will come the hasty rush and flight, and the abandonment of our baggage, and the saving of ourselves and our possessions; for, verily, he (Yûsh'â,) is a magnificent commander, he is not to be held as contemptible and insignificant; and against this people neither sorcery nor stratagem is possible. Every god whom ye worship and serve will flee away from before their God whom they worship. Have ye not heard what happened unto our master and chief Bila'âm?" Thereupon the band of magicians went apart by themselves and the mother of Shaubak with them, and they agreed in opinion that they would work out for them his (Yûsha's) discomfiture, so as that he should not come unto them. And they commenced operations and built their altars and offered up their sacrifices, and they were answered in that which they requested, and they sat down in order that they might deliver their mandate with power and force. But God delayed this unto them, according as He willed. Blessed be He and exalted, for the consummation which He brought about.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

THE ACCOUNT OF THE SETTING OUT OF YUSH'A THE KING UPON HIS EXPEDITION.

WHEN Yûsh'â the king desired to start out on the journey, he met with the saint of God, el'Azar the imâm-peace be upon him, and said unto him: "Go forth, invoke a blessing upon thy people and bless them, and when we have proceeded on our journey continue repeating it, and do not cease standing before thy Lordhumbly beseeching Him, until thou hearest tidings of us."

And el-'Azar, the imâm, went

forth to the tabernacle and blessed the people, and invoked a blessing upon them, and then he proceeded to bid farewell to the king, and to weep, while the priests invoked upon him safety and success and prosperity and good-fortune. Then he commanded the Liwânites to make proclamation throughout the army, in accordance with what our master Mûsa, the Prophet-the most excellent peace be upon him,--had enjoined upon them in the Holy Law at the command of God, where he says: "When ye go out in battle against your enemies, and see horses and footmen, and a people more than ye, be not afraid of them; for God thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Misr "—and so on to the end of the chapter.1 And this having been executed, at the close of the proclamation, Fînahas (Phinehas), the son of the imâmpeace be upon him, his cousin, sounded on the two trumpets of clamor,2 and the congregation of the children of Isrâîl shouted with one voice, and the angels in heaven and on earth did tremble by reason of their shout. And having knelt and bowed down, they then mounted and journeyed forward until they arrived in the vicinity of el-Lejjûn.3

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL IN THIS PLACE.

WHEN the children of Isrâîl arrived at elLejjûn, before they were aware of it, Yûsh'â and those who were with him had got inside of seven walls of iron, and the device of the magicians against them was consummated, in order that the decree of God-may He be exalted-might be

1 Deut xx.

2 Note 64.

8 Note 65.

accomplished, with regard to exalting the renown of Nabîh, the king of the two and a half tribes, who was beyond the Urdun; for not a thing of this work had been effected, but for the sole purpose that the renown of Nabîh might be glorified, and his name spread abroad. And one object of this was, that if the giants were put to rout they would cross over with them, and, while they were fatigued, follow hard after them; and it was in their purpose so (to do). And another object of this was, to show up the result of the counsel of the deities of the giants; for Fînahas alone did blow on the trumpet and dissolved every perplexing machination which the magicians had wrought. And another object of it was, that the embarrassment of king Yûsh'â might continue until the souls of the giants had become strong and their hearts elated and they settled down at ease; that the army of Nabîh might cross over from the east: then would the magic from the west be dissolved, and the army issue forth and close upon the enemy from all directions, until not one of them should escape safe.

Now this war was the last war that Yûsh'â the king witnessed; for the time of his death had drawn near. And we will recount what happened, so that even a hearer shall be as if he had been a witness of it; and he will be astonished at this great stratagem, and will praise Him who is powerful over all circumstances and spirits. Blessed and exalted and glorious be He above all that the ignorant heathen mention. Mighty be his name; and He it is from whom help is to be sought, and in whom trust is to be placed.

CHAPTER XXXV.

THE ACCOUNT OF HOW GOD FACILITATED THE ESCAPE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAIL FROM THE MAGICIANS.

WHEN Yûsh'â beheld what had come to pass unto him, he remained in great perplexity and exceeding fear, and began to desire of his Lord that a dove might alight upon him from the doves of Nabîh his cousin; and he had not finished expressing his desire before the dove alighted in the room, and he praised GodMighty and Powerful: then he looked at it and knew that deliverance was certain. And he commenced and wrote a letter unto Nabîh, his cousin, which I am about to make mention of, by the will of God and His assistance.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

A STATEMENT OF A COPY OF THE LETTER.

"I WRITE unto thee, O my cousin—may God protect thee and take care of thee, while I am sad of heart, weak in strength, with weeping eyes, humbled in soul, on the very verge of destruction, and three hundred thousand men along with me; for the stratagem of the magicians has been accomplished upon us, and I and my people are imprisoned and perplexed inside seven walls of iron, and in front of us are thirtysix kings in complete joy and universal exultation, while we are in sadness and weeping and fear thereby. And now such an affair as this

had not been effectuated against us, except only that there might be accomplished what Godmay He be exalted-desires with reference to the exaltation of thy renown, and the spreading abroad of thy authority; and God, God is the One, O my cousin, Who makes weak and makes strong. And truly thou knowest what covenants and compacts exist between me and thee, so rise up immediately and do not sleep; and if thou art asleep, awake: and if thou art awake, sit up; and if thou art sitting, stand up, and if thou art standing, walk; and if thou art walking, run; for I and the company of thy brethren, who are looking for deliverance from God— exalted be He--and thee, are imprisoned inside seven walls of iron at el-Lejjûn, and the host of the enemies are in el-Qaimûn: so let not slackness nor rest nor laziness nor hesitation overtake thee, but outstrip the blowing winds and make manifest that by which thou shalt be remembered unto the end of the gliding ages, by the will of God and His assistance." And when Yûsh'â had finished folding the letter, the dove did not wait until it had been tied on to its wings, but snatched it in its bill and flapped its wings and soared aloft.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

THE ACCOUNT OF NABIH AND WHAT HE DID.

Now Nabîh was sitting upon his judgment throne, his waist girded up and on him a green robe and a green turban, and he was engaged in looking into the judicial affairs when the dove threw the note into the room, and he opened it and read it, and his eyes gushed forth with tears and he cried aloud, at which the court became