In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We begin with the help of God Almighty and His good direction. We write the story of Haiqar the Wise, and what transpired between him and his nephew Nadan, and with the pharaoh king of Egypt. And God is the one we ask for help.

This is Haqar, O listeners. He lived during the times of Sennacherib son of Salem, king of the city of Mosul and the city of Nineveh as well. And this Haqar was a wise, intelligent, skillful and experienced man. And he had been a scribe and secretary to the king. And he would say, 'I, Haqar, was young and I married but I never had the glad tidings of a child. And I had sixty wives from whom I built sixty palaces.'

'Because I had no child, I slaughtered a sacrifice and burned fine incense, so that it would be accepted from me and by God and He would grant me a child. And while I was doing this, a voice came to me saying, 'O Haqar, do not strive or tire yourself with this, for you will not have a child. Rather, take Nadan the son of your sister and raise him and make him like a son to you.' From that moment and time, I went to Nadan, the son of my sister, and I took him when he was young. Then I appointed eight wet nurses to raise him with milk, honey and sugar. His clothes were of brocade and silk. And with this, he grew up well-behaved and mannered until he became like the sun and moon. Then I taught him writing, reading, comprehension and intelligence along with all the books of philosophy altogether.

After some days, King Sennacherib sent for me. So when I appeared before him, he said to me, 'O Haqar, you have grown old and spent many years, and you have grayed (with age). And after a little, you will weaken and fail. Our governance will falter after you. What is your view on how things should be?' At that moment I responded to the king immediately, and said to him, 'O king of the time, may you live and prosper. But I have a nephew, the son of my sister, who is more capable, experienced and intelligent than me. And you will find in him everything you need, and even better.' At that, he said to me, 'Summon him here so we may see him. If we find in him the brightness that is in you, we will place him in your standing before us, and you may rest and spend your old age in peace in your home.'

So at that, I Haqar arose and summoned my nephew Nadan, the son of my sister, and I brought him before the king. Then the king commanded that he sit at his right hand. Then he observed him closely, and listened to his speech and words along with his good manners and knowledge. Then the king rejoiced in him with great joy, and said to Haqar, 'This is a great and blessed day, for I have seen in him your likeness, O Haqar. You guided my father in his days and also guided me. And from this day, Nadan will guide me and whoever comes after me.' Then I responded to him and stood before him, and said, 'O my king and master, I have come to request of you and seek your favor, that you grant Nadan your good favor and grace. And he bestowed this favor upon me.'

After this, I took him joyfully and happily from before the king, and I brought him to my home. And from that time, I did not take my attention from teaching him knowledge for a single hour, neither by night nor by day, until I satiated him with knowledge and reading just as one is satiated with bread and water. Then I began advising him and said to him, 'O Nadan, O son of my sister, be mindful of my words and act upon what I tell you and do not neglect any advice. And behold, Haqar says to you and advises you:

O son of my sister, first of all, if you hear an evil word from some people, bury it in your heart seven feet into the ground. And every time you step on it, it will erase its mention from your heart.

O my son, if you hear a word that you know strife may arise from, conceal it in your heart and do not spread it or display it to anyone, lest it becomes a burning coal in your mouth that destroys some of your body parts, and brings you great harm in your body, and you remain subject to reprimand from God.

O my son, everything you hear, do not speak of it. And everything you see, do not publicize it.

O my son, whatever is restrained, do not free it, and whatever is freed, do not restrain it.

O my son, do not gaze at heights or watch an adorned woman with desires in your heart. For all your wealth will be drained from you, and you will remain in sin, then feel ashamed before God, the Most High.

O my son, when you speak, lower your voice and look at the ground. For if benefit could be achieved through loud voices, then donkeys would build many houses every day.

O my son, if you see a man older than you, show him respect, revere him and step aside in front of him until he passes. For if you do this, God will not let your reward be lost.

O my son, do not involve yourself in a woman's proposal. For if her husband treats her well, she will not remember you, and if he mistreats her, she may die while calling upon you and saying you were the cause.

O my son, if you attend a feast, leave first to protect yourself from harm.

O my son, if you have a companion who wrongs you, then you, O my son, be good to him. For God will not let your reward be lost.

O my son, do not feel too sympathetic towards your son to discipline him with beating while he is young, for beating benefits him just like manure benefits the land, and like a door benefits from a bolt.

O my son, tie the donkey by its foreleg, lest it grows and people ridicule you, causing embarrassment in front of others.

O my son, acquire square-bodied cattle and donkeys with large hooves.

O my son, if you have a companion who wrongs you, then you be good to him. So if you do this with him, then know that God will not let your reward be lost.

O my son, do not acquire a slave who frequently runs away, nor a servant-girl who steals, for your entire wealth may be destroyed because of them.

O my son, do not say 'my teacher is evil and I am wise,' rather leave him in his fault and do not distance yourself from him while you gain knowledge.

O my son, do not swear falsely and break your oath in front of your teacher, lest you lose respect.

O my son, do not show kindness to a servant over his fellow until you inform them and observe who stands firmly with you in hardship from them.

O my son, carving stones with the wise person is more beneficial than drinking wine with the evil person.

O my son, pour out your wine on the graves of the righteous people, and do not drink it with the hypocrites.

O my son, sit with the wise people to respect and learn from them, and do not sit with the foolish people as you will become ignorant and will lose respect.

O my son, if you have slippers on your feet, then through them you will tread upon thorns and thistles, and make a path for your children and grandchildren.

O my son, know that if the son of a wealthy man eats a snake, people will say he ate it for medicinal purposes, but if the son of a pauper eats it, they will say he ate it out of hunger and poverty.

O my son, be content with your share and portion, and do not covet the share of others.

O my son, rejoice if the wise man disciplines you with ten strokes, for that is better than the wicked man clothing you in ten fine robes.

O my son, keep the secret of your beloved in your heart. Then know, O my son, that if you reveal the secret, you will destroy the love.

O my son, if you utter a word, return it to your heart and correct it. For it is better for a man and easier for him to stumble with his head or his leg than with his tongue.

O my son, do not stand with those who jest, because jesting leads to quarrelling, and from quarrelling comes fighting, and from fighting comes killing.

O my son, mention your beloved with goodly speech in front of kings. For if you do this, it will be as if you have removed something from the mouth of a lion.

O my son, death is easier and more bearable for one who has lost their wealth.

O my son, the voice of poor mourning women is sweeter to them than the voice of singing and dancing.

O my son, one bird in your hand is better for you than a thousand birds flying in the sky.

And know, O my son, that good character is better than beauty, for character remains and endures while beauty fades and perishes.

O my son, do not stand before a man in the prime of his rage, nor before a river in the force of its waves.

O my son, the human eye is wickedly greedy, and nothing can fill it except a handful of dirt.

O my son, judge justly with wisdom, so that you will be respected and honored in your old age.

O my son, make your speech and wording sweet to all people, and know, O my son, that a dog is stoned with its mouth and fed with its tail.

O my son, if you send one who loves you on an errand, do not repeatedly inquire about what he says or what he speaks. And if you send one who hates you, proceed yourself and leave him, lest he corrupt for you the matter in which you sent him.

I, Haqar, thoroughly taught him all kinds of knowledge, manners and humility. But now he has started visiting the king and men of state, commanding and prohibiting, cutting off and establishing, with great prestige and profound respect. So his soul became arrogant towards me and proud, and he no longer pays attention to my words. And Nadan started making fun of me, saying to people about me that Haqar's uncle has become weak in his mind and intellect, and everything he says is wrong, he does not know anything at all. And he started beating my slaves along with my servants, my women along with my maidservants, and bringing ruin and loss to my wealth.

So at that point I, Haqar, stood up and informed the king of my situation and explained my case to him. And he immediately sent for my nephew Nadan, the son of my sister. Then he said to him: "O Nadan, it is not possible for you to harm or get close to anything belonging to Haqar." When Nadan heard these words from the king, he became extremely angry. Then I, Haqar, said to him: "O Nadan, what has been said in proverbs has truly manifested - that which the hand did not get tired from, the eye will not pity." Then I left him and went to his brother's Banud and took him. Then I taught him, raised him and let him manage my house. So when Nadan saw that this had become from me, he started saying to people that Haqar my uncle has weakened in his intellect and his knowledge diminished, and behold, he has made all possessions in the hands of my brother Banud.

And I, Haqar, when I heard this speech, I lamented for myself and said: 'Oh woe is me, Haqar, even my teachings and words have become mockery in the mouth of Nadan.' When Nadan heard that sorrow had befallen me from his speech, he immediately stood up at that moment. Then he wrote two letters in my name, I am Haqar, to the enemy kings of my master. One to Nakhni, King of Persia, and the second to the King of Egypt. In them, he said: 'Peace be upon the King of Egypt from Haqar the Wise. This is my writing by my hand and my seal, so you should mobilize and come to me. Be with me on the twenty-fifth of the month of Ab. I will surrender to you the two cities, Mosul and Nineveh, without sword or war, and our meeting will be in the location of Sherin.'

