Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various SourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various Sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends
Og replied with scorn, “I could crack this imp with the nail of my
little finger.”
Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, “Thou despisest this
little child, but know thou that tens of thousands shall spring from
his loins, and that before them thy pride shall be humbled.”
Also, Abraham’s ancestors, Shem and Eber, and his father,
Terah--though some say he was dead--and Nahor, Abraham’s brother,
attended the feast, and the Shekinah, the glory of the Lord, appeared
to grace it.
But Satan also appeared in the form of a poor beggar-man, and he
stood at the door and asked an alms. Now Abraham and Sarah were busy
attending to their guests, so they perceived him not, but the servants
thrust him away, and Satan received nothing; therefore he presented
himself before the Most High, and laid an accusation of inhospitality
and churlishness against the Friend of God.
In the mean time Sarah had assembled, and was entertaining all the
wives of the guests of Abraham. And it happened that the women found
that they had no milk in their bosoms to give their infants, and the
babes screamed that no one could hear the voice of another. The mothers
were in despair, for the children were hungry, and they were all dry.
Then Sarah uncovered her breasts, and there spirted from them jets of
milk, and all the babes were nourished at her bosom, and yet there was
more.
Now when they saw this, the women, who had doubted that the child was
really the offspring of Sarah, doubted no more, and cried, “We are not
worthy that our little ones should be nourished at thy bosom!” And
the story goes that all those who afterwards joined themselves to the
people of Israel, and all those in every nation who in after-times
became proselytes, were descended from those who sucked the breasts of
Sarah. In allusion to this incident it is said in the Book of Psalms:
“_Thou makest the barren woman to keep house, and to be the joyful
mother of_ (i. e., giving suck to) _children._”[318]
The child Isaac was shown to every visitor, and all were astonished at
his resemblance to Abraham. Both the babe and his father were so much
alike that it was impossible to distinguish one from the other, and all
doubt as to whose it was vanished before such evidence of likeness to
the father, and before the fulness of Sarah’s breasts. But as confusion
was likely to arise through the striking similarity between father and
son, Abraham besought God to give him wrinkles and white hair, that he
might not be mistaken for the babe Isaac, or the babe Isaac be mistaken
for him.[319]
7. THE EXPULSION OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL.
Ishmael grew up, and became skilful with his bow; he was rough and
undisciplined, and he occasionally lapsed into idolatry, but without
his father knowing it. But Sarah was aware of his sin, and was grieved
thereat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account