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Testament of Abraham

Unknown

Section 20

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Author: Unknown

XX. Abraham said, I beseech thee, is there also an unexpected

death

?

Tell

me

.

Death

said

,

Verily

,

verily

,

I

tell

thee

in

the

truth

of

God

that

there

are

seventy

-

two

deaths

.

One

is

the

just

death

,

buying

its

fixed

time

,

and

many

men

in

one

hour

enter

into

death

being

given

over

to

the

grave

.

Behold

,

I

have

told

thee

all

that

thou

hast

asked

,

now

I

tell

thee

,

most

righteous

Abraham

,

to

dismiss

all

counsel

,

and

cease

from

asking

anything

once

for

all

,

and

come

,

go

with

me

,

as

the

God

and

judge

of

all

has

commanded

me

.

Abraham

said

to

Death

,

Depart

from

me

yet

a

little

,

that

I

may

rest

on

my

couch

,

for

I

am

very

faint

at

heart

,

for

since

I

have

seen

thee

with

my

eyes

my

strength

has

failed

me

,

all

the

limbs

of

my

flesh

seem

to

me

a

weight

as

of

lead

,

and

my

spirit

is

distressed

exceedingly

.

Depart

for

a

little

;

for

I

have

said

I

cannot

bear

to

see

thy

shape

.

Then

Isaac

his

son

came

and

fell

upon

his

breast

weeping

,

and

his

wife

Sarah

came

and

embraced

his

feet

,

lamenting

bitterly

.

There

came

also

his

men

slaves

and

women

slaves

and

surrounded

his

couch

,

lamenting

greatly

.

And

Abraham

came

into

indifference

of

death

,

and

Death

said

to

Abraham

,

Come

,

take

my

right

hand

,

and

may

cheerfulness

and

life

and

strength

come

to

thee

.

For

Death

deceived

Abraham

,

and

he

took

his

right

hand

,

and

straightway

his

soul

adhered

to

the

hand

of

Death

.

And

immediately

the

archangel

Michael

came

with

a

multitude

of

angels

and

took

up

his

precious

soul

in

his

hands

in

a

divinely

woven

linen

cloth

,

and

they

tended

the

body

of

the

just

Abraham

with

divine

ointments

and

perfumes

until

the

third

day

after

his

death

,

and

buried

him

in

the

land

of

promise

,

the

oak

of

Mamre

,

but

the

angels

received

his

precious

soul

,

and

ascended

into

heaven

,

singing

the

hymn

of

“

thrice

holy

”

to

the

Lord

the

God

of

all

,

and

they

set

it

there

to

worship

the

God

and

Father

.

And

after

great

praise

and

glory

had

been

given

to

the

Lord

,

and

Abraham

bowed

down

to

worship

,

there

came

the

undefiled

voice

of

the

God

and

Father

saying

thus

,

Take

therefore

my

friend

Abraham

into

Paradise

,

where

are

the

tabernacles

of

my

righteous

ones

,

and

the

abodes

of

my

saints

Isaac

and

Jacob

in

his

bosom

,

where

there

is

no

trouble

,

nor

grief

,

nor

sighing

,

but

peace

and

rejoicing

and

life

unending

.

(

And

let

us

,

too

,

my

beloved

brethren

,

imitate

the

hospitality

of

the

patriarch

Abraham

,

and

attain

to

his

virtuous

way

of

life

,

that

we

may

be

thought

worthy

of

the

life

eternal

,

glorifying

the

Father

,

Son

and

Holy

Ghost

;

to

whom

be

glory

and

power

forever

.

Amen

.

)

.