Goel sat behind Jonathan as they continued their flight toward the Foundation. The angel watched the clouds speed by the window deep in thoughtful meditation. He felt the distress emanating from Jonathan, and he wished to comfort and assure his friend that his parents were in the hands of the Lord. However he felt it would be best if Jonathan dealt with this himself. The divine protector loved Jonathan dearly. But he knew that it was crucial that the young Rabin-Aziz find solace in the Lord for himself. So, Goel left Jonathan in silence.
For some reason, Goel's mind drifted to an event which had occurred many centuries ago:
Go'El had been summoned to the Throne of God for an audience with The Divine Presence. On Earth, the chosen children of Israel were in oppressive bondage from Egypt and Pharaoh Rameses II. God had sent his prophet, Moses, to the royal courts to demand the release of His people. But, in order for the Israelites to see that it would be His divine will that would free them from slavery, He caused Pharaoh's heart to be hardened. The ruler stubbornly refused Moses' demands. The Lord had told Moses that He would send ten plagues upon Egypt to persuade Pharaoh to release the ill-treated Israelites from slavery. The plagues were designed to contrast the power of Yahweh with the impotence of Egypt's various "gods," who were actually demonic presences that had infiltrated the nation with paganism and false worship. The plagues were the judgments on specific gods associated with the Nile, fertility, and natural phenomena. And all of the gods of Egypt were to be judged through the tenth and final plague. God Himself had declared that the culminating plague would break Pharaoh's resolve and bring the gods of Egypt into subjection.
Go'El knelt before the awesomely majestic regality of God as He said to him, "According to My will, I have sent all manner of plagues and pestilences against Egypt and her pharaoh! Water has been turned to blood! Frogs, lice, and flies have tormented the land and all within! I have sent pestilence to exterminate Egypt's livestock and cursed the people with boils! I have sent thunder, lightning, and fiery hail to rain down upon the land! Locusts have devastated the crops and green grasses of Egypt! I have sent an oppressive living darkness over Egypt, and yet Pharaoh will not relent! This is because I have willed it to be so!
"Now, finally, Pharaoh has declared that the firstborn of Israel is to die in retaliation against Me! From out of his own mouth, he has pronounced the final judgment upon himself and Egypt! I will slay the firstborn of Egypt! I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of men and beasts, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt! I am the LORD!!"
At that statement, thunder roared and lightning flashed above the throne, and Go'El felt the divine anger and righteous indignation of God flood through his being as he placed his head to the floor of the throne.
Humbly, Go'El said, "What is Thy will, my Master!"
The Lord lowered His voice and said, "As master of the Powers, you would send angels of death to do this, however. I require you to be My hand to perform this task "
Go'El kept his eyes lowered as the Lord continued.
"I have commanded Moses to inform all the Israelites to mark lamb's blood on the doorposts on every door so that My hand will pass over them. Those who do so will suffer the destroyer to come into their homes and smite them. Thus, Pharaoh will relent, and My will be accomplished! Go now and exact My vengeance!"
Go'El rose to his feet and spread his black wings.
"It will be as You command, Great Jehovah!"
Taking flight Go'El disappeared from the throne room in an implosion of light. Go'El reappeared above Egypt through a dimensional rift as a luminous, nebulous form that appeared over the moon eerily. The whole of the Mal'akhim Habbalah was dispatched to surround Egypt in an impenetrable wall of divine power to keep any evil entity from entering and to ensure no one escaped the wrath of the Lord. Once the angels of death and destruction were in place, Go'El alone was left to be the divine instrument through which God would exact His wrathful vengeance upon Egypt and her pharaoh. With slow and eerie deliberation, Go'El branched out over the land as a shimmering wisp of ethereal energy. And, at a height just above the trees, the Avenger of Holy Retribution exploded forth swiftly entering the homes of those who were without the mark of lamb.
With deadly earnestness, Go'El entered the Egyptians' homes and horribly wrenched the life out of every firstborn human and animal he encountered. The wails which cut through the darkness were the most gut wrenchingly pitiful moans that had never been heard in all the whole of the world. Firstborn men, women, and children were not spared as Go'El, the Hand of Death, exacted the Lord's vengeance upon the land. Not even the youngest of children escaped His wrath as he tore then" spirit from their bodies.
When he had done as the Lord commanded to the citizens of Egypt, Go'El turned his attention to the house of Rameses II. Gathering his angelic form at the entrance to Pharaoh's home, Go'El withdrew his sword and entered invisibly and began to slay number upon number of the firstborn of Pharaoh's household, from the firstborn of the slave girl at her hand mill to all the firstborn of the cattle as well. Death pervaded all over Pharaoh's house as the Avenger did his horrendous yet holy duty. His sword left not a mark on the bodies which Go'El struck but to the spirit. The blade was like the venom of a scorpion burning the soul like the flames of perdition before death overtook his victim. When he had done this, Go'El turned his attention to the throne.
Pharaoh was in his bedchambers, fearfully listening to the screams of agony that permeated through the whole of Egypt, wondering what sort of calamity could make the most hardened of the generals of Egypt's armies scream like frightened children. Suddenly, Pharaoh felt fear grip his heart like the icy cold of death, and his very body trembled with abject fear and irrational horror. His eyes went wide with dread as a shadow appeared before the entrance of his room making him wonder what could cause the most powerful ruler in the world cringe and tremble in a dismalness which shamed even him. Grabbing his sheets and pulling them up at an attempt to cover his face and hide his shame from whatever was behind the creeping darkness which filled his land with moans of death, Rameses saw what was causing all the trepidation that seized his people in its embrace.
Slowly appearing from out of nothing, Go'El showed his angelic form. Pharaoh whimpered like a small child as he took in the frighteningly beautiful form of the seraphim who was the personification of divine justice and retributive vengeance. Turning his flame-filled eyes onto Pharaoh, Go'El spread his obsidian black, star-filled six wings and pointed his magnificent sword at the trembling creature.
Pharaoh, who shook his head frightfully, whimpered, "No... not me..."
Locking his eyes with the ruler of Egypt, Go'El bared his teeth at Rameses who quite simply moaned and wet himself and his bed. The angel gave Rameses a chilling smile and while still bearing his teeth Goel moved off to enter the room of Pharaoh's firstborn son.
As he viewed the child, angelic and beautiful in his slumber, Go'El caught a glimpse of his future. As Pharaoh, this child would sweep across the land like the plagues which devastated Egypt and lay waste to the whole world. A powerful despot, he would completely break the spirits of Israel and drive the people into complete and utter despondency of miserable servitude which would last another 300 years. God knew this, and in His undeniable wisdom determined he must die for the sake of Israel. Looking intently at the child, who was sleeping peacefully, Go'El unflinchingly reached out and powerfully wrenched the child's living spirit from his body, which caused the child's small frame to be wracked with painful spasms. His tiny form jerked in a series of seizures, causing the boy to die in excruciatingly agonizing pain and horror. Rameses heard his son's anguished cry abruptly cut off, and he sprang from his bed and bolted to the boy's bedchambers only to find the dark angel holding the spirit of his son. Go'El glared at Rameses as he allowed the soul of his child to descend into the ground and the dark netherworld of the Abyss. His mission completed, Go'El unfurled his wings and left the room with a blast of wind that knocked Pharaoh to the ground. The angel could hear the Egyptian father weeping over the dead body of his firstborn son. Go'El departed Egypt leaving death in his wake, knowing that the freedom of the people of God had been secured.