1 Meqabyan

1 Meqabyan

¹There was a man named Tsirutsaydan who loved evil. He boasted in his many horses and in the strength of the army under his command. ²He had many idol gods that he bowed down to and worshiped, and he sacrificed to them day and night. ³In the folly of his heart he imagined that they were the ones who gave him power and strength. ⁴He believed in his heart that they gave him authority over his whole kingdom. There were four who offered sacrifices to his gods without ceasing. [unclear in the Ge'ez] ⁵He also imagined that they gave him power in battle and everything he desired. ⁶He offered sacrifices himself, day and night. ⁷He appointed priests for the gods. ⁸The priests deceived him. They told him that his gods ate day and night, while they themselves ate from that unclean sacrifice. ⁹They also forced others like themselves to sacrifice and eat. Again and again they sacrificed, and they forced others to sacrifice in the same way. ¹⁰As for him, he trusted in his idols, which were useless. ¹¹He imagined that they had created him, since they were the ones who sustained him and made him king. This came from the blindness of his heart and his lack of understanding, for Satan had blinded his heart so that he would not know the God who created him, made him and formed him out of nothing. Satan did this so that the king would go with him into condemnation and be condemned with him forever, together with those he called gods, though they are not gods. ¹²It is right to call them dead, for they were never alive. ¹³As for the people who trust in them, whose hearts are dust: the spirit of Satan, who leads them astray, enters into their idols. He speaks to them as their hearts desire and appears to them as they wish. ¹⁴When they saw that he had done for them what they had in mind, they were amazed and did his will in turn, even to slaughtering their sons and daughters who came from their own wombs. They poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. ¹⁵It did not trouble them, for Satan made evil pleasant to them, just as they wanted, so that he could bring them down with him into his own condemnation, Gehenna, from which there is no escape forever and ever. ¹⁶This Tsirutsaydan was proud. He had gods made in the likeness of men and others in the likeness of women. [unclear in the Ge'ez] ¹⁷He boasted in these useless gods of his. He honored them greatly and sacrificed to them evening and morning. ¹⁸He forced people to sacrifice, and he himself ate from that unclean sacrifice. He forced others to eat it too, and he gave himself over to evil more and more. ¹⁹He built a temple for his gods of bronze, iron and lead. ²⁰He overlaid them with gold and silver, and he made curtains and hangings all around the walls of his house. ²¹He stationed guards there, and he sacrificed to them every morning. ²²He imagined that his gods ate. He set out wine bowls and silver dishes prepared with fragrant oil. ²³He said to his priests, "Go out and give my gods food from my sacrifices, and let them drink from all my wine bowls. If it is not enough for them, I will add more." ²⁴From that unclean sacrifice he forced everyone to eat and drink. ²⁵In his wicked scheming he sent his soldiers throughout his kingdom to search and find out whether anyone was not sacrificing or bowing down to the gods. They were to bring that person and sentence him before the king to the sword and to fire, plunder his goods, burn his house, and seize everything he had. ²⁶"I will show him torment and punishment if he refuses to worship and sacrifice to my gods, for they are great and good, and in their goodness they made us. ²⁷They created heaven and earth and the great sea, the sun, moon and stars, the winds and rains, and every living thing, to feed us and fill us. ²⁸Those who do not worship them will be punished with pain and misery, and they will be shown no mercy."