The Thief

A thief broke into a wealthy house. The owner, upon entering the house and seeing the thief, wanted to beat him with a stick and capture him. But the thief was quicker. He began to beat the owner and said:

"Why, when you saw me at work, didn't you say, 'God help you!'?"

The owner started shouting, called for help, and brought the thief to court. When the judge asked:

"In what good deeds did you demand blessings?"

The thief replied:

"If it wasn't a good deed for him, it was a good deed for me."

But this didn't help the thief at all, and he was ordered to be hanged.

More fairy tales

• The Happiness of a Fool
• The Tale of the Poor Man and His Wife
• The Beauty Girl
• The Tale of the Prince and the Daughter of the Genie King
• How the King Was Fooled