Joseph and Aseneth

Historical English source page 43

XI] ASENATH RESOLVES TO PRAY 39 courage to call upon the Lord God of heaven, the Most High and powerful one of the mighty Joseph, for that my mouth is polluted from the sacrifices of the idols. But I have heard many saying that the God of the Hebrews is a true God, and a living God, and a merciful God and pitiful and long-suffering and full of mercy and gentle, and one who reckoneth not the sin of a man who is humble, and especially of one who sinneth in ignorance, and convicteth not of lawlessnesses in the time of the affliction of a man that is afflicted ; accordingly I '^also, the humble one,^ will be bold and will turn to him and seek refuge with him and confess all my sins to him and pour out my petition before him, and he will have mercy on my misery. For who knoweth if he will see this mine humiliation and the desolation of my soul and pity me, and will see also the orphanhood of my wretchedness '" and virginity ^ and defend me ? for that, '"as I hear,^ he is himself a father of orphans and a consolation of the afflicted and a helper of the persecuted. But in any case I ^also the humble one ^ will be bold and will cry to him," Then Asenath rose up from the wall where she was sitting, and raised herself upon her knees ^toward the east ^ and ^ directed her eyes toward heaven and opened her mouth and said to God : ' Lat Syr. Arm. om. * Lat. " to the windows looking east " ; similarly Arm. Syr. Arm. have here an insertion ; see Appendix. ' Arm. ins. " raised herself upon her knees and, lifting up her hands toward the east."