Chapter 73

  In the fifty-fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, that is in the hundred and fifty-seventh year of the Israelites going down into Egypt, reigned Moses in Cush.   

  Moses was twenty-seven years old when he began to reign over Cush, and forty years did he reign.   

  And the Lord granted Moses favor and grace in the eyes of all the children of Cush, and the children of Cush loved him exceedingly, so Moses was favored by the Lord and by men.   

  And in the seventh day of his reign, all the children of Cush assembled and came before Moses and bowed down to him to the ground.   

  And all the children spoke together in the presence of the king, saying, Give us counsel that we may see what is to be done to this city.   

  For it is now nine years that we have been besieging round about the city, and have not seen our children and our wives.   

  So the king answered them, saying, If you will hearken to my voice in all that I shall command you, then will the Lord give the city into our hands and we shall subdue it.   

  For if we fight with them as in the former battle which we had with them before the death of Kikianus, many of us will fall down wounded as before.   

  Now therefore behold here is counsel for you in this matter; if you will hearken to my voice, then will the city be delivered into our hands.   

  So all the forces answered the king, saying, All that our lord shall command that will we do.   

  And Moses said unto them, Pass through and proclaim a voice in the whole camp unto all the people, saying,   

  Thus says the king, Go into the forest and bring with you of the young ones of the stork, each man a young one in his hand.   

  And any person transgressing the word of the king, who shall not bring his young one, he shall die, and the king will take all belonging to him.   

  And when you shall bring them they shall be in your keeping, you shall rear them until they grow up, and you shall teach them to dart upon, as is the way of the young ones of the hawk.   

  So all the children of Cush heard the words of Moses, and they rose up and caused a proclamation to be issued throughout the camp, saying,   

  Unto you, all the children of Cush, the king's order is, that you go all together to the forest, and catch there the young storks each man his young one in his hand, and you shall bring them home.   

  And any person violating the order of the king shall die, and the king will take all that belongs to him.   

  And all the people did so, and they went out to the wood and they climbed the fir trees and caught, each man a young one in his hand, all the young of the storks, and they brought them into the desert and reared them by order of the king, and they taught them to dart upon, similar to the young hawks.   

  And after the young storks were reared, the king ordered them to be hungered for three days, and all the people did so.   

  And on the third day, the king said unto them, strengthen yourselves and become valiant men, and put on each man his armor and gird on his sword upon him, and ride each man his horse and take each his young stork in his hand.   

  And we will rise up and fight against the city at the place where the serpents are; and all the people did as the king had ordered.   

  And they took each man his young one in his hand, and they went away, and when they came to the place of the serpents the king said to them, Send forth each man his young stork upon the serpents.   

  And they sent forth each man his young stork at the king's order, and the young storks ran upon the serpents and they devoured them all and destroyed them out of that place.   

  And when the king and people had seen that all the serpents were destroyed in that place, all the people set up a great shout.   

  And they approached and fought against the city and took it and subdued it, and they entered the city.   

  And there died on that day one thousand and one hundred men of the people of the city, all that inhabited the city, but of the people besieging not one died.   

  So all the children of Cush went each to his home, to his wife and children and to all belonging to him.   

  And Balaam the magician, when he saw that the city was taken, he opened the gate and he and his two sons and eight brothers fled and returned to Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt.   

  They are the sorcerers and magicians who are mentioned in the book of the law, standing against Moses when the Lord brought the plagues upon Egypt.   

  So Moses took the city by his wisdom, and the children of Cush placed him on the throne instead of Kikianus king of Cush.   

  And they placed the royal crown upon his head, and they gave him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus.   

  And Moses feared the Lord God of his fathers, so that he came not to her, nor did he turn his eyes to her.   

  For Moses remembered how Abraham had made his servant Eliezer swear, saying unto him, Thou shalt not take a woman from the daughters of Canaan for my son Isaac.   

  Also what Isaac did when Jacob had fled from his brother, when he commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, nor make alliance with any of the children of Ham.   

  For the Lord our God gave Ham the son of Noah, and his children and all his seed, as slaves to the children of Shem and to the children of Japheth, and unto their seed after them for slaves, forever.   

  Therefore Moses turned not his heart nor his eyes to the wife of Kikianus all the days that he reigned over Cush.   

  And Moses feared the Lord his God all his life, and Moses walked before the Lord in truth, with all his heart and soul, he turned not from the right way all the days of his life; he declined not from the way either to the right or to the left, in which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had walked.   

  And Moses strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children of Cush, and he guided the children of Cush with his usual wisdom, and Moses prospered in his kingdom.   

  And at that time Aram and the children of the east heard that Kikianus king of Cush had died, so Aram and the children of the east rebelled against Cush in those days.   

  And Moses gathered all the children of Cush, a people very mighty, about thirty thousand men, and he went forth to fight with Aram and the children of the east.   

  And they went at first to the children of the east, and when the children of the east heard their report, they went to meet them, and engaged in battle with them.   

  And the war was severe against the children of the east, so the Lord gave all the children of the east into the hand of Moses, and about three hundred men fell down slain.   

  And all the children of the east turned back and retreated, so Moses and the children of Cush followed them and subdued them, and put a tax upon them, as was their custom.   

  So Moses and all the people with him passed from there to the land of Aram for battle.   

  And the people of Aram also went to meet them, and they fought against them, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Moses, and many of the men of Aram fell down wounded.   

  And Aram also were subdued by Moses and the people of Cush, and also gave their usual tax.   

  And Moses brought Aram and the children of the east under subjection to the children of Cush, and Moses and all the people who were with him, turned to the land of Cush.   

  And Moses strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children of Cush, and the Lord was with him, and all the children of Cush were afraid of him.