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65

Why were you afraid, tell me, why are you cowardly and trembling? Great is the wonder and dreadful, you will see greater things than this. I was astonished, I said, Lord, I do not dare to approach you, nor do I wish to appear bolder than the fire; for indeed I see you as a man beyond man, and I do not dare even to look at you, whom the fire revered. He brought me nearer, he embraced me and again kissed me with a holy kiss, and he himself was wholly fragrant with the scent of immortality. I believed, I loved to follow him, and I longed to become the servant of him alone. Pharaoh held me, the terrible taskmasters forced me to be concerned with the brick and the straw; alone I was not strong enough to flee, for I had no weapons. Moses spoke to God to do what was expedient; God scourges Egypt with ten plagues, and Pharaoh was not bent, nor did he release me; and indeed the father intercedes, and God heeds and tells his servant to take me by the hand and promises to journey with us together, rescuing from Pharaoh and the evils of Egypt, and he put courage into my heart and granted me boldness, not to fear Pharaoh. So indeed the worker of God did also; he took me by the hand, going before me, and thus we began to travel the road. (130) Lord, give me understanding through the intercessions of my father and speech, to narrate the wonders of your hand, which you worked for me, the prodigal and fornicator, leading me out of Egypt by the hand of your servant. The king of Egypt learned of the departure, he scorned it as of one man and did not himself go out, but sent servants, whom he had as allies. They ran down, they overtook us within the borders of Egypt, all were turned back empty, all were shattered; their swords broke, they emptied their arrows, their hands were paralyzed from working against us, and we remained, having been harmed in no way. The pillar of fire was lit, the cloud was also present, and we alone were passing through a foreign land, amidst robbers, amidst many nations and kings. And the king learned of the defeat of his people, he went mad and considered it a great dishonor to be mocked and conquered by one man. He yoked his chariots and stirred up the people and he himself gave chase, boasting greatly. He came and found me alone, lying down from exhaustion, (but Moses was keeping watch and conversing with God), he ordered my hands and feet to be bound

65

Τί ἐφοβήθης, εἶπέ μοι, τί δειλιᾷς καί τρέμεις; Μέγα τό θαῦμα καί φρικτόν, μείζονα τούτου ὄψει. Ἐξέστην, εἶπον, Κύριε, ἐγγίζειν οὐ τολμῶ σοι οὐδέ φανῆναι τοῦ πυρός τολμηρότερος θέλω˙ καί γάρ ὁρῶ σε ἄνθρωπον ὑπέρ ἄνθρωπον ὄντα καί οὐδέ βλέπειν σε τολμῶ, ὅν τό πῦρ ἐσεβάσθη. Ἐγγύτερόν με ἤγαγεν, ἐνηγκαλίσατό με καί πάλιν κατεφίλησε φιλήματι ἁγίῳ καί αὐτός ὄλος ἐμύρισεν ὀσμήν ἀθανασίας. Ἐπίστευσα, ἠγάπησα ἀκολουθῆσαι τούτῳ καί δοῦλος ἐπεπόθησα τούτου μόνου γενέσθαι. Ὁ Φαραώ ἐκράτει με, οἱ δεινοί ἐργοδόται τήν πλίνθον καί τά ἄχυρα ἠνάγκαζον φροντίζειν˙ μόνος οὐκ ἴσχυον φυγεῖν, οὐδέ γάρ εἶχον ὅπλα. Μωσῆς ἐλάλει τῷ Θεῷ ποιῆσαι τό συμφέρον˙ Θεός μαστίζει Αἴγυπτον πληγαῖς δεκαπλασίοις, καί οὐκ ἐκάμφθη Φαραώ οὐδέ ἀπέλυσέ με˙ καί δή πρεσβεύει ὁ πατήρ, καί Θεός ὑπακούει καί λέγει τῷ θεράποντι λαβεῖν ἐκ τῆς χειρός με καί ὑπισχνεῖται μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν συμπορεύεσθαι ἅμα, τοῦ Φαραώ λυτρούμενος καί τῶν κακῶν Αἰγύπτου, καί θάρσος ἐνεποίησεν εἰς τήν ἐμήν καρδίαν καί τόλμαν ἐχαρίσατο, Φαραώ μή φοβεῖσθαι. Οὕτω δή καί ἐποίησεν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐργάτης˙ ἐκράτησέ μου τῆς χειρός προπορευόμενός μου καί οὕτως ἀπηρξάμεθα τήν ὁδόν διανύειν. (130) Κύριε, δός μοι σύνεσιν πρεσβείαις τοῦ πατρός μου καί λόγον, διηγήσασθαι θαυμάσια χειρός σου, ἅ ἐξειργάσω δι᾿ ἐμέ, τόν ἄσωτον καί πόρνον, διά χειρός τοῦ δούλου σου ἐξάγων ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. Ἔγνω τήν ἀναχώρησιν ὁ βασιλεύς Αἰγύπτου, ὡς ἑνός κατεφρόνησε καί αὐτός οὐκ ἐξῆλθεν, ἀλλά δούλους ἀπέστειλεν, οὕς ὑποσπόνδους εἶχεν. Κατέδραμον, κατέλαβον ἐν ὁρίοις Αἰγύπτου, πάντες ἐστράφησαν κενοί, πάντες συντετριμμένοι˙ ξίφη αὐτῶν κατέκλασαν, ἐκένωσαν τά βέλη, αἱ χεῖρες ἐξελύθησαν καθ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐνεργοῦσαι, καί ἡμεῖς διεμείναμεν μηδέν ἀδικηθέντες. Ὁ στῦλος ἧπτε τοῦ πυρός, παρῆν καί ἡ νεφέλη, καί μόνοι διηρχόμεθα ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ χώρᾳ, μέσον λῃστῶν, μέσον πολλῶν ἐθνῶν καί βασιλέων. Ἔμαθε καί ὁ βασιλεύς λαοῦ αὐτοῦ τήν ἧτταν, ἐμάνη καί ἡγήσατο μεγάλην ἀτιμίαν παρά ἑνός ἐμπαίζεσθαι καί νικᾶσθαι ἀνθρώπου. Ἔζευξεν ἅρματα αὐτοῦ καί τόν λαόν ἐπῆρε καί κατεδίωξεν αὐτός καυχώμενος μεγάλα. Ἦλθε καί μόνον εὗρέ με κείμενον ἐκ τοῦ κόπου, (ἠγρύπνει δέ ὁ Μωϋσῆς καί Θεῷ προσωμίλει), προσέταξε δεθῆναί μου χεῖρας ἅμα καί πόδας