Once upon a time there lived a king. And he was so angry that everyone called him Feisty. The people prayed to God that this king would die, and another, kinder one would take his place.
One day the king ordered everyone to come to the palace. People trembled in fear, not knowing what else he had come up with. When everyone had gathered, the king stood up and said:
“I know that I have caused you a lot of harm, my subjects, and that is why you do not love me.” But I promise you to be kind from now on. I want to live with my people in peace and harmony!
And he became kind, as he promised. He sent new governors to every city, to every village, who took care of the needs of the people. He ordered roads to be repaired, bridges to be built, taxes were reduced, and when sorting out litigation, he listened to both sides, without giving preference to the rich or strong, as he had done before.
Everyone began to love the king and admire him. Finally one of the courtiers plucked up courage and asked:
- Dear king, please tell us why you were so evil before, but now you have become so kind? What made you change so dramatically?
And the king said:
- Your question is reasonable, and I will answer it. I was walking through the forest one day and saw a dog chasing a fox. He caught his victim, bit into her leg and tore with his teeth until he bit it off. The fox howled in pain. So she remained lame for the rest of her short life. And the dog returned to his village.
A horseman was passing along the road. He saw a ferocious dog, stained with blood, and threw a stone at him and broke his back. The dog crawled to the side of the road, and the rider rushed on at full speed, mercilessly spurring his horse and not at all taking into account the fact that the road was uneven and rocky. Suddenly the horse stumbled and, falling, threw off its rider. He flew to the side and broke his leg. And so, seeing all this, I said to myself: “God rewards everyone according to their deserts. He responds to good with good, to evil with evil.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru