Introduction
Introduction to Sefer Ha-Yashar (The Book of Jasher)
Narrative Framework and Textual Scope
Sefer Ha-Yashar, or The Book of Jasher (The Book of the Upright), stands out as one of the most prominent expanses of extra-biblical historiography. While the canonical text of scripture provides a highly focused, theological lineage of the ancient patriarchs, this account functions as an expansive chronicle, filling the historical gaps from the primordial dawn of creation down to the descent of the sons of Yisrael into Mitzrayim. The text presented here spans from the regular order of the cosmos to the foundational events of the patriarchal era, offering a distinct narrative window into the ancient world.
Key Thematic Movements
This volume traces several critical historical and spiritual epochs that define the early lineage of the human family: 1. The Antediluvian Era and the First Generations (Chapters 1-5) The narrative opens with the formation of Adam and Chavah, detailing the subsequent fall and the immediate eruption of fratricidal conflict between Kayin and Hevel. It expands significantly on the generation of Enosh—marking it as the precise flashpoint of widespread idolatry and rebellion—and introduces the righteous rule of early figures like Keinan and the translation of Chanoch. The account provides vital context for the cosmic and moral corruption that ultimately necessitated the cleansing of the earth via the waters of the flood. 2. The Post-Flood Realignment and the Tyranny of Nimrod (Chapters 6-11) Following the deliverance of Noach and his household, the text charts the distribution of the families of the earth. A major focus is dedicated to the rise of Nimrod, his acquisition of the primordial garments of skin stolen from Noach, and his subsequent establishment of a global, defiant empire centered in Shinar. This section provides an intricate look into the building of the Tower of Babel, detailing the explicit military intent of the three factions who sought to war against the heavens, resulting in the confusion of tongues and the scattering of nations. 3. The Abrahamic Covenant and Trials of Faith (Chapters 12-25) The focus narrows to the lineage of Shem through Terach, highlighting the early life of Avram. The text records Avram's bold ideological war against his father’s household idols, his miraculous preservation from Nimrod's fiery furnace in Casdim, and his subsequent migrations into Kena’an and Mitzrayim. Key episodes—such as the rescue of Lot from the four kings, the systemic depravity and ultimate inversion of Sodom and Gomorrah, the birth of Yitzchak, and the profound emotional reality of the binding (Akedah) on Mount Moriah—are rendered with vivid, dramatic detail. 4. The Wars. of the Sons of Ya'akov and the Betrayal of Yosef (Chapters 26-42) The later chapters shift toward the complex dynamics of the third and fourth generations. It details the bitter rivalry between Ya'akov and Esav, the decades of Ya'akov's service under Lavan in Haran, and a prolonged, fierce military campaign fought by the sons of Ya'akov against the confederated Amorite and Canaanitish kings. The segment culminates in the rising jealousy surrounding Yosef, his dramatic deliverance from a pit of serpents, and his eventual sale into Mitzrayim, setting the stage for the dramatic geopolitical shifts of the covenant family.
Manuscript Insight and Liturgical Value
For researchers and students of ancient textual lineages, Sefer Ha-Yashar serves as an indispensable comparative resource alongside the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, and ancient pseudepigrapha. Rather than replacing the canonical account, it complements it by acting as a historical midrash—preserving ancient memory, clarifying geopolitical relationships, and magnifying the internal motivations of the biblical characters. By retaining the ancient Hebraic names and structural tone, this presentation honors the linguistic inheritance of the text, offering a clear, scannable, and profoundly insightful entry into the Ivri heritage.
Chapter 1 The Creation of Adam and Chavah. The Fall. Birth of Kayin and Hevel. Hevel a Keeper of Sheep. Kayin a Tiller of the Soil. The Quarrel Between the Brothers and the Result. Kayin, the First Murderer, Cursed of Elohim
1
And Elohim (God) said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and Elohim created man in his own image.
2
And Elohim formed man from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living nefesh (soul) endowed with speech.
3
And Yahuah said, It is not good for man to be alone; I will make unto him a helpmeet.
4
And Yahuah caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he took away one of his ribs, and he built flesh upon it, and formed it and brought it to Adam, and Adam awoke from his sleep, and behold a woman was standing before him.
5
And he said, This is a bone of my bones and it shall be called woman, for this has been taken from man; and Adam called her name Chavah, for she was the mother of all living.
6
And Elohim blessed them and called their names Adam and Chavah in the day that he created them, and Yahuah Elohim said, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
7
And Yahuah Elohim took Adam and his wife, and he placed them in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it; and he commanded them and said unto them, From every tree of the garden you may eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.
8
And when Elohim had blessed and commanded them, he went from them, and Adam and his wife dwelt in the garden according to the command which Yahuah had commanded them.
9
And the serpent, which Elohim had created with them in the earth, came to them to incite them to transgress the command of Elohim which he had commanded them.
10
And the serpent enticed and persuaded the woman to eat from the tree of knowledge, and the woman hearkened to the voice of the serpent, and she transgressed the word of Elohim, and took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and she ate, and she took from it and gave also to her husband and he ate.
11
And Adam and his wife transgressed the command of Elohim which he commanded them, and Elohim knew it, and his anger was kindled against them and he cursed them.
12
And Yahuah Elohim drove them that day from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which they were taken, and they went and dwelt at the east of the garden of Eden; and Adam knew his wife Chavah and she bore two sons and three daughters.
13
And she called the name of the first born Kayin, saying, I have obtained a man from Yahuah, and the name of the other she called Hevel, for she said, In vanity we came into the earth, and in vanity we shall be taken from it.
14
And the boys grew up and their father gave them a possession in the land; and Kayin was a tiller of the ground, and Hevel a keeper of sheep.
15
And it was at the expiration of a few years, that they brought an approximating offering to Yahuah, and Kayin brought from the fruit of the ground, and Hevel brought from the firstlings of his flock from the fat thereof, and Elohim turned and inclined to Hevel and his offering, and a fire came down from Yahuah from heaven and consumed it.
16
And unto Kayin and his offering Yahuah did not turn, and he did not incline to it, for he had brought from the inferior fruit of the ground before Yahuah, and Kayin was jealous against his brother Hevel on account of this, and he sought a pretext to slay him.
17
And in some time after, Kayin and Hevel his brother, went one day into the field to do their work; and they were both in the field, Kayin tilling and ploughing his ground, and Hevel feeding his flock; and the flock passed that part which Kayin had ploughed in the ground, and it sorely grieved Kayin on this account.
18
And Kayin approached his brother Hevel in anger, and he said unto him, What is there between me and thee, that thou comest to dwell and bring thy flock to feed in my land?
19
And Hevel answered his brother Kayin and said unto him, What is there between me and thee, that thou shalt eat the flesh of my flock and clothe thyself with their wool?
20
And now therefore, put off the wool of my sheep with which thou hast clothed thyself, and recompense me for their fruit and flesh which thou hast eaten, and when thou shalt have done this, I will then go from thy land as thou hast said?
21
And Kayin said to his brother Hevel, Surely if I slay thee this day, who will require thy blood from me?
22
And Hevel answered Kayin, saying, Surely Elohim who has made us in the earth, he will avenge my cause, and he will require my blood from thee shouldst thou slay me, for Yahuah is the judge and arbiter, and it is he who will requite man according to his evil, and the wicked man according to the wickedness that he may do upon earth.
23
And now, if thou shouldst slay me here, surely Elohim knoweth thy secret views, and will judge thee for the evil which thou didst declare to do unto me this day.
24
And when Kayin heard the words which Hevel his brother had spoken, behold the anger of Kayin was kindled against his brother Hevel for declaring this thing.
25
And Kayin hastened and rose up, and took the iron part of his ploughing instrument, with which he suddenly smote his brother and he slew him, and Kayin spilt the blood of his brother Hevel upon the earth, and the blood of Hevel streamed upon the earth before the flock.
26
And after this Kayin repented having slain his brother, and he was sadly grieved, and he wept over him and it vexed him exceedingly.
27
And Kayin rose up and dug a hole in the field, wherein he put his brother's body, and he turned the dust over it.
28
And Yahuah knew what Kayin had done to his brother, and Yahuah appeared to Kayin and said unto him, Where is Hevel thy brother that was with thee?
29
And Kayin dissembled, and said, I do not know, am I my brother's keeper? And Yahuah said unto him, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground where thou hast slain him.
30
For thou hast slain thy brother and hast dissembled before me, and didst imagine in thy heart that I saw thee not, nor knew all thy actions.
31
But thou didst this thing and didst slay thy brother for naught and because he spoke rightly to thee, and now, therefore, cursed be thou from the ground which opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand, and wherein thou didst bury him.
32
And it shall be when thou shalt till it, it shall no more give thee its strength as in the beginning, for thorns and thistles shall the ground produce, and thou shalt be moving and wandering in the earth until the day of thy death.
33
And at that time Kayin went out from the presence of Yahuah, from the place where he was, and he went moving and wandering in the land toward the east of Eden, he and all belonging to him.
34
And Kayin knew his wife in those days, and she conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Chanoch, saying, In that time Yahuah began to give him rest and quiet in the earth.
35
And at that time Kayin also began to build a city: and he built the city and he called the name of the city Chanoch, according to the name of his son; for in those days Yahuah had given him rest upon the earth, and he did not move about and wander as in the beginning.
36
And Irad was born to Chanoch, and Irad begat Mechuyael and Mechuyael begat Methusael.
Chapter 2 Shet is Born. People begin to Multiply and Become Idolatrous. Third Part of the Earth Destroyed. Earth cursed and becomes corrupt through the Wickedness of Men. Keinan, a Wise and Righteous King, Foretells the Flood. Chanoch is Born
1
And it was in the hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Adam upon the earth, that he again knew Chavah his wife, and she conceived and bare a son in his likeness and in his image, and she called his name Shet, saying, Because Elohim has appointed me another seed in the place of Hevel, for Kayin has slain him.
2
And Shet lived one hundred and five years, and he begat a son; and Shet called the name of his son Enosh, saying, Because in that time the sons of men began to multiply, and to afflict their nefashot (souls) and hearts by transgressing and rebelling against Elohim.
3
And it was in the days of Enosh that the sons of men continued to rebel and transgress against Elohim, to increase the anger of Yahuah against the sons of men.
4
And the sons of men went and they served other gods, and they forgot Yahuah who had created them in the earth: and in those days the sons of men made images of brass and iron, wood and stone, and they bowed down and served them.
5
And every man made his god and they bowed down to them, and the sons of men forsook Yahuah all the days of Enosh and his children; and the anger of Yahuah was kindled on account of their works and abominations which they did in the earth.
