agitated. And he himself then cried out at the top of his voice: "Assembly of my brothers and my cousins and my comrades! follow me, and reach your brethren; for they are imprisoned by magic inside seven walls of iron at el-Lejjûn. Assembly of men! haste! haste!!" And they that were around him shouted out with a mighty shout, the sound of which was heard unto the horizon of heaven and to the regions of the earth, which were their assigned lands. And now the shout increased and voices were intermingled, and there mustered immediately, as though they had been for a long time and period prepared and equipt, six thousand men whose garments were white and their horses red, and six thousand men whose garments were red and their horses white, and six thousand men whose garments were green and their horses black, and six thousand men whose garments were black and their horses piebald; not to mention the variously colored and renowned ones who were many and without number. And the women and children joined in rendering aid. And there went forth of the men an innumerable multitude; and Nabîh went forth, riding upon a celebrated colt that was spotted like a leopard and was fleet as the winds, and behind him was his army and he was saying: "Fire! Fire!! no rest and no repose!" And the shout rose up on high, and a wonderful warning presented itself in the sky, so that the birds dropped down one after another and fled away from the great wind into the desert, and wild animals did not remain quiet in their dens, and from these was witnessed (an omen) the like of which had never been beheld in the past. And when Nabîh drew near to the great meadow,2 he halted until his army had collected together. And it came to

pass that the mother of Shaubak went up to a lookout she had in el-Qaimûn to worship the great luminary according to her custom, and when she beheld the luminous star-that is to say Nabîh-rising up out of the east, she made haste to descend unto her son, and she said to him: "Lo! a luminous moon is rising up out of the east, and about him are brilliant starsmeaning Nabîh and his soldiers; and if he be of our enemies, O woe unto thee and woe unto me; but if he be for our assistance, then it is well with thee and well with me." And he became enraged at her because she had hastened unto him with woe, and he killed her-may God have no mercy on her. And he put on his armor and took his bow and arrows studded with pearls and corals, and then made proclamation throughout his army and advanced alone against Nabîh; and when he drew near to him and beheld him, he said unto him: "O Nabîh, what is the matter with thee that thou barkest?" And he answered him: "Yes, my name is Nabîh, the son of Gil'ad the son of Makîr the son of Manashsheh the son of Yûsaf to whom was given the kingdom of Y'aqûb the son of Ishaq the son of Ibrahîm who killed the kings of esh-Shâm; and my lord has sent me to anathematize thee and destroy thee, and as my father killed thy father so will his (my father's) son kill his (thy father's) son and now, O thou anathematized! O thou unclean one! who art thou?" And he said to him: "I am Shaubak, the son of Hamâm the son of Fût (Phut), the son of Ham, the son of Nûh whom God did bless at the time he came out of the ark. Stand for me until I shoot first, and then I next will receive (thy shot)." And Nabîh said unto him: "Of God I ask assistance, because thou shalt shoot first and kill first. Let

8 Note 68.

drive, O anathematized, O, unclean one!" So he (Shaubak) let drive at him with the first arrow: now he was-God curse him-a man shooting with determination and confidence who never missed the mark. But Nabîh dodged his head, and it passed by him and did not hit him. Thereupon he shot at him a second arrow; but Nabîh lifted himself in the air, and it passed between him and his saddle. And he shot a third arrow; and he (Nabîh) countered it with his right hand. And Shaubak the son of Hamâm began to desire to flee away, and Nabîh said unto him: "Whither dost thou flee, O anathematized, O unclean one? I have received from thee three witnesses (of thy skill), now receive of its kind one witness from me: take this from my right hand which God has blessed-and to Him belongs the mighty power." Then Nabîl shot it, and the arrow rose up to heaven and reversing came down into the head of the man, and penetrated to his belly and to the belly of his horse, and plunged into the earth to a depth of five royal cubits, which is twelve cubits according to this cubit, and in that place immediately a fountain gushed forth, which is called 'Ain en-Nushshâbeh (the Fountain of the Arrow) unto this time. And when the children of Isrâîl witnessed this miracle, they shouted out in honor of GodGlorious and Mighty-saying: "There is no power or might except in God." And when Yûsh'a and they who were imprisoned with him heard them, God made a revelation unto him, saying: "Speak unto the priests that they sound with the two trumpets.' And when they had done so, the walls crumbled and fell down; and the army closed in upon the enemies, and the trumpets of the angels were heard from heaven. And Yûsh'a said to the day: "Stand still for me," and it stood still; and to the winds: "As

sist me," and they assisted him. And while the enemies were hurling from the east, the west wind was returning each missile unto its hurler,4 and thus was it also from all quarters. And as to the man who had the thunderbolt with him, when he hurled it, it leaped back upon the enemies and killed of them one thousand men; and the sword continued doing its work among the rest of them, until the horses plunged in blood up to their nostrils.5 Then said Yûsh'a to his people: "This day has annihilated the power of the confederates and of the allies of the confederates. All the children of Isrâîl should offer praises and halleluiahs to the King of kings and Lord of lords, who has rescued them and preserved them, and protected them, and delivered them, and uprooted their enemies." And the king was offering praise, and saying: "God is the one who acts as the Hero for us in the wars, God is His name." And the children of Isrâîl followed him, while all of them were saying: "Who is like unto Thee, perfect in holiness? O, One who dost inspire terror! O Revealer of secret things! O Doer of wonders! O One who dost protect His servants and those who love Him, in every place wherein they dwell!" Now, this is one of the paragraphs of our master Mûsa the Prophet-peace be upon him, in his hymn of praise at the sea. And Yûsh'a moreover said: "God shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." And this also is one of the sayings of Musa the Prophet-peace be upon him. And they lodged on the field of battle and rested that night; and they ceased not to commemorate God the whole night long, with hymns of praise and halleluiahs, until the rising of the sun, secure from any attack, amid great noise and merriment and gladness and booty; 4 Note 69. 5 Note 70. 6 Exodus XV. 7 Exodus xiv: 14.

now that their enemies were destroyed and the remembrance of them blotted out. And God is the Victor, the Protector, the Guardian, and He is our sufficiency and illustrious Protector.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT WAS DONE DURING THE DAYS OF DIVINE FAVOR.

Now the length of this period was two hundred and sixty years. And the well ordered arrangement of the days of Divine favor existed during the days of Yûsh'a the king, and after him until the termination of this period; as I am about to mention and set forth. And they (the children of Isrâîl) continued keeping the Sabbaths and the solemn assemblies-I mean, the new moons and the feasts, and from the era of the king they continued giving the land rest, one year in every seven years; in this year there was neither sowing nor cultivation, but yet every one had what was needed. And the children of Isrâîl were delivering over to the Lîwânites the tenth of all that came to them, and what they possessed of every seed-sowing and fruit, and animal and other things. And the Lîwânite was delivering over the tenth of this unto the high priest. And the children of Isrâîl had another tenth, which before God they were disposing of, for themselves and for the imâms and the infirm. And when they planted in the ground a new plant, its fruit was not eaten, except when in the fourth year the imâm ate of it, and then in the fifth it became released and made free to every one. And the Hebrew slave who had served seven years was emancipated, and dominion over him was