Also in the other letter written in it: 'Peace be upon King Nakhni of Persia.' It says in it 'From Haqar the Wise, scribe and administrator of Mosul. This is my writing by my hand and my seal, and that you should mobilize and come so that I surrender to you the two cities of Mosul and Nineveh without sword or war, and our meeting will be in the location of Sherin on the twenty-fifth of the month of Ab.' And he made the letters beautiful, resembling those written by my hand. Then he sealed them with my seal. So Nadan took the letters and placed them before the king. Then he wrote a letter in the king's name and sent it to me, saying in it: 'With the arrival of this letter, you and your army should mobilize and meet me in the location of Sherin on the twenty-fifth of the month of Ab. And when I come towards you, hasten to me in an agitated manner as if you are fighting me. For I have emissaries of the King of Egypt with me. So if they see hostility in you before them, it will instill fear and alarm in them, and they will hasten to their master and inform him.'

And Nadan sent this letter to me, Haqar, in the king's name, and arranged for it to be delivered to me after some time. Then Nadan stood up and went before the king. He said to him: 'O king, I have great advice for you, and I have eaten of your bread and salt, and you have shown me favors and kindness for long. And I want to advise you with what I have heard.' The king said to him, 'Speak.' Then he said to him, 'I inform you of what Haqar has done.' The king said to him, 'And what has he done?' He said to him, 'I have found men carrying these letters.' The king took the letters in his hand and opened them and read them. And when he pondered over and understood what was in them, a very huge sorrow overwhelmed him. Then he began to say: 'What evil thing did I do to Haqar that he would repay me with this vile retribution?'

At that, Nadan said to the king, 'O king of the time, mobilize so we may ride and go to the location of Sherin. If we find Haqar there, then everything written in the letters is correct.' Then the king quickly stood up, mounted up and hastened to the location of Sherin. And there he saw Haqar with a large, heavy army and he was headed towards the king. When the whole army marched, Nadan advanced towards me, Haqar. Then he said to me: 'Do not be harsh, O Haqar, regarding the king. The king returned to his place, and Haqar returned to his home. And the matter has been settled regarding him, and what Nadan spoke turned out to be correct, and suspicion remained in the king's mind regarding Haqar. When Nadan realized that the king was angered, he said to him: 'Do not be angered or saddened, O king, for I shall bring Haqar before you.'

And immediately Nadan went to his uncle Haqar and said to him: 'O my father, know that the king is partaking in eating and drinking and merriment, and he is calling you to be present before him.' So Haqar stood up immediately and dismissed his army, and mounted and hastened to be present before the king, with Nadan accompanying him. And when he arrived to the king, he greeted him and sat as was his usual custom. Then the king took hold of those papers and letters to read them. And Haqar took them and began reading them, and the handwriting was just as if it had been written by his own hand. Then the king looked at him and said: "O Haqar, would you become an adversary to me alongside my enemies? Would you conspire against my kingdoms, cities, and even plot against my life? While I have honored you and raised your status above all others in my service, would you treat me in such a manner?" Then he looked at me, Haqar, with a gaze akin to that of a lion.

When I had finished reading the books, and they were as if written by my own hand, my tongue was tied, my bones loosened, my sight clouded, and I wished for just a single word of knowledge that I had known, but I did not find it in that hour. Then the king shouted at me with a voice like a lion upon its prey. Nadan said to me, 'Stand up, vile old man, evil of nature, and bind your hands behind your back and shackle your legs.' So the king turned his face away from me, and called out to his executioner, ' Yabusam, come quickly to this man and seize him, cut off his head, and separate it from his body.' And I, Haqar, when I heard these words, immediately stood up and prostrated before the king, rubbing my face in the dust. I beseeched the king and said: 'O king of the time, by the Lord, do not subject yourself to anger while you are heedless of Him, hear one word from me and know that I am wronged. Command your executioner that he cuts off my head at the door of my house, then give my body to my family so they may bury it.'

Then the king commanded his executioner, Yabusam, and said to him, "Go and cut off his head at the door of his house, and give his body to one of his family members to bury him." And I, Haqar, at that moment and hour wrote to my wife Shafnah asking her to come meet me with a thousand virgin girls who reside in my house, dressed in silk and purple, dancing with joy and merriment, coming before me. Then I said, 'Prepare an extraordinary feast with abundant food and fine drinks, so that the executioner eats and drinks along with all those with him. And I will eat and drink with them like a traveling man.' Then they did as I commanded them and brought the food and drinks, and they ate and drank.

