Grandpa Ken Reads

Benaiah

Old Books

and the

Magic Ring

Benaiah
and the

Magic Ring
Written Mary Kunz Illustrations Steven Menard Narration Kenneth Kunz

Kenamar Corp.

Produced Kenneth Kunz

A very long time ago,

in Jerusalem,
there was a king named Solomon. He had the reputation of being very wise,

but he sometimes did things in a roundabout way.

This, however, is not so much a story about King Solomon,

as it is about his Captain of the Kings Guard,

a loyal and dedicated soldier named Benaiah, who served Solomon with great fealty.

One day, King Solomon overheard Benaiah boasting to some of the other soldiers

that there was no task so difficult that the king could give him that he could not accomplish.

Now Benaiah was not usually a boastful man and this disturbed the king very much because boasting often breeds resentment among others.

I have an idea, the king said to himself. I will set for Benaiah a truly impossible task. Then he will think twice before he brags again.

And Solomon sent for his captain of the guard,

and in a private audience told him of something that he desired.

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I want to possess a special magic ring,

and I want you to find it for me.

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Benaiah bowed to the king

and assured him that he, Benaiah, would obtain the ring.

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Your wish is my command, my King. Please tell me what this ring looks like so that I may seek it immediately for you.

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Solomon smiled to himself. The ring he was about to describe did not exist, at least not as far as he knew.

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This ring is made of some kind of metal,

perhaps gold,
perhaps not.

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It is not necessarily an elaborate ring, but its magic property is that it can instantly make a happy person sad, and a sad person happy.

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This ring must indeed be a wondrous thing, your Majesty; If necessary, I will search the entire world for it. Benaiah spoke with great confidence.

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You have six months, Benaiah.

Do not fail me. King Solomon put on a solemn face.

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And Benaiah left the palace and sped in his chariot to the marketplace, which seemed like a good place to begin his search.

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After several days he had talked to every jeweler and goldsmith in the city,
but no one had ever heard of such a ring.

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He tried the silversmiths and even the tinsmiths, but they all shook their heads and swore they knew of no such magic ring.

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Maybe the ring is from a faraway land,

the last jeweler remarked to Benaiah.

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Of course, that must be it.

I shall have to intercept the caravans and ask the traders, Benaiah thought.

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But after several months of interviewing traders and merchants and even camel drivers, no one knew of, or even seemed to believe in, a magic ring that could make a happy person sad and a sad person happy.
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So Benaiah went down to the seaports and talked to dozens of sea captains

as their ships arrived laden with foreign goods,

but to no avail.

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Some people even began to wonder about the sanity of the captain of the guard, but they knew better than to say so. Benaiah, however, did not need to hear them say it.

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He wondered so himself. He was downhearted and depressed

because he saw that now,

for the first time,

he might fail his king.

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The day before the six months were up, Benaiah dragged himself down to the bazaar one last time.
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Even if it seemed hopeless to find the ring, he would not give up as long as there was still time to search.

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He decided to make one last tour of the jewelry stalls, some of which were new after the passage of six months.

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He walked by a small boy in rags who sat next to an old rug spread on the ground on which were pieces of jewelry for sale.

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Nearby stood a poor old man with a small pushcart.

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He was about to walk by

when the small voice within him reminded, Benaiah, leave no stone unturned.

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So he stopped and looked at the small assortment of rings and bracelets, some missing stones, others broken or bent. None looked proper.

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He sighed, but asked nonetheless, Do you have a ring that possesses the property of being able to make a happy person sad and a sad person happy?

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The boy shook his head and replied,

No, I do not have such a ring.

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Benaiah turned his head so the boy wouldnt see the tears in his eyes. It really was hopeless.

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There was either no such ring,

or it was at the far end of the earth, certainly not around Jerusalem.

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He had made such a valiant effort,

but yet felt himself an utter failure.

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The old man,

who was probably the boys grandfather, considered Benaiahs question for a moment.

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Then he stepped forward and spoke politely. Perhaps I can help you?

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Benaiah started to walk away, but the old man came close, but not so close as to maybe touch a grand courtier of the king.

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He said respectfully,

Please, wait, dont be so hasty.

Benaiah hesitated but then stopped because there was something truly arresting in the old mans voice.

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On the pushcart were tools for making and repairing jewelry. The old man took a very plain gold ring out of a pouch and proceeded to engrave something on it.

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He held it tight on a wooden block and scratched on the ring with a sharp thing stuck in a handle that looked to Benaiah more like just a twig.

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When he was finished,

he offered it to Benaiah

who was about to dismiss it as just a trinket.

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Then he leaned into the light and stared at the ring. It was just a simple ring with some letters scratched on it,

not many.

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But, as he deciphered the inscription, he felt his sadness of his futile search begin to evaporate.

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He looked at the old man and smiled knowingly, and then he chortled. Yes, this is the ring Ive been searching for!

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He thrust upon the old man the whole purse of gold coins. Thanks to you, my search is now a resounding success!

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The old man tried to give much of the money back ,

saying that the ring was hardly worth so much.

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But to the boys glee, Benaiah wouldnt hear of it. I would have paid anything for this ring; he said, You have certainly earned it with your wisdom.
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The following morning, Benaiah dressed carefully for court

- not too flashy,

not too plain

as befitted his rank.

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He waited patiently for his audience with King Solomon, who had cases to hear and judgments to render before he could turn

his attention to Benaiah.

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Finally, the king decided he had made his captain wait long enough. After he admits that he could not accomplish his mission,

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I will acknowledge it was an impossible task, but that I did it to give him a lesson in humility, the king thought to himself with a smile,

almost a smirk.

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Benaiah bowed deeply before he presented the ring to King Solomon in a small lacquer box.
The king opened the box and took out the ring.

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What? A trinket!
But as he read the inscription, the smile drained from his face.

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He looked around at the splendor of his palace, the platters of plenty

and the throng of loyal courtiers.

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Just then, in a breathless moment, he realized that someday, maybe soon, it would all be gone.

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And that he would be gone, too! He felt indescribably downhearted and, alas,

very very sad.

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Through tearful eye,

he stared again at the inscription on the golden band in his hand.

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It consisted of just three Hebrew letters: gimmel, zayin and yud, which stand for Gam Zeh Yaavor.

This too shall pass.

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King Solomon gradually realized that this very same message, though,

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could bring comfort to someone stricken with grief or suffering injustice, just as it had brought deep melancholy to him. The present sadness, too, shall pass.

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There was no question

that this was the ring he had asked for, but expecting never to get.

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He embraced the loyal captain of his guard

and in a most unkingly manner beseeched his forgiveness.

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I should never have tested you,

nor doubted you,

the king said to Benaiah.

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Then he took off his jeweled gold ring and gave it to Benaiah.

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Trembling, he slid the magic ring on his own finger. And there it stayed for the rest of his life.

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The king surely cycled through many periods of happiness and sadness, as do we all.

But he was much heartened by knowing that: This too shall pass.

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