anfwered, He faith, She is neither an old cow, nor a young heifer, but of \
middle age between both : do ye therefore that which ye are commanded.
They faid, Pray for us unto thy L o rd that he would Ihew us what colour Ihe
is of. MOSES anfwered, He faith, She is a red cow *, intenfely red, her
colour rejoiceth the beholders. They faid, Pray for us unto thy L o r d , that
he would further lhew us what cow it is, for feveral cows with us are like one
another, and we, if G od pleafe, will be direfted. MOSES anfwered, He
faith, She is a cow not broken to plough the earth, or water the field, a
found one, there is no blemifh in her. They faid, Now haft thou brought
the truth. Then they facrificed her ; yet they wanted but little of leaving
it undone h. And when ye- flew a man, and contended among your felves
concerning him, G od brought forth to tight that which ye concealed. For we
faid, Strike the dead body with part of the facrificed cow ‘ : fo G od raifeth the
dead to life, and fheweth you his figns, that peradventure ye may underftand.
Then were your hearts hardened after this, even as ftones, or exceeding them
in hardnefs : for from fome ftones have rivers burfted forth, others have
been rent in funder, and water hath iffued from them, and others have fallen
down for fear of G o d . But G od is not regardlefs of that which ye do.
Do ye therefore defife that the Jews fhould believe you ? yet a part of them
heard the word of G o d , and then perverted it, after they had underftood it,
againft their own confcience. And when they meet the true believers, they
fay, We believe: but when they are privately affembled together, they fay,
Will ye acquaint them with what G od hath revealed unto you, that they may
difpute with you concerning it in the prefence of your L o r d ? Do ye not
therethe
young man came to the marlet with his füch and fuch particular marls, to be hilled;
heifer, an angel in the ihape of a man accofted but there being no other which aniwered the
him, and bid him fix pieces of gold for her j but defcription, except the orphan’s heifer, they
he would not tale the money, till he had asked were obliged to buy her for as much gold as her
his mother’s confent; which when he had ob- hide would hold; according to fome, for her full
tained, he returned to the market-place, and weight in gold, and as others fay, for ten tiroes
met the angel, who now offered him twice as as much. This heifer they facrificed, and the
much for the heifer, provided he would fay no- dead body being, by divine direftion, firuck with
thing of it to his mother; but theyoung man a part of it, revived, andftanding up, named the
refufing, went and acquainted her with the ad- perfon whohad killedhim; after which it imme-
ditional offer. The woman perceiving it was an diatély fell down dead again1. The tvhole
angel, bid her fon go back and ask him what ftory feems to be borrowed from the red heifer,
mull be done with the heifer j whereupon the. which was ordered by the JewiJh law tobe
angel told the young man, that, in a little time, burnt, and the aihes kept for purifying thofe who
the children o f Ifrael would buy. that heifer of happened to touch a dead corps V
him at any price. And foon after it happened * A red cm.'] The epithet in the original is
that an Jfraelite, named Hcmaiel, was killed ycllm; but this word we do not ufe in fpeaking
by a relation of his, who, to prevent difcovery, of the colour of cattle.
conveyed the body to a place canfiderably dilfant b And they wanted but little c f leaving it tin-
from that where the faß'was committed^ The dene,] Becaufe of the exorbitant price which
friends o f the flain man accufid fome other per- they were obliged to pay for the heifer,
fons of thé murther before Mofes; bait they ” With part i f the cm,] i. e. Her tongue, or
denying the faß, and there being no evidence the end of her tail 3. -
to convift them, G od commanded a cow, of
1 Abu’lfeda. * Numb, rix, 3 J allalo’ddik.
therefore underftand ? Do not they know that G od knoweth that which they
conceal as well as that which they publifli ? But there are illiterate men among
them, who know not the book o f the law, but only lying ftories, although
they think otherwife. And woe unto them who tranfcribe corruptly the book
of the law * with their hands, and then fay, This is from G o d : rhat they
may fell it for a fmall price. Therefore woe unto them becaufe of that which
their hands have written-, and woe unto them for that which they have gained.
They fay, The fire o f h ell fhall not touch us but for a certain number
of days p Anfwer, Have ye received any promife from G od to that purpofe?
for G od will not aft contrary to his promife: or do ye fpeak concerning
G od that which ye know not? Verily whofo doth evil', and is encom-
paffed by his iniquity, they fh a ll be the companions of hell fire, they (hall
remain therein for ever: but they who believe and do good works, they
fhall be the companions of paradife, they fhall continue therein for ever.
Remember alfo, when we accepted the covenant of the children of I s r a e l , faying,
Ye fhall not worfhip any other except G o d , and ye fh a ll fh ew kindnefs to
your parents and kindred, and to orphans, and to the poor, and fpeak that
which is good unto men, and be conftant at prayer, and give alms. Afterwards
ye turned back, except a few of you, and retired afar off. And when
we accepted your covenant, faying, Ye fhall not lhed your brothers blood,
nor difpoffefs one another of your habitations. Then ye confirmed it, and
were witneffes thereto. Afterwards ye were they who flew one another4, and
turned feveral of your brethren out of their houfes, mutually affifting each o-
ther againft them with injuftice and enmity ; but if they come captives unto
you, ye redeem them: yet it is equally unlawful for you to difpoffefs them.
Do ye therefore believe in part of the book o f the law, and rejeft other part
thereof? But whofo among you doth this, fhall have no other reward than
fhame in this life, and on the day of refurreftion they fhall be fent to a moft
grievous punilhmenf, for G od is not regardlefs of that which ye do. Thefe
are they who have purchafed this prefent life, at the price of that which is
C a to
• Mohammed again accufes the Jews of corrupting
their fcripture.
k The fire of hell Jhall not touch us, but for a
certain number of day;] That is, {ay s Jallalq'ddin,
forty ; being the number of days that their forefathers
worfhipped the golden calf; after which
they gave out that their punifhment lhould ceafe.
It is a received opinion among the Jews at prefent,
that.no period,- be.he ever, fo wicked, or
of whatever fe£t, fhall remain in hell above eleven
months, or at moft a year; except Dathan
and Abiram, and atheifts, . who will be tormented
there to all eternity *. ' .
* Whofo ioth evil, &e.[j By evil in this place
* commentators generally underftand poly-
theifm or idolatry j which fin the Mohammedans
believe,unlefs repented of in this life, is unpardonable
and will be puniihed by eternal damnation ;
1 Vid, Bartolqccii Biblioth. Rabbinic. Tom,
but all other fins they hold will at length be forgiven.
This therefore is that irremiflibJe impiety,
in their opinion, which in the New Tefiament
is called the fin againfi the holy Ghoft.
4 Te fiew one another, &c.] This paflage was
revealed on occafion of fome quarrels which arofe
between the Jews of the tribes of Koreidha, and
thofe o f alAzvs, al Nadbir, and al Kbazraj, and
came to that height that they took arms and de-
ftroyed one anothers habitations, and turned one
another out of their houfes; but when any were
taken captive, they redeemed them. When they
were asked the reafon of their atting in this manner,
they anfwered, That they were commanded
by their law to redeem the captives, but that
they fought out of lhame, left their chiefs fhould
be defpifed *.
2. p. 128. & T. 3. p. 421. * Ja lla lo’ddin.