When they had finished that, I approached the executioner and said to him, 'O Busam, bread and salt we have eaten together, so look to the sky and consider the Hereafter. Then remember that the king commanded me to kill you, but I did not kill you, rather I hid you until the king had need of you, and regretted what he had commanded. I have brought you out to him. But what I want from you now is to do this with me. And you know that I am innocent, so surely you will eventually need me. And behold, there is a man imprisoned here deserving of death named Areif who resembles me among the people. So bring him out of the prison and kill him, and announce the news that the wise Haqar has been killed. I have a storeroom under the threshold of the house door, six cubits deep into the ground and three cubits wide. Put me inside it and leave me provisions to sustain myself. Then go and tell the king that I have killed Haqar. '

So the executioner did as I told him. He put me in that storeroom, then left me some provisions and sealed and locked the door. Then he took my clothes and dressed Areif the prisoner in them. Then he cut off Areif's head and announced the news that the wise Haqar had been killed. Then the executioner went to the king and said to him, 'I have killed Haqar.' The whole world grieved for him, and there was much weeping and wailing in his house among his maidservants, servants, slaves and boys. Great sorrow overwhelmed them. And they were saying 'Ah, ah for Haqar the wise, who used to guard the city and manage it like his children. Woe to you, O father of the world who used to protect us during hardships and calamities. And woe to what will come upon us after you. O our weakness and poverty, how much goodness, mercy and compassion the world has lost with his departure from it.' Then after that, the king said to Nadan, 'O Nadan, go to Haqar's house and offer condolences according to people's custom. Then come back to me.'

Then Nadan went from the king to Haqar's house to hold a funeral for Haqar and pretended to console the people and his household. When he first arrived at Haqar's house, he gathered the ignorant, hypocrites and troublemakers in large crowds, with wine, singing and dancing with drums. Then he imposed beating and punishment on Haqar's women and slaves, and looted their possessions. He had no shame even before Haqar's great elder wife, who had raised and sheltered him in her house. Rather, in his anger he did every kind of evil to them. And Haqar was hearing everything Nadan the oppressor was doing from underground - the wailing of his women, maidservants, slaves and servants, and what he was doing to them. As for me, Haqar, I was hearing that and crying, grinding my teeth from the enormity of what he was doing.

And after a short while, Yabusam the executioner visited me. Then he cheered me up and took pity on me, and he placed bread and water for me in the dark underground. The news of Haqar spread throughout all inhabited lands that he had passed away and died. The king of Egypt, who was Pharaoh, heard of Haqar's death and rejoiced greatly, being overjoyed at Haqar's demise. At that time, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, sent letters with greetings to Sennacherib, king of Mosul and Nineveh, saying: 'I want you to choose for me a skilled man from among your men and send him to me so he can build me a magnificent palace between heaven and earth. Regarding all the matters I will put to him, let him explain them to me and do them. If you are able to do these things and accomplish them, I will cede to you the revenues of Egypt and its tribute for three years. But if you are unable to do these matters or are not capable, send me the revenues of Mosul and Nineveh and their tribute for three years. Otherwise, beware of me, for I will come at you with a heavy army and heavy forces and wage a fierce war against you.'

When the letters of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, reached king Sennacherib and he read them and understood them, he immediately summoned the dignitaries of the state, scholars and wise men. He said to them: 'Who among you, O people, will go to the king of Egypt and do what the king of Egypt said and take its revenues and tribute for three years?' The princes and dignitaries of the state answered the king, saying to him: 'O king of the time, you know that in the days of your father and in your days too, whenever you needed something done, no one could accomplish the task except Haiqar the Wise. And behold, Haqar has passed away and departed, and Nadan has taken his place and learned his knowledge. And he says in himself that he is more skilled than him by far. Summon him, O king, and ask him, for he will accomplish the matter as you wish.'

Immediately the king summoned Nadan and said to him: 'O Nadan, I want you to go and proceed to the king of Egypt, and build him a magnificent palace between heaven and earth. And all the matters he asks you about, you must explain them to him. And you will bring us the revenues of Egypt and its tribute for three years. What do you say, O Nadan? Then Nadan answered the king and said to him: 'God, who raised the heavens, cannot build a palace between heaven and earth, so how can I do such a thing?' Immediately the king became hot-tempered with the intense anger that overcame him. Then he clapped his hands against each other, saying: 'Woe to you, O Haqar, that with the words of a vile fool I have destroyed and killed you.'

