CHAPTER XIII.
HISTORY OF MOSES OF EGUPT.
1. God commanded his loo'is, in the high heavens, saying: Descend ye to the earth, to theland of Egupt, and raise me up a son capable of my voice.
2. The angels descended as commanded and searched over the land of Egupt and in theadjoining countries, examining into the flesh and the souls of men. And they called untoGod, saying: The land of Egupt is overrun with spirits of darkness (drujas), and mortalshave attained to see them; and they dwell together as one people, angels and mortals.
3. God said: Go ye amongst my chosen until ye find a man capable of understandingbetwixt truth and fable. Him inspire ye to an I'hin woman for my voice.
4. In Ellakas the loo'is found a man, Baksa, a Fonecean, a Faithist, born a su'is, and theysaid unto him: Why art thou alone in the world? Baksa said: Alas, mine eyes have neverseen God; mine ears never heard him. I am searching for God in the life of a recluse.
5. The loo'is perceived what manner of man he was, and they led him to take an I'hinwoman to wife, and she bore him a son, Hasumat.
6. The loo'is guarded Hasumat till he was grown, and they spake to him, trying him alsoas to his power to distinguish angel voices.
7. Him they also inspired to take an I'hin woman to wife, and she bore a son, Saichabal,who was guarded in the same way. And the angels inspired Saichabal, to marry Terratha,of the line (house) of Zed. Terratha bore a daughter who was named Edamas. AndEdamas bore a son by an I'hin father without marriage, and she called his name Levi,signifying joined together (because his toes were not separate on the right foot, nor thefingers separate on the right hand). And Levi grew to be a large man, larger than twolarge men.
8. Levi, being of the fourth birth of I'hin blood, was not acknowledged an heir of thechosen race, the Faithists. Therefore Levi established a new line, which was called, theHouse of Levi.
9. Levi, not being eligible to a Faithist wife, was inspired by the loo'is to take anI'hin, Metissa, to wife. Metissa bore him a son, Kohath, who, at maturity, was admittedto the Order of Avah, the third degree of Faithists, whereupon he was circumcised,and afterward called an Israelite, the name given to the Faithists of Egupt.
10. Kohath took to wife, Mirah, a devout worshipper of Jehovih. Mirah bore him a son,Amram, who took to wife Yokebed, sister-in-law to Kohath, and she bore him a son, whowas Moses.
11. Before Moses' birth the loo'is perceived that he would be capable of the Father'svoice, and they called unto God saying: In the next generation, behold, thy son will beborn.
CHAPTER XIV.
1. In these days in Egupt there were houses of records, where the affairs of the state, andof the king and governors, were recorded; and there were recorded also the births andmarriages and deaths of people.
2. The languages of the learned were Fonecean and Parsi'e'an; but the native languageswere Eguptian, Arabaic and Eustian and Semis. The times by the learned gave two sunsto a year, but the times of the tribes of Eustia gave only six months to a year. Accordingly, in the land of Egupt what was one year with the learned was two years withthe Eustians and Semisians.
3. God said: My people shall reckon their times according to the place and the peoplewhere they dwell. And they did this. Hence, even the tribes of Israel had two calendars oftime, the long and the short.
4. To events of prophecy there was also another calendar, called the ode, signifying sky-time,or heavenly times. One ode was equivalent to eleven long years; three odes, onespell, signifying a generation; eleven spells one Tuff. Thothma, the learned man andbuilder of the great pyramid, had said: As a diameter is to a circle, and as a circle is to adiameter, so are the rules of the seasons of the earth. For the heat or the cold, or thedrouth or the wet, no matter, the sum of one eleven years is equivalent to the sumof another eleven years. One SPELL is equivalent to the next eleventh spell. And onecycle matcheth every eleventh cycle. Whoever will apply these rules to the earthshall truly prophesy as to drought and famine and pestilence, save wherein mancontraveneth by draining or irrigation. And if he apply himself to find the light and thedarkness of the earth, these rules are sufficient. For as there are three hundred and sixty-threeyears in one tuff, so are there three hundred and sixty-three days in one year, besidesthe two days and a quarter when the sun standeth still on the north and south lines.
5. In consequence of these three calendars, the records of Egupt were in confusion. Theprophecies and genealogies of man became worthless. And as to measurements, somewere by threes, some by tens, and some by twelves; and because of the number oflanguages, the measurements became confounded; so that with all the great learning ofthe Eguptians, and with all the care bestowed on the houses of records, they became eventhemselves the greatest confounding element of all.
