the while the gentle and loving Zipporah ministered to his necessities.
The Midianites were reconciled again with Jethro, and restored him to his former position; and his scruples about the worship of idols abated, when he found that opposition to the established religion interfered with his temporal interests.
Then, when all was again prosperous, many great men and princes came to ask the hand of Zipporah his daughter, who was beautiful as the morning star, and as the dove in the hole of the rock, and as the narcissus by the water's side. But Zipporah loved Moses alone; and Jethro, unwilling to offend those who solicited her by refusing them, as he could give his daughter to one only, took his staff, whereon was written the name of God, the staff which was cut from the Tree of Life, and which had belonged to Joseph, but which he had taken with him from the palace of Pharaoh, and he planted it in his garden, and said, "He who can pluck up this staff, he shall take my daughter Zipporah."
Then the strong chiefs of Edom and of Midian came and tried, but they could not move the staff.
One day Zipporah went before her father, and reminded him of the man whom he had cast into a dungeon so many years before. Jethro was amazed, and he said, "I had forgotten him these seven years; he must be dead; he has had no food."
But Zipporah said meekly, "With God all things are possible." So Jethro went to the prison door and opened it, and Moses was alive. Then he brought him forth, and cut his hair, and pared his nails, and gave him a change of raiment, and set him in his garden, and placed meat before him.
Now Moses, being once more in the fresh air, and under the blue sky, and with the light of heaven shining upon him, prayed and gave thanks to God; and seeing the staff, whereon was written the name of the Most High, he went to it and took it away, and it followed his hand.
When Jethro returned into the garden, lo! Moses had the staff of the Tree of Life in his hand; then Jethro cried out, "This is a man called of God to be a prince and a great man among the Hebrews, and to be famous throughout the world." And he gave him Zipporah, his daughter, to be his wife.[1]
- ↑ Beer, pp. 42-62; Pirke R. Eliezer. The Targum of Palestine says the rod was in the chamber of Jethro, not in the garden; i. p. 448. Yaschar, pp. 1277, 1278.
