After that he told Isaac to go and prepare the banqueting-room,
spread two couches, light the lamps, burn sweet odours, and fetch
fragrant herbs and flowers from the garden. "For," said he, "this
man who is come to us is worthy of all the honour we can do him." So
Isaac went to make ready the room, and Sarah also set about preparing
a feast. Then, while they were all busying themselves with
preparation, the sun began to set, and the hour came at which all the
angels appear before God and worship Him; and Michael also flew up
into the heavens in the twinkling of an eye, and stood before the
Lord. And when all the angels had done their worship and gone forth
again, Michael remained and said to the Lord, "Lord, I cannot speak
to Abraham about his death; for I have never seen his like upon the
earth, kind, courteous, hospitable, fearing God, and keeping himself
pure from all evil. I cannot grieve his heart by telling him that he
is to die." And the Lord said, "Go down again to my friend Abraham,
and whatsoever he would have thee do, do it; and I will put the
thought of his death into the mind of his son Isaac in a dream. Then
Isaac shall tell the dream, and thou shalt interpret it, and so
Abraham shall be certified of his death."
So Michael returned to Abraham's house, and sat at meat with him, and
Isaac waited on them; and after supper, Abraham offered up prayer as
he was wont, and the archangel prayed with him, and they went to
their beds. Isaac also asked his father if he might sleep with them,
for he desired exceedingly to be near the wonderful stranger and to
hear his words; but Abraham said, "Nay, my son, lest we be burdensome
to the stranger." Therefore Isaac bowed down and received his
father's blessing, and went to his own chamber.
And about the third hour of the night Isaac dreamed a dream, and it
frightened him, so that he leapt out of bed and ran hastily to the
room where Abraham and Michael were sleeping, and beat upon the door
and said, "Father, open to me quickly! let me kiss you once again
before they take you away from me." Then Abraham opened the door, and
Isaac ran in and hung upon his neck, weeping loudly. And Sarah was
awakened by the noise of the weeping, and came quickly to them; and
she also wept and said, "What is the matter? Has our brother who is
come to us brought you evil tidings of Lot, your nephew?" But Michael
said, "No, lady, it is not so; but, as I think, your son Isaac has
dreamed a dream which has troubled him, so he came to us weeping, and
we were moved at the sight of his tears, and wept with him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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