Aloha and afterward they shall come forth and serve me in this place. And he gave to him the covenant of circumcision. And then begat he Ishok, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Ishok begat Jakub, and Jakub begat our twelve fathers. And these our fathers were incited against Jauseph, and sold him into Mitsreen. And Aloha was with him: and he delivered him from all his afflictions, and gave him grace and wisdom before Pherun king of Mitsreen, and he appointed him prince over Mitsreen, and over all his house.

XVI.

AND there was a famine and great affliction in all Mitsreen, and in the land of Kenaan, and our fathers had nothing to satisfy them. And when Jakub heard that there was corn in Mitsreen, he sent forth our fathers before. And when they had gone the second time, Jauseph made himself known to his brethren, and the family of Jauseph were made known unto Pherun. And Jauseph sent and brought his father Jakub and all his family, and they were in number seventy and five souls. And Jakub went down into Mitsreen and died there; he and our fathers. And he was removed to Shechem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought with silver from the B'nai Chamur.

And when was come the time of that which Aloha promised with an oath unto Abraham, the people had multiplied and increased in Mitsreen until another king had arisen over Mitsreen, who knew not Jauseph, and he dealt fraudulently against our kindred, and shamefully entreated our fathers, and commanded that their children should be cast away, that they might not live. In that time Musha was born, and was beloved of Aloha, and was

4

4 Or destroyed.

a son.

brought up three months in the house of his father. And when he was outcast from his people, the daughter of Pherun found him, and brought him up unto her for And Musha was instructed in all the wisdom of the Mitsroyee, and was excellent in words (and) also in deeds. And when he became a son of forty years, it arose upon his heart to visit his brethren the sons of Israel. And he saw one of the sons of his tribe treated with violence, and he avenged him, and did him justice, and he killed the Mitsroya who had offended him, and hoped that his brethren, the sons of Israel, would understand that Aloha by his hand would give them deliverance; but they understood not. And the day after he appeared to them while they strove one with another; and he persuaded them to be pacified, saying, Men, you are brethren; why offend you one the other? But he who had offended his neighbour removed himself from him, and said to him, Who appointed thee over us a prince and a judge? Seekest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Mitsroya yesterday? And Musha fled at that word, and became a sojourner in the land of Median, and there were to him two sons.

XVII.

AND when forty years were there fulfilled to him, there appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai the angel of the Lord in a flame that burned in a bush. And while Musha looked, he wondered at the sight. And as he drew near to gaze, the Lord spake to him with the voice I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham and of Ishok and of Jakub.

:

trembling, dared not look upon the sight.

said to him, Loose thy sandals from thy

And Musha,

And the Lord

feet: for the

ground on which thou standest is holy. Seeing I have seen the affliction of my people who [are] in Mitsreen,

and his groaning I have heard, and I have descended that I may deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Mitsreen.

This Musha whom they denied, when they said, Who appointed thee over us a prince and a judge? this, sent Aloha unto them a prince and a deliverer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him at the bush. This brought them out, when he had wrought signs and wonders and mighty deeds in the land of Mitsreen, and at the Sea of Suph, and in the desert forty years.

XVIII.

THIS is that Musha, who said to the sons of Israel, A Prophet will Aloha the Lord raise up unto you from your brethren, like me; him shall you hear. This is he who was with the congregation in the desert, with the angel himself who spake with him and with our fathers at the mountain of Sinai; and he it was who received the words of life to give (them) to us. And our fathers willed not to give heed to him, but left him, and in their hearts turned back to Mitsreen, saying to Aharun, Make us alohee that may go before us, because this Musha, who brought us forth from the land of Mitsreen, we know not what is become of him. And he made them the calf in those days, and they sacrificed sacrifices to idols, and were delighted with the work of their hands. And Aloha turned, and delivered them up to be worshippers of the hosts of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, Forty years in the desert

Victims or sacrifices did you offer to me,
Sons of Israel?

But

you took up the tabernacle of Malkum,
And the star of the god of Raphan,
Images you have made to worship them;
I will remove you beyond Babel.

XIX.

BEHOLD, the tabernacle of testimony of our fathers was in the desert, as He who spake with Musha had commanded to make it after the pattern which he had seen. And this tabernacle also our fathers bringing brought in with Jeshu to the land which Aloha had given to them, an inheritance from those peoples whom he had expelled from before them, and it was carried until the days of David; who found favour before Aloha, and asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jakub. But Shelemun builded the house. But the Most High dwelleth not in the work of hands, as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne,

And earth the footstool beneath my feet:

What house will you build me? saith the Lord:
Or what is the place of my rest?

Hath not my hand made all these?

For

O, hardened of neck and uncircumcised in your hearts and in your hearing, you at all times against the Spirit of Holiness stand up; as your fathers, so you also. which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted and slain? they who before announced the coming of the Righteous; him whom you delivered up and slew. And you have received the law by the precept of angels, and have not kept it.

XX.

AND when they heard these they were filled with wrath in themselves, and they gnashed their teeth upon him. And he, being full of faith and of the Spirit of Holiness, looked up to heaven, and saw the glory of Aloha, and Jeshu standing at the right hand of Aloha. And he said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of Aloha. And they

cried with a high voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him, all of them, and seizing they brought him out of the city and stoned him. And they who witnessed against him laid their garments before the feet of a certain young man named Shaol. And they stoned Estephanos, (he) praying and saying, Our Lord Jeshu, receive my spirit. And kneeling down, he cried with a high voice, and said, Our Lord, let not this sin arise against them. And when this he had said, he slept. But Shaol willed to take part in his killing. And there was made in those days a great persecution against the church that was in Urishlem; and they were all dispersed in the country of Jihud and also among the Shomroyee, excepting only the apostles. And faithful men laid Estephanos in his tomb, and mourned over him greatly.

XXI.

BUT Shaol persecuted the church of Aloha, going to the houses, and drawing men and women delivered them to the house of the bound. And they who were dispersed went about and preached the word of Aloha. But Philipos descended to a city of the Shomroyee, and preached concerning the Meshiha. And when they heard his word, the men who were there attended to him, and were persuaded of all that he said: for they saw the signs that he wrought. For many whom unclean spirits possessed cried with a high voice, and they came out from them; and others, palsied and lame, were healed: and great joy was in that city.

But a certain man was there whose name was Simon, who had dwelt in that city much time, and with his sorceries had deceived the people of the Shomroyee, magnifying himself, and saying, I am the Great.5 And

5 Ano 'no Rabo.