Kebra Nagast

Concerning Lying Witnesses had departed to a far country for a period of three years. And those men who had borne lying testimony they killed in bed in Karmin's house. And the wife of the merchant loved Karmin, and she was seduced by him, and became with child now the behaviour of women is bad. And the husband of the woman had left her when she was with child, and she brought forth and gave the child to a nurse who brought it up. And in the second year she went astray and became with child by Karmin, for the person of Karmin was exceeding goodly in Israel. And the woman wished to throw the child whom she had conceived into the river when he was born and to wait for the merchant her husband as if she had not gone astray, and had not done anything [wrong]. Even as Solomon " the wise man saith, There are three things which are difficult to me in my mind, and the fourth of these I cannot comprehend The track of the eagle in the heavens, the path of the serpent on the rock, the track of a ship on the sea." l Now the fourth of them of which he speaks concerneth the wicked woman, who, having wronged her husband, and washed herself, sitteth down like a woman who hath done nothing, and she sweareth an oath falsely. And at that time the wife of Bala'on, the King of Babylon, conceived and brought forth something which was like unto an eagle, a perfect bird but altogether without wings. And she called a handmaiden who was a favourite, and sent the thing away in a wicker-basket and commanded her to cast it into the sea (i.e. river), without letting anyone know about it. And the time for the bringing forth of the wife of the merchant arrived, and she brought torth a man-child, comely in form [and worthy of] compassion. And without suckling it she called to a handmaiden who was a favourite, ; : 1 I 2 Proverbs xxx, 18. 131