Section 64
Shəlomah And then the daughter of Pharaoh appeared before Shəlomah, and said to him, “ It is good to worship the gods like my father and all the kings of Mitsrayim who were before my father.” And Shəlomah answered and said to her, “ They call gods the things which have been made by the hands of the worker in metal, and the carpenter, and the potter, and the painter, and the hewer in stone, and the sculptor; these are not gods, but the work of the hand of man, in gold, and silver, in brass and lead, in iron and earthenware, and in stone, and you call c our gods ’ the things that are not your gods. But we worship none else than the Qodesh Elohim of Yisra'el and our Lady, the qodesh and heavenly Tsiyon, the Tabot of the Torah of Elohim, whom He has given us to worship, us and our seed after us.” And she answered and said to him, “ your son has carried away your Lady Tsiyon, your son whom you hast begotten, who springeth from an alien people into which Elohim has not commanded you to marry, that is to say, from an Ethiopian woman, who is not of your colour, and is not akin to your country, and who is, moreover, black.” And Shəlomah answered and said to her, “ Though you speakest thus are you not thyself of [that race] concerning which Elohim has not commanded us that we should take wives from it? And your kin is her kin, for you are all the children of Ham. And Elohim, having destroyed of the seed of Ham seven kings, has made us to inherit this city, that we and our seed after us may dwell within it for ever. And as concerning Tsiyon, the will of Elohim has been performed, and He has given her to them so that they may worship her. And as for me, I will neither sacrifice to nor worship your idols, and I will not perform your wish.” And though she spoke in this wise to him, and though she shewed herself gracious to him evening and morning, and night and day, he continued to refuse her [request]. And one day she beautified and scented herself for him, and she behaved herself haughtily towards him, and treated him disdainfully. And he said to her, “ What shall I do? you hast made your face evil towards me, and your regard towards me is not as it was formerly, and your beautiful form is not as enticing as usual. Ask me, and I will give you whatever you wishest, and I will perform it for you, so that you mayest make your face (or, attitude) gracious towards me as formerly ”; but she held her peace and answered him never a word. And he repeated to her the words that he would do whatever she wished, and she said to him, “ Swear to me by the Elohim of Yisra'el that you will not play me false.” And he swore to her that he would give her whatever she asked for, and that he would do for her everything that she told him. And she tied a scarlet thread on the middle of the door of [the house of] her gods, and she brought three locusts and set them in the house of her gods. And she said to Shəlomah, “ Come to me without breaking the scarlet thread, bend thyself and kill these locusts before me and pull out their necks ”; and he did so. And she said to him, “ I will henceforward do your will, for you hast sacrificed to my gods and hast worshipped them.” Now he had done thus because of his oath, so that he might not break his oath which she had made him to swear, even though he knew that it was an offence (or, sin) to enter into the house of her gods. Now Elohim had commanded the children of Yisra'el, saying, “ you shall not marry strange women that you may not be corrupted by them through their gods, and through the wickedness of their works and the sweetness of their voices; for they make soft the hearts of simple young men by the sweetness of their gentle voices, and by the beauty of their forms they destroy the wisdom of the foolish man.” Who was wiser than Shəlomah? yet he was seduced by a woman. Who was more righteous than Daviyd? yet he was seduced by a woman. Who was stronger than Shimshon? yet he was seduced by a woman. Who was handsomer than ’Amnon? yet he was seduced by Tamar the daughter of Daviyd his father. And Adam was the first creation of Elohim, yet he was seduced by Eve his wife. And through that seduction death was created for every created thing. And this seduction of men by women was caused by Eve, for we are all the children of Eve.