6. Jehovih had said: For two thousand years I gave My enemies a loose rein; and theyhave the longest line of kings in all the world; and yet in the midst of their prosperity theyfall down like a drunken man. Even their language is become like a pearl that is lost in amire.
7. Jehovih said: Because the kings of Egupt have outlawed My people, and deniedthem the right to obtain great learning, behold My people are divided also. One tribehath one speech, another tribe another speech, and so on, till they can not nowunderstand one another; save, in fact, in their rites, and signs, and pass-words.
8. Yea, the kings have perceived that to keep My people in ignorance is to keep themforever in bondage. But I will raise up a leader, Moses, amongst My chosen, and Iwill send him even into the house of the king, and the king shall give him greatlearning; he shall master all languages, and be capable of speaking with all My people.
9. Because the Israelites (Faithists) worshipped not the Gods and Lords, but the GreatSpirit only, and because they resented not injury done by another, they had been limitedinto servitude by the Eguptian laws, which had stood for fifteen hundred years. Theselaws were called the Sun laws, after the manner of the division of the Osirian system,which was:
10. The sun is a central power; its accompanying planets are satellites. In like manner theking of Egupt was the Sun King, and his sub-kings (governors) were satellites. Osiris, thehighest angel in heaven, was the Sun God, that is, God of Gods; for all other Gods werehis satellites. He revealed certain laws to mortals, and these were the Sun laws; andall minor laws were satellites. A Sun law extended over all of Egupt, but a satellitelaw pertained to the minor affairs of a city or province; but it must conform to theSun laws. For in those days the spirits of darkness taught that the sun once whirled sofast it cast off its outer extreme, and so made the earth, and moon, and stars; and thiswas the accepted philosophy of the learned Eguptians of that period. Because the worldsrun in circles (orbits), the circle was the highest measure, or sun measure; and thediameter of the circle was called, the ode, a Fonecean word, signifying short measure. And this name, ode, was applied to the Israelites in satire, as the Anglo-Saxon word,odius, is used to this day. But the Israelites made sweet songs and called them odes also.
11. Amongst the Sun laws were the following, to wit: The God of Gods (i.e., Osiris)decreeth: Whoso boweth not down to me shall not partake of me. Behold, mine is thesign of the circle! My enemies shall not receive great learning.
12. They shall not hold sun places (be employers), but be as servants only all their lives. And these signs shall discover them:
13. If they worship not me, but the Great Spirit;
14. If they deny that the Creator is in the image of a man;
15. If they circumcise, and will not serve as soldiers;
16. Then their possessions are forfeited already; nor shall they possess houses in theirown names; nor send their children to the schools; for they shall be servants and theservants of servants forever.
17. Under the Eguptian laws it was accounted a sufficient crime of idolatry to worship theGreat Spirit, Jehovih, that the Israelites were not even admitted to the courts to be triedfor an offence, but fell under the jurisdiction of the master for whom they labored, and hisjudgments were unappealable.
18. Now at the time of the birth of Moses, there were in Egupt thirteen millions ofinhabitants; and of these, four millions were Faithists (Israelites), more or less. Foramongst the Israelites not all were of full faith, but many, to shirk the rigors of the Sunlaws, professed to be worshippers of God (Osiris), and they would also enlist as soldiers,and otherwise connive in the ways of men, for sake of favors.
19. For which reason the Sun King (Pharaoh6) feared the time might come when theIsraelites might revolt against the Sun laws or become soldiers and confederate withforeign kingdoms for the overthrow of the Eguptian dynasty.
20. For more than three hundred years the God Baal and the Goddess Ashtarothhad driven the foreign kingdoms to war; and in consequence of these wars theFaithists had fled into Egupt, and even accepted servitude rather than be slain elsewhere.
21. Jehovih had said: Behold, mine enemies in killing one another, frighten off Mychosen. Now will I lead them into Egupt together and give unto them a great leader, andhe shall restore My doctrines unto them, and I will afterward deliver them into lands oftheir own.
6 The word Pharaoh is Phoenician for Sun King.
CHAPTER XV.
1. The king's palace and pyramids were surrounded by a wall of stone; with twelve gates,made of wood and iron. The wall was of sufficient breadth for twelve men to walk abreastthereon, and the height of the wall was equivalent to twelve squares (about 32 feet). Onthe summit of the wall were twelve houses for the accommodation of the soldiers whopatrolled the walls. And in each and every gate-way were houses for the keepers of thegates. So that no man, nor woman, nor child, could come into the palace or palacegrounds without permission.
