Kebra Nagast

Concerning Lying Witnesses out whether they agree with thy words do] we will cut off the head of Karmin." ; [and if they And Benyas and and Karmelos, of the brought Zaryos departed for of it been tribe had Manasseh, agreed between them not shame before the King would him to that they put And these two in the matter of their lying testimony. men agreed together and planned when they were on " When we have spoken to the King [their] way, saying, if he shall ask us afterwards separately (so that he may hear these words ? unto him, ' ' Where did you we will each of us answer and say When we were drinking wine with him.' find out the truth of our words), saying, ' And when he shall say unto us, What day [was this] we will say, Five days after the new moon/ And we when he saith unto us, What time [of the day] ' ' ? ' * ' ? will say unto him, ' At the ninth hour, when he was sitting with us, and we were drinking wine together.' And when he shall ask us, saying, ' What did ye drink ' out of ? and where were ye sitting ? we will say unto * him, Out of cups of gold, and our seats were in the hall of his house where the cushions for reclining upon were placed.' 3 And they agreed together on this evil And when they arrived in the presence of the King Benyas brought them forward, and the King questioned them, and they repeated to him all their lying counsel. And he asked them according as they had surmised on the road the occasion, and the day, and the hour of their drinking [wine] and their sitting [in the hall], and they told him. Now, God hath commanded that king?, and governors, and all those who occupy a high position shall investigate an accusation, even as God commanded Moses. And when the King had enquired into all this matter, he called the captain of his host who stood before him, and said unto him, " Go at dawn of day to-morrow and surround the house of Karmin and let not anyone of his i 129