foundations of the house ; and then he kneAV that God — Mighty and Powerful-^had become 1 Note 80. THp SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 105 angi-3'- at them, and had taken aAvay the light of His omnipotence and mercy and corapassion from the place and frora the children of Israil. And he began to gather up the vestraents of the teraple and the vessels of gold and silver, Avhich had been made from the days of the Prophet — peace be upon hira, — and Avent out from the tabernacle. And God revealed unto him, in the Blessed Mount au open cave, Avhich no one had beheld in that place before that day, and he took all that he found in the temple aud placed them in that cave. And when he came out of it he Avrote upoy its mouth an inscription in his oavu handwriting, and made a list of Avhat he had placed iu it, and distinguished it Avith signs ; them he turned to look again, and could find neither cave nor sign nor Avriting.^ Thereupon he lifted up his voice in weeping and Availing and lamentation, and there gathered unto him the corapany of the Liwanites, and the twelve chiefs who acted Avith hira, and likewise the seventy wise men, and the3- made inquiry of hira as to his Aveeping and cr3'ing, and he informed them of what had been revealed unto him. And Avhen he explained unto them about the Divine wi-ath and what Avas befalling them and their people, they renttheir garraents andbeat their faces and boAved doAvn their heads, and assembled their company and began enumerating what things God — Mighty and Powerful — had bountifully be stowed upon them, and Avhat they now beheld of punishment and banishment and sorrow and calamity, and they did say : " Woe unto us and to our children after us, and hoAV great is the exultation of the enemies over our misfortune ! How great is the J03' of the confederates over thee, O Israil ! thy guardian is taken awa3', aud who will now look after thee ? Thy prop is taken 2 Note 81. 106 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. away, and Avho will now support thee? Thy king is taken awaA', and who will now help thee ? Thy power is taken away, and who Avill now strengthen thee ? The Compassionate has becorae ang:y at thee, and Avho Avill now shoAv pity ? SigTis were shown for thy sake, Misr Avas devas tated for thee, the Divine poAver appeared in thy beh-?di, the sea was divided that thou mightest cross, Fir'aura and his people perished that thou mightest be preserved, manna descended for thy sustenance, bitter water became SAveet to satisfy th3' thirst, the voice of the Creator Avas heard for th3- instruction, the rock brought forth water to test thee, 'Amiaq Avas put to route at thy desire, the Creator let the Divine poAver dAvell round about thee for thy protection, and His narae ahghted upon thee that th3- eneraies might have fear of thee. He placed the pillar of cloud as a sign of His tender compassion for thee. He closed up the two mountains of the valley el- Mujib (Ainon), ^ that thou mightest pass over safely. He destroyed Sihun and 'Ug, that thou mightest inherit their cities and possessions. He struck with terror the kings of 'Amman and Mab aud MidA'au, that thou mightest plunder their cattle. He stopped the Avater of the Urdtm, that He raight display thy power and make prominent th3^ glory and exalt thy fame. He kiUed the seven tyrant kings, that He might give to thee their land and their cities, and their kingdom. He gave over to destruction those Avho assembled together for thy slaughter. He extirpated Shaubak the son of Hamam, and those kings Avho were assembled Avith him to slay thee. He comraanded the heavens and the earth to guard thee and protect thee. He re raoved the calamities of the skies and stars from thee and from thy country. He surrounded ' Note 46. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 107 thee with the greatest prosperity and the largest blessing. He assigned unto thee the most ex alted places, and the most glorious of Avhich is the Gate of Paradise.* He gaA'e unto thee a kingdom in Avhich no one boasteth besides thy self. He bestoAved abundantly upon thee His grace, the like of Avhich Avas never heard of in former ages. He a.ssisted thee Avith His angels, and His omnipotence. He enveloped thee Avith His raercy, and surrounded thee with His com passion. He took thee into His keeping Avith joy on His part, and took thee under His protec tion among His own. But thou hast forsaken His Avorship, and renounced belief in His name, which should be exalted, and thou hast wor shipped one that has not the poAver to remove calamnity even frora himself. Ye have not re garded those Avho became infidel, and 3'our Lord has disregarded 3'ou. Thou did'st cover up from him, and He has covered up His face from you. Our master Musa, the Prophet — the most ex cellent, peace be upon him — led you aright, but 3'e did not believe hira. He informed 3'ou, but ye hearkened not unto him. He instructed you, but ye obeyed him not. Yush'a, his disciple, made covenant Avith you, but ye sported with him. Whither does 3'Our flight tend ? Whom Avill ye find as a refuge for 3-ourselves ? From Avhence will ye find help for 3-ourselves? Who will rescue 3'ou from j'our eneraies ? Ye supposed that your victory resulted from the raultitude of men, Avhen, lo, the victory Avas the result of good behavior. Where are those who know our leaders ? Where is the one to Avhom our hearts plight faith ? Where is the one who has pity on our infants? Where is the one who hears our voices ? Where is the one Avho raakes atone ment for our sins and transgressions ? Where is- 1 Note 82. 108 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. the one who makes manifest our power? Where is the one who renders our glory conspicuous here ? " And they now felt remorse where re- nioi-se profited them nothing, while their weep ing became gi'eat and their lamentations violent. Thereupon thcA' took vows upon themselves that they Avould commemorate this sorrow, on the second and fifth days (of the Aveek) always, until the favor of God — glorious be His might — ¦ should return unto them. And He is the one Avho knows when it Avill return ; and we pray Hira to remove His anger, and let faU the veil of His protection over us, through His greatness and compassion. Lo, He is a hearer and answerer (of prayer). CHAPTER XLIIL THE HISTORY OF THE ERRING MAN WHO WAS EN VIOUS OP THE DESCENDANT OF FINAHAS THE rSIAM — PEACE BE UPON HjDVI. Discord had arisen between the descendant of Finahas ('Ozi) and his cousin Hi (Eli), Avhose name being interpreted means ; the insidious. This erring mau Avas of the tribe of Itamar (Ithamar) the brother of el-'Azar the imam.^ Now the right of administration belonged to the tribe of Finahas, and it Avas the one Avhich Avas offering up the sacrifices upon the brazen altar, and stone altar. And this man — the insidious— was fifty A"ears old, and being great in riches had obtained for himself the lordship over the treas ure house of the children of Israil ; and he had obtained, through the knowledge of magic, Avhat he had acquired of riches, proud rank and wealth. And his self-importance being great in his own 1 Note 83. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 109 estimation, he gathered to himself a company, and said unto them : "I ara one to whom to serve a boy is impossible, and I Avill not reconcile myself to this, and I hope that ye Avill not be content to have me do this.''^ And the company answered iiim : "We are under thy command, and under obedience to thee: command us in Avhatsoever thou Avillest." And he put them under covenant that they would foUoAV him unto the place where they purposed going on the morning of the second day (of the Aveek). And he offered up offering on the altar Avithout salt,^ as if he Avas ignorant, and ininiediatel3' started out on the journey Avith his outfit and companj-, and cattle, and every thing that he possessed, and settled hi Seilun (Shiloh). And he gathered the children of Israil into a schismatical sect, and held corre spondence with their leaders, and said unto them : " Whoever desires to behold miracles, let him come unto me." And there was collected to him a multitude in Seilun, and he built for himself a shrine there, and organized raatters for himself in it on the model of the temple,* and erected in it one altar,^ on Avhich he might sacrifice and offer up offerings. And he had two sons, who used to gather the Avomen into the teraple in the morning, and lie with them, and Avould eat up all that Avas present of the offerings of Avine, and other things. Moreover he commanded the men that the3' should salute him before they offered their offerings. And this raan continued diverting the people by magic, for the space of forty' years ; for God — exalted, exalted be He ; glorious be His might — delayed this unto him. And there was Shamul (Samuel) of the tribe of Harun, the Liwanite,^ the magician and the in fidel ; for his father had delivered him over to him (Eli) Avhen he was four years old, saying 2 Note 84. 3 Note 85. ¦* Note 86. s jsTote 87. ^Note SS. 110 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. unto him : " This is a son whom I have received in fulfilment of a desire,'^ and it occurred sud denly to ray raind that this boy ought to serve in this temple throughout the days of his life." So the erring man received him, and instructed him, and rcA'ealed unto him hidden things; and he greAV to be as potent in the working of magic as he himself Avas. And blessed be God who does not punish the rebellious, except after long delay aud shoAving raercy unto thera. CHAPTER XLIV. THE ACCOUNT OF THE CAUSE OF THE DESTRUC TION OF THIS ERRING MAN, AN'D OF HIS SONS AND COilPANY. When the nations heard of the schism araong the childi-en of Israil, there gathered together of them a multitude of those who Avere inhabiting Yufa (Joppa) and Ludd (Lod, Lydda) and Beit JibiiP and Ghuzzeh (Gaza) and other places, and they carried out the plan of making an at tack upon the corapany that was in Seilun. And the array of the erring man went forth to meet thera, but it was overthrown and put to rout, and there were killed of his companions four thousand men. And the troops returned to their friends, and said unto him (Eli) : " Forsooth the cause of our rout is, that the ark of gold Avas not with us;" so he delivered unto them the ark, and sent forth his tAvo sons with them, and the floAver of his army, in place of the first (army). Now they"- of the nations Avho had as sembled had arranged an ambush, and upon the sallying forth of his army, the army of the nations closed in upon thera, and the sword did its work ' Note 89. 1 Note 90. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. HI among them ; and the ark AA-as taken, and the two sons were slain. And one of those that had escaped safe, stained his garments Avitli their blood, and came to their father, while he was sitting upon his seat, and said to him : " Disas trous neAvs for thee; for thy tAvo sons are killed, and ray garments are even stained with their blood, and the ark of gold has been taken, aud the SAVord has annihilated th3' people." And when he heard tidings such as this, he thrcAV him self backwards oft' his seat, and his neck Avas broken, and he died. And Avhen his daughter- in-laAV heard of this calamit3' — now she Avas big with child — the pains of childbirth greAv violent in her, and she died. And so this man receiA'ed reward for his action in this AA'orld, and he shall also be brought to account in the next. Blessed be He, whora no affair escapes, and from Avhora nothing is hidden. Blessed be He and exalted. CHAPTER XLV. the HISTORY OF BOKHTONASSAR (NEBUCHAD NEZZAR), THE KING OF EL-MAUSIL (MOSUL), WHICH IS FOUND IN THE BOOKS OF THE CHRON ICLES OF HIS DEEDS. He Avas one of the kings of the Persians, Avho had conquered the countries and subdued the people, and the kings obej'ed him. And he re stored the authority of all the king's of esh-Sham, and the3'- Avent to the king of el-Quds (Jerusa lem), and entered into agreement with hira that they Avould corae under the rule of Bokhtonas- sar, and becorae submissive to his decrees. And they continued .so tA\'elve 3'ears ; but Avhen it Avas the thirteenth 3'ear, they broke the compact and revolted, and he pardoned them. And when he 112 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. Avarued them, and they were not affected with fear, he marched against them in the fourteenth year, and destroyed Avhomsoever of them he met. And he directed his march toAvard el-Quds, and besieged it till he captured it, and he killed in it with great slaughter, and took its king and put out his ey'es and sent him to Beit-A . . ,^ and burned all the buildings and the edifice Avhich Sulaiman (Solomon) the sou of DaAvid (David) had constructed. Then he turned aside toAvards our country — that is this country — and made proclamation therein, that: "Whosoever Avas found remaining in it after seven days, the shedding of his blood would be permissible." Thereupon he took to goading the people and driAdng them out unto every countiy, and brought people frora el-Furs (Persia) and settled them in this ccmntry, the horae of the children of Israil, who now got to the most remote parts of the world, scattered and dispereed throughout the regions east and Avest. And the word of the Hoh' Law carae true : " And God shall scatter thee araong all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth.'"'' And after a certain tirae had passed by, let ters Avere brought back frora the Persians who were dwelling in their (the children of Israil's) tenitoiy in esh-Sham, regarding the' earth's refusing her crops and fruits ; for Avhen the fruit promised well the destroying blight Avould waste it.2 And the letters in regard to this reached the king, and he had the leaders of the chil dren of Isi-ail brought before hira, and made inquiiy of them about tliLs state of affairs, and they said : " The cause of this is our removal, and the abandonment in it of the service of our Lord: and we do praise God for its disorder, so that we may return unto it and serve 1 Note 91. -^ Deut. xxviii : 64. » Note 92. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF .TOSHUA. \\?, our Lord upon the Holy Mount, and offer up offerings as He coramanded us in His Book, by the hand of HLs Prophet — peace be upon hira. And the king replied to thera : " Go and build the house of thy Lord and offer up the offerings, and serve your Lord as Avas your custora, and I will assist you." And they said to him : "Give unto us a Avriting by thy own hand unto all our brethren, who are scattered abroad throughout all the regions ; for we cannot return except we all go together." And the king gaA'e them a Avriting of his hand, permitting thera to journey to esh-Sham. And they departed frora his pres ence, glad and rejoicing for what God had kindly bestoAved upon thera. And the iinain and the king sent letters to every place, saying : "Know that the king — raa3' God raake hira powerful — has granted us permission to go up to the holy place and build it up, and offer up the offerings upon it with the service that is acceptable. And now it is necessary that 3'e raake haste, you and 3'our harera and your children and all that ye possess, that Ave ma3' assemble and go, and carry- out the orders Avhich he has comraanded unto us, concerning the service of our Lord — Mighty and Powerful." And the people all carae together, and the offspring of Yehudah (Judah) said to thera: "We Avill unite all of us and go to el- Qiids, and build it up, and we Avill be one word and one soul." But the offspring of Harun (Aaron) and Yusaf (Joseph)* said to thera: " No, but, on the contrar3', we Avill go up to the Mount of Blessing, and build up the holy place, and Ave will be one soul and one word." And they persisted in the dispute, until it becarae necessary that they should corae together into the presence of the king. And he decided in favor of thera (the descendants of Aaron and * I. e. the priests and tlie Samaritans. 8 114 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. Joseph) after this manner : the children of Is rail, the friends of the Blessed Mount, assembled Avith the book of Musa, the Prophet— -peace be upon him — and relied upon Avhat it said in desig nating the Blessed Mount, and no place else, as the proper place ; and the offspring of Yehudah assembled, relying upon what certain books writ ten after the da3's of INIusa, the Prophet — peace be upon him — designated Avith reference to Beit el-Muqaddas (Jerusalem) being the place. And the books Avere brought and read in the presence of the king ; and when he had carefully consid ered this matter, he saw that the- intention of all was the Blessed Mount. But Zorobabil (Ze rubbabel) answered and said unto him : " O king, the book which I have furnishes me Avith arguments in favor of Beit el-Muqaddas, and the offering up of offerings therein ; Avouldst thou then compel me to go up and offer up offerings upon the Blessed Mount? " And Sanballat the Liwanite* answered him, saying unto the king : " The books Avhich Zorobabd has are a lie and a fraud." Permit me to throw them into the fire ; and this, my book, if he is able, let him take it and throw it." And the king gave permission unto Sanballat to throw the books of Zorobabil into the fire, and he did this, and they Avere burned up. Thereupon he gave permission unto Zorobabil to throw the book of Sanballat, and he took it and opened it, but abstained from throw ing it, and said : " My books are raine alone, but the Holy Book belongs both to him and to rae." And the king answered, saying unto Zo robabil : " I see that thy books are false ; wh3'- didst thou abstain from throAving his book?" Thereupon, he (Zorobabil) feared lest he be put to death, and he took the LaAV and cast it into the fire ; and it jumped out of it. And he asked * Note 93. ' Note 94. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. il5 permission of him to throw it in a second time ; and it Avas not affected by the fire in the least. Thereupon, he humbled himself before the king, beseeching him that he might throw the book a third time ; and he granted him permission, and he took it and spat upon a paiagraph of it, and then cast it into the fire, and the place which had been spit upon burned, and then it sprang out into the bosom of the king. And the king im mediately became angry at the children of Ye hudah, and put to death iraraediately of them thirty-six souls of those AA'ho were present. But Sanballat,. he and his compan3', obtained great honor Avith the king; for the king gave hira gifts and presents and chain necklaces and bracelets, and invested him Avitli the silk robe of honor, and promoted their leaders, and sent them away with the whole multitude of Israil A\'ho returned from the first exile, and their number was three hundred thousand men. And thereupon the3' followed the true religion, after having been un believing; and pursued right guidance, after having AA'andered into error. And God accepted them and broke the chains of their captivit3', through the mercy He had for them and the compassion He felt, and the remenibrance He had for the covenant with Ibrahim and Ishaq and Y'aqub — peace be upon them. And the king sent unto all the Persians who had taken up residence in their assigned land, and removed them from it to their own country; and the people (of Israil) entered into their assigned land, which is their holy place. And they made the sacred apparatus similar unto that AA-hich was in the (former) temple, and they offered up a multitude of offerings ; and the earth gave forth its good things, aud returned unto its former b?auty and splendor; and Avith the cai-r3'ing out of this act (on God's part) nothing Avas withheld 116 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. from them, nor did he veil to thera what of Di vine power He was Avont to veil to their ances tors. And to every circumstance there is a cause, and to every fate there is a final lirait. And of God do we ask assistance, because of what He has benevolently bestowed through His mercy, and upon Hira be the trust put. CHAPTER XLVI. THE HISTORY OF- EL-ISKANDAE (ALEXANDER THE GREAT.) The whole nuraber of the years from Adam up to the time of king el-Iskandar was three thousand nine hundred and thirty years. And when el-Iskandar undertook the war against DiraAvas (Darius) the Persian, he saw in his sleep an angel descending frora heaven in the form of an imam, and clad in his robes, who said unto him : " Fear not, O hero, thou shalt con quer Persia ; for I am about to deliver him (Darius) into thy hand : behold God is with thee." So he (Alexander) attacked him (Darius) and killed hira. Aud when each nation Avas subdued, its iraaras were brought unto hira, in the hope that he might see one like unto that form ; but he saw none. And Avhen he came to Sur (Ty're) to conquer it, there were dwelling in its neighborhood some of the Samarat (Sama ritans), and these el-Iskaudar summoned that he might win them over to his side ; but they Avould not consent, for they had bound themselves by an oath to this people. And he blamed them, and directed his march towards the region of Nabulus ; and its people came out to meet him, and, when he beheld the form of the chief iraam, he hastily descended from his animal, and THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. IVI prostrated himself before him. And Avheu his attendants saw what he did, they also hastily dismounted and prostrated theraselves, AA'hile all the retinue Avondered Avh3' he had been bent upon their destruction ; and his companions said to hira : " Verily, these people have bewitched thee." But he said to thera : " They have exercised no power; by God, I ara not bewitched, but only seized Avith great emotion ; for, verilv, at the time of my going forth against DiraAvas there met rae a raan similar to this inchvidual and like unto hira in forra, Avho said to me : ' Go forth against Dira was, and fear not ; for, lo, thou shalt kiU him,' and thus it did come to pass." And el-Iskandar was moved Avith love for the Saraarat (Samaritans), and acted kindly toward them, and said unto them : " Verily, your God is the God of Gods and Lord of Lords." ^ And el-Iskandar conquered all the country of el-Hind (India) and Faris (Persia) and er-Runi (Greece) and other places. Then an impulse led him to desire to see the whole earth, Avhereupon it Avas planned for him to make a journey into the land of Shades, upon she-asses Avhich had colts, and he carried it out. And when they had tied the colts in the light, they entered upon a journey of three days into the darkness. Thereupon they took of the dust Avhich was upon the ground, and then carae out and examined it when they were in the light, and they found that the dust which they had with thera was rubies and pearls, Avhereupon he regretted that he had not taken more of it than he had ; for who would not take what soraeone has abandoned ? ^ And he said to his companions and his wise men : " In how much tirae, forsooth, can I see rapidly and quickly all the regions of the world ? " And his wise men and companions said unto him : " If 1 Note 95. " Note 96. 118 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. thou desirest to see the world in one moment and in the briefest space of time, summon the skilled carpenters and command them to con struct a car Avith scrcAvs and apparatus, which Avill Avith rapidity ascend and descend, then take four of thy trained eagles and tie them to the four corners of the car, and hang meat to the top part of the car, so as that the eagles cannot reach it ; for if the eagles crave the meat, they will ascend toAvards it, and the car wdl then be borne aloft through the air, until it bo lifted up on high, and thou shalt see the buildings and what is round about them. And when thou hast the desire, the screws shall be put in rapid motion, and thou shalt have the meat changed about and hung below, and the eagles will go dowuAvards in a desire to get at it, and will descend with the car to the earth unto the level spot which thou desirest." And el-Iskandar did so, and ascended into the air until he had seen the earth ; then the eagles reA'ersed and de scended with him, until he alighted on the spot which el-Iskandar built up and called its name el-Iskandariyeh (Alexandria).^ Thereupon he came to the Mount of Blessing and acknoAvledged it to be the noblest of places, and the grandest : in praise to God — Mighty and Powerful. Then he proceeded to invest his companions Avith the authority over the territories, until he had gone over all the earth.* And when his companions beheld his libei-alit3' to the children of Israil and his compassion upon thera, and that he did not rebuke them for an3'thiug, Avhether it was a grave affair or a trifling action, they became envious of them ; and his companions said to him : " Why does this nation transgress every religious ordi- ance, in neglecting to comply with the estab lished statute ? Why dost thou not summon it, 5 Note 97. * Note 98, THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 119 and make instant demand of them concerning the establishment of idols and images ? " And so he, at this time, commanded the imam — I mean the chief imam — and the chiefs of the children of Israil that, they should set up to him in all their habitations statues aud images; and then said to them : " I am about to go unto Misr, and upon ray return let rae find what I have commanded. Then el-Iskaud-ar set out on his journey. Aud the chief imam assem bled all the leaders of the children of Israil, aud they went up to the Mount of Blessing and fast ed and prayed and offered praise, and humiliated tliemselves unto God — Might3- and Powerful — and He disclosed to them an excellent idea, to wit, that they should name their bo3's with the narae of the king el-Iskandar. And they' sent unto every place, ordering thera to narae every boy that should be born unto them Avith the name of the king el-Iskandar; and they did this. And Avhen three years had passed the king el-Iskandar returned and carae up from Misr, and Avhen he carae to the lands of the children of Israil, he saw in them neither statue nor image, and he reprobated this, and summoned the leaders of the people and demanded of them the reason. And they replied that they established unto him images, Avho Avere endowed Avith ration al speech and moved like paragons of obedience, and were quick to obey. Thereupon they brought forward immediately their children, of whom there had been gathered unto them a great number; and he said unto them: "What are your names?" And tliey said: "We are servants of the king el-Iskandar, Avho are named with his name." And the king and his disciples Avere pleased, and approved of Avhat they had done. And Avhen the imara saw the satisfaction of the king iu Avhat had happened, he threw aside 120 THE SAMARITAj.\ jiOuh. \jt owaixiiA. his restraint and said to hira : " The reason of our neglecting the setting-up of idols is fear of our Lo°d— Mighty and Powerful— who has pro hibited us from doing this, and Avhen He — exalt ed be His fame and mighty be His nanie-^saw the purity of the purpose. He made knoAvn unto us that we should substitute our children in place of idols. And the king approved of this on their part, and said unto them, " I know that your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords." Thereupon the king bestoAved upon them gifts, and spread abroad the praise of their deed.^ And unto God be praise and thanksgiving for His kindness, of Whom we ask mercy and pardon. CHAPTER XLVII. THE HISTORY OF ADRINUS (HADRIAN), AND HOW HE DESTROYED EL-QUDS (JERUSALEM), AND WHAT HAPPENED TO Hlil WITH AFRIM (EPHRAIM) AND MANASHSHIH (MANASSEH). When this king, whose name Avas Adriniis, came to reign after el-Iskandar, he went down to Misr and killed a multitude of the Nasara (Christians) of those who believed in the Masih (Messiah) ; and Avhen he had built a city in el- Hajar,^ he went down and beseiged Beit el- Muqaddas. Now ; prior to this, there was a city there called Yvisaf ^ and in it were two brothers, Afrim and Manashshih, who were Samaritans. And a certain Jew had gone up with some young doves, desiring to enter with them and make an offering in Beit el-Muqaddas for his sins ; and he passed the night in Yusaf, aud the tAvo brothers took the pair of young doves and slew them, and * Note 99- I Note 100. « Note lOL THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 121 substituted in their place two big mice. And the man arose in tlie night and Avent unto the priest Avho Avas installed in the teraple, and said to hira : " Offer up for me this pair of young birds." And Avhen the priest opened the baske't the cheat of the two mice Avas discovered, and he laid hold of the man to kiU him ; but he said : " A trick has been played upon it. I passed the night at a lodging place in Yusaf, and there were none there except two Samaritan lads, and I took up my journey in the night, out of my fear lest the offering Avhich I Avas to offer for ray sins might escape from me, and I kncAV not that this trick had been perpetrated upon it." And they sent unto the innkeeper, and arrested the tAvo brothers to punish thera ; and Avhen they con fessed that they had done this, they gave orders that they should be put to death, but certain of thera said : " If we kill thera their services are lost, rather let thera be araong the servants of the temple serving all their life long, eating the thorn Avhich is the food of birds and drinking water, and sleeping upon the ground." And after this Adrinus came down to Beit el-Muqaddas and beseiged it ; but the Jcavs used to go out of the tunnels which Sulaiman the son of Dawid had constructed (oue of which led) to Riha (Jericho) and another to Ludd (L3'dda), and (the inhabi tants of these towns) were giving unto them whatsoever they could eat and furnishing them witli everything. And they (the inhabitants of Jerusalem) would go up on top of the walls and say to them (the besiegers) : " See what our Lord does for us. He sends down upon us food ; as He was Avont to do with us in the wilderness, thus UOAV again does He do." And they used to throw to thera from above the Avail fruit, both fresh and dried, and other things, and Avould say to them: "Eat such as our Lord sends down 122 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. upon us." And they would also say: "Take unto 3'on of what we haA'e sacrifices to the king ; for behold our Lord, as much as Ave are in need of, the same He sends down upon us ; as He has Avont to do with us in the wilderness, thus does He with us now." And Adrinus had given cre dence to them, in as much as the AA-ar had become fatiguing, and did reckon their statements to be true. Now when this affair carae to pass, the two brothers Afriin and Manashshih came to gether, and Avrote a note and worked it up in cla3- and threw it frora above the wall to Adrinus the king, and it reached the king and he opened it and read it, and there was written in it this : "Do not deera their statements to be true ; and if thou desirest that we should inform thee how thou ma3-est conquer the countr3' — Avell and good ; but, verily in consideration for that which shall enable thee to be victorious in the war, save our souls from death. Now if thou dost desire to get possession of the countr3', send unto Riha and unto Ludd and seize the mouths of the tunnels, and let not anything enter into them nor anyone go into them; and also seize Beit Lahra (Bethlehem), and demolish the duct through Avhich there coraes in unto them oil and water and sesame-oil and honey," And the king did according to what they said unto hira, and he also sent and had brought into his presence the Samaritans Afrim and ilanashshih, and they Avere present Avith him in besieging Beit el- Muqaddas. And he reduced them (the in habitants of Jerusalem) to such sore straits, that women ate their daughters and men their sons. And he rose in attack against them while they Avere observing the requirements of the law, and when they beheld themselves spoiled of every thing they sued for protection. And when they (the Romans) took possession, Adiinus gave THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 123 orders that they should not molest the temple until he Avent in, and Avheii he entered he took the priest Avho belonged to the temple, and said to him : " For Avhose name Avas this dwelhng built?" The priest said unto him: "It was built for the name of the Creator of creatures." And Avhen he had entered into the place, he be held a painted picture and by its side an idol, and Avheii he saw them he said to the priest : " This place was built for the name of the Creator of creatures and is this done in it ? " And he seized hold of him to punish hira ; but he (the priest) informed him that it AA'as a deceit which the Jcavs avIio served the idol had made, notwithstanding Harun (Aaron) had commanded that they should worship the Creator of creatures. And this Avicked king saved Afriin and Manash shih from being killed; and Adrinus set up in the city an image upon a pillar in accordance with the will of Afrim and Manashshih, for the purpose of showing unto them (the inhabitants of the cit3') his rank, and it is there unto this day ; ^ and he also erected tAVO images, and named the first image after the name of Afrim, and the second image after the name of Manashshih ; and he gave orders to the leaders of the Jews that no one should pass by in front of thera, but only behind them ; and they are obliged to do this CA'en unto this day. And Adrinus Avent out from there unto Qiryat el-'Arba' (Kirjath-Arba) — which is Habrun (Hebron), and did like as he had done iu Beit el-Muqaddas. And Manash shih said unto Adrinus : "JMake in my name a bell, and let the bell be rung for my name." And he did so. And he went forth frora there to Nabulus; for he desired to destro3' it, but while he was in Merj el-Baha, and was elated upon his passing through it, they (the com- » Note 102. 124 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. panions of the king) said : " If this is carried out, it (the Samaritan nation) Avill instigate a heroic revolt, and whoever sees .this in Nabulus AAill be inflamed Avith the zeal of a hero." So they collected together and said unto him : " As far as it is possible unto thee, spare (the place)." And God moved his heart to pity, and he dealt kindly Avith it, aud with those Avho led the troops in Nabulus ; and he built there a town on Mount Gerizin, and called it Saqarus,* after the name of his father. And the doors that were on Beit el-Muqaddas were of yellow brass, plated with silver and ornamented with gold, which Sulaiman had made, the like of which no one, though strong of hand, could ever make, and he (Hadrian) carried these away and placed them ou the door of the dome which he had built on the ridge of the mountain that is over against Nabulus. And after this Adrinus went to Ru- miyat (Rome), and the Samaritans came to gether and purified the places wherein Adrinus had been ; and the Jews plotted a wicked thought against them, and went unto the king, and said to him : " Behold how thou art aiding the Samaritans and yet they are Avishing thy de struction ; make investigation and see how they have burned with fire every place wherein thou wast." And when Adrinus heard their words, he said: "We will kill every circumcised one." And he pronounced judgment of death upon the villages and upon every city, and pro hibited baptism, and interdicted (the observance of) the Sabbath and feasts, wishing to ruin Nabulus and destro3'- it, like a field laid waste. And when the Samaritans heard of this mighty calamity, they fled aA\'a3', and were stricken Avitli terror and hid themseh'es from the presence of this great wrath, and they did not enter into a * Note 103. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 125 house nor reside under a roof, and there remained for them no shelter except the deserts aud forests and caves. And he came and burned the houses, and crucified the teachers (of the people) and put to death its judges, and they did die in prisons by starvation, and their dead bodies were throAvn out and not buried, and rights Avere in fringed both as to themselves and their dead bod ies, and they Avere persecuted in castles and on the roads. And when he came to destroy Nabulus, he began from the city gate on the Avest until liear- rived at the four pillars that were abo ve the dec li v- ity at the base of the mountain. And they capt ured there a man who was fleeing that he might not be killed, and he fled into the presence of Adi-iniis aud conjured him, and said unto hira : " I beg of thee, by the honor of the One Avhom thou dost worship, O king of the age, hear of rae one word, and after that do Avith this nation Avhat thou wishest." Aud Avhen he had bound hiraself by oath he listened to him, and the cap tive said : " Send and make investigation into the conduct of the Samaritans, for though they do burn every place wherein a foreigner has been that they raay purify it from his tracks, yet we have not done this out of malignity or hostility to thee. And the Jews have spoken unto thee only deceitfull3s because that we did render aid to thee in reducing them to straitened circum stances, and also because av3 did at once furnish thee with provisions." So he (Adrinus) said that he Avould no longer put to death anyone, and he shoAved favor to the city and did not de stroy it. And he set up three iraages after his likeness, in the city on top of pillars, on the spot where the man fled away frora being killed, and also two images on the aqueduct. And after this Adrinus died--may God have no mercy up on him — and he died in Avoe and every kind of 126 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. affliction,^ and his reign had lasted tAveuty-one years — may God crush his bones. And the space of tirae from Adara up to his death was four thou-sand five hundred and thirteen years and .seven months. And in those da3's the Book of C'lioice Selections was taken aAvay, Avhich had been in their hands since the days of Divine favor ; and there Avas also taken aAvay the Songs and P'raiies, Avhich they Avere accustomed to utter over the offerings, each offering according to its merits ; and also the Hymns, which they Avere wont to sing in the days of Divine favor : noAV all these constituted a library Avhich had been preserved with greatest care generation after generation through the time of the prophets unto that day, by the hands of the chief imams. And there was also taken away the Book of the I'mdms, which the3' had, Avherein their genealogy was traced back to Finahas ; and there was also destroyed the Annals, wherein was recorded their birthdays and the years of their lives, and of these not one ancient book or chronicle was found, except the LaAv and a book containing their lives. But Ave have Avritten up the years of the hfe of the chief imam, and a genealog3'- from the chief iraam 'Aqbun ; and this comes (in the next chapter). CHAPTER XL VIIL THE HISTORY OF 'AQBUN THE IMAM. Now it was once said to him : " Brother of the king! every thing in thy house belongs unto the king," and Aqbun said : The whole of it be longs unto God, and I have given over my spirit unto God and I will not renounce my Lord." And they (the Romans ?) went and seized two 6 Note 104. tht: SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 127 men of the children of the imams, and said unto them : " Seek refuge in our gods, and 3'e can depart to your houses unharmed." But they utterly refused, aud said : " We Avill not do that : " so they killed them in punishment and threw their corpses outside the Avail — that is the Avall of Sebustieh ; 1 and they crucified of the wise men of Israil a company of thirt3'-six meu on the gate of Nabulus. In that day the in struction of Israil Avas like as dust; there was no iraara araong them, nor wisdom, nor teaching of the Law, nor was any one able in the days of these kings to give instruction in the Penta teuch; except one in a thousand and two in a m3-riad. And the children of Israil continued in this calamitous state until Baba Rabba arose. In those days 'Aqbun knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Natanal (Nathaniel), and this Natanal was the father of Baba Rabba who broke the brazen bird Avliich was on the Mount preventing them from ascending it ; for this the Romans and (their) magicians had done. After this the chief imara 'Aqbun died ; but before he died he said at this time to his son Natanal: "O m3' child, be not troubled with regard to these tiraes, or these calamities, or the poAver of the enemies ; knoAV that in a short time these distresses will disappear, for these calamities are tests sent b3' God upon us, that He may prove Avhether we ourselves are faithful, and are not forsaking the worship of God our God. O my child, these calamities and straits will vanish aAvay ; for God — may He be exalted — is able to cause thera to disappear frora us." And the imara 'Aqbiin pro ceeded to make a revelation unto his son in accord Avith this, and invoked blessing on him, and said unto him : " O ray child, be on thy 1 Note 105, 128 THE SA MA RITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. ^¦uard ag-ainst worshipping au3' other than God ; for wert thou to be crushed under stones, God would give thee strength to worship Him. And God Avill raise up frora thee one who will get the ascendancy over this infidel oppressing nation." And the prn3'er of the Rabbis ^ 'Aqbun was granted at that time, Avith regard to all that he invoked for his son ; for there arose from his son, Baba Rabba, and he brought about that which happened to the Romans. And at that the imain 'Aqbun died, and Avas removed to his people : maA' God benefit us Avith his blessings. And all Israil mourned for him, and Avept for him thirty days. CHAPTER XLIX. THE HISTORY OF WHAT HAPPENED UNTO NAT ANAL FPoOM THE ROMANS, AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER. When the Rabbis 'Aqbun died and was trans lated to his people, Natanal took the office of iraam in place of his father. And he knew his Avife, and she conceived and gave birth to child ren, and he was granted of her three children ; his first born was Baba Rabba, his second was 'Aqbun, and the third after these two Avas Fina has. Now when the iraam Natanal was granted his first born, he was for sorae time perplexed with regard to him, as to hoAv he should circumcise hira ; for the Romans at that time forcibly pre vented them fi"om performing circumcision, and set over them curators, that they might not cir cumcise their children, and there Avas stationed at the door of the residence of the imam Natanal a deputy of the king, named Jarraan the Roman. 2 Note 106, THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 129 And Avhen the Rabbis was granted this child, he took it on the day of circuracision, and placed it in a basket and put wool on top of it and under it, and said unto the maidservant that was Avith hira : " Take this boy and go in advance of us unto the field to the cave, and we will follow after and overtake thee, that we may circum cise hira ; but let no one know Avhat thou hast. Take hira and go out frora the door of the house, while Ave will go out from the rear of tlie house." And the maid took it and Avent out; and Avheii she issued forth frora the door of the house. Jar- man the deputy said to her : " Perform, girl, what thou hast in mind, and fear not." And the maid went AA'ith the infant to the cave, and repeated unto the Rabbis Natanal the speech of Jarman ; and he in fear said : " The affair is God's." And they circumcised the little one, and the maid-servant returned with it just as it was ; and when she came to the door, Jarman said unto her : " Rear him in peace, O my child." And Avhen she had passed, she repeated to the Rabbis the speech of Jarman, and he was srait ten Avith great fear, and said: "Who has in formed Jarman of our business ? I cannot mol lify his anger except with great riches. And the Rabbis was Avorried, and Avent forth to Jar man, the deputy over his house, with his hands full of gold. And Jarraan said unto the Rabbis : " I Avili have nothing to do Avith this, except only I will take of this just three dinars,^ so that thou raa3'est not say that I am la3ing a plot for thee ; for, verily, I will not make this known unto the king." And when Jarman had bound himself by oath unto the Rabbis, his heart becarae good, and the Rabbis made it to be remerabered of Jarraan : and it carae to pass that Avhenever they circum cised any of their children in a cave, they would 1 Note 107. 9 130 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. invoke a blessing on Jarman, saying in the Ro man language : " May- God be mercifid unto Jar man the Roman priest; " aud unto this our da3', the3' invoke a blessing on him, immediately after eA'ery circumcision. And the Romans did mix hogs' lard in every thing that was eaten and di-unken, so that they (the Samaritans) might be afflicted with bodily infirmit3'. And the houses of piaver that Ave had Avere shut up, and the3' prevented us from going up on to the Mount, by means of a talisman Avhich the3' fixed above it. And we continued in this strait and great calamity for the space of twenty years ; until God comforted us, and saved us from thepoAver of the infidels, and this was brought about by the hand of Baba Rabba. CHAPTER L. THE HISTORY OF BABA RABBA, AND WHAT HAP PENED TO HXM WITH THE ROMANS. When t'ne kingdom passed away from the children of Israil, and the Romans ruled, they gave over to judgment aud crushed under the stones of torture many of the Saraaritans, until the3' should abjure their^faith and boAV doAvn unto idols ; and many of the Samaritans perished through this cause. And the Romans suffered not one of the Samaritans to circumcise his chUd, but stationed trustAvorthy men of the Romans OA'er the houses of the Samaritans to prevent them from perform ing circumcision. And the Samaritans were AA-ont at that time, when a child was born unto them, to place it in a basket and cover it Avith wool, ;ind go with it to the cave and circumcise it under ground b3' the light of candles. And also then the Romans prevented the Samaritans THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 1?A from ascending the Mount ; for they said : " Who soever goes up on to this Mount shall be put to death ". And tlie Romans x^laced upon the sum mit of the Mount a talisman, and this was a brazen bird,and it used to turn round with the sun howsoever it revolved, and it was so that if a Samaritan did go up, the bird Avould screech out: '¦'' Selraeus," and they Avould knoAv then that there was a Samaritan on the Mount, and Avould issue forth against him and kill hini. And tho children of Isi-ail continued in this distress, un- till Baba Rabba arose ; and in liini there Avas a spirit of resolution and zealous patriotism. And Baba Rabba assembled the Israelitish coraraunity, and said: " How long shall this polluted nation go on dominating over you ? Arise, let us lift up the children of Israil frora this oppression, and let us be zealous for God — may He be exalted, as our father Finahas Avas zealous, and there remains to him a goodl3' remembrance unto the end of the ages. And now knoAv that I have resolved upon the destruction of the Romans, and I will purify Mount Gerizim of them but not a thing can be accomplished for us, except b3' the destruction of this bird which is stationed over the temple, and this cannot be effected for us except by a sfa'at- agem which God has rcA'ealed unto rae. Now ye know that this is a tirae of infidelit3-, and they have raany kings, and my plan is to send Lawi, the son of inybrother, to Qustuni3'eh(Constantinople) the city of the Romans, that the3' ma3' learn what they talk about what it is that makes them power ful, and may gain a knowledge of their religious sects. And he shall go in the garb of a Christian monk (or) priest, and no one Avill knoAV him, and the Romans AAdll not know Avho he is ; and he will corae back to Mount Gerizira, and will go up to the church and raake use of a stratagera to smash the bird; and when they (the Roman guards) attempt 1.32 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. to repel him he AviU employ stratagem and get the power to ascend the Mount, and will supplicate God upon it, and He avlU then give us the vic tory over our enemies '" . And all the people said :' " O our raaster, do Avhat seemeth good in thy sight." And he said : " Give unto rae your own handAviitings, that after his coming back your souls Avill stand by hira." And they did this And Baba Rabba led forth the son ofhis brother to Beitil (Bethel)^ in the presence of the people, and said unto him: "Be attentive however thou mayest be, and set thy mind upon learning every thing, and be on thy guard that thou cease not to read the Pentateuch night and day, and God shall help thee in all thy doings." And he sent away LaAvi, the son of his brother ; and he pursued his journey seeking Qustuniyeh. Now Lawi was an intelligent, knoAving, acute aud pure raan, yea, in him was found every vir tue ; and he arrived at Qustuniyeh, and sought after learning and diligently applied himself, and he obtained what he sought for; and with his keenness of intellect he continued reading for the space of two years, and there remained no one among all the Roraans more learned than he. And he arose to such eminence in learning that the Romans used repeatedly to come to do him reverence, and by reason of his eloquent attain ments in learning they made him Archbishop, and he was elcA'ated to the highest rank among thera, until kings used to come to his door, and no king could assume the kingly authority without his orders, nor put on a crown except by his com mand. And it came to pass at the end of thirteen years that he said unto the king : " I have a de sire to visit the church which is on the Mountain of Nabulus". And the whole army assembled, and the king and the legions marched in his 1 Note 108. THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. 133 serA'ice. And Avhen they encamped at Xabulus, the king sent for all the people Avho Avere in Nabulus to come out to meet the Archbishop, And Avhen the Saraaritans heard this tlie3' were sraitten Avith a great fear, and all the people as sembled, and said : " We have lost hope in the opin ion we had Avith regard to Lawi Avhom we sent awa3- on his journey ; for uo tidings haA'e corae back from hira, and without doubt he has perished: and as to this Bishop Avho has now arrived, we have heard that he is the head of the nation of the Roraans, and they proclaim of hira that he is profoundly versed in infidelity, and the Romans call him.^ 2 Note 109. NOTES. Note 1, Page 13. In the name of God, the Compassionate. This phrase in its more complete form: In the name of God, the Com passionate, the Merciful, is used universally by all Moham medans at the coinnieucement of every book they -write, what ever may be its subject, they are also wont to pronounce it on commencing every lawful act of any importance, and even acts of a somewhat trivial nature. Lane in his Modern Egyptians, Vol. 1, p. 284, referring to this custom, says: " It is the custom of some to say, ' In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,' on locicing a door, covering bread, laying down their clothes at night, and on other occa sions; and this, they believe, protects their property from genii." As to how this fonnula particularly originated we are left in doubt; for the Moslein traditions are absurdly ex travagant and mythical, as au example of whicli we may cite the Sliilte tradition, found in tiie Hyat-iil Kub'ib. by Moham med Ibii Mohammed Taki, which states that at the time of Mohammed's midnight visit to heaven, when he had "passed the seven heavens aud seven curtains of exaltation and glory, and arrived near the place of communion with the meiciful liord of glory the Lord then commanded the Prophet (saying): Now you have arrived at this place of near intercourse with Me, pronounce My name. Ac cordingly the Prophet said: In the name of God, the Com passionate, the Meiciful ! for which reason this phrase Avas established to commence chapters and writings," (Merrick's Translation, p. 201). Sale in \\\s Freliminai-y Discourse, "p. 78, advances the opinion that Mohammed borrowed this ex pression from the Persians; lie says: 'The Jews, for the same purpose, make use of the form, 'In the name of the Lord' or, 'In the name of the great God,' and the eastern Chris tians that of, 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' But I am apt to believe Mohammed really took this form, as he did many other things, from the Persian Magi, who used to begin their books in ilipse words, Benani Yezdan bakhshaiskgher daddr; that is, ' In the name of the most merciful, just God." Note 2, Page 13. KhdUFate. This is strictly a Mohammedan term, and by Moslem -writers exclusively restricted to the designation of the. office of successor of the prophet Mohammed. The 136 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. meantag of the title Khalif is " Successor," or " Vicar " ; and it -was originally given to the universal sovereigns of the Moslem Arabs, as signifying " Successor of the Prophet " ; bat afterwards, in a more exalted sense, as " Vicar of God ' ' ; the Khalif being the head of the religion .is well .as the su preme politiciil governor, or at least arrogating to himself the righs to possess such supremacy, throughout tlie whole Mos lem -svorld. (Lane's Arabian Niylds, Chan. III. note 27.) NorE 3, Page 1-3. W&dy el Muyih, the modern Arabic name for the valley of Amon. This appellation dates back at least to the tenth century, for we find in the Saruarito-Arabic version of the Pentateuch, translated by Aba Said at that time el MUjib writien in place of Amon. See Note 46. Note 4, Page 14. Greater Sea, the Red Sea. The term " Gi-eater " is probably here applied to it to prevent all possibility of its being con founded with the Nile, for in Arabic the word Bahr ''sea" is indiscriminately used to designate any large body of water, whether it be a large river, sea or ocean. In Chapter XVI. it is called the Sea of el-Qulzum, the name by which it ia commonly known among the Arabs. See Note 41. Note 5, Page 14. Greater Musr hevp, I take it, means Egypt in its former highest state of gloi-y and power; but it might be interpreted to mean the former metropolis of Egypt, for the tei-in Misr is applied equally to the chief city of Egypt and to the country itself. Note 6, Page 14. ^Vg the father of 'A-naq. In the Bible Ogis not spoken of as being directly connected with the AnaUim, and their pro genitor is said to be Arba (Josh. xiv. 1.5; xv. 13; xxi. 11), jet he is classed with the Kephaiin (giants) (Deut. iii. 11), who are associatetl with the Anakim (Deut. il. 11); but in Mohammedan legends he is asserted to be lliedlrect descend ant of 'AiiSq, to thi^se therefore our author, in all probabil ity, Is indebted for his statement. Tliat Og was of gigantic st.ature is clearly proved by what is said in the Pentateuch concerning his bedstead of Iron that was in Rabbath; for Ave read that: "nine cubits (15 1-2 feet) was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man " (Deut. iii. 11); and many are the Oriental legends and fabu lous stories -n-hich have grown up around his name. Indeed so numerous and varied are these legends, that the learned imam, Jalai ed-Dtn el-Soy Uti, who lived in the loth cen tury, -BTOte a Inng book about him and his race, largely drawn from Rihbinical sources, and we know that in the early church there ¦w-.ia current an apocryphal book of king Og, probably a compilation of traditions, which was condemned NOTES. 