A Scribe's Story ( A Tale from Ancient Egypt)

[Ben Abraham]

A SCRIBE'S STORY

(This is one of my longer short stories, so if you feel overwhelmed, you can read it a little at a time, and come back later to read more)



My name is Nakhti Ankh Yah, a scribe to Pharaoh, king of Upper and Lower Egypt. I’m old now, and Pharaoh does not call upon me as much as before to do his writing, yet I still receive gifts of gold and silver in appreciation of my years of service in the House of Pharaoh.

I sit here on the patio of my house observing the Nile as it flows, bringing the life-giving waters to my fields. My sons and their sons work and plow the fields to prepare them for future harvests of corn and wheat

I have decided to record the events of the past on this scroll of papyrus. With quill and ink, I will begin this legacy, which I will leave for my sons and their sons as a testament to the power of YAH, the true God whom we worship and render homage.

Now, my name was not always Nakhti Ankh Yah. My father and mother named me at birth some 80 years ago; Nakhti Ankh Amun, which means “the god Amun gives life to the strong.” How my name was changed to “Ankh Yah” has roots that go back hundreds of years, even before the time of my mother and father, and even before their parents were born. It all began with the arrival of the Hapiru (ancient Egyptian name for ‘Hebrews’), a people from the north, from the land of Canaan.

The first to arrive was a young man named Joseph. He was the son of a great man named Jacob, also of the land of Canaan. It is said that his own brothers sold him as a slave because of jealousy and family strife. He was bought by Potiphar, a high-ranking officer in the House of Pharaoh. Joseph was a good slave and served the House of Potiphar with honor and integrity as his God YAH the God of the Hapiru, instructed him.

This was the first time I had heard of this God, a God without an image, unheard of in the land of Egypt. How could a god without an image be strong? I asked myself this question many times. Little did I know that I would soon find out how powerful this god of the Hapiru really was.

The House of Potiphar was blessed and prospered under Joseph. All went well until the wife of Potiphar cast her eyes upon him. Joseph, however, being a young man of integrity and honor, would not succumb to the wiles of Potiphar’s wife. This angered her intensely, so much that she laid false accusations against Joseph. Potiphar, so as not to lose face and bring dishonor upon his household, had Joseph imprisoned. But even in prison, the god of Joseph did not abandon him.

It came to pass that the Pharaoh of Egypt at that time had disturbing dreams. So much did these dreams disturb Pharaoh that he called upon his priests and magicians to interpret these dreams. None, however, could do so. I asked myself why the gods of Egypt couldn’t give the power of interpretation to their priests.

Then it was told to Pharaoh that this Joseph, the Hapiru from the land of Canaan, did indeed have the gift of interpretations of these visions of the night. He had interpreted the dreams of two men who were also in prison with him, and the dreams were fulfilled as he had predicted. This fact reached the ears of Pharaoh by one of those same men. Pharaoh had Joseph called before him and he indeed interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh. Joseph gave the credit to his God, the Great El Shaddai, as this god was also called.

The Pharaoh was so pleased with Joseph that he made him vizier of all the land of Egypt. Because of the interpretations of Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph saved all Egypt from starvation. Not only was Egypt saved, but other lands were also saved from famine as well. In time, Joseph sent for his father Jacob.

Jacob came to the land of Egypt with 70 members of his family, thus, the arrival of the first Hapiru. The descendants of Jacob settled in the land of Goshen and multiplied throughout the land. The land of Egypt prospered under the hand of the Hapiru. It prospered in livestock, agriculture, and trade in animal hides and wool.

But there arose a king over Egypt that knew not Joseph, nor recognized his accomplishments. This Pharaoh was Ahmose, king of Upper and Lower Egypt. He feared the Hapiru. He feared their numbers and thought that they would rise up against him with Egypt’s enemies.

Pharaoh talked with his counselors and advisers and said, “This people from the North is mightier than our own people. Let us put them to work that they might serve us with vigor and hard labor, and let their labor prosper us!”