6
And Yahuah caused the waters of the river Gihon to overwhelm them, and he destroyed and consumed them, and he destroyed the third part of the earth, and notwithstanding this, the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and their hands were yet extended to do evil in the sight of Yahuah.
7
And in those days there was neither sowing nor reaping in the earth; and there was no food for the sons of men and the famine was very great in those days.
8
And the seed which they sowed in those days in the ground became thorns, thistles and briers; for from the days of Adam was this declaration concerning the earth, of the curse of Elohim, which he cursed the earth, on account of the sin which Adam sinned before Yahuah.
9
And it was when men continued to rebel and transgress against Elohim, and to corrupt their ways, that the earth also became corrupt.
10
And Enosh lived ninety years and he begat Keinan;
11
And Keinan grew up and he was forty years old, and he became wise and had knowledge and skill in all wisdom, and he reigned over all the sons of men, and he led the sons of men to wisdom and knowledge; for Keinan was a very wise man and had understanding in all wisdom, and with his wisdom he ruled over spirits and demons;
12
And Keinan knew by his wisdom that Elohim would destroy the sons of men for having sinned upon earth, and that Yahuah would in the latter days bring upon them the waters of the flood.
13
And in those days Keinan wrote upon tablets of stone, what was to take place in time to come, and he put them in his treasures.
14
And Keinan reigned over the whole earth, and he turned some of the sons of men to the service of Elohim.
15
And when Keinan was seventy years old, he begat three sons and two daughters.
16
And these are the names of the children of Keinan; the name of the first born Mahlallel, the second Enan, and the third Mered, and their sisters were Adah and Zillah; these are the five children of Keinan that were born to him.
17
And Lemech, the son of Methusael, became related to Keinan by marriage, and he took his two daughters for his wives, and Adah conceived and bare a son to Lemech, and she called his name Jabal.
18
And she again conceived and bare a son, and called his name Jubal; and Zillah, her sister, was barren in those days and had no offspring.
19
For in those days the sons of men began to trespass against Elohim, and to transgress the commandments which he had commanded to Adam, to be fruitful and multiply in the earth.
20
And some of the sons of men caused their wives to drink a draught that would render them barren, in order that they might retain their figures and whereby their beautiful appearance might not fade.
21
And when the sons of men caused some of their wives to drink, Zillah drank with them.
22
And the child-bearing women appeared abominable in the sight of their husbands as widows, whilst their husbands lived, for to the barren ones only they were attached.
23
And in the end of days and years, when Zillah became old, Yahuah opened her womb.
24
And she conceived and bare a son and she called his name Tubal Kayin, saying, After I had withered away have I obtained him from the Almighty Elohim.
25
And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Naamah, for she said, After I had withered away have I obtained pleasure and delight.
26
And Lemech was old and advanced in years, and his eyes were dim that he could not see, and Tubal Kayin, his son, was leading him and it was one day that Lemech went into the field and Tubal Kayin his son was with him, and whilst they were walking in the field, Kayin the son of Adam advanced towards them; for Lemech was very old and could not see much, and Tubal Kayin his son was very young.
27
And Tubal Kayin told his father to draw his bow, and with the arrows he smote Kayin, who was yet far off, and he slew him, for he appeared to them to be an animal.
28
And the arrows entered Kayin's body although he was distant from them, and he fell to the ground and died.
29
And Yahuah requited Kayin's evil according to his wickedness, which he had done to his brother Hevel, according to the word of Yahuah which he had spoken.
30
And it came to pass when Kayin had died, that Lemech and Tubal went to see the animal which they had slain, and they saw, and behold Kayin their grandfather was fallen dead upon the earth.
31
And Lemech was very much grieved at having done this, and in clapping his hands together he struck his son and caused his death.
32
And the wives of Lemech heard what Lemech had done, and they sought to kill him.
33
And the wives of Lemech hated him from that day, because he slew Kayin and Tubal Kayin, and the wives of Lemech separated from him, and would not hearken to him in those days.
34
And Lemech came to his wives, and he pressed them to listen to him about this matter.
35
And he said to his wives Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice O wives of Lemech, attend to my words, for now you have imagined and said that I slew a man with my wounds, and a child with my stripes for their having done no violence, but surely know that I am old and grey-headed, and that my eyes are heavy through age, and I did this thing unknowingly.
36
And the wives of Lemech listened to him in this matter, and they returned to him with the advice of their father Adam, but they bore no children to him from that time, knowing that Elohim's anger was increasing in those days against the sons of men, to destroy them with the waters of the flood for their evil doings.
37
And Mahlallel the son of Keinan lived sixty-five years and he begat Yered; and Yered lived sixty-two years and he begat Chanoch.
Chapter 3 Chanoch Reigns over the Earth. Chanoch Establishes Righteousness upon the Earth, and after Reigning Two Hundred and Forty Years is Translated
1
And Chanoch lived sixty-five years and he begat Metushelach; and Chanoch walked with Elohim after having begot Metushelach, and he served Yahuah, and despised the evil ways of men.
2
And the nefesh of Chanoch was wrapped up in the instruction of Yahuah, in knowledge and in understanding; and he wisely retired from the sons of men, and secreted himself from them for many days.
3
And it was at the expiration of many years, whilst he was serving Yahuah, and praying before him in his house, that an angel of Yahuah called to him from Heaven, and he said, Here am I.
4
And he said, Rise, go forth from thy house and from the place where thou dost hide thyself, and appear to the sons of men, in order that thou mayest teach them the way in which they should go and the work which they must accomplish to enter in the ways of Elohim.
