"Thine, O Lord Almighty, thine be the praise and glory; for Thou art
the hearer and answerer of prayer, and art loving to all Thy
creatures. Thou hast power in heaven and on earth, and on the broad
sea, nor is any thing hid from Thee. Darkness is no darkness with
Thee, and no power can resist thine! Thanks be to Thee, O Lord God on
high, for this manifestation of Thy presence, and this confirmation of
my faith. Let these idolaters likewise glorify Thee, for whose sakes
Thou hast also done this."
When I ceased, I beheld a crowd, made up of all nations, prostrate
around me. The captain, turning away from his god, was burning incense
before me, while the invocations of the crew and passengers were being
offered to me. With horror I drew back and waved them away, saying,
"Rise, men, stand upon your feet! Not unto me, not unto me, but unto
God, the one invisible Creator, give thanks and praise for your mighty
deliverance!"
I then made known to them the mystery of the true God, whose power
they and I had witnessed, and exhorted them to turn from their idols,
and worship Him in spirit and in truth; for that He was their Maker,
and besides Him there was no God. Nevertheless, but for my stern anger
against it, they would have sacrificed a sheep to me, as if I were
Hercules.
In a few hours we reached Pelusium, and to escape the adulations of
the people on shore, to whom the crew made known this miracle of God,
I withdrew privately, and went to Bubastis. After visiting, unknown to
them, the tens of thousands of my brethren, who are engaged in
extending the walls of that place, and increasing the number of
treasure-houses therein, I took boat and came hither secretly, for
fear that Mœris, if he knew me to be in Egypt, might watch my
movements, if not banish or imprison me.
I have now been several days in the bosom of my family. My mother and
father are well; but they, and Miriam with all the other women of our
nation, have tasks of weaving put upon them, which are to be done each
day before they are permitted to sleep. My heart is deeply wounded at
all this. On every side I behold oppression and cruelty. Daily, scores
of the Hebrews perish, and their dead bodies are thrown into ditches,
dug for the purpose, and covered with earth. Often, the wretched men
who dig them are the first to occupy them, for the work goes on day
and night. An edict has been published throughout all Egypt, within
the past month, that no Egyptian shall assist a Hebrew; and that no
Hebrew who sinks down under his toil, shall be suffered to remain upon
the ground, but must be placed upon his feet again, and driven to his
task, until he sinks to rise no more; and to such, neither bread nor
water shall be offered, that they may die! Such, O king, is the heart
of this Mœris!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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