The Household of God
Volume 2
Rise and spiritual prime of the first world empire Hanoch
- Chapter 31 -
HORED AND NAEME AMONG THE PATRIARCHS WITH THE AS YET UNRECOGNIZED ABEDAM. HORED'S PUNISHMENT FOR HIS JEALOUSY OF ABEDAM
After these words the company walked back to the place and the spot already familiar to us.
2
As soon as the high Abedam approached those patriarchs they threw themselves down before Him, deeply stirred by the greatest love and respect for Him, some praising and glorifying Him in a loud voice, others again more secretly in their heart.
3
This time, all the people on the height as well as on the vast mountaintop prostrated themselves, except the five newcomers who alone remained standing.
4
Also Enoch and Lamel would have followed the example of all the others, had not Abedam forbidden it to them for the sake of the two newcomers.
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This appeared very peculiar to Hored and no less to the amazed Naeme, namely, that all the people lay on their faces out of the highest respect, yet looking around they saw no one except their own company to whom this great respect could be due.
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Therefore, Naeme soon stepped up to Abedam and in a trusting manner asked Him: "Listen, you much respected, mighty and good friend! Would you not indicate to me what this general prostrating and this sighing might mean? To whom is it all due?
7
"Could it be that from somewhere, invisible to me, the holy, great Jehovah might be approaching? - Or what does it mean?
8
"Why this general mortification? - Yes, yes, it will surely be the holy, great, sublime Jehovah!
9
"O dear friend, behold, from my childhood on I have always had the secret desire to see the sublime, holy Jehovah just once in my life, for my mother had secretly instructed me about Him according to the teaching of one Farak, who is said to have been a brother of Enoch and who, so I was told, had much to do with Jehovah.
10
"See, dear friend, I had the misfortune of being the most beautiful daughter of the lowlands, wherefore I was often sold to lechers by my unfortunate father.
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"It was, however, my good fortune that owing to the great charms given me by Jehovah no one could stand my physical embrace for more than two or three moments. Indeed, even my brother Thubalkain by the mother Zilla did not fare better, wherefore he, as my husband, was not capable of begetting in me a proper fruit.
12
"In short, needless to say that every possible maltreatment on the part of my unfortunate father Lamech did not succeed in separating me from my Jehovah.
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"Hored, my first true rescuer, must bear witness to the fact that during the whole time of our being together alone I always wanted to talk of nothing else but Jehovah, not even, in spite of his frequent entreaties, allowing him to cohabit with me since we were not blessed by anyone. Being my true rescuer, he will never deny this but he can be forgiven in view of my unfortunate closeness.
14
Thus behold, you good, noble, mighty friend, it certainly means a great deal that I, as a child of the world and of the serpent, in my unhappy situation could cling in my heart to what little I had heard of Jehovah, - that in spite of all the worldly tempests besetting me more and more and threatening to bury me I still had enough strength to keep my heart always as pure as possible for the Jehovah revealed to me (that is, secretly revealed by my mother Zilla).
15
"You can believe this to be true: Although I am a truly miserable, unhappy daughter of a most unfortunate father whose madness is too great for anyone to comprehend ever, I have never in my heart loved anything more than the, to me, revealed Jehovah, the holy Creator of all things, all animals and all men.
16
O dear, sublime friend, you can surely believe me that now, when for the first time on this sacred height I can enjoy such a glorious, great and vast demonstration of the indescribably wondrous works of this Jehovah and this in my greatest unworthiness -, my heart is completely done for!
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"Yes. - I could just about die out of love for this my indescribably wondrous, heavenly, holy Jehovah!
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O you dear, glorious friend, I want to say to you something really clever about my great love for Jehovah; but from where shall I take it? I was never allowed to learn anything, - lest my unfortunate physical beauty thereby be spoilt.
19
"Had I not had the mother Zilla by my side, I believe my harsh father would not even have allowed me to learn to talk.
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"Therefore, be patient with me; although I am no longer as young as I look, my heart is still as receptive as when I was barely some thirty years old.
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O dear, glorious friend! If the holy Jehovah should now appear from somewhere, allow me - if it were possible to you - to look upon Him for just one moment.
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"Oh, if only I could be in the least worthy of such grace!"
23
Here she could no longer speak, and big tears rolled down her lovely cheeks and the most ardent love, the greatest longing shone from her eyes; joy and fear waged a battle in her heart, so much so that she trembled all over.
24
Then Abedam summoned Hored and said to him: "Hored, you son of the lightful morning, behold, here stands a forsaken child of the world from the lowlands! She trembles with great love and longing, fear and joy towards Jehovah, - yet you, a son of the morning, have not done anything except casting a few jealous looks at Me!
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"Therefore, I tell you that I, as a Lord, shall now take this noble female plant and transplant it into another garden so that henceforth you will no longer see her, having in your selfish jealousy failed Me, Who had you rescued from perdition due to your great lecherous folly.
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"You know the ancient law of the fathers, having yourself been appointed teacher by the fathers, - so tell Me: Is this the fruit of your office? What poisonous insect injured you so much that your heart was transformed into the heart of a tiger?
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"Do you know Me, do you know God? - Behold, Naeme here before Me has a foreknowledge of Who He is in Whose company she is.
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"Yet you are standing here before your God and Creator - and are dumber than a tree trunk.
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"Go to yonder cave and seek to find out whether your heart is capable of repentance; for I, - I Who am now saying this to you, am the visible Jehovah, God from eternity Himself."
30
Here, Hored collapsed as if struck by lightning.
31
Thereupon Naeme fell on her knees, shaking and weeping, and finally said in a trembling voice:
32
O Jehovah, be gracious and merciful towards me, a poor sinner!"