from me?" He answered, "I am Michael, the captain of the host of
God, and I am sent to speak to you concerning your death." Then said
Abraham, "I know that you are an angel of God, and that you are sent
to take away my soul. But I shall not follow you!"

When Michael heard that word he vanished away from them and went up
to the heavens and stood before the Lord, and told Him what Abraham
had said; and the Lord answered, "Return to Abraham My friend and
speak yet again to him, Thus saith the Lord: 'I brought thee out of
thy father's house into the land of promise: I have blessed thee and
increased thee more than the sands of the seashore and more than the
stars of heaven. Why dost thou resist My decree? Knowest thou not
that Adam and Eve died, and all their offspring; none of the
forefathers escaped death; they are all of them gone unto the place
of spirits, all of them have been gathered by the sickle of death.
And I have not suffered the angel of death to approach thee: I have
not permitted any evil disease to come upon thee, but instead I have
sent mine own prince Michael to speak peaceably unto thee, that thou
mayest set thine house in order and bless thy son Isaac and depart in
peace; and now thou sayest, "I will in nowise follow him." Knowest
thou not that if I send Death unto thee, thou must needs come whether
thou wilt or no?'" So Michael returned to Abraham, and found him
weeping, and told him all these words; and Abraham besought him,
saying, "Speak yet once again to my Lord and say to Him, 'Thus saith
Abraham Thy servant: Lord, Thou hast been gracious to me all my life
long, and now, behold, I do not resist Thy word, for I know that I am
a mortal man; but this one thing I ask of Thee, that while I am yet
in my body Thou wouldst suffer me to see Thy world and all the
creatures that Thou hast made. Then shall I depart out of this life
without any trouble of mind.'" And Michael returned and spake all