Burnt offerings XIX

But now they that are younger than I have me in derision,

whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.

Yea,

whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?

For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.

Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.

They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;) To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.

Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.

They were children of fools,

yea,

children of base men: they were viler than the earth.

And now - am I their song,

yea,

I am their byword. They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.

Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have - also let loose the bridle before me.

Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.

They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.

They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters:

in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me. Terrors are turned upon me:

they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud. And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

*

The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.

Oh that I might have my request;

and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand,

***

And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

Then saith he unto them,

My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death:

tarry ye here,

and watch with me.

***

Then Abraham fell upon his face,

and laughed,

and said in his heart,

Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old?

and shall Sarah,

that is ninety years old, bear?

***

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed,

***

And when Esau heard the words of his father,

he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry,

and said unto his father,

Bless me,

even me also,

O my father.

***

And he commanded the steward of his house,

saying,

Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money.

And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

*

And he overtook them,

and he spake unto them

these same words.

And they said unto him,

Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

Behold,

the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan:

how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

And he said,

Now also let it be according unto your words:

he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.

Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

And he searched,

and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

And Joseph said unto them,

What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

And Judah said,

What shall we say unto my lord?

what shall we speak?

or how shall we clear ourselves?

God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants:

behold,

we are my lord's servants,

both we,

and he also with whom the cup is found.

And he said,

God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

***

saying,

O my Father,

if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:

nevertheless not as I will,

but as thou wilt.

Then saith he unto them,

My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

*****

Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning,

that if he

will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; - let him do the kinsman's part: - but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, - as the Lord liveth: lie down until the morning.

And she lay at his feet until the morning:

and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a workman came into the floor.

ISamuelYeaOn