Lost Books of the Bible (144 page)

40 My son, I have eaten a colocynth, (Also called bitter apple. Used as a purgative) and swallowed aloes (bitter succulent used as a strong laxative), and I have found nothing more bitter than poverty and scarcity.

41 My son, teach your son frugality and hunger, so that he may do well in the management of his household.

42 My son, teach not to the ignorant the language of wise men, for it will be burdensome to him.

43 My son, display not your condition to your friend, or he will despise you.

44 My son, the blindness of the heart is more grievous than the blindness of the eyes, for the blindness of the eyes may be guided little by little, but the blindness of the heart is not guided, and it leaves the straight path, and goes in a crooked way.

45 My son, the stumbling of a man with his foot is better than the stumbling of a man with his tongue.

46 My son, a friend who is near is better than a more excellent brother who is far away.

47 My son, beauty fades but learning lasts, and the world wanes and becomes vain (empty), but a good name neither becomes vain (empty) nor wanes.

48 My son, the man who has no rest, his death would be better than his life; and the sound of weeping is better than the sound of singing; for sorrow and weeping, if the fear of God is in them, are better than the sound of singing and rejoicing.

49 My child! The thigh of a frog in your hand is better than a goose in the pot of your neighbor; and a sheep near you is better than an ox far away; and a sparrow in your hand is better than a thousand sparrows flying; and poverty which gathers is better than the scattering of much provision; and a living fox is better than a dead lion; and a pound of wool is better than a pound of wealth. What I mean is that gold and silver are hidden and covered up in the earth, and not seen; but the wool stays in the markets and it is seen, and it is a beauty to him who wears it.

50 My son, a small fortune is better than a scattered fortune.

51 My son, a living dog is better than a dead poor man.

52 My son, a poor man who does right is better than a rich man who is dead in sins.

53 My son, keep a word in your heart, and it shall be much to you, and beware or you will reveal the secret of your friend.

54 My son, let not a word issue from your mouth until you have taken counsel with your heart. And do not stand between quarrelling persons, because from a bad word there comes a quarrel, and from a quarrel there comes war, and from war there comes fighting, and you will be forced to be a witness (take sides); so run from there and rest yourself.

55 My son, do not stand up against a man stronger than yourself, but get you a patient spirit, and endurance and an upright (conduct, for there is nothing better than that.

56 My son, do not hate your first friend, for the second one may not last.

57 My son, visit the poor in his affliction, and speak of him in the Sultan's presence, and do your diligence to save him from the mouth of the lion.

58 My son, do not rejoice in the death of your enemy, for after a little while you shall be his neighbor, but him who mocks you, respect and honor and be quick to greet him.

59 My son, if water would stand still in heaven, and a black crow becomes white, and myrrh grow sweet as honey, then ignorant men and fools might understand and become wise.

60 My son, if you desire to be wise, restrain your tongue from lying, and your hand from stealing, and your eyes (from observing evil; then you will be called wise.

61 My son, let the wise man beat you with a rod, but do not even let the fool anoint you with sweet salve.  Be humble in your youth and you shall be honored in your old age.

62 My son, do not stand against a man in his days of power, or a river in the days of its flood. (Everything and everyone has his season.)

63 My son, be not hasty in wedding a wife, for if it turns out well, she will say,  'My lord, make provision for me'; and if it turns out ill, she will rant at him who was the cause of it.

64 My son, whosoever is elegant in his dress, he is the same in his speech; and he who has a mean appearance in his dress, he also is the same in his speech. (Dress for success. The wardrobe makes the man. You can discern the man by his wardrobe.)

65 My son, if you have committed a theft, make it known to the Sultan, and give him a share of it, that you may be delivered from him, for otherwise you will endure bitterness. (Mutual culpability is implied, however, confession and recompense is also suggested.)

66 My son, make a friend of the man whose hand is satisfied and filled, and make no friend of the man whose hand is closed and hungry.

67
There are four things in which neither the king nor his army can be secure: oppression by the chancellor, and bad government, and perversion of the will, and tyranny over the subject; and four things which cannot be hidden: the prudent, and the foolish, and the rich, and the poor.

CHAP. III

Thus spoke Ahikar, and when he had finished these injunctions and proverbs to Nadan, his sister's son, he thought that he would keep them all. Ahikar did not know that instead Nadan was displaying weariness and contempt and mockery to him.

2 After that, Ahikar sat still in his house and delivered over to Nadan all his goods, and the slaves, and the handmaidens, and horses, and cattle, and everything else that he had possessed and gained; and the power of granting permission and of forbidding remained in the hand of Nadan.

3 And Ahikar sat at rest is his house, and every now and then Ahikar went and paid his respects to the king, and returned home.

