Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
When Kenaz came back to his men, he found them sunk in profound sleep,
which had overtaken them that they might not see the wonders done for
their leader. They were not a little astonished, on awakening, to
behold the whole plain strewn with the dead bodies of the Amorites.
Then Kenaz said to them: "Are the ways of God like unto the ways of
man? Through me the Lord hath sent deliverance to this people. Arise
now and go back to your tents." The people recognized that a great
miracle had happened, and they said: "Now we know that God hath wrought
salvation for His people; He hath no need of numbers, but only of
holiness."
On his return from the campaign, Kenaz was received with great
rejoicing. The whole people now gave thanks to God for having put him
over them as their leader. They desired to know how he had won the
great victory. Kenaz only answered: "Ask those who were with me about
my deeds." His men were thus forced to confess that they knew nothing,
only, on awakening, they had seen the plain full of dead bodies,
without being able to account for their being there. Then Kenaz turned
to the thirty-seven men imprisoned, before he left for the war, for
having cast aspersions upon him. "Well," he said, "what charge have you
to make against me?" Seeing that death was inevitable, they confessed
they were of the sort of sinners whom Kenaz and the people had
executed, and God had now surrendered them to him on account of their
misdeeds. They, too, were burnt with fire.
Kenaz reigned for a period of fifty-seven years. When he felt his end
draw nigh, he summoned the two prophets, Phinehas and Jabez, (19)
together with the priest Phinehas, the son of Eleazar. To these he
spake: "I know the heart of this people, it will turn from following
after the Lord. Therefore do I testify against it." Phinehas, the son
of Eleazar, replied: "As Moses and Joshua testified, so do I testify
against it; for Moses and Joshua prophesied concerning the vineyard,
the beautiful planting of the Lord, which knew not who had planted it,
and did not recognize Him who cultivated it, so that the vineyard was
destroyed, and brought forth no fruit. These are the words my father
commanded me to say unto this people."
Kenaz broke out into loud wailing, and with him the elders and the
people, and they wept until eventide, saying: "Is it for the iniquity
of the sheep that the shepherd must perish? May the Lord have
compassion upon His inheritance that it may not work in vain."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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