2. And it came to pass that when Leotonas, the king's daughter, walked near the river,accompanied by her maids, she beheld a child in a basket amongst the bullrushes. Leotonas commanded her maids to fetch it to her; and when she looked upon it, andbeheld it was an Israelitish child, she said: The Gods have sent him to me, and he shall bemy child.
3. And they bore the child into the palace, and Leotonas said to the king: Behold, awonder of wonders! I have found an Israelitish child in a basket in the rushes, and onlyGods know how it came, or how it scaled the walls. The king said: Keep thou the child,and it shall be both a brother and a son to thee. Nevertheless, my guards shall find theway my grounds are entered, or blood will be upon them.
4. Now after some days, and when the search had been completed, and no way discoveredas to the manner of the child's ingress, the king issued a decree commanding a thousandIsraelitish male children to be put to death, Moses amongst the rest, unless the mother ofthe child, Moses, came and acknowledged as to the manner of ingress. The king allottedthree days in which time the matter should culminate; but nevertheless the mother camenot and acknowledged.
5. And the king called his daughter, and said unto her: What shall be done? Leotonassaid: The king's word must not be broken; nevertheless, thou gavest the child to me,saying: Keep thou it, and it shall be a brother and a son to thee. And straightway I sent mymaids and procured an Israelitish woman as nurse for the child. And I set my heart uponthe child, nor can I part with it and live. Last night I consulted the oracle as to the matter,for I saw that thy mandate must be fulfilled.
6. The king said: And what said the oracle? Leotonas said: Give word abroad that thenurse of the child is its mother. Now I beseech thee, O king, let it be heralded abroad thatall is acknowledged.
7. The king, seeing the child, relented; and word was proclaimed as Leotonas had desired. And, moreover, the matter was entered in the recorder's house that the mother of the childhad made the basket and placed it where it was found, though no reason was assignedtherefore. Such, then, was the Eguptian explanation.
8. Now the truth of the matter was, the angels of Jehovih came to Yokebed and said: Thyson's name shall be Moses, signifying, a leader-forth,7 for he shall deliver the Israelites outof bondage. But he shall be taken from thee, and thou canst not find him. For the angelsof Jehovih will deliver him into Leotonas' hands. And she shall adopt him as her brotherand son, and bestow upon him the education of a prince.
9. Yokebed feared, for in those days male children of Israelitish parentage were outlawed,nor could any man be punished for slaying them. And Yokebed prayed Jehovih, saying: Thy will be done, O Jehovih, for I know Thy hand is upon my son. But I beseech Thee, OFather, that I may come to the princess and be her nurse for the child. The angel ofJehovih said: Swear thou before Jehovih thou wilt not betray to the child that thou art hismother!
10. Yokebed said: Though I be commanded by the king, yet will I not own that I am themother, and it be Thy will, O Jehovih!
11. And Jehovih's angels fashioned a basket; and carried the child and placed it where itwas found by Leotonas8 and her maids. And Leotonas, seeing it was a Hebrew child,commanded one of her maids to go and bring an Israelitish woman to nurse it. And themaid went out beyond the Utak gate and found and brought Yokebed, the child's mother,but no one knew she was its mother.
12. And when Yokebed had come before the princess, the latter said unto her: Nurse thouthe child, for I will be its mother and its sister, for the Gods have delivered it into myhands. And Yokebed said: It is a goodly child; I will nurse it for thee.
13. Moses grew and became a large man, being a pure I'huan, copper-colored and of greatstrength. And Pharaoh, having no son, bestowed his heart on Moses, and raised him as aprince, having provided him men of great learning to teach him. Moses was master ofmany languages, and withal made acquainted with kings and queens and governors, farand near. And he espoused the cause of the king, whose dominions held seven kingdomsbeyond Egupt as tributary kingdoms, which paid taxes to Pharaoh.
14. So Pharaoh made Moses embassador to the foreign kingdoms, in which capacity heserved twelve years. But because of the prejudice against him, for being of Israelitishblood, the court of Pharaoh importuned the king for his removal, and Moses was soremoved from office under the king.
15. The king said to Moses: My son, this is a double infliction on me in my old days; inthe first place, it is as a sword-thrust, to cut off my love to thee, lest thou some daybecome king; and in the second place, it is hard for a Pharaoh to be dictated to by his owncourt.
16. Moses replied: Fear not, O king, that my love and thine can be severed. Oft ithappeneth that men are tried in a way they know not the wisdom of, but which, afterward,we realize to be the best thing that could have taken place.
