As he was one day walking in a small wood, he met God (who had formerly
called Himself Sadai, and then called Himself Jehovah), and God ordered
him to go and work miracles at Pharaoh's court. He set out with his wife
and son. On the way they met an angel (to whom no name is given), who
ordered Sephora to circumcise little Gerson with a knife made of stone.
God sent Aaron on the same errand, but Aaron thought his brother had
done wrong in marrying a Midianite; he called her a very coarse name,
and little Gerson a bastard, and sent them the shortest way back to
their own country.
Aaron and Moses then went to Pharaoh's palace by themselves. The gate of
the palace was guarded by two lions of an enormous size. Balaam, one of
the king's magicians, seeing the two brothers come, set the lions upon
them; but Moses touched them with his rod, and the lions, humbly
prostrating themselves, licked the feet of Aaron and Moses. The king, in
astonishment, had the two pilgrims brought into the presence of all his
magicians, that they might strive which could work the most miracles.
The author here relates the ten plagues of Egypt, nearly as they are
related in Exodus. He only adds that Moses covered all Egypt with lice,
to the depth of a cubit; and that he sent among all the Egyptians lions,
wolves, bears, and tigers, which ran into all the houses,
notwithstanding that the doors were bolted, and devoured all the little
children.
According to this writer, it was not the Jews who fled through the Red
Sea; it was Pharaoh, who fled that way with his army: the Jews ran after
him; the waters separated right and left to see them fight; and all the
Egyptians, except the king, were slain upon the sand. Then the king,
finding that his own was the weaker side, asked pardon of God. Michael
and Gabriel were sent to him and conveyed him to the city of Nineveh,
where he reigned four hundred years.
_The Death of Moses._
God had declared to the people of Israel that they should not go out of
Egypt until they had once more found the tomb of Joseph. Moses found it
and carried it on his shoulders through the Red Sea. God told him that
He would bear in mind this good action and would assist him at the time
of his death. When Moses had lived six score years, God came to announce
to him that he must die and had but three hours more to live. The bad
angel Samael was present at the conversation. As soon as the first hour
had passed he began to laugh for joy that he should so soon carry off
the soul of Moses; and Michael began to weep. "Be not rejoiced, thou
wicked beast," said the good to the bad angel; "Moses is going to die,
but we have Joshua in his stead."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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