137 by Pope Gelasius 1 (cf. Smith's Bib. Diet. Og). It may be well to quote one or two of these stories, just to give some idea of their extravagant character. The following one I translate from the Targuin of Jonathan on the Pentateuch. Numbers, chap. xxi. S'r. "And it came to pass when wicked Og saw the camps of Israel, which v/ere spread over six par- asangs, he said within himself: I will arrange in order lines of battle agaiust this people, that they may not do unto me like as they did to Sihon. So he ANcnt and plucked up a mountain six parasangs in extent, and placed it upon his head, in order to cast it upon them. Immeiiip, aud acquired such vast wealth that the very keys of his treasuries were a load for many strong men, some of the authorities state that they were a sutliclent load for seventy men, and one authority goes so far as to say that they were a load for sixty mules; these keys, it is said, Korah always carried along with him wherever he went, and it required forty mules to tran.sport them. There is considerable dis agreement as to how he obtained all this wealth; it is said, he was skilled in alchemy. The story runs thus: Moses -was fully educated in the science of alchemy, and Joshua knew a third part of that science, as did also Caleb .ind Korah, aud Korah outwitted these latter two and added their knowledge unto his own, and through this gained his great weallh; though another account is, that God instructed Moses in alchemy, and he instructed his sister, and she in structed Korah. Some say, how-ever, that once when Korah had remained on a mountain forty years worshipping, and had surpassed all the cliildren of Lsrael in worship, Iblis sent nnto him his devils, but they were powerless over him, so he came unto him liiniself, and set to worshipping with Korah, .and began to lestraln him in his worship, and got the power over him, and by subtle arguments seduced him; and when Korah finally yielded, Iblts sat down and opened up to him the doors of the w-orld, and thus it was that he obtained his riches. Others yet, contend that he found out the treasures of Joseph in Egypt; (See Sale's Koran, chap. 2S, note; and in this connection compare what the Targum of Jonathan on Numbers xvi. 10, says in regard to his having found the treasures of Joseph.) His wealth was so vast and his opu- lency so great, that the riches of Korah have become a pro verb; but he behaved insolently and went beyond all bounds in injustice, and grew haughty and proud towards men by reason of his wealth. And he used to ride forth in his pomp and dignity on a white animal which had a purple saddle with saffron trimmings, and with him went forth seventy thonsand persons clothed in saffron robes — and that was the first time saffron robes were seen on the earth. Some say he tised to ride on an ash-colored mule, upon which was a saddle of gold, aud he himself clothed in purple, and attended. by a thousand purple-clad horsemen, and six hundred white slave- girls wearing ornaments and red garments aud riding ash- colored mules. And this ostentatious pomp of his was the first of his revolt and rebellion. And God revealed to His prophet Moses, to command his people, " to hang on their robes four threads, on each border a thread of dark color lilce the color of the heavens,; " but Korah was haughty and diil not obey him. And this also was a part of his rebellion and sedition, (cf. Targum o'nl^iuTa. xvi. 1,-n'liere vre read: "And Korah took his robe, which was of violet, (and with his followers) rose up impudently and appointed in oppo sition to Moses, a different observance in the matter of the 14U THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. violet. Moses had said, I have heard from the mouth of the Holy One — may His name be blessed — that the fringes arc to be of white, with one thread of violet therein; but Korah . and his companions made garments the fringes of which were alto-::ether of violet, a thing the Lord had not cegan to engulf them, and as Korah gradually sank, he humbjj besought Moses and conjured him in tho name of God to have mercy upon him, but Moses by reason of his great anger against him did not so much as look at him. And we are told ihat God each d.ay sinks them deeper in the earth, and that they will not reach its bottom till the Resur rection Day. NOTES. J41 Note 8, Page 14. Whom the cloud overshadoioed 6y day and the pillar of fire protected from cold by night. The physical benefits and pro tection which the pillar of cloud and fire afforded to the chil dren of Israel in their wanderings in the wilderness, is referred to more than once in the Scriptures. See Isaiah iv. 5, 6; Psalm, cv. 39. It is likewise mentioned in the Apocrypha. See Wisdom, x. 17; xviii. 3; xix. 7. And in Mohammedan writings this is dw-elt upon as the most important and well nigh only function that the pillar of cloud and fire had to perform ; it is so spoken of in the Koran {Sura. 2). Note 9, Page 14. From the rock. There is a well-known Rabbinical legend that the water-yielding rock followed the Israelites all about in the desert, rolling like a round beehive or barrel of stone to Ihe door of the tent, and that thus wherever they went, they had abundance of water from the self-same rock. The Moliammedans likewise have the same tradition; they say, that Moses was commanded to carry along with hira the rocjj, and wherever an encampment was made it was placed on the ground; this rock Is described as being peculiar in its foun tain, and as having a significant sign tipon it. It was light in weight and square in shape, similar in size to the head of a man, and was of pumice-stone; and there were in it twelve springs (i. e., tw-elve holes). Moses did carry this in his travelling wallet, and wheneverthere was need for water, he took it out and struck it with his rod, and there gushed forth irom every hole a fountain of sweet water, and when the people had finished drinking and Moses desired to carry it again, he struck it with his rod and the water disappeared. {Kisas el-anbiynd, p. 187). St. Paul, in all probability, had this tradition of the Rab bins in mind, when he s.ays, in 1 Cor. x. 4: "And did all drink of the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Eock that followed them : and that Kock was Christ." Note 10, Page 15. At the completion of the llQth year, on the 1st day of the \Uh montJi of the life of our master Musa. This exact statement of the age of Moses at this tirae is not to be found in the Old Testament, but the date of the month as here given is mentioned in Deut. i. 3; though there it is con nected with the fortieth year (of the wanderings of the Is raelites). In Deut. xxxi. 2, Muses s.iys: " lam an hundred and twenty years old this day," and inverse -3, we read: "and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said," which indicates that Joshua had already been appointed leader, as is stated in Num. xxvii. 18-2.3. Our author is therefore probably right in putting the appointment of Joshua one month before the death of Jfoses; for we are told that 1-42 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. the latter died when he w-as an hundred and twenty years old (Deut. xxxiv. 7). Josephus in his Antiquities (bk. iv. chap. S, sec. iJi) says: " Now Moses lived ia all one hundred and twenty years; a third part of which, abating one month, he was the' pe.--ple's raler," thus supporting the statement of our author. , The oriental legends and traditions appertain ing to Moses' are far too numerous to be here collated, but such as desire io investigate them, w-ill find them in the Koran, and Mohsmmedan commentaries. Particularly lo be commended is the Kisas et-onbiynd by el-Tlialabi; those who are unacquaiLiled wi;h Ar.abic will find valuable, Sale's Koran, and his notes thereto; D"Hei-belot's Bibliotheque Orientate (s. V. Moussa): Weil's Biblische Legende der Muselmanner ; Chrordque de Tabari, traduite sur la version Persane de Belami, par Zotenberg: S. Baring-Gould's Legends of the Patriarchs a'tul Prophets. Note 11, Page 16. The spiritual man. This expression applied to .Joshua, as well as the one found in chap. xxix. (" the mortal and spir itual "), is fotmded upon what is said in Num. xxvii. 18, that he was, '' a man in whom is the spirit." Note 12, Page 16. The profound secret, and reveal to him the vi.s-ion ofhis dream, and the science of knovAedge. The profound secret here referred to is that certain secret knowledge of God and His nature and works, which if meu were imbued with, they were believed to be then able to bring about Divine acts and miracles. (Jnynboll. note ad hoc loco.) By the "vision of his dream," is meant either, that particular knowledge which had been coiiim-uiicited to Moses in dreams; or, that he should reve.^1 nntu Joshua the knoiyJcdge by which he might rightly interpret his own dreams. 'We read in Deut. xxxiv. 9, that " Joshua the s-on of Nuii was full of the spirit of wisdom ; for Moses had laid his hands upim him^" and Josephus to tbe s.ime effect says: "Now Joshua h.ad been instrr.cted In all those kinds of learning which concerned the laws and God himself, and Moses had been his instructor" {Ant. bk. iv. ch. 7). In Mohammedan legends Joshua is escl-vioed from the rank of prophet, hence traditions concern ing him are few- Note 13, Page 16. Tht name. That is, the Holy and Ineffable name of God, represented by the four Hebrew letters yh-wh; the Shew. hammephorash of the Jewish Rabbins, and the Shema of the S.\raaritans, and the Greek Tetragrammaton ; a name the mere atteraiiee of which constituted a capital offence, accord ing to the interpretation put upon the words used in Num. xxiv. 16, by the priests and Rabbins. Marvellous powers are attributed to it, in Rnbhinic traditions: we are told that NOTES. 143 Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai in learning it from the angel Saxael ; that he killed the Egyptian by simply utter ing against him this Name; that his rod, which it is said he obtained from Jethro, had inscribed upon it this Name, and through its potent power he was enabled to perform all his wonderful miracles; so revered was this N.ame that it was pronounced but once a year by the high-priest on the day of Atonement when he entered the Holy of Holies, and the voice of the high-priest when he uttered it was heard as far as Jericho, and all the priests and people fell ou the ground. It is asserted that Jesus stole it from tho Temple, aud by means of it performed His miracles; it is alleged that two letters of this Name inscribed by a cab.alist on a tablet and thrown into the sea raised the storm which destroyed the fleet of Charles V. (A. D. 15-12); further, that if any one -ivrites this Name on the person of a prince, he is sure of his abiding favor. The true pronunciation of this word is now lost, however, and has been so since the destruction of the second temple ; but if any one were able rightly and devoutly to pronounce it, he would thereby he able to create a -world. Note 14, Page 17. The imam. This title is applied by Mohammedans to their preachers or priests who officiate in the mosques; in the larger mosques two im^ms ofiiciate; one of thera, called the "Kliateeb," preaches and prays before the congregation on the Friday; the other is an "Imam Eatib," or ordinary imam, -n'ho recites the five prayers of every day in the mosque, at the head of those persons who may be there at the exact times of those prayers: but in most of the smaller mosques both offices are performed by one im^m. The condition of tlie imslms is very different, in most respects, from that of - Jewish or Christian priests. They have no authority above other persons, and do not enjoy any respect but what then- reputed piety or learning may obtain for them ; nor are they a distinct order of men set apart for religious offices, and composing an indissoluble fratemity; for an imam maybe displ.aced from oflSce, and with his employment and salarj;, loses the title of imam. (Lane's il/ocZeni Egyptians, vol. i, page 103). Onr author, however, uses the tenn throughout the Chronicle as an equivalent forthe Hebrew Cohen " priest," and the same is done also by Saadias in his Arabic version of the Pentateuch, though in both the Arabic and Samaritan languages this identical word is found, with only slight differ ence of pronunciation. Note 15, Page 17. Bila'dm the son of B'aiir. Apart from the Scriptural record of Balaam's history, numerous traditions exist con cerning him, raany of them more or less interesting, and some possessing quite possibly a substratum ot truth handed down from early times. Philo, a contemporary of Christ, 144 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. records this of him: " There was a man at that time cele brated for divination, who lived in Mesopotamia, and was skilled in every branch of the divining art. He had learned the greatest names (i.e. names Of angels and of God, potent in working magic), through his knowledge of the flight of birds, and did much that was wonderful by their means. He predicted rain in the hottest time of summer; heat and drought in the midst of winter; unfruitfuliiess when the fields were greenest; plenty in years of famine: and the overflowing or diying up of streams; the remedies of pestilential diseases, and a vast multitude of other things, the foretelling of which got him boundless fame, which spread even unto this." {Vita Moysis, sec. 48). Josephus speaks of him as, "the best prophet (or diviner) of his times (Antiq. iv. C, sec. 2.) And Origen speaks of Balaam as fa mous for his skill in m.agic, and the use of noxious incanta tions. [In Num. Horn, xiii.) The Targumist identifies him with Laban the Aramean, and sajs that he became foolish by lesson of the greatness of his wisdom; that the place of his residence waslii Padan, which is Pethor, so named from his name as an interpreter of dreams, and this city was built in Aram on the Euphrates. (t/oiiafAan, Num. xxii. 5.) The Jewish Kabbins hold that he was one of the principal coun cillors of Pharaoh ; their traditions concerning him run thus. Originally he hal been in his youth a servant of Angias, the ting of Diiihabah, and had at an early age developed mar vellous skill in magic and the arts of witchcraft, and was em ployed by the king to foretell the future. But when king Angias was deftiited and put to rout in battle by Zepho the kingof Chittim, Balaam forsook him and went over to Zepho, by whom he was received with great honor, and immediately made his chief diviner and magician. He now aided and abetted Zepho in stirring up the Hittites, Edomites and Ishmaelites to make an invasion of Egypt, for the purpose of taking vengeance of the Israelites for the defeats they had inflicted upon the children of Esau in a former war under the leadership of Joseph. This expedition, however, suffered a complete defeat, and we find that Balaam returned with Zepho to Chittim, and there remained until tbe death of Zepho, when he departed from Chittim and came to Egypt to Pharaoh, who gladly received him — for he had heard of his great wisdom — and gave him presents and exalted him, and made him one of his chief councillors. Among the num ber of these coimcillors are mentioned Jethro the Midianite and Job the Uzite (Balaam is strangely identified, by the Rabbins, with Elihu the companion of Job.) Balaam no-w dwelt in Egypt in high honor with all the nobles of the realm ¦who made much of him, for they coveted to leam his wis dom. At this time the children of Israel bad greatly iu- creasedand multiplied in iiumbers, and the Egyptians were filled with dread lest the Israelites should resolve on seizing upon the supremacy and should subjugate them; moved by this fear Phar.ioh, at the advice of his councillors, institutdd NOTES. 145 those measures of oppression and persecution spoken of in the first chapter of Exodus. Five years thus passed, and as Pharaoh sat on his throne one day he fell asleep, and dreamed that he saw an old man standing before him holding a pair of scales., and the old man lifted up the scales before Pharaoh, and put all the princes and nobles and great men of Egypt, tied together, into one scale, and he put into the other a sucking kid; and the kid outweighed .all that was in the first scale. When the king awoke, he was troubled at the vision ofhis dream, and called together his wise men and magicians, and rehearsed unto thera his dream, and asked them the in terpretation thereof. And Balaam, -who, with his sons Jannes and Jainbres, was present at the council answered and said: This means nothing else but that a great evil will spring up against Egypt in the latter days. For a son will be born to Israel who will destroy all Egypt and its inhabi tants, and bring forth the Israelites from Egypt with a mighty hand. Now, therefore, O king, take counsel upon this matter, that you may destroy the hope of the children of Israel and their expectation, before this evil arise against Egypt. And the king In dismay said: What shall we do ? All that we have heretofore devised against this people has failed. And Balaam suggested to Pharaoh, that he ask the opinion of his other two chief councillors upon this matter. And the king forthwith did so. Whereupon Jethro the Midianite answered and said: May the king live forever! If it seem good to the king, let hira cease from destroying the Hebrews, and desist from them, and let him not stretch forth his hand against them; but if it be thy will that they shall not dwell in Egypt, send them forth from here, that they may go to the land of Canaan, the land where their an cestors sojourned. And when Pharaoh heard the words of Jethro he was very angry with him, so that he rose with shame from the king's presence, and went to Midian, his land, and took along with him Joseph's stick (which subse quently became the rod of Moses.) Then the king turned to Job the Uzite, and asked his advice. And Job replied: Be hold all the inhabitants of the land are in thy power, let the king do as it seems good in his eyes. Lastly the king said to Balaam: Speak now thy word, that we may hear it. And Balaam said ; Of all that the king has counselled against the Hebrews will they be delivered, and the king will not be able to prevail over thera with any counsel. For if thou thinkest to lessen them by flaming fire, thou canst not pre vail over them; for surely their God delivered Abraham their father from the fire ('Ur) of the Chaldeans, And if thou thinkest to destroy them with the sword; surely Isaac their father was delivered from it, and a ram was placed in his stead. And if, with hard and rigorous labor thou thinkest to lessen them, thou -wilt not prevail even in this; for their father Jacob served Laban in all manner of hard work, and prospered. Now therefore, O king, hear my words, for this is the counsel which is conilselled against them, by which 10 146 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. thou wilt prevail over thera, and from which thou shouldst not depart. If it please the king, let him order all the chil dren which shall be born from this day forward to be thrown into the water, for by this canst thou wipe away their name; for none of them, nor of their fathers, were tried in this manner. And this counsel of Balaam pleased Pharaoh and his princes, and the king immediately had it carried out. But God miraculously saved alive all the Hebrew children that were thrown into the river. During this time Moses was born, and, when a little babe, was rescued from the river and adopted by Bathia, the daughter of Pharaoh ; and when lie was three years old Bathia presented him be fore the king as he sat in state one day, with the queen sit ting beside him, and Balaam with his two sons, and all the princes and wise meu of the realm waiting attendance upon the king. And the child Moses, as he sat in the lap of Bathia alongside of the king, stretched out his hand and took the royal crown from, the king's head, and placed it upon his own head. [Another version of this tradition is that Pharaoh being pleased with the beauty of the child, took him up iu his arms and kissed him, and, to gratify his daughter, play fully took the crown from off his own head and placed it ou thehead of the youthful Moses; but the child eagerly caught at it, and threw it on the ground, and, alighting from Phar aoh's knee, he danced round it and finally trampled it under his feet]. At this the king and his council were greatly shocked; aud the king asked of his councillors, whatshould be t'ne judgment against the boy on account of this act. And Balaam answered the king before the princes, and said: Ee- member now, O my lord aud king, the dream which thou didst dream many days since, and that which thy servant in terpreted unto thee. Now, therefore, this is one of the Hebrew children, in whom is the spirit of God, and let not my lord the king imagine that this young child di 1 this thing ignorantly; for he is a Hebrew boy, and has wisdom and un derstanding, though he be but a child, and with intelligence hi^s he done this, and chosen unto himself the kingdom of Egypt. For this is the manner of all the Hebrews to deceive tings and their nobles, to do all these things cunningly, in order to make the kings of the earth and their men tremjile. And Balaam proceeded to cite various examples of the cunning and trickery practised by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and finally closed by saying: Now therefore, my lord king, behold this child has risen up in their stead in Egypt, to do according to their deeds and to act deceitfully with every king, prince and judge. If it please the king, let us spill his blood upon the groimd, lest he grow up and take away the government from thy hjtnd, and the hope of Egypt perish after he shall have reigned. But the king hesitated, and decided to take further counsel; and by the Providence of God the life of Moseis was spared. When Moses grew up he went; frequent ly to Goshen to visit his brethren the children of Israel, and he observed how they were oppressed, and groaned under NOTES. 