So, Pharaoh took away their businesses and set them to work in the fields and in the brick pits. They set harsh taskmasters over them to set the children of Jacob to hard labor and bondage. They built large edifices and storehouses for Egypt’s weapons of war

For many years, the children of Jacob, also known as Israel, were slaves to Pharaoh. It was during the time of my grandfather who was also a scribe in the House of Pharaoh, that there was born a special man-child of the Hapiru. This child would be raised by the daughter of Pharaoh himself. He would be a prince in Egypt, and later, the liberator of the Hapiru.

This man-child was born in the house of Am-ram and Yochabed. They named him Moshe. He was given to the daughter of Pharaoh in exchange for saving his life from the evil Pharaoh’s edict of death. So, for the first forty years in the life of Moshe, he was a prince over the land of Egypt. He was an officer in Pharaoh’s army and led Egypt’s armies to victories in the land of Nubia.

But Moshe did not forget his people. He knew in his heart that he was a Hapiru. He was appalled at their treatment at the hands of the taskmasters. One day, he rose up against one of the taskmasters and killed him. When Pharaoh heard this, he gave the order to have Moshe put to death.

Moshe hid under the cover of darkness and fled from the presence of Pharaoh. It was during the time of his absence that I was born. My father, as his father before him, was a scribe in the palace of Pharaoh. My mother played the harp and lyre for the wife and concubines of Pharaoh. My father and mother were also devoted to the god Amun. They both went every day to the temple of Amun to offer incense. My parents prayed to Amun for a child, and then I was born, the firstborn of my family. To honor the god Amun, my father and mother named me Nakhti Ankh Amun, meaning “the god Amun gives life to the strong”.

Like my father and his father, I was taught the writing of Egypt so that one day, I too would be a scribe in the House of Pharaoh. However, in accordance with our family’s tradition and in accordance with the laws of Egypt, I would have to serve in the army of Pharaoh first.

The idea of being a soldier intrigued me. I was twenty years old, a strong young man, and I was taught to use the sword, spear, the sling, and the bow and arrow. I excelled in all areas of fighting. Every day, the commanders of the army of Pharaoh would drill us in exercises and in the use of our weapons of war. It was during the time of one of our training exercises that the streets near the palace of Pharaoh became alive with excitement.

Our commander went to find out what was going on. He returned to tell us that this Moshe, who had disappeared some forty years ago, had now returned. The Pharaoh who had sought his life had been dead for many years, and a new Pharaoh was on the throne of Egypt. This new Pharaoh now became the supreme General in control of the military forces of Egypt.

As our commander was speaking to us, I caught a glimpse of this Moshe who was now walking slowly up the street to the House of Pharaoh. He was old with a long, gray beard. His face was darkened by the desert sun. He was accompanied by another old man, later I found out that it was his older brother, Aaron. Despite his old age, this Moshe walked with pride. His face did not show any kind of fear, but sternness. After all, he was raised in the House of Pharaoh. I observed as both walked up the steps that led to the entrance to Pharaoh’s house.

 

[Ben Abraham]

All of us soldiers wondered how this meeting would turn out. For what purpose did Moshe and Aaron want a meeting with Pharaoh? Finally, our commander ordered us to resume our training exercises. Little did I know then how this fateful meeting with Pharaoh would be the beginning of the end of Egypt’s greatness and power. Moshe demanded, under the name of his God "Yah", that the Pharaoh let his people go free; however, our Pharaoh refused.

In the days and weeks that followed, plague after plague struck the land of Egypt. The Nile River turned to blood, and there were plagues of frogs, flies, gnats, and locusts. The locusts ate the standing grain in the fields. The face of Ra was hidden by darkness. This was a war between the gods, the gods of Egypt against the one invisible God of the Hapiru. Never once did I think that the power of Israel’s God would overcome the power of all the gods of Egypt.

