The Story Of Ahikar
1926 anthology, complete selected publisher reading text
Rutherford H. Platt
36 And on the morrow Haiqâr went into the presence of Pharaoh, and did obeisance, and stood before the king. And Pharaoh was dressed in a red colour, and the nobles were dressed in white.
37 And Pharaoh said to him ‘O Abiqâm, whom am I like? and the nobles of my kingdom, to whom are they like?’
38 And Abiqâm said to him, ‘O my lord! thou art like the sun, and thy servants are like its beams.’ And Pharaoh said to him, ‘Go to thy dwelling, and come hither to-morrow.’
39 Then Pharaoh commanded his Court to wear pure white, and Pharaoh was dressed like them and sat upon his throne, and he commanded them to fetch Haiqâr. And he entered and sat down before him.
40 And Pharaoh said to him, ‘O Abiqâm, whom am I like? and my nobles, to whom are they like?’
41 And Abiqâm said to him, ‘O my lord! thou art like the moon, and thy nobles are like the planets and the stars.’ And Pharaoh said to him, ‘Go, and to-morrow be thou here.’
42 Then Pharaoh commanded his servants to wear robes of various colours, and Pharaoh wore a red velvet dress, and sat on his throne, and commanded them to fetch Abiqâm. And he entered and did obeisance before him.
43 And he said, ‘O Abiqâm, whom am I like? and my armies, to whom are they like?’ And he said, ‘O my lord! thou art like the month of April, and thy armies are like its flowers.’
44 And when the king heard it he rejoiced with a great joy and said, ‘O Abiqâm! the first time thou didst compare me to the idol Bel, and my nobles to his servants.
45 And the second time thou didst compare me to the sun, and my nobles to the sunbeams.
46 And the third time thou didst compare me to the moon, and my nobles to the planets and the stars.
47 And the fourth time thou didst compare me to the month of April, and my nobles to its flowers. But now, O Abiqâm! tell me, thy lord, king Sennacherib, whom is he like? and his nobles, to whom are they like?’
48 And Haiqâr shouted with a loud voice and said: ‘Be it far from me to make mention of my lord the king and thou seated on thy throne. But get up on thy feet that I may tell thee whom my lord the king is like and to whom his nobles are like.’
49 And Pharaoh was perplexed by the freedom of his tongue and his boldness in answering. Then Pharaoh arose from his throne, and stood before Haiqâr, and said to him, ‘Tell me now, that I may perceive whom thy lord the king is like, and his nobles, to whom they are like.’
50 And Haiqâr said to him: ‘My lord is the God of heaven, and his nobles are the lightnings and the thunder, and when he wills the winds blow and the rain falls.
51 And he commands the thunder, and it lightens and rains, and he holds the sun, and it gives not its light, and the moon and the stars, and they circle not.
52 And he commands the tempest, and it blows and the rain falls and it tramples on April and destroys its flowers and its houses.’
53 And when Pharaoh heard this speech, he was greatly perplexed and was wroth with a great wrath, and said to him: ‘O man! tell me the truth, and let me know who thou really art.’
54 And he told him the truth. ‘I am Haiqâr the scribe, greatest of the Privy Councillors of king Sennacherib, and I am his vizier and the Governor of his kingdom, and his Chancellor.’
55 And he said to him, ‘Thou hast told the truth in this saying. But we have heard of Haiqâr, that king Sennacherib has slain him, yet thou dost seem to be alive and well.’
56 And Haiqâr said to him, ‘Yes, so it was, but praise be to God, who knoweth what is hidden, for my lord the king commanded me to be killed, and he believed the word of profligate men, but the Lord delivered me, and blessed is he who trusteth in Him.’
57 And Pharaoh said to Haiqâr, ‘Go, and to-morrow be thou here, and tell me a word that I have never heard from my nobles nor from the people of my kingdom and my country.’
CHAP. VI.
The ruse succeeds. Ahikar answers every question of Pharaoh. The boys on the eagles are the climax of the day. Wit, so rarely found in the ancient Scriptures, is revealed in Verses 34-45.
AND Haiqâr went to his dwelling, and wrote a letter, saying in it on this wise:
2 From Sennacherib king of Assyria. and Nineveh to Pharaoh king of Egypt.
3 ‘Peace be to thee, O my brother! and what we make known to thee by this is that a brother has need of his brother, and kings of each other, and my hope from thee is that thou wouldst lend me nine hundred talents of gold, for I need it for the victualling of some of the soldiers, that, I may spend it upon them. And after a little while I will send it thee.’
4 Then he folded the letter, and presented it on the morrow to Pharaoh.
5 And when he saw it, he was perplexed and said to him, ‘Verily I have never heard anything like this language from any one.’
6 Then Haiqâr said to him, ‘Truly this is a debt which thou owest to my lord the king.’
7 And Pharaoh accepted this, saying, ‘O Haiqâr, it is the like of thee who are honest in the service of kings.
8 Blessed be God who hath made thee perfect in wisdom and hath adorned thee with philosophy and knowledge.
9 And now, O Haiqâr, there remains what we desire from thee, that thou shouldst build as a castle between heaven and earth.’
10 Then said Haiqâr, ‘To hear is to obey. I will build thee a castle according to thy wish and choice; but, O my lord I prepare us lime and stone and clay and workmen, and I have skilled builders who will build for thee as thou desirest.’
11 And the king prepared all that for him, and they went to a wide place; and Haiqâr and his boys came to it, and he took the eagles and the young men with him; and the king and all his nobles went and the whole city assembled, that they might see what Haiqâr would do.
12 Then Haiqâr let the eagles out of the boxes, and tied the young men on their backs, and tied the ropes to the eagles’ feet, and let them go in the air. And they soared upwards, till they remained between heaven and earth.
13 And the boys began to shout, saying, ‘Bring bricks, bring clay, that we may build the king’s castle, for we are standing idle!’
14 And the crowd were astonished and perplexed, and they wondered. And the king and his nobles wondered.
15 And Haiqâr and his servants began to beat the workmen, and they shouted for the king’s troops, saying to them, ‘Bring to the skilled workmen what they want and do not hinder them from their work.’
16 And the king said to him, ‘Thou art mad; who can bring anything up to that distance?’