But there's another tale, even older, that drips with similar horror: the story of Nimrod.
So, Nimrod, the mighty hunter, the king who, depending on which source you read, either helped or hindered humanity. According to some interpretations, he was the one who led the building of the Tower of Babel. He wasn't exactly known for his…compassion.
But let's dive into one particular horrifying episode, as recounted in Legends of the Jews, that really showcases the depths of his cruelty.
Nimrod, uneasy about prophecies surrounding his reign, decided he needed to take extreme measures. He called for his architects and commanded them to build a massive structure – a huge house, sixty ells high and eighty wide (an ell being an old unit of measure, roughly the length of a forearm). Once completed, he issued another decree. This one was chilling: all pregnant women were to be brought to this house and kept there until they gave birth.
Can you imagine the fear and dread that must have filled the kingdom?
Guards were posted everywhere to prevent escape. Midwives were summoned, but not to assist in bringing new life into the world. Their grim task? To slay the male children at their mothers' breasts. But! (And this is a twisted "but" indeed) If a woman gave birth to a girl, she was to be honored, dressed in fine linens – byssus, silk, and embroidered garments – and paraded out of the house.
The scale of this atrocity is staggering. The text tells us that no less than seventy thousand children were slaughtered. Seventy. Thousand. The sheer inhumanity is difficult to even comprehend.
The cries of these innocents, according to the story, didn't go unheard. The angels themselves appeared before God, aghast. "Seest Thou not what he doth, yon sinner and blasphemer, Nimrod son of Canaarl, who slays so many innocent babes that have done no harm?" they cried.
And God responded, "Ye holy angels, I know it and I see it, for I neither slumber nor sleep. I behold and I know the secret things and the things that are revealed, and ye shall witness what I will do unto this sinner and blasphemer, for I will turn My hand against him to chastise him."
It is chilling to read. And the story leaves us hanging, doesn't it? We know retribution is coming, but we don't see it in this particular passage.
So, what does this ancient story tell us? Is it just a gruesome tale of a tyrannical king? Or is it something more? Perhaps it's a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked power, the lengths to which fear can drive people, and the enduring belief that even in the face of unimaginable cruelty, justice, ultimately, will prevail. What do you think?