28. The prudence of Abraham.
'When every one had departed from the temple, the priests closed the temple and went away. Then Abraham took the axe and cut off the feet of all the idols, except the great god Baal. At its feet he placed the axe, amid the ruins which the statues made, for they, through being old and composed of pieces, fell in pieces. Thereupon, Abraham, going forth from the temple, was seen by certain men, who suspected him of having gone to thieve something from the temple. So they laid hold on him, and having arrived at the temple, when they saw their gods so broken in pieces, they cried out with lamentation: "Come quickly, O men, and let us slay him who hath slain our gods!" There ran together there about ten thousand men, with the priests, and questioned Abraham of the reason why he had destroyed their gods.
'Abraham answered: "Ye are foolish! Shall then a man slay God? It is the great God that hath slain them. See you not that axe which he hath near his feet? Certain it is that he desireth no fellows."
'Then arrived there the father of Abraham, who, mindful of the many discourses of Abraham against their gods, and recognizing the axe wherewith Abraham had broken in pieces the idols, cried out: "It hath been this traitor of a son of mine, who hath slain our gods! for this axe is mine." And he recounted to them all that had passed between him and his son.
'Accordingly the man collected a great quantity of wood, and having bound Abraham's hands and feet put him upon the wood, and put fire underneath.
'Lo! God, through his Angel, commanded the fire that it should not burn Abraham (his servant). The fire blazed up with great fury, and burned about two thousand men of those who had condemned Abraham to death. Abraham verily found himself free, being carried by the Angel (of God) near to the house of his father, without seeing who carried him and thus Abraham escaped death.'[1]
Read: Book of Jasher beginning at ch. 11