Then the king descended from his throne and sat on the ground, still infuriated and morose. The executioner looked at him from beneath his cover, then left him alone for an hour in his morose state. After that, he drew his sword and shroud, then prostrated before the king and said to him: 'O my master the king, you know that any servant who disobeys his master deserves death. And I, O my master, am your servant, and I have disobeyed you. This is my sword and this is my shroud, and here I stand between your hands, so do with me what you wish and desire.' Then the king looked at Yabusam the executioner and said to him: 'What is it that you disobeyed me in? Inform me of what it is so I can decree your death.' The executioner said to him: 'I disobeyed you by not killing Haiqar the Wise.' When the king heard these words, he cried out loudly saying 'God, God, God, all praise and thanks be to you that Haqar the Wise was not killed. Speak, speak, O Yabusam, is it true what you say that you did not kill him?'

"He is here with me, imprisoned underground since that time until now," Yabusam replied. At that, the king said to him "Bring him to me quickly, so I can see him." At that very moment, Yabusam left the king's presence. He mounted his horse and rode swiftly like a gleaming lightning bolt. He arrived and stood before the entrance to where Haqar was imprisoned. He opened the coverings and raised his voice loudly, calling "Arise, O Haqar, emerge from the darkness in which you are! The time of our need for you has come. For a good horse is not kept except for times of war, and armor is not stored away except to parry blows and spear thrusts. And today is your day, and the king's heart is distressed as he awaits you." Then I threw him a rope and pulled him out of that darkness in which he was. I found that his head hair had grown long and fallen over his eyes and shoulders, and his nails had grown long and remained like an eagle's talons, and his complexion had turned yellow.

Then I mounted him on my horse and brought him before the king. He entered and greeted the king, then stood before him. When the king looked at him, he studied him closely for a long time. Then he said to him, 'How are you feeling, O shining star?' At that, Haqar replied to the king, saying, 'O king of the era, ever since the sun of your face rose upon me, all my limbs have regained their strength, and my soul has lived again in my body, and I have remained like a youth of fifteen years.' At that, the king hung his head to the ground and wept for what he had done. Afterwards, he raised his head and said to the executioner, 'Take him and return him to his home. Ensure his well-being, and allow him to enter the bathhouse. Let him rest in his home for forty days. At the end of the forty days, bring him back to me.'

So Yabusam did what the king commanded. He took Haqar back to his home, to his wife Shafnah. He stayed in his house for forty days, until his blood returned to him and his soul was revived. And at the end of the forty days, Yabusam brought him to the king. He seated Haqar at his right side next to him. The king began speaking to him, saying, "Do you not know, O Haqar, what Pharaoh, king of Egypt, has done? He has sent to us wanting a wise and intelligent man to build him a wondrous palace between heaven and earth, answering all his questions. If we do this, he will send us Egypt's tribute for three years. And if we do not answer him or send anyone, he will take Mosul tribute for three years, or there will be great enmity and war between us. What do you say, O Haqar?" Haqar said to the king, 'We have nothing easier or lighter than this matter.' The king's soul was revived at that moment, and he rejoiced with exceedingly great joy and was overjoyed with strong happiness, he and all the nobles of the state.

After Haqar said these words, he took two eagle chicks and had some of his servants raise them. He took two long, thick silk ribbons and tied them to the eagles' legs. He then had small children ride on the backs of the eagles as they flew with the children tied to them up into the sky. The children would cry out from the backs of the eagles, saying "We are idle builders! Bring us stones and mud quickly so we can build you a wondrous palace!" Wise Haqar had taught the children how to ride on the backs of the eagles and cry out with these words. Afterwards, he brought the children before Sennacherib and they performed this skill. Sennacherib was greatly amazed by it, and Haqar's esteem and honor increased even more with the king. After a few days, Haqar requested an edict from the king to travel to the king of Egypt. The king granted Haqar permission and issued a decree for him to travel to Egypt.

Wise Haqar took with him a large army and set off traveling to Egypt. When he arrived in Egypt, he hid away the eagles and children that were with him until later. Then he went to the king and informed him, saying, "I have come from my master, the ruler of Mosul, regarding the matter which you had sent to request of him." At that, the king commanded his servants to give Haqar an honorable place and comfortable residence for himself and his army, giving him all that was requested. After that, the king summoned Haqar to come before him. When permission was granted, Haqar presented himself before the king. When he stood before the king, the king asked him, "What is your position among the servants of your master?" I said to him, "I am one of the fellow-servants before my master." Then he said to me, "Does your master consider us to be of such little importance that he would only send one of his servants to respond to us and solve our problems?"