147 their burdens. And he asked, wherefore the yoke was press ed so heavily upon their necks ? And they told him all, and informed him of the counsels which Balaam had couiiselletl against them, and also what lie h.id counselled against him in his infancy, in order to have him put to death w-lien he had taken the king's crown from off' his head. And when Moses heard these things his affections were alienated from Pharaoh. and his anger was kindled against Balaam, and he was filled with animosity toward him, and lay in ambush day after day seeking a chance to kill him. And Balaam perceiving that llie young mau Moses was bitter agaiust him, and being afraid of his increasing power, departed with his two sons, Jannes and J.ambres, and fled to the land of Cush to Kllcianns, king of Cush. And about this time Kikianus became in volved in a war with his enemies, and when he left his capi tal city at the head of a mighty army to prosecute the war, he left behind him Balaam as regent during his absence. And while the king was away engaged in war, Balaam con spired against him, and bewitched the people with his en chantments, and persuaded them to rebel against king Kilci- anus, and refuse him admittance when he should return. And the people swore allegiance to Balaam and made him king over them, and his two sons captains of the army; and he then set to work strengthening the city on all sides. On two sides he raised immense walls, on the third side, between the Nile and the city, he dug countless canals or ditches, into which he let the water rush; and on the fourth side he, by means of his magic and enchantment, assembled innu merable serpents. Thus he made the city absolutely impreg nable. When king Kikianus returned from the war, he beheld his capital all fortified, and wondered thereat; but when he was refused admittance, he knew that there was treason. After several unsuccessful attempts to capture the city by as sault, in which he was repulsed with great slaughter, the king then settled doivn to a protracted siege, convinced that the only hope of reducing the -city was by famine. While Kikianus was thus investing his capital city, Moses took refuge in his camp — for he had been compelled to flee for his life from Egypt from Pharaoh who sought to kill him for having slain the Egyptian — and the king received him and treated him with honor and respect, and made him one of his counsellors. Meanwliile the siege protracted itself through nine years, and Kikianus fell sick and died; there upon the chief captains of his army assembled to elect a king, who might carry on the siege with energy, and re duce the city speedily; for they were weary of the long in vestment, and they unanimously elected Moses to be their king, who was now twenty-seven years of age. Directly he was crowned he put into execution a stratagem for capturing the city ; he ordered his soldiers to go into the woods, and c.itch and bring back as many young storks as they could find, and then to rear them and teach them to dart down upon things, after the manner of young hawks. And 143 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. his people carried otit all his instmctions, and when the storks ¦were grown and well trained, he commanded that they should be starved for three days. And when it was the third day, he Eiarshat'ed his army in battle array opposite the side of the city where t'ne serpents were, and then ordered his men to let'loose t'ne storks ; and they did so, and the storks flew up into the air, and Sfiied the serpents, and pounced down upon them, and 'oefore the serpents could flee to their holes they devoiired and destroyed them all. Thereupon the army raised a great shout, aud charged against the city, and took it by storm, aud put the inhabitants to the sword, yet not one of the besieging army was slain. And when Balaam saw that the city was taken, he opened the gate, and he and his two sons and elg'nt brothers made their escape, riding upon a cloud, and returned to Egypt to king Pharaoh, and they were the sorcerers arid magicians who are mentioned in the book of the la->f, as wiibstauding Moses when the Lord brought the places up-an Egypt. When the plague of " grievous hall " smote the land of Egypt, Balaam is said to have disregarded the words of warning Moses uttered, and left his cattle out of doors and improtected, and they were all destroyed by the hail. .Some time after this Balaam departed from Egypt and tookuphis resilience in Mesopotamia. And in the thirty-sixth year of the cliiidren of Israel's departure from Egypt, Sihon ties of the Amorites got into a war with the children of Mc-ab, and he sent messengers unto Beor and Balaam his son, who were then living in Pethor in Mesopotamia, to get them to come and curse Moab in order that he might gain the vic tory over il. And, in compliance with the request, Beor and Baia.'un his son came to the city of Sihon, and cursed the Moabites and their king ; and thereupon Sihon confidently went forth to battle with the Moabites, and the Lord deliv ered them into his hands, and he slew the king of Moab, and took possession of all their cities, and likewise took Hesh- bon from them. Wherefore Beor and Balaam his son, the proverb speakers, uttered these words, saying : " Come unto Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and established. Wc»e unto thee. Moab ! thou art undone, O people of Che mosh." 'Num.' xxi. 27, 29.) As to his person, Balaam is represented as being lame^ and it is said he squinted, or was blind of an eye. Such in brief is tbe P.ab'oinic legendary history of Balaam, up to the period of bis life -si-hen we find him associated with Balak. {Sepher ha-Jasker. See S. Baring-Gould's Legends of the Patri. and Pr.yph.). Mohammedan traditions add comparatively little to the above, they, however, state that Balaam was the son of Ba' ura the son of Ba'ar the son of Aid the son of Marat the son of Ldi (Lot), and was a Canaanite of the city of Balqa, a city of the giants (An.\kim), and that he read the'books of Abraham, where he got the name of God, (Jehovah), by virtue of which he predicted the future, and obtained from God whatever he asfeed; this procurec} him renown far and wide. He is said to NOTES. 149 have been one who "answered the call," that is, professed the religion of the true God, but in consequence, however, of his prevarication, God became angi-y with him, and left him to himself, so that he fell into infidelity. He is supposed to be mentioned in the Koran (iS«ra. vii.). By many Balaam has been identified with the Arabic wise man Lokman, the .^sop of the East. Note 16, Page 21. His very Command. This corresponds very nearly to the use of Jlemra ("the Word") in place of the narae Jehovah by the Targumists. Our author specifies it, a few lines further on, .is meaning the " Agent," or " Agency of the Creator." In the Talmud, wo read, that one of the names applied in Scripture to the Holy Ghost is "Command." (See Deusch's Art. Islam, in the Quarterly Rev. Oct. 1869, page 293.). • Note 17, Page 21. The companion of BiWam. In Num. xxii. 22, we are told that, "his two servants were with him," and these Jewish tradition state were his two sons Jannes and Jambres. {Tar gum of Jonathan). The Mohammedan stoi-y ot how Balaam was induced to accompany the messengers is, that when the people found that Balaam, in obedience to the command of God, refused to go with them, the judges of the people came together and laid a plan to bribe his wife; for they say, she was a holy person (fakh-), and he was wont to listen to her advice; and ten nobles were sent unto her, each one carry ing a gold dish iull of coin, and, when they presented these to her, she came to Balaam and importuned him, saying: Return again unto thy Lord, and ask him to allow thee to aid them, and invoke against theirenemles. And she ceased not until iie consented. But no answer was vouchsafed unto him. Thereupon his wife said to him: Verily thy Lord has left to thee the choice in the matter of invoking against them, for if He allowed thee not, certainly He had expressly inter dicted thee. And upon this lie mounted his ass, and rode away with them. {Kisas el-anbiyd, page 181.). Note 18, Page 21. A place between walls in a field. Rather singularly the Targum of Jonathan has here the following: '• And the angel of tfie Lord stood in a narrow path that was in the midst between the vineyards, in the place where Jacob and Laban raised the mound, the pillar on this side and the watch-tower on that side, that neither should pass the limit to do evil to the other." (Cf. Gen. xxxi. 51). Note 19, Page 22, God put speech on ihe tongue of the animal. The EahhinS hold that there were ten things created after tbe founding of the world at the coming in of the Sabbath between sunset 150 TEE S.lMARIZ.^j.. .^k,^jx \jj.' .iwouluji.. and sunrise, to wit — tho manna; the well; the rod of Moses; the worm Shamir; the rainbow; the cloud of glory; the mouth of the earth; the writing on the tables of the cove nant; the demons; and the speaking mouth of the ass. (Targum, .Ton.). Note 20, Page 23. And he turned away ihe evil eye from them. A belief in the baneful influence and power of the "evil eye" is well nigh universal in the East, and d.-ites from an early antiquity; that the Heb:c-.vs Ukewise believed in this, is shown by such ¦passages as Pruv. xxiii. 6; xxviii. 22; Mark, vii. 22, &c. As to the perpetual dread and fear the modern Orientals have of it, and the charms and other means they resort to, to coun teract and ward off its noxious influence see Lane's Modern Egyptians. Note 21, Page 25. And the kings did what he recommended unto them. In the accouns. ot the children of Israel's faUing into sin through the daughtei-s of Moab, as related in Num. xxv. Balaam is not mentioned as connected in any wise with the event; but thai lie was at the bottom of it and instigated the Moabites thereto is indisputably proved by the frequent references to it in Sc.-iptnres directly connecting him with it; see Num. xxxi. 16; Rev. ii. 14. The circumstances attending Balaam's counseling this plot are more or less fully dwelt upon by various profane authors, all, however, substantially agreeing, in the main f.icts, with the account here found. Josephus says: "Baiak being very angry that the Israelites were not cursed, seni away Balaam, witl. iut thinking him worthy of any honor. ^Vhoreupon, when he was just upon his journey, in order to pass the Euphrates, he sent for Balak and for the princes of the Midianites, and spake thus to them; 'O Balak, and you Midianites that are here present; for I am obliged, even without the will of God, to gratify you. It is true, no entire d ia the Mount for the space of forty days and nights, and in support of this, they cite Ex. xxxii. 30, 31 ; Deus. ix, 9, ) 3 25. Note 33, Page 33. O one who killed the Nil with his rod! This has reference to Moses' smiting with his rod the river of Egypt and turning its waters to blood, so he is here figuratively said to have "killed" the NUe. Note 34, Page 34. Jfi-sa, KalamuH-ldh. This is the title universally applied to Moses by Mohammedans. It means " the one who held direct converse with God." Note 3-5, Page 39. Nabih, anxl his cousin, of the tribe of Manashshah. In the Bible Nabih, or Nobah, as he is there called, is mentioned NOTES. 155 only but once (Num. xxxii, 42), and his genealogy is not stated, but from the connection it is evident that he was a descendant of Manasseh, aud a prominent warrior in his tribe. In Chapter xxxvii. of this Chronicle we have his pedi gree given as " the son ot Gilead, the .vjii of Machir,the son of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, etc." His cousin herespoken of is, iu all probability, Jair who is associated with him in the conquest of Trans-Jotdaiiie towns in Num. .\xxil. 41, 42, and wlio was, as we are told in 1 Chron. ii. 21. -J-i, the'sori of the daughter of M.achir, and therefore first cousin to No bah. According to the Jewish tradition Nobah was bom in Egypt, died after the decease of Moses, and was buried during the passage of the Jordan (Seder Olam Rabba, is). Note 30, Page 43. WJioeverflees away i.i safe, but whoever remains shall perish. There is a story recorded in the Jerusalem Talmud to the effect that, before Joshua proceeded to lead the children of Israel to the conquest of the Holy Land he sent a deputation unto the inhabitants of Canaan to proclaim unto them, " Let whosoever who wonld escape death, leave the country." (Tract. Terumoth). Note 37, Page 44. Rahab the innkeeper. The word translated here "inn keeper " (funduqiyeh) b the same word employed by the Tar gumist (pundekitha) iu Josh. ii. 1, to describe Rahab. Josephus speaks of her only as keeping an inn, and the Jew ish commentators (Kimchi, Jaichi) adopt this vie-n'. Accord ing to St. Matthew i. 4, she subsequently married Salmon, a prince of Judah, and thus became the ancestress of David. The Rabbinic story is, that Kahab was not a Canaanite, but of some other Gentile race, and was only a sojourner in Jeri cho, that she w-as ten years old when the Israelites left Egypt; she played the harlot during the forty years in which the Is raelites were in the desert; she became a proselyte when the spies were received by her, and that after the fall of Jericho. Joshua himself made her his wife, and by him she became the ancestress of the eight prophets Jeremiah, Maaseiah, Hana- meel, Shallum, Baruch, Ezekhiel, Neriah and Seriah, and .also of Huldah the prophetess. (See authorities cited in Kitto' s Bib. Cycl. art. Rahab). Note 38, Page 45. The tablets xohose writing vjas of Divine light. There is a hymn in the Samaritan liturgy which sets forth the belief held by the Samaritans as to the nature of the inscription on the tables of stone, and what is there said sheds considerable light on this phrase. In this hymn (we quote Juynboll) " di- cuntur duae Legis tabulae firrafe fuisse, et conscrlptse digito divino, s. digito ignis ardentis, et fulguris Instar splenduisse, quin pelUicidse fuisse, ita ut qua; ils inseriplie essent, iu parte aversa legi possent" (Notes, p.-ige 229). The Moham- 156 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. med.aii story of the inscribing of the l.aw upon tbe tables, dwells also with particular emr-hasis upon brilliancy of the light accompanying it. The tables upon which God wrote wers fetched from- Paradise by the angel Gabriel, and most of the authorities say they were huge gems. (Compare the statement of the Targum, that they were sapphire stones from the throne of glory. Pseudo-Jon. Ex. xxxi. 18.) And God wrote with a pen of light that was taller than the space between heaven and earth, and the earth glowed with light; and the letters were graven into the tables, so that they coukl be read on both sides. (Kisas el-anbiyd.) Note 39, Page 46. Each one of them should write his name tipon his stone. There is found in the Bible no mention of any inscription whatever being put on these stones; and so far as we are aware, the Samaritans stand alone iu this tradition, as well as in the tradition that Joshua placed in order on Mount Gerizim the twelve stones brought out of the Jordan by the Israelites, where, it is said, they will remain, until el-Muhdy (the Messiah) shall appear, (Robinson's Bib. Res. vol. ii. p. 278.) Note 40, Page 47. The first yearof the first period ofsevenyears of the YubU. The word here translated "period of seven years" is the Hebrew word shemittah ("release"), and is employed to des ignate the period of seven years terminating with the Year ofEelease. Thewords "of theYubil" here mean theperiod of forty-nine years closing with tho year of Jubilee, which consisted of a succession of seven sabbatical years, the year of Jubilee in reality being the fiftieth year. From this we learn that the Samaritans hold that the law in relation to the cultivation of the land for six ye.ars and letting it lie at rest daring the seventh, became obligatory from the very first entrance of the Israelites into the Promised Land, thus liter ally interpreting Lev. xxv. 2, " When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord." The best Jewish authorities, on the other hand, hold, that the law became obligatory fourteen years after the first entrance into the Promised Land, the conquest of which took seven years and the distributiou seven more, then they cultivated it six years, and on the seventh year (I.e., the twenty-fii-st after entering the land), the first sabbatical year was celebrated. Note 41, Page 4S. The sea of el-Qulrij.in. This is the name by which the Red Sea is commonly known to the people of the East, it is de rived from the ancient city Clysma, the site of whicli is near. or at the modem Suez: Qulzum being merely the Arabic form of the same narae. Some Arabic authoi-s, however, say, the sea is so named from the swallowing up, or dro-mn- NOTES. 