It was at this time that I began to doubt the power of Egypt’s gods. I asked my father and my mother why the great and powerful Amun did not do anything. Why was he silent? Did he not see Egypt’s doom and destruction? Was he not stronger and more powerful than the God of the Hapiru, the children of Jacob called Israel?

My father and mother could not answer my questions. Did they not offer incense to Amun? Surely Amun would speak to them in either visions or dreams. But Amun remained silent. He did not strike back against the God of the children of Israel

At this point, the people of Egypt no longer wanted the Hapiru in their land. Oh, how they wanted Pharaoh to release them and send them away so that the plagues would cease. But Pharaoh was stubborn; his hardened heart refused to let the Hapiru go.

Then the children of Israel came to our doors, and to the houses of all the Egyptians. The families of Egypt gave them items of gold and silver, fine linen, precious oils and spices, incense, and precious stones. The children of Jacob received the wages of their labor for all the years of service that they had rendered in Egypt.

In my heart, I knew that something was about to happen. Because of Pharaoh’s hard heart and stubbornness, we would soon live the worst night in all the history of Egypt. This would be a night of remembrance, a night of sorrow, a night of wailing and tears for all of Egypt’s families. It was the night of death for all of Egypt’s firstborn.

Would there be no escape from death for the people of Egypt, I asked myself? The answer was ‘yes’. There would be only one way to escape death. There would be only one way for the Spirit of death to pass us over, and that way was by the blood of a sacrificed lamb.

Now, how did I come to know this, the reader of this scroll might ask? It was through a childhood friend of mine that I came to know this. He was a Hapiru by the name of Jacob. He bore the same name as his ancestor Jacob, who was brought to Egypt by his son Yosef. My friend Jacob also worked in the brick pits, but he would visit me as time permitted. We became good friends. He showed me the writing of the Hapiru, and I showed him the writing of Egypt.

He also told me about the invisible God known as “El Shaddai,” The all-sufficient God of the universe. He told me that it was He who made all things on earth as well as above in the heavens. I wondered how this God could exist without form or image. My friend Jacob told me that long ago, he appeared to his ancestor Jacob in the form of an angel. It was this same God who changed his name to Israel.

It was on this night of death that my friend Jacob came to me again. He told me what Moses had told all of his people in the land of Goshen. This same God, known as El Shaddai, had appeared to Moses in the land of Midian in the form of fire in a burning desert bush. He introduced himself to Moses as “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,” meaning that “he was, is, and will be, that He is the great I AM. He told Moses to take his people out of Egypt at whatever cost, and that HE would be with him and all of the children of Israel.

I could not fathom or understand this strange name. Even Jacob did not understand his name completely. Then Jacob told me that this night would be the night that our Pharaoh would finally let the people of Israel go, but at the cost of the firstborn of Egypt. Fear came upon me at that moment, for I was indeed the firstborn of my family. Jacob put his hand on my shoulder and comforted me and told me that I could be saved from this final plague.

He told me that I must coat the doorposts of our house with the blood of a lamb, of a sacrificed lamb without blemish, and that I must stay inside the doors until morning. Then, and only then, would the angel of death pass me over and allow the spirit of life to remain in me.

As Jacob was talking to me, my father came to the door to call me in. Jacob then told my father about the blood and the lamb, but my father would not hear of it. He still preferred to trust in Amun and offer incense to save my life. My father was angry at Jacob for coming to me and told him that his God was a cruel God for planning to kill all of Egypt’s firstborn.

My friend Jacob went away saddened, hearing that my father had rejected the blood. He looked back at me once more with tears in his eyes before returning to his own house in Goshen. My father closed the door behind us and went back inside.

“Don’t worry”, I remember my father saying, “The gods of Egypt will protect you, my son!”

But deep in my heart, I knew I was doomed without the blood of a sacrificed lamb on our doorposts. I knew by then that the gods of Egypt were powerless against the God of the Hapiru. It was around midnight when the Spirit of death came to visit the houses of Egypt. There went out cries of agony and pain from almost all the households of Egypt.