The king then said to me, "What is your name?" I said to him, "My name is Abiqam." He said to me, "Oh Abiqam, return to your dwelling until tomorrow morning and then come to me." So I returned to my dwelling and spent the night there. The next morning I went to see the king. The king had commanded all his nobles to wear clothing of lapis lazuli color, and ordered the door curtains to be made red. As for the king himself, he also wore lapis lazuli. Then he sat on his throne and ordered for me to enter before him. When I entered before him and stood in his presence, he said to me, "Oh Abiqam, to whom do I resemble and who do the nobles of my kingdom resemble?" I answered him and said, "You resemble the Bel, and your nobles resemble its servants." He replied, "Go in peace and confidence, and return to us tomorrow."

The king then said to his nobles, "I want you all to wear white clothing." And the king himself wore blue and sat upon his throne. The next day, he issued a decree for me to attend him. So I presented myself before the king, and he said to me, "Oh Abiqam, to whom do I resemble and who do my nobles resemble?" I said to him, "You resemble the moon, and your nobles resemble the stars." He replied, "Go in peace and confidence, and return to us tomorrow." He commanded his nobles to wear red clothing. As for the king himself, he wore fine silk of an un-dyed color. He then ordered for me to enter his presence. When I presented myself before him, he said to me, "Oh Abiqam, to whom do I resemble and who do my nobles resemble?" I said to him, "O king of the time, you resemble the sun and your troops resemble its rays." He said to me, "Go to your dwelling and return to us tomorrow." Then he commanded his nobles to wear various different colors, and ordered the curtains to be made red. As for the king himself, he also wore red. The king then sat on his throne and granted me permission to enter his presence. I entered and he said to me, "To whom do I resemble and who do my nobles resemble?"

I said to him, "O king, you resemble the month of Nissan and your troops resemble its flowers." The king then said to me, "The first time you compared me to the moon and my nobles to the stars. The second time you compared me to a sapphire gem and my nobles to its servants. The third time you compared me to the sun and my troops to its rays. And the fourth time you compared me to April and my troops to its flowers. So tell me, to what or whom does your master Sennacherib resemble?" I said to him, "Seek forgiveness from God when you mention my master while you sit upon your throne. Rather, rise from your seat so that I may tell you to whom my master Sennacherib resembles. My master resembles the Almighty, and his troops resemble the lightning in its flash. When he wants to bring rain or storm, it descends in the month of Nissan, destroying its flowers. He stops the sun from its course and its rays from shining. He stops the moon from rising and the stars from moving in the sky. He stops the Bel from inclining and its servants from stirring."

When Pharaoh heard these words, he was greatly troubled. He said to me, "I want you to tell me your name." I replied, "My name is Haiqar the Wise." Pharaoh said to me, "Are you still alive, Haiqar?" I replied, "Yes, I am Haiqar." He said, "We had heard that you were killed." I said, "Destiny decreed otherwise, and God did not will for my destruction." He said to me, "Go to your home, and come to me early tomorrow at dawn." So I went to my home, and the next morning at dawn I went to him. He issued a decree for me and I entered his presence and stood before him. He said to me, "What is one cylinder with twelve pine shapes above it, and above the twelve pine shapes are thirty numbers revolving in a circular vessel, with two beings eternally revolving upon them, one black and the other white?" I, Haqar, responded to him saying, "This parable that you have mentioned to me - in our lands the oxen talk of it. As for the cylinder, it is the year. And as for the twelve cones, they are the twelve months. And the black and white that revolve are the night and day, because the night is black and the day is white."

Pharaoh was greatly amazed by this explanation. He said to me, "Go to your home and come to me tomorrow." I left to my home. The next day I went to him and stood before him. He said to me, "Oh Haqar, I want you to explain to me and tell me how your master's horses neighed in Mosul, and when our mares hear them, they started shaking their manes." When he said these words to me, I rose up from before him and went to my home. I said to my servants "Hold a cat for me." So they held a cat for me, and I tied a strap around its neck and dragged it before the king's court. I began beating it and punishing it with a rod as it cried aloud.

