So Satan departed, and took on him another form, and put a wallet on
his shoulder, and returned and said to the maid, "Say to Job, 'Give
me bread from thine own hand, that I may eat.'" Then I took a loaf
that was burnt black and gave it to the maid to give to him, saying,
"Look to eat no more of my bread, for I am become a stranger to you."
But the maid was ashamed to give him the burnt bread, for she knew
not who he was; she took, therefore, a good loaf of her own and gave
it to him. But he was aware of what had happened, and said to her,
"Go back, unfaithful servant, and fetch me the bread that was given
to you to give to me!" And she wept and said, "You say well that I
am an unfaithful servant, for I have not done that which I was
commanded." Then she brought him the burnt bread, saying, "Thus says
my master, 'You shall eat no more of my bread, for I am estranged
from you. This I give you only that you may not have it to say that I
refused to give aught to my enemy when he asked of me.'" Satan took
the bread, and sent back the maid with this message, "As this bread
is burnt and blackened, so will I make thy body; in one hour I will
lay thee and thy house desolate." And I answered him, "That thou
doest, do quickly; for I am ready to bear whatsoever thou canst bring
upon me."
Then Satan went up straightway under the firmament of the heaven, and
asked of the Lord authority over me and my possessions. And the Lord
granted it to him, but not at that time.
Now I must tell you, my children, of my manner of life, and my goods
that I had, before I was despoiled. I had 130,000 sheep, of which
7000 were set apart for the clothing of the fatherless, and widows,
and poor; and a pack of 800 dogs guarded them. I had 9000 camels;
3000 to traffic with the cities of the earth, which I laded with good
things, and sent them out among the towns and villages, and had their
loads distributed to the poor. I had also 130,000 asses; 500 of them
were set apart that their foals might be sold, and the price given to
the poor.
Also the four gates of my house were always left open to this end,
that if any poor man came to beg, and saw me sitting at one of the
gates, he might not turn back abashed, but might go round to another
of the gates, and enter in and receive what he needed.
Within the house also I had always thirty tables ready prepared for
the entertainment of strangers, and other twelve tables appointed for
the widows. None left my house with his purse empty, and whenever any
came to ask help, he was constrained first of all to sit down and
dine. I had fifty bakehouses, and of these, twelve served the tables
of the poor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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