In our house, I was made to lie down on my bed. My father and mother had placed around my bed clay idols of the gods of Egypt; idols of Ra, Osiris, Horus, and Anubis, as well as the idol of Amun. My father and mother burned incense to these gods, lifting up their hands, imploring protection on my behalf. The prayers of supplication went on throughout the night. Outside of our house, the families of Egypt wailed and bemoaned their dead and dying, but in my house, I was still alive. My parents finally fell asleep, exhausted by their prayers to the gods. I too, fell asleep.

It was midday when I awoke, and finding myself still with life, I cried out with joy. This awoke my parents and my other brothers and sisters. We were all overjoyed that the gods had heard our prayers, so we all thought.

I got up out of bed, happy to be alive. I opened the door of our house to let in the fresh morning air, and then I saw it. I opened my eyes wide and stared at the blood. There was blood smeared on the doorposts of our house.

Indeed, the blood was lamb’s blood. I could only imagine that my friend Jacob had returned during the night and applied this lamb’s blood on our door. I realized then that it was not the power of the gods that preserved me with life during the night, but the power of the God of the Hapiru. The blood of a sacrificed lamb was what saved me. How the blood was connected to this God I will never know, but all I know is that through the blood, I was saved from death, allowing me to see another day.

I just stood there, staring at the blood-stained doorposts. When my father came out, I pointed to the doorposts. He also just stood there by my side, staring at the blood stain on our doorposts. I don’t know how long we stood there, just staring in wonder at the blood. When we turned around, our mother, sisters, and brothers were also there. Their eyes were wide open and just stared at the blood.

Finally, my father, my mother, and all my sisters and brothers embraced me and wept tears of joy. We then knew that the gods of Egypt were powerless against this God of the children of Israel. My father and mother gathered together all the clay idols of Egypt’s gods, taking them behind our house, and they crushed them all with a rock and buried them in the sand. My father and mother never again entered the House of Amun to offer incense.

We spent the day visiting the families of Egypt, consoling them for their dead. In all the houses in Egypt, there was a dead firstborn son or daughter. Only in our house was there no dead firstborn. This was because the blood of a lamb was placed on our door by a dear friend who cared. Pharaoh also mourned for his firstborn son, the young prince who would have been Pharaoh over Egypt. Oh, how Pharaoh mourned and wept for his son. It was then that Pharaoh called for Moshe and let the Hapiru leave Egypt.

It was then that the Rams’ horns blew throughout the land of Goshen. The children of Jacob called Israel gathered together their belongings and made ready their cattle. There went up a cry of joy among the children of Israel as they gathered themselves together. Moshe and Aaron led them out of Egypt, heading towards the east. My dear friend Jacob came by my house to say goodbye. We embraced and wept. Yes, it was he who came by during the night and applied the lamb’s blood on our doorposts.

He pronounced a blessing on me in the name of the God of Israel. It was a blessing of extended life. Little did I understand the magnitude of that blessing until a few days later. As he was leaving, he told me again the name of his God so that I would remember the name. He came back and wrote some symbols in the sand. Those symbols were of the language of the Hapiru. They were the symbols Yod, Hey, Vav, and again the symbol of Hey. I looked at the symbols and learned them. Jacob told me that it was the holiest name of their God. Moshe himself had shown the symbols to him. Then we said our goodbyes for the last time.

 

[Ben Abraham]

It was the third day after the Hapiru had left that Pharaoh called his army together. They would pick up the trail of the Hapiru and bring them back to Egypt. They would pay dearly for the suffering they had caused the Egyptians. Our commanders were shocked at this announcement. Didn’t Egypt suffer enough afflictions by this God? But none would go against the command of Pharaoh.