5
And Chanoch rose up according to the word of Yahuah, and went forth from his house, from his place and from the chamber in which he was concealed; and he went to the sons of men and taught them the ways of Yahuah, and at that time assembled the sons of men and acquainted them with the instruction of Yahuah.
6
And he ordered it to be proclaimed in all places where the sons of men dwelt, saying, Where is the man who wishes to know the ways of Yahuah and good works? let him come to Chanoch.
7
And all the sons of men then assembled to him, for all who desired this thing went to Chanoch, and Chanoch reigned over the sons of men according to the word of Yahuah, and they came and bowed to him and they heard his word.
8
And the spirit of Elohim was upon Chanoch, and he taught all his men the wisdom of Elohim and his ways, and the sons of men served Yahuah all the days of Chanoch, and they came to hear his wisdom.
9
And all the kings of the sons of men, both first and last, together with their princes and judges, came to Chanoch when they heard of his wisdom, and they bowed down to him, and they also required of Chanoch to reign over them, to which he consented.
10
And they assembled in all, one hundred and thirty kings and princes, and they made Chanoch king over them and they were all under his power and command.
11
And Chanoch taught them wisdom, knowledge, and the ways of Yahuah; and he made peace amongst them, and peace was throughout the earth during the life of Chanoch.
12
And Chanoch reigned over the sons of men two hundred and forty-three years, and he did justice and righteousness with all his people, and he led them in the ways of Yahuah.
13
And these are the generations of Chanoch, Metushelach, Elisha, and Elimelech, three sons; and their sisters were Melca and Nahmah, and Metushelach lived eighty-seven years and he begat Lemech.
14
And it was in the fifty-sixth year of the life of Lemech when Adam died; nine hundred and thirty years old was he at his death, and his two sons, with Chanoch and Metushelach his son, buried him with great pomp, as at the burial of kings, in the cave which Elohim had told him.
15
And in that place all the sons of men made a great mourning and weeping on account of Adam; it has therefore become a custom among the sons of men to this day.
16
And Adam died because he ate of the tree of knowledge; he and his children after him, as Yahuah Elohim had spoken.
17
And it was in the year of Adam's death which was the two hundred and forty-third year of the reign of Chanoch, in that time Chanoch resolved to separate himself from the sons of men and to secret himself as at first in order to serve Yahuah.
18
And Chanoch did so, but did not entirely secret himself from them, but kept away from the sons of men three days and then went to them for one day.
19
And during the three days that he was in his chamber, he prayed to, and praised Yahuah his Elohim, and the day on which he went and appeared to his subjects he taught them the ways of Yahuah, and all they asked him about Yahuah he told them.
20
And he did in this manner for many years, and he afterward concealed himself for six days, and appeared to his people one day in seven; and after that once in a month, and then once in a year, until all the kings, princes and sons of men sought for him, and desired again to see the face of Chanoch, and to hear his word; but they could not, as all the sons of men were greatly afraid of Chanoch, and they feared to approach him on account of the Godlike awe that was seated upon his countenance; therefore no man could look at him, fearing he might be punished and die.
21
And all the kings and princes resolved to assemble the sons of men, and to come to Chanoch, thinking that they might all speak to him at the time when he should come forth amongst them, and they did so.
22
And the day came when Chanoch went forth and they all assembled and came to him, and Chanoch spoke to them the words of Yahuah and he taught them wisdom and knowledge, and they bowed down before him and they said, May the king live! May the king live!
23
And in some time after, when the kings and princes and the sons of men were speaking to Chanoch, and Chanoch was teaching them the ways of Elohim, behold an angel of Yahuah then called unto Chanoch from heaven, and wished to bring him up to heaven to make him reign there over the sons of Elohim, as he had reigned over the sons of men upon earth.
24
When at that time Chanoch heard this he went and assembled all the inhabitants of the earth, and taught them wisdom and knowledge and gave them divine instructions, and he said to them, I have been required to ascend into heaven, I therefore do not know the day of my going.
25
And now therefore I will teach you wisdom and knowledge and will give you instruction before I leave you, how to act upon earth whereby you may live; and he did so.
26
And he taught them wisdom and knowledge, and gave them instruction, and he reproved them, and he placed before them statutes and judgments to do upon earth, and he made peace amongst them, and he taught them everlasting life, and dwelt with them some time teaching them all these things.
27
And at that time the sons of men were with Chanoch, and Chanoch was speaking to them, and they lifted up their eyes and the likeness of a great horse descended from heaven, and the horse paced in the air;
28
And they told Chanoch what they had seen, and Chanoch said to them, On my account does this horse descend upon earth; the time is come when I must go from you and I shall no more be seen by you.
29
And the horse descended at that time and stood before Chanoch, and all the sons of men that were with Chanoch saw him.
30
And Chanoch then again ordered a voice to be proclaimed, saying, Where is the man who delighteth to know the ways of Yahuah his Elohim, let him come this day to Chanoch before he is taken from us.
31
And all the sons of men assembled and came to Chanoch that day; and all the kings of the earth with their princes and counsellors remained with him that day; and Chanoch then taught the sons of men wisdom and knowledge, and gave them divine instruction; and he bade them serve Yahuah and walk in his ways all the days of their lives, and he continued to make peace amongst them.
32
And it was after this that he rose up and rode upon the horse; and he went forth and all the sons of men went after him, about eight hundred thousand men; and they went with him one day's journey.
33
And the second day he said to them, Return home to your tents, why will you go? perhaps you may die; and some of them went from him, and those that remained went with him six day's journey; and Chanoch said to them every day, Return to your tents, lest you may die; but they were not willing to return, and they went with him.
34
And on the sixth day some of the men remained and clung to him, and they said to him, We will go with thee to the place where thou goest; as Yahuah liveth, death only shall separate us.
35
And they urged so much to go with him, that he ceased speaking to them; and they went after him and would not return;
36
And when the kings returned they caused a census to be taken, in order to know the number of remaining men that went with Chanoch; and it was upon the seventh day that Chanoch ascended into heaven in a whirlwind, with horses and chariots of fire.
37
And on the eighth day all the kings that had been with Chanoch sent to bring back the number of men that were with Chanoch, in that place from which he ascended into heaven.
38
And all those kings went to the place and they found the earth there filled with snow, and upon the snow were large stones of snow, and one said to the other, Come, let us break through the snow and see, perhaps the men that remained with Chanoch are dead, and are now under the stones of snow, and they searched but could not find him, for he had ascended into heaven.
Chapter 4 The People of the Earth Again Become Corrupt. Noach is Born
1
And all the days that Chanoch lived upon earth, were three hundred and sixty-five years.
2
And when Chanoch had ascended into heaven, all the kings of the earth rose and took Metushelach his son and anointed him, and they caused him to reign over them in the place of his father.
3
And Metushelach acted uprightly in the sight of Elohim, as his father Chanoch had taught him, and he likewise during the whole of his life taught the sons of men wisdom, knowledge and the fear of Elohim, and he did not turn from the good way either to the right or to the left.
4
But in the latter days of Metushelach, the sons of men turned from Yahuah, they corrupted the earth, they robbed and plundered each other, and they rebelled against Elohim and they transgressed, and they corrupted their ways, and would not hearken to the voice of Metushelach, but rebelled against him.
5
And Yahuah was exceedingly wroth against them, and Yahuah continued to destroy the seed in those days, so that there was neither sowing nor reaping in the earth.
6
For when they sowed the ground in order that they might obtain food for their support, behold, thorns and thistles were produced which they did not sow.
7
And still the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and their hands were still extended to do evil in the sight of Elohim, and they provoked Yahuah with their evil ways, and Yahuah was very wroth, and repented that he had made man.
8
And he thought to destroy and annihilate them and he did so.
9
In those days when Lemech the son of Metushelach was one hundred and sixty years old, Shet the son of Adam died.
10
And all the days that Shet lived, were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
11
And Lemech was one hundred and eighty years old when he took Ashmua, the daughter of Elishaa the son of Chanoch his uncle, and she conceived.
12
And at that time the sons of men sowed the ground, and a little food was produced, yet the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and they trespassed and rebelled against Elohim.
13
And the wife of Lemech conceived and bare him a son at that time, at the revolution of the year.
14
And Metushelach called his name Noach, saying, The earth was in his days at rest and free from corruption, and Lemech his father called his name Menachem, saying, This one shall comfort us in our works and miserable toil in the earth, which Elohim had cursed.
15
And the child grew up and was weaned, and he went in the ways of his father Metushelach, perfect and upright with Elohim.
16
And all the sons of men departed from the ways of Yahuah in those days as they multiplied upon the face of the earth with sons and daughters, and they taught one another their evil practices and they continued sinning against Yahuah.
17
And every man made unto himself a god, and they robbed and plundered every man his neighbor as well as his relative, and they corrupted the earth, and the earth was filled with violence.
18
And their judges and rulers went to the daughters of men and took their wives by force from their husbands according to their choice, and the sons of men in those days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order therewith to provoke Yahuah; and Elohim saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all animals.
19
And Yahuah said, I will blot out man that I created from the face of the earth, yea from man to the birds of the air, together with cattle and beasts that are in the field for I repent that I made them.
20
And all men who walked in the ways of Yahuah, died in those days, before Yahuah brought the evil upon man which he had declared, for this was from Yahuah, that they should not see the evil which Yahuah spoke of concerning the sons of men.
21
And Noach found grace in the sight of Yahuah, and Yahuah chose him and his children to raise up seed from them upon the face of the whole earth.
Chapter 5 Noach and Metushelach Preach Repentance for One Hundred and Twenty Years. Noach Builds the Ark. Death of Metushelach
1
And it was in the eighty-fourth year of the life of Noach, that Chanoch the son of Shet died, he was nine hundred and five years old at his death.
2
And in the one hundred and seventy ninth year of the life of Noach, Keinan the son of Enosh died, and all the days of Keinan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
3
And in the two hundred and thirty fourth year of the life of Noach, Mahlallel the son of Keinan died, and the days of Mahlallel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
4
And Yered the son of Mahlallel died in those days, in the three hundred and thirty-sixth year of the life of Noach; and all the days of Yered were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
5
And all who followed Yahuah died in those days, before they saw the evil which Elohim declared to do upon earth.
6
And after the lapse of many years, in the four hundred and eightieth year of the life of Noach, when all those men, who followed Yahuah had died away from amongst the sons of men, and only Metushelach was then left, Elohim said unto Noach and Metushelach, saying,
7
Speak ye, and proclaim to the sons of men, saying, Thus saith Yahuah, return from your evil ways and forsake your works, and Yahuah will repent of the evil that he declared to do to you, so that it shall not come to pass.
8
For thus saith Yahuah, Behold I give you a period of one hundred and twenty years; if you will turn to me and forsake your evil ways, then will I also turn away from the evil which I told you, and it shall not exist, saith Yahuah.
9
And Noach and Metushelach spoke all the words of Yahuah to the sons of men, day after day, constantly speaking to them.
10
But the sons of men would not hearken to them, nor incline their ears to their words, and they were stiffnecked.
11
And Yahuah granted them a period of one hundred and twenty years, saying, If they will return, then will Elohim repent of the evil, so as not to destroy the earth.
12
Noach the son of Lemech refrained from taking a wife in those days, to beget children, for he said, Surely now Elohim will destroy the earth, wherefore then shall I beget children?
13
And Noach was a just man, he was perfect in his generation, and Yahuah chose him to raise up seed from his seed upon the face of the earth.
14
And Yahuah said unto Noach, Take unto thee a wife, and beget children, for I have seen thee righteous before me in this generation.
15
And thou shalt raise up seed, and thy children with thee, in the midst of the earth; and Noach went and took a wife, and he chose Naamah the daughter of Chanoch, and she was five hundred and eighty years old.
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And Noach was four hundred and ninety-eight years old, when he took Naamah for a wife.
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And Naamah conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Yefet, saying, Elohim has enlarged me in the earth; and she conceived again and bare a son, and he called his name Shem, saying, Elohim has made me a remnant, to raise up seed in the midst of the earth.
18
And Noach was five hundred and two years old when Naamah bare Shem, and the boys grew up and went in the ways of Yahuah, in all that Metushelach and Noach their father taught them.
19
And Lemech the father of Noach, died in those days; yet verily he did not go with all his heart in the ways of his father, and he died in the hundred and ninety-fifth year of the life of Noach.
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And all the days of Lemech were seven hundred and seventy years, and he died.
21
And all the sons of men who knew Yahuah, died in that year before Yahuah brought evil upon them; for Yahuah willed them to die, so as not to behold the evil that Elohim would bring upon their brothers and relatives, as he had so declared to do.
22
In that time, Yahuah said to Noach and Metushelach, Stand forth and proclaim to the sons of men all the words that I spoke to you in those days, peradventure they may turn from their evil ways, and I will then repent of the evil and will not bring it.
23
And Noach and Metushelach stood forth, and said in the ears of the sons of men, all that Elohim had spoken concerning them.
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But the sons of men would not hearken, neither would they incline their ears to all their declarations.
25
And it was after this that Yahuah said to Noach, The end of all flesh is come before me, on account of their evil deeds, and behold I will destroy the earth.
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And do thou take unto thee gopher wood, and go to a certain place and make a large ark, and place it in that spot.
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And thus shalt thou make it; three hundred cubits its length, fifty cubits broad and thirty cubits high.
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And thou shalt make unto thee a door, open at its side, and to a cubit thou shalt finish above, and cover it within and without with pitch.
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And behold I will bring the flood of waters upon the earth, and all flesh be destroyed, from under the heavens all that is upon earth shall perish.
30
And thou and thy household shall go and gather two couple of all living things, male and female, and shall bring them to the ark, to raise up seed from them upon earth.
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And gather unto thee all food that is eaten by all the animals, that there may be food for thee and for them.
32
And thou shalt choose for thy sons three maidens, from the daughters of men, and they shall be wives to thy sons.
33
And Noach rose up, and he made the ark, in the place where Elohim had commanded him, and Noach did as Elohim had ordered him.
34
In his five hundred and ninety-fifth year Noach commenced to make the ark, and he made the ark in five years, as Yahuah had commanded.
35
Then Noach took the three daughters of Eliakim, son of Metushelach, for wives for his sons, as Yahuah had commanded Noach.
36
And it was at that time Metushelach the son of Chanoch died, nine hundred and sixty years old was he, at his death.
Chapter 6 Animals, Beasts, and Fowls Preserved in the Ark. Noach and his Sons, and their Wives are Shut in. When the Floods come the People want to get in. Noach One Year in the Ark
1
At that time, after the death of Metushelach, Yahuah said to Noach, Go thou with thy household into the ark; behold I will gather to thee all the animals of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and they shall all come and surround the ark.
2
And thou shalt go and seat thyself by the doors of the ark, and all the beasts, the animals, and the fowls, shall assemble and place themselves before thee, and such of them as shall come and crouch before thee, shalt thou take and deliver into the hands of thy sons, who shall bring them to the ark, and all that will stand before thee thou shalt leave.
3
And Yahuah brought this about on the next day, and animals, beasts and fowls came in great multitudes and surrounded the ark.
4
And Noach went and seated himself by the door of the ark, and of all flesh that crouched before him, he brought into the ark, and all that stood before him he left upon earth.
5
And a lioness came, with her two whelps, male and female, and the three crouched before Noach, and the two whelps rose up against the lioness and smote her, and made her flee from her place, and she went away, and they returned to their places, and crouched upon the earth before Noach.
6
And the lioness ran away, and stood in the place of the lions.
7
And Noach saw this, and wondered greatly, and he rose and took the two whelps, and brought them into the ark.
8
And Noach brought into the ark from all living creatures that were upon earth, so that there was none left but which Noach brought into the ark.
9
Two and two came to Noach into the ark, but from the clean animals, and clean fowls, he brought seven couples, as Elohim had commanded him.
10
And all the animals, and beasts, and fowls, were still there, and they surrounded the ark at every place, and the rain had not descended till seven days after.