157 ing of Pharaoh's host; Qulzum being a deiiviitive oiqalzrim which has this signification; or, according to others, from its being hemmed in by mountains, from the same root. Smith's Bib. Diet., art. Red Sea. Note 42, Page 50. I am of the messengers of God, who rule over punishments. In Joshua, v. 14, this angel Is stated as being "captain of the host of the Lord," which, according to Jewish aiigelology would designate the archangel Michael; for they regard the angels as divided into several orders or classes, each d.iss having an archangel at its head, the head or the first cla.ss being Michael, who is therefore chief prince of all the angels. From the expression here used it is evident, thai the S.traari- tans likewise believe that the angels are divided into classes, one class of which preside over the execution of punishments. Probably direct reference is had here to what is said in Ex. xxiii. al, concerning the angel that the Lord said He would send to accompany the children of Israel, it being there im plied that he was au angel who punished transgressions. Note 43, Page 52. Ancient Yariha; and this city vias devoted, destroyed, burn ed and converted into a mound, never to he built vp, or re stored, throughout eternal ages. In the Bible — Joshua viii. 23 — we read: " And Joshua burnt Ai. and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day." It is a significant fact, worthy to be noted, that the Chronicle before us makes no mention whatever of Ai. The account here given of the destruction of Jericho Is evidently founded upon Deut. xiii. 16, " And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof, every whit, for the Lord thy God : and it shall be an heap for ever; it sh.all not be built again." Note 44, Page 53. And he fo'md therein a goodly thing of gold, and a tongue oft/old. their loeight vias 22-o0 mithqals. Joshua vii. 21. in the Hebrew text, reads: " amonc the spoil a goodly mantle of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a tongue of gold of fiftv shekels weight " The Septua gint has: "an embroidered mantle." The Vulgate: "a scarlet garment exceeding good." Josephus: " a royal gar ment woven entirely of gold, and a piece of gold that weighed two hundred shekels." An Arabic mithqal is equal to about 72 English grains. Note 45, Page 53. Andupon himwere the jewels. And the jewel which was inscribed with the name of Tahndah grew black. What is here said coincides directly with the general belief held by 158 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. the Jewish Rab'nins, that the Urim.and Thummim were ident ical with th-? t welve precious stones on the breastplate of the liighpriest on which the names of the tribes of Israel were engraved, and that the mode in which Divine communication was given was by the intensity or obscuration of the light shining forth frora a gem. Josephus gives expression to the same tradition, though he apparently identifies theUrim and Thummim with the sardonyxes on the shoulders of the epliod, yet he .agrees fully as to the way in w-hich an oracle was given. (Antiq. iii. bk. 8, chap. 9). Note 43, Page 55. And in Wady el-Mz'ijib.- Wliat is here referred to is more fully explained in Chap, xiii, where, in enumerating the var ious miracles that God had performed for the children of Israel, it is said : " He closed up the two mountains of the valley el-M-ijIb (Amoa), that thou mightest pass over safely." The legend of a miracle iiaving been wrought at the passage of the Anion is very old, and is founded upon that most ob scure citation from " The Book of the wars of Yahweh " con tained In Num. xxi. 14, which our English Authorized Ver sion, following the Jewish intei-pretation and the Vulgate, render: " What He did in the Red Sea, and in the brooks of Arnon. In explanation of this last clause, the Targum. of Jonathan, giving the Jewish legend, says: "That the Edo mites and Moabites hid themselves in the mountains to lie in wait for and destroy Ihe people of the house of Israel ; but the Lord of the world gave a signal to the mountains and they came together each to each, and they died, and their blood flow-ed in the valley close to Amon." This it will be perceived differs from the Samaritan account in stating that the moun tains enclosing the valley were miraculously brought together rather for the purx)ose of destroying the enemies of Israel, than that they themselves might have an easy and safe way of getting across this deep valfey. In all probability the latter version of the legend arose from the deep, precipitous and almost impass.ib'e nature of this valley, which it was sup posed the children of Israel could not have crossed without Divine .aid. A modei-n eminent geographer, speaking of the canon of el-Mfljib, says: "So wild a production of nature as the Amon fissure was undoubtedly well adapted iu ancient times to foi-m a powerful frontier It would he diffi cult to determine how the people of Israel in the time of Mo ses were able to overcome so powerful a natural and political barrier. It cannot be supposed that a whole nation, migrating •with all its possessions, including numerous flocks and herds, would expose itself without necessity to the dangers and enormous difficulties of crossing so fe.arfully wild and deep a valley, for the purpose of penetrating into an enemy's coun try the Israelites most probably took the road higher up— that is, farther to the east — and thus avoided the deep precipices of the Amon." (RUter). NOTES. 159 Note 47, Page 56, The blessed mountain. This is Mount Gerizim, the holiest spot on earth to the Samaritans, the fci6?e7i toward w-hich they pray. Here, they believe, was the seat of Paradise, from which all the streams that watered the earth flowed forth; Adam had been formed out of Its dust, and had lived upon It — the seven steps of stone used by Adara in coming out of Paradise, are still pointed out on Its sunimlt; here he built his first altar, and, later, hero was raised Setli's altar. This was, indeed Mount Ararat, higher by 15 cubits than Mount Ebal — the next highest and next holiest mountain in tin; world, it was the one pure and sacred spot which, haviii,^ risen above the waters of the flood, no corpse had defiled; here Noah came out from the ark, and built his altar, and offered up his sacrifice; this was the mount upon which Abi-ahani laid his son Isaac on the altar to offer hiia up; on the suni- nilt of Gerizim Jacob rested his head when he saw tbe ladder in his dream, with the angels of God ascending and descend ing on it, and where upon awaking he said : " this is none other but the house of GJod (Beth-el), and this is the gate of heaven; " from this sacred spot were uttered the blessings that Moses commanded, and here Joshua reared his altar, and in later days built a temple; in its iinineiliafe neigliborhood lie burled Joseph, Eleazer, Ithamar, Phinehas. Joshua the son of Nfln, Caleb and the seventy Ancients; here stood the Beit el-Muqaddas (the holy house) of the .Samaritans for centuries until destroyed by the .Jews; on this spot will first appear the Messiah, and bring from tlieir hiding-place in the Mount the sacred vessels of the tabernacle of Moses. In this Chronicle Gerizim is commonly called Tur-bertk "Blessed Mount," or "Mount of Blessing," so styled, no doubt, from the circumstance that the blessings were pro nounced from its summit. (Deut. xxvii. 12). Note 48, Page 56. Qiryah. This abbreviated form of Kirjath-jearira is met with once in the Bible, Joshua xviii. 28. In the Bible we find four cities mentioned by narae in this connection, (Jos. ix. 17), he.e the city Chephirah is omitted. Note 49, Page 58. Ka-sahah. Probably the same city as is called Azekah in the Hebrew. Its site has not as yet been identified, and we are in utter ignorance as to what the later name of the place might have been. Note 50, Page 59. Mahzun. The identification of this place is a difficult matter. Possibly the word Mahzun is a corruption of Ma.'^e- ron, the name found in the LXX- (Joshua, xi. 8) in the place of Misrephoth-maim. Juynboll, howevei-, inclhies to the opinion that jt is a corruption of Meirun, the name of the. 160 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. town lying some two hours distant, W.N. W. fromSafed; and Conder reads Maharun, and suggests that it is identi cal with the modern village of el-Mahruneh near Dothau, {Pal Explor. Fund, Quar. Statement, 1875, p. 187). Note 51, Page 60. They celebrated a grand feast. It is worthy to be noted that this Chronicle — as does also Josephus— places the so lemnization of this festival after the successful conquest of the Holy Land; while, on the other hand, the text of the can onical Book of Joshua, as it now stands, places it directly after the capture of Jericlio and Ai, (Jos. viii. 30-35), before in fact the Israelites had arrived at Mount Gerizim, and when this whole region was still in the hands of the enemy. One is compelled to believe these vei-ses in the viiith chapter of .Joshua are not in their proper setting, but are dislocated, and that they should be transferred to the end of chapter xl. where they seem to naturally and consistently belong. (See The Speaker's Comment, ad loco). Note 52, Page 65. Jn it ivere marvellous indicatory signs- The Jews likewise set great store by the study of the Law, and attribute to it similar virtues. Their Phylacteries and Mezuzahs, as is we'.l known, are considered to possess miraculous powers in ward ing off evil spirits, diseases, death, and many other dire ca lamities. Particularly do the Jews lay emphasis on the idea that the devout study of the Law will insure long life to the student. Note 53, Page 67. The district embracing the excellent mountain. It is , rather remarkable that here Caleb is associated with Joshua in the possession of the district embracing Mount Gerizim, when in the canonical Book of Joshua we are informed that he had assigned to him Hebron for an inheritance. As to Joshua's possession, both Jewish and Samaritan tradition agree in placing it at or near Shechem — Josephus says that, Joshua " lived in Shechem " (bk. v. 2S). In opposition to this, the attempt in modem times to identify Joshua's city Timnath-serah (orHeres) with the present villageofTibneh, situated far south of Shechem in the moim tains of Ephraim, is not very satisfactory. Note 54, Page 69. Their enemies were far removed from them and dispersed throughout the regions of the earth. Various profane writers corroborate this statement and give testimony to the expul sion of the Canaanites from the Holy Land and their migra tion to other regions. Moses of Chorene, the Armenian his torian, says: "^Vhen he (i.e., Joshua) was destroying the NOTES. 161 Canaanites, some fled to Agra, and sought Tharsis in ships. This appears from an inscription, carved on pillars in Africa, which is extant even in our own time, and is of this purport: ' We, the chiefs of the Canaaidtes, fleeing from Joshua the Robber, have come hitherto dwell.' " (Hist. Armen. i. IS). Procopius, the historian and secretary to Belisarius, in his description of Tigisis (Tangiers) a city of Numidia, relates the same fact, his words are: " Here there are two columns, made of white stone, near the great fountain, having carved upon them Phoenician letters, which read thus in the language - of the Phcenicians: ' We are they who fled from the face of Joshua the Robber, the son of Nun.' " {Z)e Bello Vandalico, ii. 10). This is clearly the language of an eye-witness. Pro copius, it must be remembered, had accompanied Belisarius to Africa. Suidas the Lexicographer mentions the same in his Dictionary under the word— Canaan. {Rnidinson's Hist. Evidences, p. 86). There is a story, preserved in Rabbinical legends, which represents that -^I'hen Alexauder the Great arrived In Palestine, the Gergesenes, or Girgashites, who had fled to Africa, came to plead their cause before him against the Israelites, for having expelled them aud wrongfully taken possession of their territory. Note 55, Page 70. Shaubak. This king is here stated to be the son of H.^mam the son R'awan, king of the Persians; but in Ch.-ip. xxxvii. his genealogy is carried back further, and he is there said to he a descendant of Filt (Phut), the son of Ham, the son of Nilh (Noah). Outside of Jewish and Samaritan tradition we know nothing whatever about him, or his war with Joshua. In the lists of tlie kings of Persia no such name occurs. Ac cording to the account of him found In the book Juchasinhe was the king of Armenia Minor, or that part of ancient Ar menia lying to the west of the river Euphrates. The name was probably not uncommon in the East In former times ; for we read that in David's time the captain of the host of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, bore the narae Shobach. One of the leaders of the people in the timeof Nehemiah was named Shobek; and there is a town in .Arabia Petraea at the present day -which bears the name Shlbek. Note 56, Page 70. The son ofYdfet the giant. In the next chapter this son of Japheth is said to have had "a thunderbolt of steel," and to have been accompanied by certain kings who possessed "instruments and implements of war, which they had inher ited from their grandfather Nflh (Noah)." The book Jucha- sin, in its description of him, makes no mention of his having a thunderbolt, but only says of him that, he was a giant and could wield his ppear against an indefinite number of men. Ill the book of Genesis (chap. x. 2) we read that Japheth had seven sons. Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tub.il, Me- u 162 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSIIUA. shech and Tiras. Mohammedan legends ascribe to him eleven sons; (1) Sin, the ancestor of the Chinese; (2) Scklab, tlie an cestor of the Sclavonian races; (3) Magog, the ancestor of the .Scyiithians and Kalmtiths; (4) Gomari, the ancestor of the Franks; (5) Turk and (6) Khalos, the ancestors of the Turks; (7) Khozaz, the ancestor of the Khozaraiis; (S) Rus, the an cestor of the Russians; (9) Souff.an, (lO).Ghoy and (11) Tar- p.g. the ancestors of the 'Turcomans. The Moslem writers b:ate that he was the eldest son of Noah, and that upon coming out of the ark Noah gave him a miraculous stone, upon wliich -nas written the great name of God, and which enabled him thereafter to cause rain at pleasure — the Turks say that, by means of this stone, Noah was able to guide the course of tlie ark without sail or oars. They ascribe to the sous and descendants of Japheth great wisdom, but say that no prophet was ever born among them. Note 57, Page 70. el^Qaimi'm. This is the modem Tell Qaimfln, a command ing eminence standing at the eastern termination of Mount Carmel, and overlooking the broad plain of Esdraelon. Dr. Robinson describes it as follows : " From the southern end of the mountain (Carmel), and along its eastern base, comes down a narrow valley, Wady el-Milh, which separates Carmel from the lower rounded hills, that stretch off southeast as far as to Lejjun Tell Kaimon is on the eastern side of Wady el-Mllh, at its mouth as it enters the plain ; and is t'ne northwestern termination of the hills which stretcli off south east. The position is conspicuous and important ; command ing the main pass from the western portion of Esdrselon to the more southern plain. The name refers us at once to the Cammona of Eusebius and Cimana of Jerome, situated in the great plain, six Roman miles north of Legio (el-Lejjun), on the way to Ptolemais. This is precisely the position of Tell Kaimon." Dr. R. also identifies this place with the ancient Jokneam of Carmel, where dwelt one of the Canaanitish kings in the time of Joshua (Jos. xii. 22), and adds the remark : "The position is sufficiently important for the site of a kingly city." (Bib. Res. Vol, iii. p. 114, 115). Note 58, Page 71. 0 murdering wolf. The reading in the book Juchasin is "O wolf of the evenings" (comp. Jer. v. 6), i. e., the vora cious wolf that prowls at night. The book Shalsheleth Hak- kabbalah likewise has the same reading (p. 96). Note 59, Page 71. Thirty cities. This does not agree with the text of the canonical Book of Joshua, where their number is given as "thirty nnd one" (chap. sli. 24). The LXX, on the other hand, here reads " twenty-nine ! " NOTES. . 163 Note60, Page73. Merj Baldtd. ("the Meadow of BaUta"). This is the great plain stretching east from the mountains Gerizim and Ebal : its modern Arabic name is Mukhna. Close to the foot of Mount Gerizim, on the edge of the plain, stands the pres ent ruined hamlet of Balilta, this site the Samaritans call "The Holy Oak" or "The Tree of Grace," identifying it with the spot where stood iu ancient days the "Oak of Shechem" (or Moreh). In Chapter xxix we find this same plain called "the hallowed (orpurc) plain," and in Chapters xxxix and xlvii the terra Meij el-Baha " Meadow of Beauty " is applied to it. Note 61, Page 75. Khalllu'l-ldh ("the Friend of God"). This is the name by which Abraham is known among Mohammedans and tho Arabic speaking peoples of the East. The title is often abbreviated to simply elKhalil "the Friend," and as such it is employed as the modern name of the city of Hebron. As a title applied to Abraham it is vei-y old, being common among the ancient Hebrews (see 2 Chron. xx, 7 ; Is. xii. 8 ; James, ii. 23). Note 62, Page 78. And another lifted up on his five fingers five kings of cities, even Sadum (Sodiim) Though the num ber of the cities of the plain were indeed five (Gen. xiv. 2,) still we are told in Deut. xxix. 23 — and the same is implied in Gen. xix. 21 — that only four of them were overthrown and destroyed. In the Book of Wisdom, however, it is stated that the five cities were destroyed (Chap. x. 6), and with this Josephus agrees ; for he says " the shadowy traces of the flve cities are still to be seeu " (B. J. iv. 8. 4). The story here mentioned as to the part the angel took in the destruction of the ctti^ is imdotibtedly connected w-ith the Mohammedan tradition of the event, which recites that, the angel Gabriel was ordered by God to destroy these cities, and that he went down and thrust his wing under four of them — some accounts say seven — and uprooted them, and bore them aloft on th3 feathers of his wing, and carried them so high tliat the inhabitants of heaven heard their cocks crowing and their dogs barking, and held them there .until morning, and then turned them upside down and cast them to the earth, and rained upon them stones baked in Hell-fire^ each stone being inscribed with the name of the person it should kill. (See Sale's Koran, vol. iL p. 29 ; Kisas el-anbiyd, p. 80 ; Mer rick's Hydt ul-Kuldb, p. 275). The Talmud likewise asso ciates the angel Gabriel vrtth the destruction of Sodom.' (Bab. Mez. 86 6.). Note 63, Page 81. The sea,, of darkness. According to the cosmogony of the Arabs the continents and islands of the earth are believed to be surrounded by " the Circumambient Ocean" (el-Bahr el- 164 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. MuJitt), which ocean is described as bounded by a chain of mountains called Qaf, which was said to be composed of green clinsolite, the brilliancy of which imparts a greenish hue to the s'iv. Scattered over this oceau were imknown regions and innumerable islands, the abode of Jinns (Genii), and here was the throne of Iblis (the Devil). The remote western portion of the Muhit was called "the Sea of Dark ness," adjoining which lay the region of darkness, so called because of its horrors, terrors aud difficulties. Note 64, Page 87. Trumpets of clamor, i. e., trurapets of alarm, signal trum pets on which alarms were sounded. The Arabic here is an ex.