when the farewells were prolonged with them, and the night drew near, a pillar of divine fire descended and separated between them and their master-peace be upon him-and no one knows what happened to him after this, even unto this time. His allotted period of life had reached its limit, and the term of his existence among men-peace be unto him-and now his dealings were directly with his Lord and His angels. And of God do we beg that He would unite us to him through His mercy. Behold He is over all things powerful, and He is my sufficiency and illustrious Protector.

CHAPTER VII.

THE ACCOUNT OF WHAT YUSH'A, HIS DISCIPLE, SAID, AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HIS LORD AND MASTER.

WHEN the master Mûsa, the Prophet peace be upon him-disappeared from him and from the congregation of the children of Israel, and the COMMAND separated him from them, which event he was unable to avert from himself, and there passed away from them the sight of him, and when all had completely despaired of his return, Yûsh'a, the son of Nûn, wept for him and proclaimed with his loudest voice, saying: "O Master! the death of every one of the children of Adam, from first to last, was witnessed, and his grave seen; but thou! who has seen thy grave? What prophet of the prophet can attain unto thy glory, or prolong his memory unto the extent thy memory is prolonged? Where is one who has brought to life the dead and caused

8 Note 30,

the living to die, through the permission of his Lord, besides thee?1 Unto what prophet do the infidels bear testimony as to his prophetic office, except thee? What prophet, in the ages past or yet to come, did cause his congregation to hear the voice of the Creator from the regions of the heavens, except thee? Where is one who shall arise, and his words ascend on high, and ward off the Divine anger, and bring down Divine mercy, except thee? What prophet fasted before his Lord, until he fasted one hundred and twenty days including the nights, 2 except thee? What prophet boasted of his being the one who held converse with God without anything intervening between them, except thee? Where is one, who has trodden the fire, and cleft the darkness, and rent the clouds, and reached unto the curtain of omnipotence, besides thee? What book ascribed to any prophet has in it the teaching of the worship of the Creator, and of how access may be had to Him, except thy book? O one who killed the Nil (Nile) with his rod ! O one who did reveal new things! O one who showed forth wonders! O one who manifested signs! O one who lighted up the darkness! O one who cleft the sea with his rod! O one-who put to rout armies with his hand! O one who warded off the Divine anger by his petitions! O one who brought down Divine mercy by his intercessions! O one whose very sustenance was the worship of his Lord! O one who went out from the boundaries of humanity and human power into the Divine power! O one who understood the past and knew what was to come! O one who ruled his enemies by his invocation! O my master and my lord! How can I exist and how can thy people exist, now that thou art

1 Note 31. 2 Note 32. 8 Note 33,

gone ?" After this his weeping increased as did also the weeping of the congregation that was with him, and when the grief and wailing had been long indulged in, with submission and humility, it was announced to Yûsh'â, the son of Nûn, saying: Return thou and those that are with thee of the army, and do not oppose the command of God"-May His name be glorious.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE ACCOUNT OF WHAT WAS DONE AFTER THE RETURN OF YUSH'A, TO THE PEOPLE.

WHEN Yûsh'â, and the priests returned after bidding farewell to the prophet-peace be upon him, the congregation of the children of Isrâîl met them, and they commenced weeping for their master, yea, every company by company, and they continued weeping for him thirty days and nights. And the nations heard their clamor and wailing and crying, and they assembled together in confederation on the borders and rejoiced exceedingly when they were informed of the death of the prophet-peace be upon him,-and they resolved to encounter the children of Isrâîl. But when God-Powerful and Mighty-perceived the conspiracy of the Canaânites, of those who were assembled unto them, He made a manifestation of Divine power and revealed unto Yûsha, the son, of Nûn, that he should strengthen his own and the people's courage, by saying unto them: "That as He had been with them in the past, so would He be with them in the future so long as they continued in worshipful submis. sion." Praise he unto Him to Whom belongs the kingdom and the majesty and the power and eternal existence. There is no God but He, and no kingdom but His kingdom.

CHAPTER IX.

THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK YUSH'A, THE SON OF NUN, THE DISCIPLE OF THE MASTER MUSA, THE PROPHET-PEACE BE UPON HIM.

AFTER the death of Mûsa, Kalimu'l-lah,1 God made a revelation unto Yûsh'â, the son of Nûn, the disciple of Mûsa the servant of God, saying unto him: "O Yûsh'â, arise, start out, and with thy people pass over the Urdun (Jordan) unto the land which I am about to give unto the children of Isrâîl; all the places which your feet shall tread shall belong to you. Your boundary shall be from the wilderness to el-Lubnan (Lebanon), and from the river elFarah (Euphrates) unto the uttermost sea; and no enemy shall stand before you. O Yûsh'a, as I was with Mûsa-peace be upon him-so will I be with thee, and I will not forsake thee nor desert thee. Be strong and exalt thyself exceedingly. Fear not nor be dismayed, for I am with thee and with thy people in every place. O Yûsh'a, do not abolish the reading of what Mûsa the prophet inscribed and wrote, with what is intrusted unto the Liwânites (Levites) in the place in the holy house, and learn from it night and day, even all the days of thy life, that thou mayest be instructed; for if thou observest the same and dost not swerve from what is commanded thee to the right or to the left, thou wilt succeed and prosper, and thy enemies will be put to rout by thee, and thou shalt tread upon their necks." And at this time the communication ended.

1 Note 34,

THE

CHAPTER X.

ACCOUNT OF YUSHA'S ASSEMBLING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL, AND HIS RENEWING THE COVENANT WITH THEM.

AFTER Yûsh'a, had heard what God revealed unto him, he joined unto himself el-'Azâr, the imâm-peace be upon him, and he sat down upon his sacred chair, while Yûsh'â, sat upon his royal chair. And there gathered unto them, the holy priests, and the Liwânites who offered the sacrifices, and the twelve chiefs who always attended them, and the chief judges, and the seventy chosen wise men, and the officers over the thousands, and hundreds, and fifties, and tens. And with the assembling of this congress, the trumpets sounded and the heralds went forth proclaiming a general assembling of the children of Isrâîl. And it was not but an hour before there were gathered unto them the old men and the young, with many of the women and children and all the army. And then Yûsh'â, began to enumerate to them the things that God-Powerful and Mighty-had manifested by the hand of our master Mûsa the Prophet-peace be upon him -in their behalf and that of their predecessors. Next he recalled to them wherein they had acted contrary to Him, and tried Him, and rebelled against Him. And he said unto them: "O assembled men, I am going to bind you to the covenant and compact which existed before the death of the Prophet-peace be upon him-that you will not associate others with God, and that you will see to the promulgation of the laws upon which this covenant is founded, and it is, namely, the explanation of the law, and the explanation