The king said to me, "For what reason are you punishing this cat?" I said to him, "O king of the time, in the past when my master would want me for some matter and look for me at night or day, I had a rooster that would crow and inform me, so I would get up and go to whatever land my master was in. But last night your cat went and cut off the head of the rooster and ate it." When the king heard these words from me, he looked at me intently, then pondered at length at me and said, "Oh Haqar, you are mad! How can this be?" I said to him, "But O king of time, the distance from Mosul to Egypt is three hundred and sixty farsakh. So how could the neighing of my master's horses reach here, and your mares hear and shake their manes?" The king was amazed by these words. Then the king said to me, "Oh Haqar, I want you to build me a palace between the sky and the earth." I said to him, "I want you to show me a place where I can build the palace for you."

The king showed me a place. When I was there, I brought the eagles and tied children onto their backs with silk cords. Then I flew them up into the sky on the backs of the eagles. Those children shouted from the sky while riding the eagles, saying "We are the idle builders, hasten with stones and clay so we can build you a magnificent palace." And as for me, Haqar, I took a rod and I kept beating the Egyptians and saying to them "The doers are you and the craftsmen are us, and we are building you a magnificent palace. Hasten, hand them stones and clay, for those children are calling out 'Bring us plaster and clay so we can build you a magnificent palace between the sky and earth.'" The king said to me at that time, "You are mad, oh Haqar! Who is able to lift up stones and plaster for building into the sky?" "Oh Haqar, leave off this nonsense," he said. I replied, "O king of time, what power do you have that you can mention my master? For my master, if he wishes to build two palaces, he is certainly able to build them in a single day."

When the king heard these words, he diminished in his own eyes, and he said to me, "Enough of these words. Go to your home, and come to us tomorrow." And I did as he said. The next day I presented myself before him. The king said to me, "Oh Haqar, I want you to tell me something that has never been heard in my city, nor in my country either." I rose up and thought in my heart. Then I wrote a letter purportedly from Sennacherib, king of Nineveh, to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The letter said: "Peace be upon you. Friends have need of friends and companions have need of companions. Know that this year I am in need and my country is weak. I want you to loan me eight hundred thousand gold mithqals, one hundred thousand measures of wheat, and the same amount of barley. After a short time has passed, I will repay it all to you."

Then I folded up the letter and held it in my hand. I entered to where the king was and said to him, "The news contained in this letter has never been heard in your kingdom." At that, the king objected along with those present, saying, "We have heard what is in this letter, and everyone in our lands has heard it too." I said to them, "If you have heard it, will you act upon what is in it?" They said, "Yes." At that very moment, I handed the letter to the king. He took it and read it aloud to those present, and they were all amazed at its contents. After that, the king gave a decree and ordered his servants to bring me a piece of stone. He said to me, "I want you to stitch together this stone, and join its parts." I replied to him, "Long live the king! I am a stranger and do not have the tools. But I ask you to assign some shoemakers of your city to come to me, and provide me with pieces of this stone, so that I may stitch together this stone for you."

After that, the king said to me, "I want you to make two ribbons of dust for me." I replied, "I want you to show me a model so that I may make you something like it." He said to me, "You must make two ribbons of dust for me. If you do not make them, I will not give you Egypt’s tribute." Then I thought to myself and got up and went to the king's dome. I bored two holes into the wall of the dome facing the sun. As soon as the sun rose straight from the dome, the sun rays entered through those two holes and their beams became like two even ribbons. Then I called out to the king and said to him, "I have made two ribbons for you. Send some of your servants to come and collect them." When the king looked at the ribbons, he was astonished by the clever trick that Haqar had devised. Then he smiled, laughing, and said, "The day Haqar came to us was a blessed day." Then he held a great banquet for me and dressed me in the finest robes. He bestowed many gifts upon me.

Then he gave me Egypt's rights and tribute for three years and sent me on my way from him with joy, delight, and happiness as a traveler. When I arrived, I presented myself before my master Sennacherib and greeted him. Then he had me sit at his right hand, as well as Yabusam. He held an enormously great banquet for me like nothing ever seen before. Then he said to me, "Request of me whatever you wish and choose, O Haqar, and I will give it to you." I replied to him, "I do not request or desire anything from you. Rather, whatever kind gifts you bestow upon me and give to me, give it to Yabusam the executioner, because he protected me and gave me life, saving me from death at his hands. And whatever you give me, give it to him. As for me, I request from you Nadan, the son of my sister, so that I may teach him new knowledge, for the former knowledge did not stay with him or benefit him in any way." Thereupon the king said, "O Haqar, take your nephew and do with him whatever you choose."