11
And on that day, Yahuah caused the whole earth to shake, and the sun darkened, and the foundations of the world raged, and the whole earth was moved violently, and the lightning flashed, and the thunder roared, and all the fountains in the earth were broken up, such as was not known to the inhabitants before; and Elohim did this mighty act, in order to terrify the sons of men, that there might be no more evil upon earth.
12
And still the sons of men would not return from their evil ways, and they increased the anger of Yahuah at that time, and did not even direct their hearts to all this.
13
And at the end of seven days, in the six hundredth year of the life of Noach, the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
14
And all the fountains of the deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
15
And Noach and his household, and all the living creatures that were with him, came into the ark on account of the waters of the flood, and Yahuah shut him in.
16
And all the sons of men that were left upon the earth, became exhausted through evil on account of the rain, for the waters were coming more violently upon the earth, and the animals and beasts were still surrounding the ark.
17
And the sons of men assembled together, about seven hundred thousand men and women, and they came unto Noach to the ark.
18
And they called to Noach, saying, Open for us that we may come to thee in the ark--and wherefore shall we die?
19
And Noach, with a loud voice, answered them from the ark, saying, Have you not all rebelled against Yahuah, and said that he does not exist? and therefore Yahuah brought upon you this evil, to destroy and cut you off from the face of the earth.
20
Is not this the thing that I spoke to you of one hundred and twenty years back, and you would not hearken to the voice of Yahuah, and now do you desire to live upon earth?
21
And they said to Noach, We are ready to return to Yahuah; only open for us that we may live and not die.
22
And Noach answered them, saying, Behold now that you see the trouble of your nefashot, you wish to return to Yahuah; why did you not return during these hundred and twenty years, which Yahuah granted you as the determined period?
23
But now you come and tell me this on account of the troubles of your nefashot, now also Yahuah will not listen to you, neither will he give ear to you on this day, so that you will not now succeed in your wishes.
24
And the sons of men approached in order to break into the ark, to come in on account of the rain, for they could not bear the rain upon them.
25
And Yahuah sent all the beasts and animals that stood round the ark. And the beasts overpowered them and drove them from that place, and every man went his way and they again scattered themselves upon the face of the earth.
26
And the rain was still descending upon the earth, and it descended forty days and forty nights, and the waters prevailed greatly upon the earth; and all flesh that was upon the earth or in the waters died, whether men, animals, beasts, creeping things or birds of the air, and there only remained Noach and those that were with him in the ark.
27
And the waters prevailed and they greatly increased upon the earth, and they lifted up the ark and it was raised from the earth.
28
And the ark floated upon the face of the waters, and it was tossed upon the waters so that all the living creatures within were turned about like pottage in a cauldron.
29
And great anxiety seized all the living creatures that were in the ark, and the ark was like to be broken.
30
And all the living creatures that were in the ark were terrified, and the lions roared, and the oxen lowed, and the wolves howled, and every living creature in the ark spoke and lamented in its own language, so that their voices reached to a great distance, and Noach and his sons cried and wept in their troubles; they were greatly afraid that they had reached the gates of death.
31
And Noach prayed unto Yahuah, and cried unto him on account of this, and he said, O Yahuah help us, for we have no strength to bear this evil that has encompassed us, for the waves of the waters have surrounded us, mischievous torrents have terrified us, the snares of death have come before us; answer us, O Yahuah, answer us, light up thy countenance toward us and be gracious to us, redeem us and deliver us.
32
And Yahuah hearkened to the voice of Noach, and Yahuah remembered him.
33
And a wind passed over the earth, and the waters were still and the ark rested.
34
And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
35
And the waters decreased in those days, and the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
36
And Noach then opened the windows of the ark, and Noach still called out to Yahuah at that time and he said, O Yahuah, who didst form the earth and the heavens and all that are therein, bring forth our nefashot from this confinement, and from the prison wherein thou hast placed us, for I am much wearied with sighing.
37
And Yahuah hearkened to the voice of Noach, and said to him, When though shalt have completed a full year thou shalt then go forth.
38
And at the revolution of the year, when a full year was completed to Noach's dwelling in the ark, the waters were dried from off the earth, and Noach put off the covering of the ark.
39
At that time, on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was dry, but Noach and his sons, and those that were with him, did not go out from the ark until Yahuah told them.
40
And the day came that Yahuah told them to go out, and they all went out from the ark.
41
And they went and returned every one to his way and to his place, and Noach and his sons dwelt in the land that Elohim had told them, and they served Yahuah all their days, and Yahuah blessed Noach and his sons on their going out from the ark.
42
And he said to them, Be fruitful and fill all the earth; become strong and increase abundantly in the earth and multiply therein.
Chapter 7 The Generations of Noach. The Garments of Skin made for Adam Stolen by Ham and they Descend to Nimrod the Mighty Hunter, who Becomes the King of the Whole Earth. The Birth of Avram
1
And these are the names of the sons of Noach: Yefet, Ham and Shem; and children were born to them after the flood, for they had taken wives before the flood.
2
These are the sons of Yefet; Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras, seven sons.
3
And the sons of Gomer were Askinaz, Rephath and Tegarmah.
4
And the sons of Magog were Elichanaf and Lubal.
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And the children of Madai were Achon, Zeelo, Chazoni and Lot.
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And the sons of Javan were Elisha, Tarshish, Chittim and Dudonim.