Pharaoh summoned his chariots, his foot soldiers, his archers, and all the officers of his army. We gathered together outside the House of Pharaoh. I saw Pharaoh as he left his great house. He wore the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt; his gold-plated armor glistened in the sunlight reflecting the rays of Ra. With his war sword strapped to his side and spear in hand, he mounted his chariot and raising his spear, gave the word to commence the pursuit.

I was placed near the front of the lines, just behind the chariot of Pharaoh. This was a position of honor. Pharaoh and his generals led the way, following close behind the scouts who quickly picked up the trail of the Hapiru. We followed the dung droppings of their cattle heading east, across the wilderness of Egypt’s Sinai region.

We moved at a fast pace onward toward the east. Our commanders talked among themselves saying that the Hapiru would not be able to go any further than the sea that separated the land of Midian from Great Egypt. For two days we marched through the wilderness, following the path that led between the mountain range of Sinai. When we neared the east coast of Egypt’s Sinai, we sent ahead our scouts to find out the position of the Hapiru. They returned the following day to tell us that at the fortress of Migdal, the soldiers there said that the Hapiru were encamped by the sea, between Migdal and Pi-HaHiroth.

Pharaoh smiled and said that the Hapiru had met their end, that there would be no escape for them. Pharaoh gave the command to pursue, and our army moved forward toward the great beach that lay between the Fortress of Migdal and Pi-HaHiroth. Then, a strange thing happened. A great dark cloud covered our army. It seemed to come out of nowhere. In my heart I knew that it was the work of the God of Jacob, fighting for his people. The dark cloud was so intense that it blocked out the rays from the face of Ra. This reminded me of one of the plagues that stuck great Egypt.

I heard many of the soldiers whispering among each other that the God of the Hapiru was still fighting Great Egypt, even out here in the Sinai. Fear gripped our soldiers. None moved from his place in awe of Israel’s God who fought for them. Indeed, it was He who stopped our advance. I knew in my heart that it would go bad for us and that none of us would return to Great Egypt.

I do not know how long we remained in that area. We were so close, yet so far being in the middle of this darkness. Finally, the cloud of darkness lifted and we saw that it was evening, as the moon and stars shone above us. The moon gave us light to advance forward once more, moving ever closer to the sea. Finally, as the sun appeared over the horizon of the east, we reached the sea.

There at the seashore we saw something we had never before seen. We all stood there in our ranks looking at this strange sight before our eyes. None of us moved. Pharaoh in his chariot together with his commanders gazed at this strange event. I could sense that fear overcame them all, for the LORD God of the Hapiru was leading his people away from Egypt’s Sinai, onward toward the land of Midian.

We all gazed in wonder as the sea which divided Egypt from Midian had split in two. There were two giant walls of water, and the sea was now parted in two, one part toward the North and the other toward the South. In the middle was a stretch of dry land along the sea bottom. We all felt a fierce East wind blowing from East to West along this dry pathway. I looked into the distance and saw the children of Israel almost reaching the other side, walking along the pathway to the land of Midian.

I saw Pharaoh consulting with his commanders and officers; they were pointing at the sea and shaking their heads. No, they no longer wished to challenge the God of Israel, but Pharaoh’s heart was again hardened. His wrath was again kindled against the Hapiru and against his officers. He turned to us, with anger in his eyes, and raised his spear to indicate pursuit.

I knew then that this would be the end of all of us, to follow Israel through these waters of judgment, as this would be the final judgment to end the power and glory of Egypt, alas, Great Egypt would fall and be no more. At this point, I lifted up my voice for the first time to the God of the Hapiru.

“Oh God of Jacob” I remember myself praying, “I ask you to save me this one time more, as you saved me by blood from the god of death, so I ask you to save me from death by the waters of your judgment”

 

[Ben Abraham]

My lips moved yet my voice was low so as my fellow soldiers would not hear me. No sooner did I say these words, that my name was called by my immediate commanding officer;

“Nakhti Ankh Amun, come here at once” I heard him say. I then ran over to where he was, and he gave me these instructions, and I remember his words well.

