Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
From their ambush the forces of the son of Pharaoh fell upon Asenath
and her six hundred attendants. They succeeded in hewing down the
vanguard, and Asenath had to take to flight. To her alarm she
encountered the son of Pharaoh with fifty mounted men. Benjamin, seated
in the same chariot with her, came to her rescue, for in spite of his
youth he was exceedingly courageous. He descended from the chariot,
gathered pebbles, and, throwing them at the son of Pharaoh, struck him
on his forehead and inflicted a severe wound. The charioteer aided him
by keeping him supplied with pebbles, which he cast at the fifty riders
with such expert skill that he slew forty-eight of them with as many
missiles. Meantime the sons of Leah arrived on the spot and came to
Asenath's aid, for Levi, with his prophetic spirit, had seen what was
happening, and summoning his five brothers he had hastened thither.
These six attacked the troops in ambush and cut them down. But the
danger to Asenath was by no means removed. At this moment the sons of
the handmaids threw themselves upon her and Benjamin with drawn swords.
It was their intention to kill them both, and flee to cover in the
depths of the woods. But as soon as Asenath supplicated God for aid,
the swords dropped from the hands of her assailants, and they saw that
the Lord was on the side of Asenath. They fell at her feet and
entreated her grace. She allayed their anxiety with the words: "Be
courageous and have no fear of your brethren, the sons of Leah. They
are God-fearing men. Do but keep yourselves in hiding until their wrath
is appeased."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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