Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
On the first step leading to the seat crouched an ox, and opposite to
him a lion; on the second, a wolf and a lamb; on the third, a leopard
and a goat; (67) on the fourth perched an eagle and a peacock; on the
fifth a falcon (68) and a cock; and on the sixth a hawk and a sparrow;
all made of gold. At the very top rested a dove, her claws set upon a
hawk, to betoken that the time would come when all peoples and nations
shall be delivered into the hands of Israel. Over the seat hung a
golden candlestick, with golden lamps, pomegranates, snuff dishes,
censers, chains, and lilies. Seven branches extended from each side. On
the arms to the right were the images of the seven patriarchs of the
world, Adam, Noah, Shem, Job, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and on the
arms to the left, the images of the seven pious men of the world,
Kohath, Amram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad, Medad, and the prophet Hur.
Attached to the top of the candlestick was a golden bowl filled with
the purest olive oil, to be used for the candlestick in the Temple, and
below, a golden basin, also filled with the purest olive oil, for the
candlestick over the throne. The basin bore the image of the high
priest Eli; those of his sons Hophni and Phinehas were on the two
faucets protruding from the basin, and those of Nadab and Abihu on the
tubes connection the faucets with the basin.
On the upper part of the throne stood seventy golden chairs for the
members of the Sanhedrin, and two more for the high priest and his
vicar. When the high priest came to do homage to the king, the members
of the Sanhedrin also appeared, to judge the people, and they took
their seats to the right and to the left of the king. At the approach
of the witnesses, the machinery of the throne rumbled the wheels
turned, the ox lowed, the lion roared, the wolf howled, the lamb
bleated, the leopard growled, the goat cried, the falcon screamed, the
peacock gobbled, the cock crowed, the hawk screeched, the sparrow
chirped all to terrify the witnesses and keep them from giving false
testimony.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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