17. As for myself, I think this rebuke is put upon me by Jehovih because I labored not formine own people.
18. The king said: How so? Moses replied: For many days a great heaviness hath comeupon me; it is as if the wind of heaven bore down on my heart, saying: Moses, Moses, liftup thy voice for thy people. For behold, the king, thy father, will favor thee!
19. Pharaoh said: What wouldst thou. my son? And if it be possible to be done it shall bedone.
20. Moses answered: Until I have gone amongst them and ascertained their grievances, Iknow not how to answer thee. The king said: Go, and keep thy counsel to thyself untilthou art returned.
21. So Moses departed and traveled over the land of Egupt, and was four months absent,and returned unto Pharaoh. And to him Moses related all the grievances of the Israelites;explaining the tasks put upon them; their denial before the courts; their forbiddance toeducation; and withal extolled them highly for being a peaceful and virtuous people.
22. The king said: It is a pity; it is a great pity. But what can I do, O Moses? Thoubeholdest how even thyself is chastised by the king's court. If I demand the repeal of thelaws, the court will heap coals of fire on thy head and on mine.
23. Moses said: Neither know I, O king, what to do. And Moses was in great trouble ofsoul; and after he waited a while for his thoughts to come to him, he said: O king, thisnight thou and Leotonas shall reason with me, for I feel it incumbent because of thepressure on my soul.
24. When the three were alone that night, lo and behold, it was the beginning of the dawnof light. And Moses' ears were opened, and he heard the Voice of Jehovih (through Hisangels) saying:
25. Behold, O king, and thou, Leotonas, and Thou, Moses, now is the beginning of Mypower on the face of the earth. Moses, My son, thou shalt take thy people out of the landof Egupt; and I will bestow upon them the lands of the ancients, even whither I will leadthee. Change not thy laws, O king; let Egupt have her way; and let the Israelites have theirway also.
26. The king said: To deliver four millions of people! O what a labor!
27. On the next day Moses walked out, going into the woods to be alone, for heavytrouble was upon him. And an angel of Jehovih appeared in a flame of fire in a bush,calling: Moses, Moses, My son! And Moses saw that the bush was not burnt, and he said:Here am I, and I heard Thy Voice.
28. The Voice said: I am the God of Abraham, and of Isaac and Jacob. Moses said: Whatwouldst Thou?
29. The Voice said: Go thou once more amongst thy people and say thou: I, Moses, amcome to deliver you out of the land of Egupt, and into an inheritance which shall be yourown.
30. Moses said: My people will ask of me: By whose authority speakest thou? What thenshall I answer them? The Voice said: Say thou to them: The I AMsent me. And if they question further, saying: Thou has a deceiving spirit, like the Eguptians, then shalt thou say to them: How can ye distinguish one spirit from another? and they will say: Whoso laboreth for himself will deceive us. And thou shalt say to them: Whosoever hath faith in Jehovih, let him give up all, even as I do; and let them follow me; for if a multitude go forth in Faith in the Father, then will the Father provide unto them. (For this is the meaning of Faith, from which ye were named Israelites.9)
31. So Moses and his brother, Aaron, traveled about in the land of Egupt, calling together Raban families,10 explaining to them, and urging the people to get ready and depart out ofEgupt. For three years they thus labored, and it became known far and near that theproject was on foot.
32. And the oracles of the Eguptians prophesied that when the Israelites were once out ofthe country they would unite with the kingdoms whereto Moses had been embassador,and then return and overpower the Eguptians.
33. And in order to stigmatize Moses they said he fled away from Pharaoh's palacebecause he had seen two men, and Eguptian and an Israelite, fighting, and that Mosesslew the Eguptian and buried him in the sand. And the recorders thus entered the report inthe Recorder's House.
34. Moses was of tender heart and he inquired of the Great Spirit, saying: Will ever avoice of justice speak in my behalf? Jehovih, through his angel, answered Moses, saying: Suffer thy enemies to put on record what they will, for the time will surely come when thetruth shall be revealed unto men. Pursue thy course, for it shall be shown that thou doststill visit the king; wherefore, hadst thou fled as the records state, thou wouldst not return,with the report hanging over thy head.11
35. In those days Egupt was a land of glory and of misery. Hardly is it possible for wordsto describe the splendor in which the nobles lived. Of their palaces and chariots athousand books might be written, and yet not reveal all. And as to the members of theking's court, so grand were they that many of them stood not on the ground from oneyear's end to the other; but caused carpets to be spread wherever they desired to walk. And as to their chariots, they were bound with silver and gold, and set with preciousstones.
