One man brought a horse to the market to sell. The thief approached him and said:
- This is my horse.
- How can you say that? - the man was indignant. - This is my horse. She was born in my house.
But the thief continued to repeat his point. Then the man found the witness, gave him two coins and said:
- Confirm that this is my horse.
He promised. But as soon as the owner of the horse left, a thief came to the same witness and also gave him two coins.
“Testify in my favor,” he said.
“I wouldn’t mind,” he answered, “but the owner gave me the money earlier, and I have to recoup it.” Let's agree this way: I will testify in his favor, and when the horse is awarded to him, you accuse me of perjury. Tell the judge this: “This person cannot be a witness. He doesn't even know how to pray properly. Ask him how many times one should say the morning prayer, and if he answers correctly, I will take it back.”
The thief agreed, and they all went to the judge.
-What did you come to me with? - the judge asked them.
“This man wants to appropriate my horse,” said the owner. — He says that this is his horse. And my horse, she was born in my house.
- Do you have a witness? - asked the judge.
- Here is my witness.
- Okay, let him testify, and then I will pronounce the verdict.
The witness said:
- Yes, this is his horse. I saw she was born in his house.
“That means she belongs to him,” the judge decided.
Then the thief exclaimed:
-Did I hear correctly? Can you trust this man? He has no right to be a real witness. He doesn't know how to pray! Ask him how many morning prayers should be said, and if he answers correctly, like other people, then I will take it back.
“Hey,” the judge said to the witness, “they say you don’t know the morning prayers?”
- Ha, how come I don’t know? - he answered.
- And how many should they be pronounced?
- Eight.
“This is not a witness,” said the judge. - You're right, the horse is yours, go and get it.
The thief took the horse and disappeared with it. The distressed owner began to reproach his witness:
- How can that be? You showed the truth, and then you ruined everything yourself. Even children and women know morning prayers, but you say “eight.” You cheapened your testimony and the judge threw us out
“Well, think for yourself,” the witness answered him. “I said “eight”, and then he got angry with me. And if I had said “two,” he wouldn’t have let me out at all.
The owner did not answer him. And the false witness, having received money from both, left satisfied.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru