The Testament of Solomon

Book IV: Solomon III

After he had given the Law to mankind, Solomon fell into a deep sleep, for he’d been wounded in the war against the Seraphim. But before Solomon’s long rest, he appointed the greatest of the Magi, a man whom served him faithfully during the campaigns and was called a Prophet by many. His name was Jedidiah and he served mankind as a good King for a time. However, because of the long years of the king's slumber, men now walked the Earth that had no memory of Solomon. A great violence broke out in the kingdom of Solomon and the north divided itself from the southern part and many wars were fought between the two.

During these bloody campaigns Jedidiah led the Southern kingdom against the Northen rebels. The Kingdom of Solomon was cleaved in two and Jedidiah did not have the wisdom of Solomon nor his might so although many battles were won, the campaign was lost to him. The North remained as the realm of Jedidiah but the South established its own dynasty and became the Kingdom of Darius. With this, The Kingdom of Solomon was no more.

Now Jedidiah had eaten of the fruit of the Tree of Life and a long life was gifted unto him. But more than anything, he desired to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and gain its wisdom. And after many long years, and in the true king's absence, he could no longer contain his lust for power. Jedidiah forced his way into the temple of the Tree of Knowledge and ate of its fruit. In doing this, his might became like that of Solomon’s. But because Jedidiah sought this power outside of the will of God and only for his own Greed, The Lord God turned his face from Jedidiah and his heart danced with evil thoughts.

Jedidiah called together all of his realm and said unto them;

“A great vison I have seen! A great sight I have witnessed!”

The Lord has shown unto me the things that will transpire in the coming days. The Lord is angry, but his wrath will not fall on us, for we are his righteous and chosen people.

But let those who dwell in the southern territories weep in fear of the day of the Lord, for he will give unto them the fullest extent of his anger.

Fields will turn to deserts and your wells will turn dry, for the Lord’s hand has rested upon me and I will make desolate the realms of the southern kingdom.”

After Jedidiah had said all of these things, he gathered all of the fighting men in his realm and rode South to wage his war anew. The great city of Ahken that laid on the river was Jedidiah’s first conquest and it was utterly destroyed. The walls fell and the great houses were brought down, the men were killed and the women and children were left to wander the wilderness. Such was the might and cruelty of Jedidiah the King.

The campaign continued and as Jedidiah marched every city, fortress, or village was laid low. Death followed Jedidiah and in his footsteps a great desert appeared, the hills became dunes and the trees turned to stone. And finally Jedidiah arrived at the heart of the Southern Kingdom, the Great City of Solomon, the very place that the true king still slumbered. Jedidiah laid siege to the city and not a drop of blood was spilt for forty days and forty nights. But after this time had passed Jedidiah caused the firmament to open and fire began to rain down upon the City of Solomon. As the city burned the walls fell before Jedidiah and he cut down all before him, until the city was barren.

Eventually the cries and anguish of the people at the foot of the Mountain of the Lord were like that of the cries under Ziz and the Lord was angry with Jedidiah. Finally the Lord spoke again; “Arise Solomon, my champion, cut short your long slumber and make war with Jedidiah for I am greatly displeased with him!” At the command of the Lord, Solomon arose and he looked upon the destruction that Jedidiah had visited upon his lands.

Solomon lifted his voice in lament;

“Oh such woe has the wicked visited upon the innocent! Such destruction has one wretched king wrought!

The house of the righteous may stand against the wind and rain, but the heart of the wicked is set upon its destruction. My lands are barren and my storeroom is empty.

Only the Lord may rescue me now and only his hyssop may sustain me. He finds me in the dark places and lifts me out and he holds me up with his right hand.

Let those who have turned away from the Lord despair and may the lord cut their days short.”

When Jedidiah heard these words, his heart did tremble, for he knew that Solomon had awakened from his slumber. But he did not repent, for his mind was now wholly bent on evil, his anger burned and he cursed and he lifted his voice and let out a corrupted song. (In the oldest documents this section of the text has either been lost or destroyed. It appears again in later versions, but they are far too recent to be considered authoritative. These recent versions are also absent in the older traditions among the tribal peoples located near the modern day City-State of Cyrus. It is thought that the song has been lost to time.)

Solomon heard the song of Jedidiah and knew that the Lord had abandoned him. Solomon raised his hand into the sky and called down a bolt of lightning to strike him. But the might of Jedidiah was equal to that of Solomon and he was able to survive his attack. So Solomon ascended the Mountain of the Lord, where Jedidiah stood and wrestled with him. Their battle went on for a time and their vigor never diminished because Both men had eaten from the trees. After Solomon realized that their contention would last forever, he thought of a new plan.

Solomon took hold of Jedidiah and threw himself into the side of the Mountain of the Lord. This he did repeatedly for seven days and seven nights until he and Jedidiah were at the very center of the Mountain. It was there that Solomon formed a great chain and ensnared Jedidiah with it, he blessed the chain with a holy word and it was made unbreakable according to the will of the Lord. Solomon then trapped Jedidiah underneath the weight of the Mountain of the Lord and left him there forever.

Solomon then ascended the great hill of the Lord and looked upon the desolation that Jedidiah had inflicted upon the land. And there was no tree or plant, no bird in the air nor beast on the ground. The great river that once flowed through the City of Solomon was now dry. Solomon wept. The great king lifted his voice and sang a mournful song;

“The Sands now before you, is where the world has died.

No river or well is found there, not a drop of rain in the sky.

When all that’s left is dust, Will Blood quench your thirst?

No woman bearing child, no maiden given birth.

The absence of life before you, is the fruit of all your work.”

When the Lord God heard the lament of Solomon he had pity on him and he was taken from the Earth.