The Martyrdom of Isaiah
Translated by Robert H. Charles, 1914 |
Read: The Book of Enoch
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Isaiah's Prophesy Concerning Manasseh 6And whilst he Hezekiah gave commands, 7Josab the son of Isaiah standing by, Isaiah said to Hezekiah the king, but not in the presence of Manasseh only did he say unto him: "As the Lord liveth, whose name has not been sent into this world, and as the Beloved of my Lord liveth, and as the Spirit which speaketh in me liveth, all these commands and these words shall be made of none effect by Manasseh thy son, and through the agency of his hands I shall depart mid the torture of my body. 8And Sammael Balchira shall serve Manasseh, and execute all his desire, and he shall become a follower of Beliar rather than of me. 9And many in Jerusalem and in Judaea he shall cause to abandon the true faith, and Beliar shall dwell in Manasseh, and by his hands I shall be sawn asunder." 10And when Hezekiah heard these words he wept very bitterly, and rent his garments, and placed earth upon his head, and fell on his face. 11And Isaiah said unto him: "The counsel of Sammael against Manasseh is consummated: nought shall avail thee." 12And on that day Hezekiah resolved in his heart to slay Manasseh his son. 13And Isaiah said to Hezekiah: "The Beloved hath made of none effect thy design, and the purpose of thy heart shall not be accomplished, for with this calling have I been called and I shall inherit the heritage of the Beloved." {Top} |
Manasseh Leads Jerusalem into Apostasy 12And after this, whilst they were in the desert, there was a certain man in Samaria named Belchira, of the family of Zedekiah, the son of Chenaan, a false prophet whose dwelling was in Bethlehem. Now Hezekiah the son of Chanani, who was the brother of his father, and in the days of Ahab king of Israel had been the teacher of the 400 prophets of Baal, had himself smitten and reproved Micaiah the son of Amada the prophet. 13And he, Micaiah, had been reproved by Ahab and cast into prison. And he was with Zedekiah the prophet: they were with Ahaziah the son of Ahab, king in Samaria. 14And Elijah the prophet of Tebon of Gilead was reproving Ahaziah and Samaria, and prophesied regarding Ahaziah that he should die on his bed of sickness, and that Samaria should be delivered into the hand of Leba Nasr because he had slain the prophets of God. 15And when the false prophets, 16who were with Ahaziah the son of Ahab and their teacher Gemarias of Mount Joel had heard now he was brother of Zedekiah when they had heard, they persuaded Ahaziah the king of Aguaron and slew Micaiah. {Top} |
Belchira, the False Prophet And Belchira accused Isaiah and the prophets who were with him, saying: "Isaiah and those who are with him prophesy against Jerusalem and against the cities of Judah that they shall be laid waste and against the children of Judah and Benjamin also that they shall go into captivity, and also against thee, O lord the king, that thou shalt go bound with hooks and iron chains: 7But they prophesy falsely against Israel and Judah. 8And Isaiah himself hath said: 'I see more than Moses the prophet.' 9But Moses said: 'No man can see God and live': and Isaiah hath said: 'I have seen God and behold I live.' 10"Know, therefore, O king, that he is lying. And Jerusalem also he hath called Sodom, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem he hath declared to be the people of Gomorrah". And he brought many accusations against Isaiah and the prophets before Manasseh. 11But Beliar dwelt in the heart of Manasseh and in the heart of the princes of Judah and Benjamin and of the eunuchs and of the councillors of the king. 12And the words of Belchira pleased him exceedingly, and he sent and seized Isaiah. {Top} |
Isaiah is Sawn in Two 2And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder Balchira stood up, accusing him, and all the false prophets stood up, laughing and rejoicing because of Isaiah. 3And Balchira, with the aid of Mechembechus, stood up before Isaiah, laughing deriding; 4And Belchira said to Isaiah: "Say: 'I have lied in all that I have spoken, and likewise the ways of Manasseh are good and right. 5And the ways also of Balchira and of his associates are good.'" 6And this he said to him when he began to be sawn in sunder. 7But Isaiah was absorbed in a vision of the Lord, and though his eyes were open, he saw them not. 8And Balchira spake thus to Isaiah: "Say what I say unto thee and I will turn their heart, and I will compel Manasseh and the princes of Judah and the people and all Jerusalem to reverence thee." 9And Isaiah answered and said: "So far as I have utterance I say: Damned and accursed be thou and all thy powers and all thy house. 10For thou canst not take from me aught save the skin of my body." 11And they seized and sawed in sunder Isaiah, the son of Amoz, with a wood-saw. 12And Manasseh and Balchira and the false prophets and the princes and the people and all stood looking on. 13And to the prophets who were with him he said before he had been sawn in sunder: "Go ye to the region of Tyre and Sidon; for for me only hath God mingled the cup." 14And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, he neither cried aloud nor wept, but his lips spake with the Holy Spirit until he was sawn in twain. {Top} |
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