“You will stay here by the food wagons and the horses until we return. Keep guard over them.” and he pointed to the three wagons and teams of horses which kept the food supplies for our army; many sacks of bread, jars of water and beer.

I could hardly believe my ears. No sooner had I prayed and lifted up my voice to this God who I knew not, that he answered me. Never had all the gods of Egypt answered prayers in such a way as this God of the Hapiru. I watched as my commander rejoined the ranks of the army. I knew in my heart that I would never see the army of Egypt again.

I went over to where the teams of horses and the food wagons were, and I watched as Pharaoh gave the order to advance. Forward went our army to meet its doom. The army entered the pathway through the sea in pursuit of the Hapiru, with the walls of water on either side just waiting to collapse over the enemy. Then I saw how the God of the Hapiru stopped the army of Great Egypt.

The dry pathway turned to mud. The chariots got stuck and the horses struggled to pull them out of the muck. They pulled so hard that the wheels came off, and the soldiers’ feet also sank in the mud. I saw fear and confusion overtake the soldiers of Pharaoh.

I said to myself, “The God of Israel is fighting against Egypt, and He will prevail”. Then it happened. The events of that day will live forever I my mind’s eyes. I saw how the walls of the sea that were on either side of that pathway collapse on top of our army. Mighty Egypt disappeared under the waves of judgment, never to be seen again. The roar of the sea was deafening, and I heard the cries of our soldiers as they were buried under its waves as the sea became one once again. The pathway vanished and the only sound now came from the waves breaking on the beach.

I just stood there looking at the sea, for how long I do not remember. I cast my eyes toward the land of Midian, thinking once more of my friend Jacob and the rest of the Hapiru. Yes, they had at last found freedom from slavery in Egypt. They would never again fear Pharaoh as their God had fought against Egypt and won. This God had also saved me from death these two times.

 

[Ben Abraham]

Then I dropped to my knees and lifted up my hands towards the heavens and just cried. I cried and I cried, thanking this God for my salvation, for his mercy on this soldier-scribe of Egypt. I praised and thanked this God. I tried to remember his name as my friend Jacob wrote his name in the sand. He mentioned the great I AM, so I cried out to I AM thanking him for preserving me with life. I also mourned the loss of my fellow soldiers, some of whom were my good friends. Before this day, I had only prayed to Amun and to the other gods of Egypt. But now I realized that I was alive not because it was the will of the gods, but because of the mercy of I AM, this strange God with no image, who bore the letters of his most sacred name YHVH.

I remained on my knees, crying for joy that I would return to Egypt and see my family again. I cried until I was exhausted by my tears and by the heat of the day. I fell into a deep sleep, awakening to see the stars of the night. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating the beach and the waves breaking on the shore. I climbed into one of the food wagons and lay down on top of the sacks of bread. I closed my eyes and thought about my family, and then I fell asleep again.

When I awoke, it was morning. The sun was rising in the eastern sky illuminating the mountains of Midian. I hitched together the food wagons and the teams of horses and started the trip back home to Memphis. I looked back once more toward the sea and the land of Midian. I thought about my comrades in the army who now lay at the bottom of the sea. I thought about my friend Jacob who told me about the great I AM, the God of the Hapiru, and who saved me these two times from death.

I drove the wagons westward through the Sinai region of Egypt. For three days and three nights, I drove the wagons ever westward towards home. I stopped each night to sleep and feed the horses, looking upward to the starry sky. I lay on top of the bags of bread, thinking of what I was taught by the priests. They taught us all that the goddess Hathor made the lights of the heavens to illuminate the earth by night, but I could no longer believe in Hathor or in any of the other deities of Egypt. I could only believe that there was only one God, the God of all heaven and earth, this invisible God who had no image who had heard my prayer.

