for with my own hands will I shelter and shield thee 2170
during thy life-time here against every woe: thou
needst not be fearful."




XXVI.


Then Abraham, famed for his deeds, answered his
Lord and asked Him, in the fullness of his days:

"O Ruler of spirits, what dost thou give me for free- 2175
men's solace, now that I am thus solitary? I have no
need to found an ancestral seat for any sons of mine, but
after me shall my distant kinsmen dispose of my goods;
thou hast not given me a son, and therefore sorrows
weigh upon me very heavily in my heart; I myself can 2180
not devise any counsel. My steward goes rejoicing in
his sons, and is firmly persuaded in his thoughts that
after me his sons shall be the keepers of the heritage:
they see that no children are born to me of my bride."

To him then at once God answered: 2185

"Never shall thy steward possess the heritage of thy
sons: but thine own children shall hold the treasure,
when thy flesh lies [in the grave]. Behold the sky. Count
those jewels, the stars of heaven, which now freely scatter 2190