¹When the transgressors were appointed unto death, he commanded that their flesh be burned in fire until it be turned to ash, and then scattered in the wind. Howbeit, the fire could not burn the hair upon the side of the corpses. Thus they were taken forth from the pit.

²Again they set fire unto them from morning until evening, but the fire could not consume them. Then they said, "Let us cast their corpses into the sea."

³So they did as the king commanded, and cast them into the sea, adding thereto great stones, and hearthstones of iron, and a millstone that a donkey would turn in grinding. Yet the sea did not sink them, for the Spirit of JAH upheld them. They floated upon the sea and sank not. The malice that was devised against them prevailed not to destroy them.

⁴"Their death hath wearied me more than their life. Let me cast their corpses unto the beasts, that they may devour them. But what shall I do?" he said.

⁵The servants did as he commanded. Vultures and beasts touched not the corpses. Birds and vultures veiled them with their wings from the burning sun; and the corpses of the five martyrs abode there fourteen days.

⁶And when they were beheld, their bodies shone as the sun, and angels encompassed their corpses as the light encompasseth the Tabernacle.

⁷He sought counsel, but he knew not what to do. At the last, he digged a sepulchre and buried the corpses of the five martyrs.

⁸And on that night, as the king who had forgotten the law of JAH lay upon his bed, the five martyrs appeared before him, standing and vexing him with swords.

⁹He supposed they had entered his house by night to commit a trespass. And when he awoke from his slumber, he was afraid and fled from his bedchamber unto the hall. He feared that they would slay him for the transgression he supposed they had wrought against him. His knees did tremble for fear.

¹⁰"My lords, what do ye desire? As for me, what shall I do for you?" he asked.

¹¹They answered, "Are we not the ones whom thou didst burn in the fire and didst command to be cast into the sea? JAH hath preserved our bodies, for we believed in Him. He suffered thee not to destroy us. As those who believe in Him shall not perish, let glory and praise be unto JAH. We who believed in Him were not put to shame in tribulation."

¹²"I knew not that such chastisement would find me. What recompense shall I render unto you for the evil I wrought against you?" he asked.

¹³"And now, receive from me the recompense I give thee; lest thou take my body in death and bring my body down unto Sheol whilst I yet live.

¹⁴For I have wronged you; forgive mine iniquity, for it was on account of the law of JAH that I received such mercy," he spake unto them.

¹⁵And those honoured martyrs answered him, saying, "For the harm thou hast wrought upon us, we shall not repay thee with harm. It is JAH who bringeth affliction upon a soul, and it is He who shall judge thee accordingly."

¹⁶Howbeit, we were spared for thy sake, as it seemed unto thee that thou didst slay us. Thou didst shew us mercy despite our few number and our want of understanding.

¹⁷But thou and the priests of thine idols shall descend into Gehenna, whence there is no escape.

¹⁸Woe unto thine idols, before which thou didst bow down, forsaking JAH who was wroth with thee when thou wast scorned as spittle. Woe unto thee who worshippest them, and dost not know JAH who was wroth with thee and brought thee from death unto life. Art thou who standest here this day not as smoke that shall vanish on the morrow?

¹⁹The king asked them, "What do ye command me to do for you, seeing ye have shewn me such lovingkindness?"

²⁰They answered, "Save thyself from entering the Gehenna of Fire; but thou canst not save us. We are those who teach thee."

²¹"Thine idols are wrought of silver and gold, of stone and wood. They have neither understanding nor knowledge, and they are the work of the hands of men."

²²"They slay not, neither do they save; they profit not their fellows, nor harm their adversaries; they exalt not, neither do they abase; they make not rich, neither do they make poor. They lead thee astray by the dominion of demons, who desire not the salvation of any, yet they neither uproot nor plant."

²³"They especially desire not the salvation of men such as thee, who art hard of heart, and with whom they feign to be wroth, though thou art the one who fashioned them."

²⁴"As Satan and the demons have made their dwelling-place in them, they shall repay thee with the selfsame love thou hast shewn them, and they shall drown thee in the sea of Gehenna."

²⁵"But thou, cease from this error, and let this be our recompense. Though we be dead, we shall profit our souls by worshipping our Creator JAH," they spake unto him.

²⁶The king was greatly troubled and altogether astonished. And when all five drew their swords, he feared for his life and bowed down before them.

²⁷"Then I knew that even after death, those who are dust shall truly arise. As for me, but a little time remaineth ere my death," he said.

²⁸From that day forth, the king burned no more the corpses of the Tseerutsaydan who were altogether arrogant; and they were hidden from his sight.

²⁹As they had led astray a multitude for many ages, the idolaters reasoned in error and led astray many others like unto themselves, until they ceased from the worship of JAH. It was not they alone who erred.

³⁰They sacrificed their daughters and their sons unto demons, practising sorcery and abominations as their custom. Satan taught them thus, that they might practise sorcery and abominations which JAH abhorreth.

³¹They took their mothers to wife and defiled their aunts and their sisters, polluting their bodies whilst they wrought all these filthy works. Satan confirmed the understanding of these perverse ones, and they said, "We shall not return."

³²But the Tseerutsaydan, who knew not the wrath of JAH, were altogether arrogant and boasted in their idols.

³³If they say, "How shall JAH give the Kingdom unto a people who know Him not in Law and in Worship?" They shall fully return unto Him in repentance, and He trieth them for this cause.

³⁴But if they wholly repent, He shall love them and preserve their Kingdom. Howbeit, if they refuse, the fire of Gehenna shall punish them for ever.

³⁵It is meet for a king to fear the wrath of JAH as becometh his dominion, and it is meet for a judge to be governed by the wrath of JAH whilst he judgeth righteously, as becometh his rule.

³⁶It is meet for elders, captains, envoys, and lesser kings to be ruled by those who fear the wrath of JAH, according to the measure of their dominion.

³⁷JAH is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, who putteth all fear into men; for there is none other Lord in Heaven or upon Earth who maketh poor or maketh rich. He it is who honoureth and who abaseth.