and fashion of a soldier--for he was the captain of the Lord's
host--very beautiful to look upon. And Abraham rose and went to meet
him, as was his custom with all strangers; and when they had saluted
one another, Abraham asked Michael whence he came; and Michael
answered, "I come from the Great City, and my errand is to fetch a
certain friend of the Great King, whom He is inviting to come to
Him." Then said Abraham, "My lord, come with me to my house." And
when Michael consented, Abraham called one of his men and bade him
fetch two quiet horses that he and the stranger might ride home on
them. But Michael refused, for he knew that no earthly horse could
bear him; so he said, "Nay, but rather let us go on foot to your
house."

And as they went up from the fields, they came to a cypress-tree
growing by the wayside; and as they passed by it there came from it a
human voice, which said, "Holy is the Lord who calleth to Himself
them that love Him." Now this happened by the commandment of God, to
be a sign to Abraham, and he marvelled; but when he looked at his
companion and saw that he seemed to take no notice of it, he said
nothing, thinking that only he had heard the voice. Soon after they
came to the house, and Isaac and Sarah came to greet them, and they
sat down in the courtyard of the house. But Isaac said to his mother
Sarah, "Mother, I am sure that the man who is sitting with my father
is not of the race of men that live on the earth." Just then Abraham
called to Isaac, "Isaac, my son, draw water from the well, and bring
it to me in a basin, that we may wash the stranger's feet, for he has
come a long journey." So Isaac ran and fetched the water to his
father; and Abraham said to him secretly, "My child, something says
to me that this will be the last time that I shall wash the feet of
any stranger coming to this house." And Isaac was greatly distressed