Chapter 72
captain of the guard, and took his head off with it, for the likeness of the other captain of the guard had been turned into the likeness of Moses.
11. Afterwards, the angel of the Lord took hold of the right hand of Moses, and brought him forth from Egypt and placed him outside Egypt's borders, at a distance of a forty days journey.
12. And Aaron his brother alone remained in the land of Egypt, and he prophecied to the children of Israel, saying:
13. Thus says the Lord God of your ancestors. Throw away, each man, the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.
14. And the children of Israel rebelled and would not hearken to Aaron at that time.
15. And the Lord thought to destroy them, were it not that the Lord remembered the covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
16. In those days the hand of Pharaoh continued to be severe against the children of Israel, and he crushed and oppressed them until the time when God sent forth his word and took notice of them.
1. AND it was in those days that there was a great war between the children of Cush and the children of the east and Aram, and they rebelled against the king of Cush in whose hands they were.
2. So king Kikianus of Cush went forth with all the children of Cush, a people numerous as the sand, and he went to fight against Aram and the children of the east, to bring them under subjection.
3. And when Kikianus went out, he left the magician Balaam with his two sons to guard the city and the lowest sort of the people of the land.
4. So Kikianus went forth to Aram and the children of the east, and he fought against them and smote them, and they all fell down wounded before Kikianus and his people.
5. And he took many of them captive and he brought them under subjection as at first, and he encamped upon their land to take tribute from them as usual.
6. And Balaam, the son of Beor, when the king of Cush left him to guard the city and the poor of the city, rose up and advised the people of the land to rebel against king Kikianus and not to let him enter the city when coming home.
7. And the people of the land hearkened to him, and they swore to him and made him king over them, and his two sons for captains of the army.
8. So they rose up and raised the walls of the city at the two corners, and they built an exceedingly strong building.
9. And at the third corner they dug ditches without number, between the city and the river which surrounded the whole land of Cush, and they made the waters of the river burst forth there.
10. At the fourth corner they collected numerous serpents by their incantations and enchantments. They fortified the city and dwelt therein, and without permission no one went out or in before them.
11. And Kikianus fought against Aram and the children of the east and he subdued them as before, and they gave him their usual tribute, and he went and returned to his land.
12. And when king Kikianus of Cush, approached his city together with all the captains of the forces, they lifted up their eyes and saw that the walls of the city were built up and greatly elevated. So the men were astonished at this.
13. And they said to one another, it is because they saw that we were delayed in the battle, and were much concerned about us; therefore have they done this thing and raised the city walls and fortified them, so that the kings of Canaan might not come in battle against them.
14. So the king and the troops approached the city door and they looked up and behold, all the gates of the city were closed, and they called out to the sentinels, saying, open unto us, that we may enter the city.
15. But the sentinels refused to open to them by order of the magician Balaam their king. They suffered them not to enter their city.
16. So they raised a battle against them opposite the city gate, and one hundred and thirty men of the army of Kikianus fell on that day.
17. And on the next day they continued to fight and they fought at the side of the river; they endeavored to pass but succeed, so some of them sank in the pits and died.
18. So the king ordered them to cut down trees to make rafts, upon which they might pass to them, and they did so.
19. And when they came to the place of the ditches, the waters revolved by mills, and two hundred men upon ten rafts were drowned.
20. And on the third day they came to fight at the side where the serpents were, but they could not approach there, so the serpents slew of them one hundred and seventy men, and they ceased fighting against Cush. They besieged Cush for nine years, no person came out or in.