-.ot rendering of the Hebrew words shophroth hayyovllm (Josh, vl.), which in the Authorized Version, following the interpretation of the Rabbins, are translated "trumpets of rams^ homs,"but which should rightly be translated "trum pets of jubilee," or "alarm-trumpets." Note 65, Page 87, el-Lejjun- The modem Arabic form of the name of the ancient city,Legio, mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome, and situated on the western border of the great plain of Esdrselon. Dr. Robinson has identified it with the site of the more ancient Megiddo of the Old Testament (Bib. Researches, vol. iii. p. lis). It lies six Roman miles distant from el-Qaimun, where were encamped the forces of the enemy, cf. Note 57. Note 66, Page 91. Fire ! Fire '. ! no rest and no repose I . The word " Fire " Is used here by metonymy for "war," a thing of frequent occurrence in the Oriental languages, and the whole expres sion is a stirring and impassioned utterance on the part of Nabih, intended to arouse his army to the highest pitch of zeal in hastening to the succor of Joshua. Juynboll, how ever, translates this phrase quite differently, his rendering being : " ignem, ignem (largiatur Deus), nullus viae est dux, nuUus locus quietis!" Note 67, Page 91. The great meadow. The plain of Esdraelon, the modern Arabic name of which is Metj ibn 'Amir ' ' the Meadow of the son of 'Amir." Note 68, Page 92, O NabtJi, what is the matter with thee that thou barkest f. There is a play here upon words which it is impossible to bring out in the translation, the word tanbahu, " thou barkest" being used as a play upon the name Nabih. NOTES. ' 165 Note 69, Page 94. The west wind was returning each missile unto its hurler. A mir.acle similar to this is related in the Moslem traditions concerning Mohammed. Thestory runs that: "Atthe battle of Afizdb, Abilsufieedn ordered a division of seven thousand archers to dischaige their arrows in a simultaneous volley at Mohammed's army. This order coming lo the ears of the Musidmaiis caused much terror and alarm among them; but the prophet waved his victorious sleeve in the air, and when the volley was discharged God sent a wind whichdrove each arrow back to pierce and wound its master!" (Merrick's Hydt ul-KuU'ib, p. 177). Note 70, Page 94. Until tlie fiorses plunged in blood up to tlieir nostrils. The sarae thing is related by the Talmudists to have occurred at the capture of Bether, in the Jewish revolt under Hadrian, A. D. 135 ; for they tell ns that so great was the slaughter there that "the horses waded up to their mouths in blood." (Miinter, Biblioth. Sac. 18-13, p. 440). Compare Rev. xiv. 20. Note 71, Page 93. Ythh'd the son of Nun reigned forty-five years. In the Bible we are not informed as to the length of Joshua's, admin istration. Josephus (Ant. v. 1. 29), gives the number of years that Joshua ruled Israel as twenty-five, but according to other Jewish chronologers it was tw-enty-seven years, Eusebius {'Proepar. Evany, 'x. 14) states that some assigned thirty years to it, while on the other hand some chronologers liave endeavored to reduce the period to twenty-one years, and others to seventeen years, and still others to seven years. Note 72, Page 99. Merj el-Bahd (Meadow of Beauty). See note 60. In the Samaritan Version of the Pentateuch, Gen. xii. 6, this plain is called "the Plain of Vision," and the Vulgate here reads "convaUe-n illustrem," which seems to be quite closely allied to the naime Merj el-Baha. Note 73, Page 99. Abil, the son of the brother of Kalab. By Abil is undoubt edly here meant Othniel, the sou of Keiiaz, Caleb's younger brother, who, we are told in Judges iii. 9, was the first judge over the children of Israel after the death of Joshua. The leii<^th of his rule is here stated to have been nine years. The book of Judges does not inform us how long his administra tion lasted, but Chap. ui. 11, seems to imply that it extended through a period of forty years. Note 74, Page 99. Kefr Ghuweirah. Its more modern name is ' Awertah. In 166 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. Joshua xxiv. 30 the place is called " Timnath-serah," and in Judges ii, 0 it is given as " Timnath-heres." In later times it became known by the name of "Kefr Heres." The pres ent littl:; village, which marks the site of the ancient city, lies but a few miles soutli of Nabulus on the range of hills which skirt the plain of Mukhna toward the west. Jews and Samaritans alike unite in identifying this as the place where Joshua and Caleb were burled, and there are Jewish tradi tions to the effect that the sepulchre of Joshua was once adorned with an image of the sun in memory of the miracle at Ajalon, and to indicate that it was the tomb of the man who had caused the sun to stand still. The Septuagint and also the Arabic Version of Saadias add to Josh. xxiv. 30 the' statement that in the sepulciire of Joshua were deposited the flint knives with which the c'nildren of Israel were circum- cized at Gilgal. See Note 53, and 77. Note 75, Page 99. Tarfi'a of the tribe of Afrim. This leader, who is said to have waged war with the king of Ammon, is probably to be identified with Jephthah the Gileadite who conducted the war against the children of Ammon, though their names are not at all similar and the former is said to have been of the tribe of Ephraim, while the latter was a Gileadite. Note 76, Page 101. He died and was buried in that place. " The tomb of Phinehas, a place of great resort to both Jews and Samarit ans, is shown at 'Aioertah, four miles S. E. of Nablus. It stands in the centre of the -village, inclosed within a little area or compound, which is overshadowed by the thickly- trellised foliage of an ancient vine. A small mosque joins the wall of the compound. Outside the village, on the next hill, is a larger inclosure, containing the tombof Eleazar, and a cave ascribed to Elijah, overshadowed by two venerable terebinth trees, surrounded by arcades, and forming a retired and truly charming spot. The local tradition asserts that 'Awm-tah and its neighborhood are the ' Hill of Phinehas'." (Smith's Bib. Diet. vol. iii. p. 2513). See note 74. - Note 77, Page 101, 'Uzi, the la.st of the vicegerents of the Lord. According to 1 Chron. vi. .5, 6, 51 ; Ezr. vii. 4, Uzzi was the son of Bukki the son of Abishua the son of Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, thus making him the sixth high-priest from Aaron. The Samaritans, on the other hand, make him the seventh high-priest, their list having the narae Sisi inserted as the son of Abishua and father of Bnkki (Chron. of Abu'l Fath). Note 78, Page 10-2. The books of Bila'dm. Various Rabbinic traditions make mention of the writings of Bala.am. One is to the effect that NOTES. 167 the account of him in the book of Numbers was written by himself, and that Moses extracted it from his writings and inserted it bodily in the Pentateuch. Another alleges that the " wise men frora the east" of Matt. ii. were disciples of his school, and had acquired their knowledge of the star of the Messiah from a study of his books. Note 79, Page 103. El-Miat, i. e., " the one hundred," and el-Miatai means " the two hundred." Fer'ata, i. e., " branching out." This is the ancient city Pirathon, mentioned in Judg. xii. 15 as the burial-place of Abdon the son of Hillel, and situate " in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalebites. " The present village stands , upon an eminence or " Tell," six miles S. S. "W. of N&bulus, and about a mile and a half off the road leading from the latter place to Yafa by way of Hableh (Rob. Researches, vol. iii. p. 134). Note 80, Page 104. The year 361 This number is undoubtedly an error, and it should be 261 to agree with the statements made in Chapters XXXVIII and XXXIX. Note 81, Page 105. Then he turned to look again, and could find neither cave nor sign nor writing. The tradition concerning the hiding of the sacred vessels of the temple is a common one to .Jews, Samaritans and Mohammedans, though each connect the cir cumstance with a different person and time. The subject is an interesting one, and it may be well to here give some of these stories of this event, in order that it may be seen wherein they agree and wherein they differ. The Jews have several different versions of the story, the one found in 2 Mace. 11, is the raost authentic, and there we read that, "It is also found in the records, that Jeremy the prophet being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God. And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the alter of incense, and so stopped the door. And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it. Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, 'As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather His people again together, and receive them unto mercy. Then shall the Lord show them these things, and the glory of the Lord shall appear, and the cloud also, as It was showed unto Moses, and as when Solomon desired that the place might Ue honorably sanctified ' " Another vei-sion of the same story is contained in f.lie work entitled J)e Viiis Prophetarum, falsely attributed to S. Epiphanius. this runs 168 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. that, " Before the destruction of Jemsalem, he (Jeremiah) hid the ark of the covenant in a rock, which opened for the purpose, and closed upon it. Then said he to the princes of the people and to the elders : ' The Lord has gone up from Sinai, but He will come again with His sacred power. And this shall be the token of His coming, — all nations shall bow before the Wood.' Then the prophet continued: 'None of the priests and prophets shall open ihe aik, except Moses, the elect of God; and Aaron shall alone unfold the tables it contained. At tiie Resurrection, the ark shall arise out of the rock first of all, and it shall be placed upon Mount Zion. Then all the saints will go there and .await the Lord, and they will put the enemy to flight who seeks their destruction.' Having said these words, he traced with his finger the name of God upon the rock, and the name remained graven there as if cut with iron. "Then a cloud descended upon the rock and hid it, and no mau h.as seen it since. It is in the desert, amongst the moimtains, where are the tombs of Moses and Aaron. At night a cloud of fire shines above the spot." (6- Baring-Gould's Legends of the Patri. and Proph. p. 437-) Avery different version of this tradition, found in the Apoc- ali/pse of Baruch, introduces an angel as the chief actor, in stead of Jeremiah. Shortly before the destruction of Jeru salem, it goes on, this heavenly being descended to Jerusalem, alighting on the Temple, to save it. Having prepared the Tabernacle, the Ephod of the High Priest, the Ark, the Two Tables of Stone from Sinai, the Golden Robes of the High Priest, the Altar of Incense, the Urim and Thummim, and the holy vessels, for removal, he carried them to a secret place, and cried with a loud voice, " O earth, earth, earth ! hear the word of the mighty Lord, and receive what I commit to thee, and keep it to the end of the times, to restore It again when thou art commanded, that the stranger get not possession of these things. For the tirae will come -ivheu Jerusalem shall arise again, to endure forever!" Then the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up all. (Geikie's Life of Christ, vol. i. p. 3S5). The Samaritan tradition as here given is, so far as I am aware, the only one current among tl'.em. A late traveler in Palestine gives an account of an interesting interview at Nabulus with the present High Priest of the Samaritans, Jacob by name. Among other things the High Priest touched upon this very tradition, and recited it sn'ostantially as we find it in the Chronicle. He said, " The first and only real temple was built on Mount Gerizim, and Uzziah (Uzzi) while once officiating in it, suddenly found himself in darkness and in a cave. Then God had hira take no the ark, with the two tables of the law, and put thera iu this cavern ; then the golden candlestick, the table of shew- bread, the allar, the laver and all the temple vessels. When he went out, tlie cavern's door was closed and a Hebrew in scription appeared above it. Again Uzziah (Uzzi) looked, and the inscription was gone, and so was the temple and every vestige of its existence. No one now knows where are the NOTES. 169 avera and all these things. Some time or other God will reveal them all again, when the prophet like unto, but not greater than, Moses, shall appear, from either the tribe of Joseph or of Levi, the two tribes represented by High Priest Jacob's followers; but frora which tribe, their inleipreters ¦ were not agreed " (Shepard, Christian Thought, Fourth Series, 1886, p. 378). Josephus has fallen into au" egrec;ious error — if the text as we now have it is correct — when he'says (Antiq. . xviii. 4, 1) that the Samaritans hold to the belief that, Moses hid the sacred vessels in Mount Gerizim. The Motiaminedan version of this tradition is to be found in el-Mas'iidi's Miin'ij ; ez-Zaliab, wo read here that, "The head and adininistrator of • the affairs of the children of Israel, after Yflsh'a, wa.s Kileb ; Ben Yflfenna, and after hira Fiiiehas Ben el-'OzIr Ben Harun (Aaron) Ben ' Amran, who was twenty years the judge of the Israelites. He put the books of Moses into a copper vessel, shut its opening with lead, and took it to the rock of the temple of Jerusalem. This was before the temple was built. The rock split, and in the cavity so formed another projecting rock presented itself. When Finehas had placed the vessel upon this rock, the cavity closed, and was as before " (Spreu- ger's translation, p. 100). Note 82, Page 107. TTie Gate of Paradise. Juynboll, in his notes, takes this as referring to the whole Laud of Palestine, but I ara inclined to believe it is applied .specifically to Mount Gerizira; for in one of the letters written by the Saraaritans of Nabulus in the latter part of the 17th century, to their stipposed brethren in England, we find the following: "In the name of the Lord God, the Great King, the God of Israel, who sent Moses according to the great Book, and through him set apart to himself his people Israel, and revealed the holy Mt. Gerizim, the house of God, the mount of heritage and of the divine presence ; the great place which God hath chosen, whose name is the Gate of Heaven, as it was said by our fatlier Jacob-Israel: 'This is none other but the house of God, and . this is the gate of heaven' — Gen. xxviii. 17." The terra " Gate . of Paradise" being used in the Chronicle as a simple eqiiiva- , lent for "Gate of Heaven." ; Note 83, Page 108. This erring man was of the tribe of Itamar (Ithamar) ; The direct genealogy of Eli is not given in the Bible, but from a comparison of such passages as 1 Kings, il. 27; 1 Chron. ' xxiv. 3, 6; 2 Sam. viii. 17, it is proved that he was .i descend ant of Ithamar. On this subject Josephus says: "Now Eli was the first of the family of Ithamar, the other son of Aaron, that had the government, for the family of Eleazar officiated as high priest at first, the son still receiving that honor from the father which Eleazar bequeathed to his son Phineas, after whom Abishua his son took the honor, and delivered it to his son whose narae was Bukki, from whora his son Ozi 170 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. received it; after whom Eli, of whom we have been speak ing, had the priesthood, and so he and his posterity until the time of Solomon's reign; but then the posterity of Eleazur reassumed it." (Antiq, v. 11. 5). Note 84, Page 109. " I am one to whom to serve a hoy is impo.ssible " The Samaritans contend that Uzzi was the lawful high priest, in the direct line of Phinehas and the seventh from Aaron, to whom, though yet a boy of but twelve years, Eli ought to have given up the liigh-prlesthood, aud because he did not, but usurped the office — being a Levite, of the right tribe, but not of the right family — God slew him and his sons in the days . of Samuel. The Jewish Rabbis, on the other hand, allege that the transfer of the chief-priesthood from the family of Eleazar to that of Ithamar was in fulfilment of a Divine judgment upon the house of Phinehas because of the share he had in tbe sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter, for, being the hig'n priest at that time, he connived at her being offered up as a burnt offering. Note 85, Page 109. And he ofi'ered up offering on the altar without salt. Eli_ is here charged with having willfully violated an ordinance of the Mosaic law which enjoined that salt should be used with every offering, (Lev. ii. 13, comp. Ezek. xliii. 24; Mark ix. 49). Note 86, Page 109. And there were collected to him a multitude in Seilun According to the account found in the Bible, (Josh, xviii. 1), Shiloh had been established the sanctuary of the Lord, and the ark of the covenant deposited there, upon the first occupation of the Laud of Canaan by the children of Israel after their conquest; of it, and that here was erected the tabemacie (or "temple," 1 Sam. i. 9) of the Lord. The Samaritans, however, deny this, and assert that Mount Ger izim was ever the only and true sanctuary of Jehovah, and in the temple that Joshua himself built upon it were de posited the ark of the covenant and the sacred vessels of the tabemacie of Moses, and that Shiloh became a place of notoriety only after Eli had, impiously and rebelliously, set np there his rival shrine, and " organized matters for himself in it on the model of the temple," the true and sacred temple which stood upon the "Blessed Mount." Note 87, Page 109. And erected in it one altar. In the Mosaic law command ment was given that there should be two altars in the taber nacle: the Altar of Burnt-Offering or Brazen Altar, and the Altar of Incense or Golden Altar. EU is here accused of having acted in direct violation of this law in setting up only NOTES. 171 one altar in his sanctuary at Shiloh. In the beginning of this ch.apter uientipn is made of a " stone altar " upon which the priests were wont to offer up sacrifices; this refers to the stone altar which had been erected on Mount Gerizim (v. Samaritan Pentateuch) in accordance w-ith the command of Moses — Deut. xxvii. In the Samaritan Pentateuch, more over, there is added an eleventh to the list of Command- . ments in Ex. x.x, which specifically commands the building of this altar. Note 88, Page 109. Sdmiil (Samuel) of the tribe of Hartim (Aaron), the Liwanite (Levite.) From what is here said it is seen tliat the Samar- ¦ itans hold that Samuel was a regular priest by descent frora Aaron. In the Bible Sainuel's descent is involved in con siderable obscurity. We read in 1 Sam. i. 1 that his father Elkanah was an Ephrathite or Ephraimite, while iu 1 Cor. vi. it is stated that he was a descendant of Korah the Levite, thus making hira a Levite, but not of tlie family of Aaron, as the Samaritan account does. Note 89, Page 110. This is a son whom I have received in fulfilment of a desire. JuinboU in his translation renders this sentence thus: " HIc Puer est, quem (turpi) libidine (inflammatus) accepi," and in an explanatory note adds, " Pater testatur, eum Filium esse, quem acceperat secmiduin appetitum. id cst, quem generans, solum cogitasset appetitum libidlnosuin." In support of this rendering he cites some authorities to prove that such is the meaning of the Ar.abic words employed by the author of the Chronicle. Note 90, Page 110. Beit Jibril (or Jibrin), is the name of the modern village lying S. W. of Jerusalem on the way to Gaza. Elaborate ancient ruins are found here, and Dr. Robinson has identi fied this site with the Betogabra mentioned by Ptolemy and the Eleutheropolis of Eusebius (Bib. Res. vol. ii. p. 57, etc.) Dr. Thomson is of the opinion that it is identical with the ancient " Gath of the Philistines," the native city of Goliath (The Land and The Book— Southern Palestine, p. 214. etc) Note 91, Page 112. Beit A. . The text in the original is here defective, and it is Impossible to tell what name was originally written. In 2 Kind's xxv. 6 it is stated that Zedekiab the king was taken to Riblah, and there had his eyes put out. but whether the place here mentioned has any connection withRiblahornot, we do not know. Note 92, Page 112. Regarding the earth's refusing her crops and .fndts ; for when the fruit promised well, the destroying blight would 172 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. waste it. In 2 Kings xvii, an account is given of Israel's being carried away in captivity into Assyria, and the repeo- pling of Samaria with colonists from Cuthhah, Ava, Hamath and Sepharvaim, and that the Lord sent a plague of lions among these new settlers, but nothingis said about any blight having destroyed the crops or fruits of the land. Josephus says that they were smitten with a plague or pestilence which destroyed them, aud for which they could find no cure (Antiq. ix. 14. 