“Why not water which quenches fire?” asked Abraham.
Nimrod.—“Very well; then worship water.”
Abraham.—“Why not the clouds which swallow the water?”
Nimrod.—“So be it; adore the clouds.”
Abraham.—“Rather let me adore wind which blows the clouds about.”
Nimrod.—“So be it; pray to the wind.”
Abraham.—“But man can stand up against the wind, and build it out of his house.”
Then Nimrod in a fury exclaimed, “Fire is my god, and that shall consume you.”
According to another version, a woman came to Abraham to buy a god, because thieves had stolen her former god; this gave the patriarch a text for his homily against idolatry. The woman was convinced.
“Believe in the true God,” said he, “and you will recover the things the thieves stole from your house.”