This same God saved me from death these two times. This God who had conquered mighty Egypt by the might of his outstretched arm now deserved my homage and gratitude. This God of the Hapiru, who had brought down all the gods of Egypt, would now be my God.
On the fourth day, I arrived back in my city. Goshen lay to the north, now empty and void of life. As I entered the city, the inhabitants stopped to stare at me and the food wagons. They looked behind me hoping to see Egypt’s army leading the children of Israel back, but alas, there was no army. I was the only one left to tell this story.

As I passed the great house of Pharaoh, the queen came out on the terrace. Our eyes met and she knew what had happened. I stopped the horses and slowly looked up at her. She knew by my sad countenance that the army was no more, that she was now a widow that had to rule a conquered Egypt. The queen covered her eyes and ran back inside the great house. I stopped in front of the now empty army barracks and unhitched the wagons. After giving the horses provender, my thoughts turned to my house and family.
When I reached my own house, my father, mother, sisters, and brothers were overwhelmed with joy to see me alive. They embraced me and wept tears of joy. I told them of the events that happened by the sea. They listened carefully to all that I said, and they too came to accept the great I AM of the Hapiru as their only God. My father never again entered the temple of Amun, nor were there any more images of gods in our house.

Three days passed and the queen called upon me to give an account of the events that happened by the sea. She listened carefully and she asked me to write down the events as they happened on a scroll of papyrus. I did so and it was placed among the archives in the House of Pharaoh. The queen mourned for her husband and for her first-born son many days. My mother was called upon to play the harp and lyre before the queen to comfort her grieving soul. Indeed, the music that my dear mother played gave her peace.

That very same day, I was invited to be the official scribe in the House of Pharaoh. Years past and the queen married again. This time, a wiser pharaoh came to the throne. Egypt again has an army, a smaller one, as the might and power of Egypt is no more.

Sixty years have passed since that time of judgment on the land of Egypt. During these years, I trained many scribes to do the writings in the House of Pharaoh. Now I rest from my labors of writing and have let others take my place.

As I make an end of this writing, I look out over my fields of grain. My sons and their sons are cutting and gathering the grain to take to the market. God has been good to us and the Nile floods every year, bringing the rich soil from its bounty. In our household, we worship and honor only one God. It is God who saved me from death, whose mighty hand brought righteous judgment over this land, to humble a once proud people.

My children have grown into men and women, my wife and I are now old, yet our strength has not departed from our bodies. In our house, no idols are worshiped nor do we mention the false gods of Egypt. Since the day that death passed me over by the blood on the doorposts of this house, and by escaping the waves of death by sea, no other god has been worshiped in our house save the God of Jacob. This is the God without image whose name is I AM.

Also, in the fields behind our house, there is an altar made of stones. On this altar, I and my family sacrifice a lamb, every year at this same time during the setting of the sun. We all eat of this lamb which is roasted in the fire. As my friend Jacob did together with his family, so we do as well to commemorate this passing over of death.

The same lamb's blood that saved me some 60 years ago is still on the doorposts of our house, put there by my friend Jacob. He will always be in my heart and mind as my dearest friend among the Hapiru. Because of him, I learned of the true God, the God of creation who rules and governs all things, both visible and invisible.

Now I will finish this writing with the sacred, holy name of this God who is I AM. When people read this scroll of papyrus after I have crossed over the River of Death, they will ask “what are these strange symbols that are unlike the symbols of Egypt?” I will have them know that these symbols are of the Great I AM. They are the Yod, the Hey, the Vav, and the Hey. They are the symbols of the God of the Hapiru, who saved this humble scribe of Egypt from certain death. My friend Jacob drew these symbols in the sand so that I too might know of them.

To honor and revere this God, I have used only two of these symbols in my new name which has been 'Nakhti Ankh Yah' for YAH has given life to the strong. He has given me strength all these years to write this account. From the time of my rescue from death, I have worshiped only this God. It is this God who my family worships as well as there are no images of the gods of Egypt in our house. For HE is the God who made all, both visible and invisible, the God who was, is, and always will be.