XXVI.
Then Abraham, famed for his deeds, answered his
Lord and asked Him, in the fullness of his days:
"O Ruler of spirits, what dost thou give me for free-2175
men's solace, now that I am thus solitary? I have no
need to found an ancestral seat for any sons of mine, but
after me shall my distant kinsmen dispose of my goods;
thou hast not given me a son, and therefore sorrows
weigh upon me very heavily in my heart; I myself can2180
not devise any counsel. My steward goes rejoicing in
his sons, and is firmly persuaded in his thoughts that
after me his sons shall be the keepers of the heritage:
they see that no children are born to me of my bride."
To him then at once God answered:2185
"Never shall thy steward possess the heritage of thy
sons: but thine own children shall hold the treasure,
when thy flesh lies [in the grave]. Behold the sky. Count
those jewels, the stars of heaven, which now freely scatter2190
their glorious radiance far and wide to shine brilliantly
over the broad surface of the sea. Such shall be the
multitude of thy descendants, rich in progeny. Let not
thy heart be bound by sorrow. A son shall yet be born2195
to thee, a child born of thy wife by ordinary birth, who
after thee shall be the keeper of the inheritance, rich in
property. Grieve no more: I am the Lord, who many
winters ago led thee out of the stronghold of Caldea2200
with but few followers, and promised thee a broad
dwelling-place for thy possession: I give thee now my
pledge, man of the Hebrews, that many a broad land
on this earth shall be peopled with thy progeny, regions2205
of the world as far as Eufrates even from the borders
of Egypt, as many men and as wide a kingdom as the
Nile cuts off and the sea bounds: all this shall thy sons2210
own, each of the countries, as these three waters sur-
round with their streams the lofty cities of stone, the
foamy floods [surround] the refuge of the people."
Then Sarra was grieved at heart that no son had come2215
to Abraham through their wedlock, a free-born heir for
their solace; so the sorrowful one began to speak to her
husband in these words:
"The Ruler of heaven has denied me this, that I2220
might augment the number of thy family under the
skies with sons of thine own. Now I am hopeless that
an heir will ever be given us together: I am too old, in
my misery. My lord, do as I bid thee. Here is a2225
woman, a fair damsel, an Egiptian maid in our possession:
bid her now repair to thy bed forthwith, and see if
the Lord will allow any heir for thy goods to come into2230
the world through this woman!"
Then the holy man yielded to the advice of his wife,
and bade the handmaiden go to his couch as a bride.[29]2235
Her spirit exalted itself, when she had become pregnant
with a man-child by Abraham; stiff-necked in scorn she
began to despise her mistress, showed insolence, was
overweening, and was unwilling to endure servitude but2240
boldly began to resist Sarra strongly.
Then I heard how the wife spoke to her husband in the
sorrow of her heart, with these words; sad in mind she
spoke, and said bitterly:
"Thou dost not deal properly and rightfully with me.2245
Thou hast hitherto allowed it to happen that my hand-
maiden afflict me every day by deed and word, ever
since Agar entered thy bed in place of thy wife, as was
my entreaty: she shall pay for this mercilessly, if I2250
may still control mine own before thee, dear Abraham;
of this may the Almighty Lord of Lords be judge
between us two!"
The wise-minded man then answered her at once in2255
these words:
"Never shall I leave thee without honor, while we
both live; but thou must manage thine own maid as
pleases thy heart!"