3), Note 93, Page 114. Sanballat the Liwanite. By Abul' Fath he is called a Yilnani L e. a Grecian; by Josephus, a Cuthean i. e. of the stock of the imported Samaritans; and in Neh. ii. 10. 19 we are told that he was a Horonite which by Gesenius is taken to mean an inhabitant of the Moabite town of Horonaim, but by Fnrst as derived from Horon, i. e. (Upper) Beth- horon. Possibly our author styles him a Levite out of a simple desire to attach greater honor to the name of a revered champion of the Samaritans. Note 94, Page 114. The books which Zorobabil has are a lie atid a fraud, el- Mas'fidi in the 5th. chap, of his Muriij ez-Zahab, in refer ence to this subject, remarks as follows : " el-Bokhta Nassar (Xebuchadnezzar), the governor of el-'Ira.k, and the Arabs, under the king of Persia, who was then residing in Balkh, the capital of his empire, marched against the Israelites; and after he had slain raany of them, he took thera to el-'Ii-at, into captivity. He carried also the Pentateuch and the books of the prophets and the histories of the king away, which were in the temple at Jerusalem, and threw tirem into a well The king of Persia had married a woman of the Israelite captives, who bore him a child, and he sent the children of Israel back into their homes after two years' captivity. When they had returned into their nativecountry, reigned Zorobabil Ben Sals.M. The town of Jerusalem was rebuilt, and what had been destroyed was re-established. They got the Pentateuch out of the well, and their state became flourishing. This king devoted forly-six years to the cultivation of the country; and he ordered them to keep the prayers and other obligations prescribed by the Law, which had been neglected during the captivity. The S.imaritans believe that the Pentateuch which was recovered from the well, was not the same which Miisa had given to thera, but that it is full of fictions, changes, and alterations. The author of the new Pentateuch which the Jews have is Zorobabil, who collected it from the accounts of those who knew !t by heart, whilst the genuine Pentateuch is in the hands of the Samaritans. This king reigned forty-six years. Another version of this history says, that the person who married a Jewish lady was el-Bokhta Nassar himself, and NOTES. 173 that he released the Jews from the captivity." (Sprenger's Trans, p. 120). As to the dispute here recorded as having taken place be tween the Jews aud Samaritans over the question whether .Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim was the proper place, according to the Pentateuch, where the teraple should be built; com pare the account by Josephus of a similar contest, which occurred in Egypt before Ptolemy Philometor, wherein the poor Samaritans were most unfairly treated and unjustly put to death (Antiq. xiii. o, 4). Note 95, Page 117. The main facts of the story here told about Alexander— the Jews being put in the place of the Samaritans — are found iu Josephus' Antiq. xi. 8. The two accounts are strikingly similar, and are in fact only different versions of the same tradition. The story as told by Josephus, in brief, is, that after Alexander had defeated Darius in battle at Isis in Cilicia, he m.irched down into Syria and took Damascus and Sidon, and laid siege to Tyre, and while here sent a letter to the Jewish higli priest. " To send him some auxilaries, and to supply his army with provisions; and that what presents he formerly sent to Darius he should now send to him, and choose the friendship of the M.acedonians, and that he would never repent of so doing." But the high priest answered the messengers, that " he had given his oath to Darius not to bear arms against him; and he said, that he would not trans gress it while Darius was in the land of the living." Upon hearing this answer Alexander was very angry, and threat ened that as soon as he had taken Tyre he would make an expedition against Jerusalem and punish the high priest. So when after a protracted siege he had captured Tyre, he immediately proceeded on to the city of Gaza, and having reduced it, then directed his march toward Jerusalem. Now Jaddua the hii,'!i priest, when he heard of Alexander's ap proach, was snulten with great terror and fear as to how he should meet him, knowing that the king was displeased at i his former disobedience. But God warned him in a dream, '' that " he should take courage, and adorn the city, and open '. the gates; that the rest should appear in white garments, but that he and the priests should meet the king in the habits ' proper to their order, without dread of any ill consequences, which the providence of God would prevent." Accordingly ' he acted upon this dream, and then waited for the coming of ¦ the king. And when he understood that he was not far from the city, he went out iu procession, with the priests and the ' multitude of the citizens. Now tlie followers of Alexander, counting on his anger, thought they would have liberty to plunder the city, and torment the high priest to death, but the very reverse of this happened; for Alexander, when he saw the multitude at a distance, in white garments, while the priests stood clothed with flne linen and the high priest in purple aud scarlet, with his mitre ou his head, having the 174 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. golden plate whereon the name of God was engraved, he approached by himself, and adored that name, and first saluted the high priest. The Jews also did altogether, with one voice, saiute Alexander, and encompass him about : wherecpon the kings of Syria and the rest were surprised at what AJexander had done, and supposed hira disordered in his mind. However, Parmenio alone went up to hira, and asked him, " How it came to pass, that when all others adored him, he should adore the high priest of the Jews ?" To whom he i^eplied, " I did not adore him, but that God who hath honored him with his high priesthood; for I saw this very person in a dreara, in this very habit, when I was at Dios ill Maced..iiia, who, when I was considering with myself how I might o'otain the dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no delay, but boldly to passover the sea thither, for th.as he would eom'-uct my army, and would give me the dominion over the Persians: whence it is, that having seeu no other in that habit, and now seeing this person in it, and remembering that vision, and the exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under the divine conducr, and shall therewith conquer Darius, and destroy the po-*er of tbe Persians, and that all things will succeed according to what Is in niy own raind." And when be had said this to Parmenio, and had given the high priest his right hand, the priests ran along by him, and he came into the city; and when he went up into the temple he offered sacrifice to God, according to the high priest's direc tions ; and magnificently treated the high priest and the priests, and gi-auted all the wishes of the people. . Note 90, Page 117. The legend concerning Alexander's visit to the region of darkness is a well knoivn one among the people of the East, and with various embellishments it is recounted by most of the Mohammedan commentators, by whom Alexander is, called Dhu'l Qarnayn i. e. lord of two horns, or the two- horned, which title has taxed to the uttermost the ingenuity of Moslem w-riters to explain, the most current explanation being, that this title w.as given lilm because of his having traversed and mled the two. horns or hemispheres of the worid. ilei-rick in his translation of the Hydt Id-Kulub give's a succinct presentation of the Mohamiiiedan version of this tradition, a part of which we will here quote : Alexander, they say. " travelled to the West till he found the place where the sun sets in a muddy or warm spring. He then traversed the East till he discovered the place w-here the sun rises, and found a people scorched by its beams. He then proceeded to the region of darkness. Being in favor with the Most High, an angel, named Rafaeel, was sent to converse with hisi. Dhu'l Qamayii asked him how the service of heaven cc'mpared with that of earth. The angel replied that the latter was nothing, for in heaven every space was covered, and angeis standing never ,.at down, those bo-sied in rukiT' NOTES. 175 forever remained so, and those in prostration never arose. At this Dhu'l Qarnayn wept and desired to remain and serve God on earth. The angel then told him that God had a fountain on earth, called the fountain of life, of which who ever drank would not die, till he besought it of the Most High. The angel knew not where the spring was, but had heard in heaven that God had created a region of darkness which jinn or man had never explored. A dumb child ;it length told the king where that realm of darkness lay, (In the Kisas el-anbiyd it is stated, that a certain wise man, who had read about it in the " testament of Adam " informed him where this region of darkness was), and he assembled a multitude of wise men to accompany him in the exploration. After travelling westward twelve years, they arrived on the frontiers of darkness, which, however, did not resemble the darkness of night, but of smoke. Having encamped his armv there, he summoned his wise men ai d told them ho wished to explore that darkness. They expostulated, but he was resolved; and being informed by them that fillies were the clearest-sighted animals at night, he collected six thousand and mount on them as many men, of whom el-Kliidlu- com manded a division of two thousand, that formed the advance guard, while Dhu'l Qarnayn followed with the other four thous.and, having ordered Ills army to wait twelve years for his return. Dhu'l Qarnayn advanced forty marches into the region of darkness, and came to a place where were three hundred and sixty springs. Here the king sent as many men as there were springs, of whom e!-Khidhr was one, to -wash, each one, a dry salt fish in a separate spring and return. Tiie fi^h of el-Kliidhr, on being imnieised in the fountain to w-hich he repaired, w-as restored to life and escaped from his hand, and to recover it he threw himself into the spring, but the fish was not to be taken again. However, he drank of the water, which was the very fountain of life, and in conse quence will not die till Isre-feel sounds the last trumpet. Next the king came to an immense palace where was light, but not of the sun or moon. Here a being in human form, and clothed in white g.arments, rebuked him for his insatiable ambitions, gave him a stone which the being told him would be satisfied when he was, and ordered him to reliun. Dhu'l Qarniiyn, on rejoining his band, weighed the stone against another of equal size, and increased the quantify to a thou sand fold, but the mystic stone out-balanced all. el-Khidhr then took and weighed it against one of equal size, putting a handful of e.art'h on the other, and both were balanced. The prophet then told the king that he would be satisfied when the earth covered him. On the return, they passed a place where a sound from their animals' feet arose as if they were passing over pebbles. What is here, O king ? they inquired. "Take of these things, said he, and whoever takes will be sorry, and whoever does not will be soi-ry. On emerg ing from the region of darkness, those stones were found to be°emeralds, and those who had taken some regretted they 176 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. had not gathered more, and those who had taken none, were grieved at their neglect." Note 97, Page 118. A legend similar to the one here connected with Alexander is related, by the Mohammedan writers, of Nirarod. Their story runs, ihat Nimrod (whom they will have was the son of Canaan), being actuated by a desire to seethe God of, Abraham in heaven, built an "immense tower, by which he ' might ascend to heaven, but finding that this was ineffectual hehit upon another plan: he look four young eagles of a monstrous species, and fed thera on meat until they had - gro^^Ti np and became fully matured, then " lie took his seat in a chest (or ark), and alungwith him a }-oung man-servant, and he carried hi? bow and aiTOWS — now he had made in this chest a door in the top and a door in the bottom — and he fastened U> the chest the eagles by their legs, and hung meat upon a pole above the chest; thereupon he set the eagles free, and they sM-etched and flew- up in an eager desire to get the meat until they ascended far into the air." And when Nimrod desired to come do-wn " he commanded his young man to lower the pole and let the meat hang down below. And he did so, and the eagles flew downward with the chest." (Kisas el-anhiyd). Note 9S, Page 113. Then he jiroceeded to invest his companions with the author ity over the terr'itorie.-i This statement is iu harmony with 1 Mace i. 6, where it is said, that at the close of Alex ander's life " he called his servants, such as were honorable, and had been brought up wit'n him frora his youth, and parted his kingdom among them, while he was yet alive." Note 99, Page 120. The Talmud contains a story about Alexander which is closely allied to the stoty here told. It is there narrated that when Alexander entered Jemsalem, he was conducted through the Temple by Simon the High Priest. On entering, he said, '• Blessed be the Lord of this house." He was charmed ¦with the beauty of the structure, and expressed a desire to have a statue of hiraself erected as a remembrance, between the porch and the altar. Simon informed him that it was not allowable to erect any statue or image within the Temple w.al!.% but promised that, .is a remembrance, the males born among his people that year should be called Alexander. And Alexander was well-disposed towards the High Priest, and through his Intercessions granted the Jews religious freedom and release from all trlbut,\ry burden during tlie Sabbatic year. (Polano's Selections from the Talmud, p. 210). Note lOO, Page 120. And when he had built a city in eUHdjar. Arabia Petraea NOTES. 177 I's here meant, and the city referred to is the ancient Sela or Selah, which in later times was known to the Greeks as Petra, and ill the reigu of the Emperor Hadrian received the name Hadriana, in acknowledgment of what he did for it. The word in the original (band) here translated " built," does not necessarily mean that he founded or all anew rebuilt the city, but is rather to be taken here in the sense that, he strength ened, enlarged and improved the city aheady existing there. Note 101, Page 120. Ydsiff. According to the Samaritan book el-Tliolidoth, or "The (book of) Generations," the ancient name of this place was Yusepheh, and Neubauer identifies it with "Yussib," a place mentioned in the Talmud, but which h.is as yet never been correctly located (Journal Asiatique for 1S09). Conder, on the other hand, identifies it w-ith the modern village of Yasiif in southern Samaria (Palestine Exploration Fund, Quarterly Statement, 1877, p. 5!9 ; Survey of Western Pales tine, Memoirs, vol. 2, p. 287). Note 102, Page 123. And Adrinds set up in the city an image In all probability this is the sarae statue to which Jerome refers when in his Comm. in Matt. xxi. 15, he says "de Hadriani equestri statua, quse iu ipso Sancto Sanctorum loco usque in praesentem diem stetit." Note 103, Page 124. Saqarus. We learn from the History of Dion Cassius that the name of Hadrian's father was JElius Hadrianus Afer, a cousin of Trajan. How to explain the use of the name Saqarus, therefore, is a most ditScult matter. Note 104, Page 126. And he died in woe and every kind of affiiction. It is recorded iu history that Hadrian died of a terrible incurable disease, and it is stated as a fact that not long before his death, the disorder so preyed upon him that he sunk into a state of melancholy, and attempted to commit suicide. Note 105, Page 127. The wall of Sebustieh. Juynboll in one of his notes inter prets this to mean the wjill toward Sebustieh, i. e., the western wall of Nabulus. There is no good reason, however, why it should not be taken in its simple sense as referring to the wall that surrounded Sebustieh, especially as we find, di rectly below, particular mention made of the gate of Nabulus. Josephus (Antiq. xv. 8, 5) gives an account of a great wall that Herod built around Samaria, and also states that he gave it the name Seb.aste, which latter has become corrupted in the Arabic to Sebustieh, its modern name. 12 178 THE SAMARITAN BOOK OF JOSHUA. Note 106, Page 128. RcWis (or RiWis). This word, according to Juynboll, is in use among the Samaritans as an honorary title, and signifies " VLrum principem." I am inclined to believe that it is only a corruption of "the Arabic ra'ls or rayyls, " chief." Note 107, Page 129. Dinars. The former standard of gold coin among the Arab-3 was the •' dinar," which weighed a " mithqal " (or nearly 72 English grains) of gold; the average value of the coin may, therefore, be reckoned at .$2.50. Note 108, Page 132. Beitil (Bethel). As used by Samaritans this of course designates Mouus (Jerizim, which was their Beth-el. Comp. Note 47. Note 109, Page 133. In the original manuscript -at this point the narrative comes to an abrupt end, and we have no means of determining what is lost, or to ho-s- late a date our author brought down his history. Some scholars have conjectured that it probably came down to the period of the emperor Alexander Severus (22-2 — 235 A. D.), and .Juynboll Is inclined to ijelieve that It was brought down even to the time of Mohammed. The Samaritans, iu one of tlieir letters written to their supposed bret'oren in England In the latter part of the nth century, seem to refer to certain things as contained in this Chronicle, which are not to be found in the part of it that we now possess, and therefore must have been in the portion which is now missing. In t'ais letter, referring to the promised Pro phet or Mes.?iah that should appe.ar, they say: '" Our learned scholars have said, that this Prophet shall arise, and that all nations shall be subject to him, and believe in him, and in the holy Law, aud in Mt. Gerizim; and the religion of Moses the son of Aniram will be made manifest; and that the first letter of the name of this prophet who shall arise, will be M. and that he ^111 die, and be buried with .Joseph Ben-Plioral h (G«n. xlix. 2i), and that the tabernacle will appear through him, and be erected on Mt. Gerizim. These are the things recor-ied in the books found among us, and in the book of Joshiia the son of Nan."