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.And the Queen said unto her son, My son, God hath given unto theethe right, walk thou therein and withdraw not thyself from it, neither to theright hand nor the left.And love thou the Lord thy God, for He is mercifulunto the simple-minded.For His way is known from His commandment,and His goodness is comprehended through the guidance of His word. Then she turned towards Êlmëyâs and Azariah and all the mighty menof Israel [saying], Do ye protect him and teach him the path of thekingdom of God, and the honour of our Lady Zion.And whatsoever ourLady loveth not let us not do.Tell us [this] truly and carefully for ever andfrom generation to generation, so that she may not be wroth with us, if wedo not perform her service well, so that God may dwell with us.And thou,my son, hearken unto the word of thy fathers, and walk in their counsel.And let not drink make thee foolish, nor women, nor pride of apparel, northe bridles and trappings of horses, nor the sight of the weapons of war ofthose who are at the head or at the rear.But let thy confidence be in Godand in Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of God, thy Creator, so that thoumayest vanquish thine enemy, and so that thy seed upon the earth maymultiply, and so that thy foes and adversaries, near and far, may beoverthrown. 129 Kebra NagastAnd those sons of mighty men answered and said with one voice, Oour Lady, we are with you always, and we will remember the lord, theKing.Behold, what is written and the performance thereof shall take placeif the God of Israel shall be unto him a helper, and if he hearkeneth to theword of his mother; and we will inform him about the path of doing goodworks.For there is no one to be found in these days as wise as thyself,except our lord the King.Thou hast drawn us hither as thy servants withour Lady, the heavenly Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of the Lord ourGod just as a man draweth a camel that is loaded with valuablepossessions with a little piece of thin, tough cord fastened over his nose.And now, reject us not and treat us not as strange people, but make us likeunto thy slaves who wash thy feet, for whether we die or whether we livewe are with thee; we have no longer any hope in the country of our birth,but only in thee and in our Lady the heavenly Zion, the habitation of theglory of God. 89.How the Queen Talked to the Children of IsraelAnd the Queen answered and said unto them, Not as servants as yesay but as a father and a teacher will we treat you.For ye are the guardiansof the Law of God, and the guides of the commandment of the God ofIsrael, and the men of the house of God, and the guardians of Zion, theTabernacle of the Law of God, and we do not wish to transgress yourcommandments, for ye shall be unto us a guide to the path of God awayfrom all evil.At your words we will withdraw from that wherewith God isnot well-pleased, and we will draw nigh unto every good thing wherewithGod is well-pleased at your commandment.Only do ye instruct all thispeople, and teach them the words of knowledge, for never before havethey heard such things as they have heard this day.It is only those whohave understanding in them that wisdom and understanding illumine likethe light of the sun.As for me, up to this present I have not drunk deeplyof the water of knowledge.Now it is sweeter than honey, and quencheththe thirst more than wine, and it satisfieth and maketh wisdom to bubbleup, and it stimulateth the understanding, and maketh a man to pour forth130 Kebra Nagastwords like a drunken man, and maketh the unsteady man like one whoflieth, and maketh a man as hot as he that carrieth a heavy load on adifficult road in a parched land that is burnt up by a blazing sun.When thehearts of the wise are open to prophecy and to knowledge, they do not fearthe king because of the greatness of his glory if he turneth himself asidefrom the way of God.And mark this: The word of the Law, which hathbeen uttered, is indeed understanding unto those who wish for it, and whodrink it in and soak themselves therein.I pray Thee, O Lord God of Israel,Thou Holiest of the Holy, grant unto me that I may follow wisdom, andmay not become a castaway; grant unto me that I may make her a wallunto myself, and may never fall down; grant that I may make her afoundation for me, and may never be overthrown; grant that I may standupon her as [firmly as] a pillar, and may never shake; grant that I may hidein her, and never have her stripped from me; grant that I may build myselfupon her, and may not topple over; grant that I may become vigorousthrough her, and not suffer from exhaustion; grant that I may standthrough her, and may not fall; grant that I may lay hold upon her, and maynot slip away; grant that I may grasp her firmly, and may not slide; grantthat I may dwell in her in her peace; [grant that] I may be satisfied at hertable, and may not vomit, and drink her and not get drunk upon her, andmay be satisfied with her and not spit her out. I have drunk of her, but have not tottered; I have tottered through her,but have not fallen; I have fallen because of her, but have not beendestroyed.Through her I have dived down into the great sea and haveseized in the place of her depths a pearl whereby I am rich.I went downlike the great iron anchor whereby men anchor ships for the night on thehigh seas, and I received a lamp which lighteth me, and I came up by theropes of the boat of understanding.I went to sleep in the depths of the sea,and not being overwhelmed with the water I dreamed a dream
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