"Go ye also to your place," and they came to life and flew out of the
window, and settled upon the trees in the garden of Aseneth. And for
the third time he stretched out his hand and touched the honeycomb
upon the table, and straightway there burst forth a flame, and
consumed the honeycomb--but upon the table it left no mark--and the
sweet smell of the burning filled all the chamber.
Then said Aseneth, "Sir, I have seven companions, maidens who have
been brought up with me, and I love them as sisters: may I not call
them, and you shall bless them as you have blessed me?" So she called
them in, and made them stand before the angel, and he blessed them;
and thereafter he said to Aseneth, "Take away the table." And as she
turned aside to lift it, he was gone. But through the window she saw
in the sky a chariot and four horses shining like fire, going into
the heavens towards the east, and the angel standing in the chariot.
Then she said, "Ah, foolish that I am! I knew not that it was an
angel out of heaven that came into my chamber, and now, behold, he is
going back into heaven to his own place. Pardon me, my lord, and
spare thy handmaid, for it was in ignorance that I spoke so boldly
before thee!"
While she was still wondering, there came in a messenger and said,
"Joseph, the mighty one of God, is on his way hither." And
immediately Aseneth sent for the steward of the palace and bade him
prepare a great banquet, and make all things ready; but she herself,
remembering the words of the angel, went into her inner chamber and
adorned herself as a bride, in shining robes, and upon her head she
put a crown of gold which had in the midst, over her forehead, a
great jacinth stone and six other precious stones round it; and she
covered her head with a veil of wonderful beauty. Then she called to
one of her maidens, who brought her a basin of pure water, and when
she saw the reflection of her face in the water she was astonished at
the beauty and freshness and brightness of it. Just then the steward
of the palace came in to say that all was ready, and he too was
struck with amazement at the sight of her, and said, "Lady, what is
the cause of this wonderful beauty? Can it be that the God of heaven
has chosen you to be the bride of Joseph, His elect?" And while he
was yet speaking, the sound of Joseph's chariot-wheels was heard
without.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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