Then I, Haqar, took my nephew Nadan and brought him to my house. Then I tied him to the carpenter's donkey that is at the external doors where the servants sit. Then I beat him with a thousand lashes on his shoulders and a thousand lashes on his chest, and I threw a large iron collar into his leg. And I kept feeding him a pound of bread and the same amount of water. Then I handed him over to the scribe, telling him to write down everything I say regarding Nadan, whether I am coming or going. The scribe replied, "I hear and obey." Then I began and said to him:

O Nadan, one who does not listen while he has eyes will now listen while in the collar in his leg.

Then he answered me, saying, "Why do you aggravate your temper against me, O uncle?" I said to him at that:

O my son, I sat you on a chair and you threw me from the chair. But it is God's mercy that saved me.

O my son, I anointed you with fragrant oil, and you in return struck me.

O my son, I fed you delicious foods, but you did not feed me bread or satisfy my hunger.

O my son, I raised your stature like a pine tree, but you brought low my stature, and in your wickedness you intoxicated me.

O my son, I raised your stature like a towering, lofty tower, and I said that if thieves come upon me I could climb up to it and seek refuge in it. But you, O my son, saw my enemies and threw me before them.

When Nadan heard this rebuke and reprimand, he said to his uncle, "If a person sins before God Almighty, then repents and asks forgiveness after that, God will forgive him. And I, O uncle, have sinned against you and wronged you, and I wish for you to forgive me, and allow me from now on to graze your cattle and groom your horses." When he replied to him at that time, he said:

O my son, I raised you like a palm tree by the riverbank, and I began cutting it down. The palm tree said to me, 'I want you to leave me this year so I can bear fruit for your sake.' I said to it, 'You have neither troubled yourself nor exerted any effort for your own sake, so how can you trouble yourself with the work of others?'

O my son, there was a lone wolf walking behind a flock of sheep. A person from the community said to it, 'For what reason are you walking behind these sheep in this murky dust?' The wolf replied, 'Don't you know that this dust is medicine for my eyes and beneficial for me?'

Also, they brought the wolf to the teacher so it could learn. The teacher said to it, 'Say A, B,' but the wolf said, 'Sheep and goat taste better.'

O my son, you are like a he-goat that eats oak trees its whole life. And because it doesn't eat anything but oak, it ends up giving skin to tan leather.

O my son, you are like a person who throws an arrow towards the sky, and it does not reach the sky, yet he still receives sin and guilt from that act.

O my son, a wolf came across an abandoned donkey at night. The wolf said to it, "Peace be upon you, O donkey." The donkey said to him, "Such a greeting should only be for the one who tied me up yesterday. If only he had tightened and reinforced my bonds, I would not have seen your face, O wolf. Now come forward and wet your lips [with my flesh]."

O my son, a trap was set up near a garbage dump. A sparrow came to it and said, 'What are you doing here with your mouth open?' The trap said, 'I am praying to God Almighty.' The sparrow said, 'And what is this in your mouth?' The trap said, 'It is bread, and it is charity for passersby.' Then the sparrow moved forward to take some of that bread, but the trap snapped shut around the sparrow's neck. The sparrow said to him, 'God Almighty will not accept from you neither your fasting nor your prayers nor your charity.'

O my son, you are like a dog that warms himself by a potter's furnace. When the owners of the furnace come forward to take fire blanks, the dog jumps at them and barks because they left him warmth.

O my son, you are like a cat. Her companions said to her, 'Give up your corruption so that you may become righteous and enter the king's houses.' The cat said to them, 'I cannot give up my corruption, even if they put a golden collar around my neck and silver earrings in my ears.'

O my son, you are like a pig that accompanied the dignified ones to the bathroom. They all entered and washed up and cleaned themselves. But when they came out of the bathroom with that cleanliness, the pig raised its head and looked at a puddle of dirty water with filth and dirt in it. It went down to it and started rolling around in it. The dignified ones said to it, 'Don't destroy yourself with this action.' The pig said to them, 'You do what pleases you and I will do what pleases me.'

O my son, I put my fingers in your mouth, and you put your fingers in my eyes.

O my son, it is better to pluck out an eye that cannot see.

O my son, the proverbs that have been said are true: A father may name his son, but the one who raises him calls him a slave.

O my son, what is said in proverbs is true, seize your nephew under your armpit, and pound him on the ground.

But God Most High is the One who saved me from killing, and He is the One who will judge between me and you, and the One who does good will meet good, and the One who does evil will meet evil, and the One who digs a well for his companion, God Most High will throw him into it until it collapses on him. At that moment, when Nadan heard this rebuke and reprimand, his belly swelled up like a blown-up balloon. His stomach dropped and burst, causing him to die and end up in Hell. And thus concluded the story and tale of Nadan and Haqar, with eternal praise to God.