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THE FIRST BOOK OF LABAN HIS LIFE IN JERUSALEM CHAPTER 2 Laban the younger writes of his birth. His father, Laban, defends his wife's honor from a wicked doctor. [A little before 600 B.C.] 1. And it came to pass that I, Laban the younger, shall write an account of my birth, and of my father and mother, thus in an attempt to develop the characters better. Yea behold, it must needs be that to understand the actions of Lehi, Nephi, and my father, it behooves ye to understand the years leading up to that great and dreadful day, yea, even that day where my father did getteth his head chopped off. Wherefore, I shall write more things about him. 2. And it came to pass that I was born to loving parents, in the city of Jerusalem, or rather, Jericho. I was born in Jericho. Wherefore, my father was not named Laban, but he changeth it to Laban later after we moved to Jerusalem from Jericho, and my mother was named Lucy. And I was to remain unnamed until my father renameth himself Laban, at which time I would to be named Laban the younger. 3. And verily, verily I say unto thee, my mother was exceedingly ill during my stay in her womb and because of the exceeding difficulty of my birth, my mother became unconscious, yea, even as if she be dead. 4. And it came to pass that the doctor who administered unto my mother waxed strong in his abilities, but try as he might, yea, it was in vain, for my mother breathed no more. And the doctor sayeth unto my father: Yea, thy wife is dead, for she moveth not and we can awaken her not. Wherefore, ye must go to her side now and mourn, and when ye have finished thy time of mourning, we shall remove her, for it must needs be that we makest room in her bed for another patient, yea, for we must remove her body and bury it. 5. And inasmuch as my father was grief stricken, even did he visit my mother’s side and mourned his loss exceedingly, yea, but he was suspicious that she be not dead, and he spake unto the doctor: Behold, thou sayest my wife be dead, but I have visited her and she stinketh not. Wherefore, I sayest unto thee that she be not dead, and ye shall bury her not, and wait for three days. And behold, if she ariseth not in three days, then shalt thou bury her, and I shall mourn her death. But until three days pass, yea, I shall mourn her not. 6. And it came to pass that the doctor spake at my father saying: Behold, ye request of me to leavest thy dead wife in this hospital bed for three days, yet thou cannot prove she be alive exceptest to say she stinketh not. Wherefore I shall take thy request to the authorities, yea, and I shall try to persuade them of thy case, but wo be unto thee, for they shall most likely believeth thee not. And behold there are many sick among us and short on room are we. Wherefore, it is policy to remove the dead and makest room for the injured and those great with child. Nevertheless, I shall go amongst the authorities with thy request after the manner of which I shall return and report. 7. And it came to pass that one-half hour did pass, yea, and even afterwards did one hour pass away also, and after one hour passeth away, one and one-half hours passeth away, and after one and one-half hours did pass away, my father thinketh that the doctor shouldest to be back by now, but behold, he was not. 8. And it came to pass that two-hours did pass away, and yea, two and one half hours passeth away, and yea, fifteen minutes after two and a half hours did pass away, and even after two and three-fourths hours passeth away, behold the doctor did finally return unto my father and spake, saying: It is wisdom in me that I cannot keep thy wife in the hospital bed any longer. Wherefore, I regret to inform thee that it hath been commanded of me that I must taketh thy wife and bury her. Therefore, I shall take her dead body and bury it in the Jericho cemetery. 9. And my father did plead with all his might, mind, and strength and bade the doctor, even like unto a street beggar, to remove not my mother, for he knowest that she was alive and if she be taken and buried, yea, she shall be buried alive and wherefore inasmuch as she shall be buried alive, yea, she shall be deep underground and shall suffer from want of air, but because she would be deep underground, yea, no air would be available unto her, and soon shall she die of suffocation. Therefore, my father thought to bribe the doctor. 10. And my father spake unto the doctor, saying: Oh doctor, hear the words of my mouth. For unto thee shall I give anything if ye spare my wife and bury her not. 11. And the doctor replied unto my father: I shall leave thy wife in this hospital bed and bury her not for the space of three days, and this thing shall I do for the cost of twenty pieces of silver. And if it needs be that she ariseth not in three days and ye want for her to stay longer, behold, it shall cost thee twenty pieces of silver for each additional day. 12. And it came to pass that my father was grief stricken, for he had not amongst him twenty pieces of silver. Wherefore, he spake unto the doctor: I havest not amongst me twenty pieces of silver, nor havest I any silver or gold or any precious things, for I am but a man of modest means. And if I were a rich man, I would give unto thee all my possessions to savest my wife. But behold, my pockets be empty, and wherefore, if ye bury my wife not, I shall be indebted unto thee. 13. And the doctor did mock my father exceedingly and calleth him a miserable peasant. Nevertheless, the doctor found my mother exceedingly fair and beautiful, even though she did just give birth and did look better unto men before she gettest herself pregnant. And the doctor lusted after my mother in his heart. 14. And it came to pass that the doctor did make unto my father an offer saying unto him: Yea, it must needs be that the dead of this hospital be turned over to authorities to be buried, but yea, I look unto thy wife and even inasmuch as her eyes haveth bags under them, and her belly be swollen from childbirth, and her skin be pale from death, yea, I still think her exceedingly fair and white and delightsome. And, yea, she doth stinketh not, for her aroma is of roses and sweet berries. Therefore, if ye allowest me to spend a night alone with thy sweet, dead wife, yea, I shall speak unto the authorities and sayest unto them that thy wife be not dead and that she did regain consciousness and go home. And it must needs be that I shall then carry her body, under the cover of darkness, to my bed chambers. 15. And the doctor continued speaking his vile wickedness, and did manifest his true intentions unto my father saying: I shall lie naked with thy wife, and cleave unto her until the sun riseth, at which time I shall carry her body to thy house and drop her off; and ye may do with her as ye please, for one night with thy dead wife is all I desire, after which ye may have her. 16. Wherefore, when the doctor sayeth these things, and thinketh of spending the night naked with my mother, yea, he smiled an exceedingly big smile and did lick his lips, and did have lust in his eyes. 17. And it came to pass that my father was exceedingly angry after the doctor spake these things, yea, even so angry was my father that he did remove his sword and smote off the doctor's head. 18. And it came to pass that the doctor's head did fall to the ground and roll out the door into the hallway. And thus, when the guards did hear the thump and the sound of a head rolling, they lookest down the hall, and they beheld the doctor's head which was rolling toward them, even was it rolling like a great stone cut from the mountain. 19. And yea, the guards became exceedingly alarmed, and they came upon my mother’s room, and yea, they beheld the doctor who had fallen to the floor and who was gasping for air. 20. And when the guards did see the doctor, the doctor did lift himself up off the ground after which he collapsed and died. 21. And it came to pass that the guards beheld the dead body of the doctor, and they beheld that the dead doctor havest no head. And they did cite their minds backward to the time that they saw the head that rolleth down the hallway. 22. And the guards beheld my father’s sword, and beheld blood and flesh upon its blade, and wherefore they did use their gift of discernment to determine that my father smote off the doctor’s head. 23. And the guards restrained my father, and did tie him up, yea, even did they tie him up with rope, yea, even strong rope. And they did arrest my father for the crime of chopping off the doctor's head, and did takest him to the Jewish authorities. |
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