36. Of the royal court and the nobles, there were two thousand four hundred and eighty,and they owned and possessed everything in Egupt, which was the richest country in theworld.
37. The next in rank were the masters, who were servants and tenants to the courtiers andnobles; and the third in rank were the Faithists, called Israelites, who were servants underthe masters.
38. And it was against the law for any one to call a meeting of Israelites, or to incite themagainst servitude to the masters; for which reason Moses and Aaron violated the law ofthe land, nor dared any man to arrest them, because Moses bore with him the king's seal.
39. Of the miseries of the land of Egupt, the half hath never been told, nor ever shall be;for they were of the nature of the flesh, and of such kind that one may not mention themfully, for the history would also involve the beasts of the fields, and dogs, male andfemale, and goats also.
40. Suffice it, the people were victims of evil spirits, and had descended to such unnaturalpractices as poisoned the flesh, which became inhabited with vermin; and they hadrunning sores; and only evil practices alleviated the pains. The people were subject toentrancement by evil spirits, and the latter appeared amongst the people, taking tothemselves corporeal forms for evil's sake, also eating and drinking with mortals daily.
41. When Moses beheld these things he prayed to Jehovih for wisdom and strength; forthousands and thousands of the Israelites were becoming afflicted in the same way. Jehovih answered Moses, saying: Because of the abundance of evil angels in this land, itis impossible for My chosen to dwell herein and escape affliction. Moses explained thismatter to the Israelites.
42. Jehovih said: Moses, thou and thy brother shall return to the king, for he is worriedconcerning thee and thy labors. Behold, the nobles have complained before the kingagainst thee.
43. Moses visited the king, who was sick with a fever; and the king was on his divan atthe fountain in the palace grounds, and the men servants were forcing water. When theking saw it was Moses he raised up, rejoicing, and called Moses to come and sit with him. And servants ran in and told Leotonas that Moses had returned, and Leotonas came alsoand rejoiced to see Moses. Now whilst they were talking the king was overcome and fellin a faint, whereupon Moses raised him up and restored him; and then carried the kinginto the palace, in his arms carried he him.
44. Leotonas said: Moses, my son and brother, thou shalt not more leave us alone? Behold, my father is old, and he gave his heart to thee when thou wert a child. Be thou tohim his son. Behold how he revives in thy strong hands!
45. Then spake the king, saying: My son, with all thy wisdom, canst thou understand awoman? Moses said: Alas, O king, save the princess, I have not studied them. But whyasketh thou?
46. The king replied: Leotonas had not said one word about the affairs of the kingdom! What is uppermost in a woman's heart, that speaketh she first; but as to man, hespeaketh first that which lieth at the bottom of his heart. I love thee, Moses, and delight inthy presence; but my kingdom concerneth me deeply. The nobles have complainedagainst thee for meddling with their slaves, and for this I have desired to see thee.
47. Moses said: The Voice came to me, informing me of what thou sayest, and thencommanded me to come to thee, for thou wert ill with fever. And the king replied, saying: If I should die before thou has accomplished the migration of thy people, I fear mysuccessor, Nu-ghan, will make it hard for thee. Tell me then, therefore, how matters standwith thee?
48. Moses said: Jehovih hath planned this migration; it cannot fail. For, witness thee whatproof I have found: The Israelites were looking for a leader-forth, even as I was named inthe basket. And wherever I have gone, the rab'bahs and their families are acquainted withthe matter as if it were born in their souls.
49. The king said: Everywhere the oracles declare against thee and Jehovih; saying thouart in the hands of evil spirits.
50. Moses said: What are the oracles to me? To feel assured one is in a good work; this isbetter than oracles.
7 See Book of Exodus, Ezra Bible, chap. ii., v. 10. The etymology of the Hebraic word, Moses, isA LEADER-FORTH, and has no reference to being drawn out of the water. Hence, the Ezra account must fall to the ground, save so far as the facts corroborate the Israelitish account.
8 According to the account in the Ezra Bible there was an edict to kill male Hebrew children. If so, why did Moses' mother put him in this most dangerous of places? Would any mother resort to so foolish a stratagem? As to the angels carrying the child, as also in the case of Capilya, sufficient evidence is at hand now, in this country and in England, of hundreds of full-grown people being carried by the angels.
9 Iz-zerl. — See Book of Saphah.
10 A family of ten, i.e., thirty people: a small community.
11 It is strange indeed that the world has endorsed the Bible account for two thousand years, overlooking this fearful blunder. Nevertheless, we see now that we have not had the Mosaical account at all, but the Egyptian.