1In those days there was in the land of Shinar a wise man who had

2And he resolved to go to Egypt, to Oswiris the son of Anom king of Egypt,

3And when Rikayon came to Egypt he asked the inhabitants of Egypt concerning

4And on the day when the king went forth he passed judgment in the land, and

5And when Rikayon heard of the custom in Egypt and that he could not come

6And in the evening Rikayon went out and found a house in ruins, formerly a

7And Rikayon considered within himself what he should do in the town until

8And he rose in the morning and walked about, and met in his way those who

9And Rikayon wished to do the same in order to get a maintenance in the

10And he went and obtained vegetables to sell them for his support, and the

11And he rose up from there in bitterness of soul, and went sighing to the

12And on that night again he reasoned within himself how he could save

13And he rose up in the morning and acted ingeniously, and went and hired

14And he commanded them, saying, Thus saith the king, Strengthen yourselves

15And in eight months time Rikayon and his men gathered great riches of

16And when the year came round, at the time the king went forth into the

17And the king went forth on the appointed day, and all the Egyptians came

18May the king live forever. What is this thing thou doest in the town to

19We know it to be the custom of kings to take a yearly tax from the Living,

20Now, O king, we can no more bear this, for the whole city is ruined on

21And when the king heard all that they had spoken he was very wroth, and

22And the king said, Who and where is he that dares to do this wicked thing

23And they told him all the works of Rikayon and his men, and the king's

24And Rikayon took about a thousand children, sons and daughters, and

25And it greatly pleased the king and he wondered at it; and when Rikayon

26And when the king heard the words of Rikayon and his wisdom, Rikayon found

27And the king answered and said to Rikayon, Thy name shall no more be

28And the king and his subjects loved Rikayon for his wisdom, and they

29And all the inhabitants of Egypt and its wise men did so, and it was made

30And they made Rikayon Pharaoh prefect under Oswiris king of Egypt, and

31And Rikayon Pharaoh cunningly usurped the government of Egypt, and he

32And all the inhabitants of Egypt greatly loved Rikayon Pharaoh, and they

33Therefore all the kings that reigned in Egypt from that time forward were

Chapter 14

Rikayon's cunning Device to make money of the Egyptians.