4 Now when Nadan understood that the power of granting permission and of forbidding was in his own hand, he despised the position of Ahikar and scoffed at him, and set about blaming him whenever he appeared, saying, 'My uncle Ahikar is senile, and he knows nothing now.'

5 And he began to beat the slaves and the handmaidens, and to sell the horses and the camels and (spend extravagantly with all that his uncle Ahikar had owned.

6 And when Ahikar saw that he had no compassion on his servants nor on his household, he arose and chased him from his house, and sent to inform the king that he had thrown away his possessions and his provision.

7 And the king arose and called Nadan and said to him: 'While Ahikar remains in health, no one shall rule over his goods, nor over his household, nor over his possessions.'

8 And the hand of Nadan was lifted off from his uncle Ahikar and from all his goods, and in the meantime he went neither in nor out, nor did he greet him. (Nadan’s lordship of the household was countermanded by the king.)

9 Thereupon Ahikar was sorry for all of his toil with Nadan his sister's son, and he continued to be very sorrowful.

10 And Nadan had a younger brother named Benuzardan, so Ahikar took him to himself in place of Nadan, and brought him up and honored him with the utmost honor. And he delivered over to him all that he possessed, and made him governor of his house.

11 Now when Nadan found out what had happened he was seized with envy and jealousy, and he began to complain to every one who questioned him, and to mock his uncle Ahikar, saying: 'My uncle has chased me from his house, and has preferred my brother to me, but if the Most High God give me the power, I shall bring upon him the misfortune of being killed.'

12 And Nadan continued to meditate as to the stumbling block he might contrive for him. And after a while Nadan turned it over in his mind, and wrote a letter to Achish, son of Shah the Wise, king of Persia, saying thus:

13 'Peace and health and might and honor from Sennacherib king of Assyria and Nineveh, and from his chancellor and his secretary Ahikar unto you, great king! Let there be peace between you and me.

14 And when this letter reaches you, if you will arise and go quickly to the plain of Nisrin, and to Assyria and Nineveh, I will deliver up the kingdom to you without war and without battle-array.'

15 And he wrote also another letter in the name of Ahikar to Pharaoh king of Egypt. 'Let there be peace between you and me, mighty king!

16 If at the time of this letter reaching you, you will arise and go to Assyria and Nineveh to the plain of Nisrin, I will deliver up to you the kingdom without war and without fighting.'

17 And the writing of Nadan was like to the writing of his uncle Ahikar.

18 Then he folded the two letters, and sealed them with the seal of his uncle Ahikar; they were nevertheless in the king's palace.

19 Then he went and wrote a letter likewise from the king to his uncle Ahikar: 'Peace and health to my Vizier, my Secretary, my Chancellor, Ahikar.

20 Ahikar, when this letter reaches you, assemble all the soldiers who are with you, and let them be perfect in clothing and in numbers, and bring them to me on the fifth day in the plain of Nisrin.

21 And when you shall see me there coming towards you, haste and make the army move against me as an enemy who would fight with me, for I have with me the ambassadors of Pharaoh king of Egypt, that they may see the strength of our army and may fear us, for they are our enemies and they hate us.'

22 Then he sealed the letter and sent it to Ahikar by one of the king's servants. And he took the other letter, which he had written and spread it before the king and read it to him and showed him the seal.

23 And when the king heard what was in the letter he was perplexed with a great perplexity and was angry with a great and fierce rage, and said, 'Ah, I have shown my wisdom! What have I done to Ahikar that he has written these letters to my enemies? Is this the way he pays me back for my benefits to him?'

24 And Nadan said to him, 'Be not grieved, king, nor be angry, but let us go to the plain of Nisrin and see if the tale be true or not.'

25 Then Nadan arose on the fifth day and took the king and the soldiers and the vizier, and they went to the desert to the plain of Nisrin. And the king looked, and Ahikar and the army were set in array.

26 And when Ahikar saw that the king was there, he approached and signaled to the army to move as if
in war and to fight in array against the king as it had been found in the letter, he not knowing what a pit Nadan had dug for him.

27 And when the king saw the act of Ahikar he was seized with anxiety and terror and perplexity, and was angry with a great rage.

28 And Nadan said to him, 'Have you seen, my lord the king! What this contemptible person has done? But do not be angry or grieved or pained, but go to your house and sit on your throne, and I will bring Ahikar to you bound and chained with chains, and I will chase away your enemy from you without toil.'

29 And the king returned to his throne, being provoked about Ahikar, and did nothing concerning him.  And Nadan went to Ahikar and said to him, 'W'allah, (By God) my uncle! The king truly rejoiced in you with great joy and thanks you for having done what he commanded you.

30 And now he has sent me to you that you may dismiss the soldiers to their duties and come yourself to him with your hands bound behind you, and your feet chained, that the ambassadors of Pharaoh may see this, and that the king may be feared by them and by their king.'