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And the sons of Tubal were Ariphi, Kesed and Taari.
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And the sons of Meshech were Dedon, Zaron and Shebashni.
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And the sons of Tiras were Benib, Gera, Lupirion and Gilak; these are the sons of Yefet according to their families, and their numbers in those days were about four hundred and sixty men.
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And these are the sons of Ham; Kush, Mitzraim, Phut and Kena'an, four sons; and the sons of Kush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Satecha, and the sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan.
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And the sons of Mitzraim were Lud, Anom and Pathros, Chasloth and Chaphtor.
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And the sons of Phut were Gebul, Hadan, Benah and Adan.
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And the sons of Kena'an were Zidon, Heth, Amori, Gergashi, Hivi, Arkee, Seni, Arodi, Zimodi and Chamothi.
14
These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, and their numbers in those days were about seven hundred and thirty men.
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And these are the sons of Shem; Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, five sons; and the sons of Elam were Shushan, Machul and Harmon.
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And the sons of Ashar were Mirus and Mokil, and the sons of Arpachshad were Shelach, Anar and Ashcol.
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And the sons of Lud were Pethor and Bizayon, and the sons of Aram were Uz, Chul, Gather and Mash.
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These are the sons of Shem, according to their families; and their numbers in those days were about three hundred men.
19
These are the generations of Shem; Shem begat Arpachshad and Arpachshad begat Shelach, and Shelach begat Eber and to Eber were born two children, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the sons of men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth was divided.
20
And the name of the second was Yoktan, meaning that in his day the lives of the sons of men were diminished and lessened.
21
These are the sons of Yoktan; Almodad, Shelaf, Chazarmoveth, Yerach, Hadurom, Ozel, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab; all these are the sons of Yoktan.
22
And Peleg his brother begat Yen, and Yen begat Serug, and Serug begat Nachor and Nachor begat Terach, and Terach was thirty-eight years old, and he begat Haran and Nachor.
23
And Kush the son of Ham, the son of Noach, took a wife in those days in his old age, and she bare a son, and they called his name Nimrod, saying, At that time the sons of men again began to rebel and transgress against Elohim, and the child grew up, and his father loved him exceedingly, for he was the son of his old age.
24
And the garments of skin which Elohim made for Adam and his wife, when they went out of the garden, were given to Kush.
25
For after the death of Adam and his wife, the garments were given to Chanoch, the son of Yered, and when Chanoch was taken up to Elohim, he gave them to Metushelach, his son.
26
And at the death of Metushelach, Noach took them and brought them to the ark, and they were with him until he went out of the ark.
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And in their going out, Ham stole those garments from Noach his father, and he took them and hid them from his brothers.
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And when Ham begat his first born Kush, he gave him the garments in secret, and they were with Kush many days.
29
And Kush also concealed them from his sons and brothers, and when Kush had begotten Nimrod, he gave him those garments through his love for him, and Nimrod grew up, and when he was twenty years old he put on those garments.
30
And Nimrod became strong when he put on the garments, and Elohim gave him might and strength, and he was a mighty hunter in the earth, yea, he was a mighty hunter in the field, and he hunted the animals and he built mizbechot (altars), and he offered upon them the animals before Yahuah.
31
And Nimrod strengthened himself, and he rose up from amongst his brethren, and he fought the battles of his brethren against all their enemies round about.
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And Yahuah delivered all the enemies of his brethren in his hands, and Elohim prospered him from time to time in his battles, and he reigned upon earth.
33
Therefore it became current in those days, when a man ushered forth those that he had trained up for battle, he would say to them, Like Elohim did to Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter in the earth, and who succeeded in the battles that prevailed against his brethren, that he delivered them from the hands of their enemies, so may Elohim strengthen us and deliver us this day.
34
And when Nimrod was forty years old, at that time there was a war between his brethren and the children of Yefet, so that they were in the power of their enemies.
35
And Nimrod went forth at that time, and he assembled all the sons of Kush and their families, about four hundred and sixty men, and he hired also from some of his friends and acquaintances about eighty men, and be gave them their hire, and he went with them to battle, and when he was on the road, Nimrod strengthened the hearts of the people that went with him.
36
And he said to them, Do not fear, neither be alarmed, for all our enemies will be delivered into our hands, and you may do with them as you please.
37
And all the men that went were about five hundred, and they fought against their enemies, and they destroyed them, and subdued them, and Nimrod placed standing officers over them in their respective places.
38
And he took some of their children as security, and they were all servants to Nimrod and to his brethren, and Nimrod and all the people that were with him turned homeward.
39
And when Nimrod had joyfully returned from battle, after having conquered his enemies, all his brethren, together with those who knew him before, assembled to make him king over them, and they placed the regal crown upon his head.
40
And he set over his subjects and people, princes, judges, and rulers, as is the custom amongst kings.
41
And he placed Terach the son of Nachor the prince of his host, and he dignified him and elevated him above all his princes.
42
And whilst he was reigning according to his heart's desire, after having conquered all his enemies around, he advised with his counselors to build a city for his palace, and they did so.
43
And they found a large valley opposite to the east, and they built him a large and extensive city, and Nimrod called the name of the city that he built Shinar, for Yahuah had vehemently shaken his enemies and destroyed them.
44
And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar, and he reigned securely, and he fought with his enemies and he subdued them, and he prospered in all his battles, and his kingdom became very great.
45
And all nations and tongues heard of his fame, and they gathered themselves to him, and they bowed down to the earth, and they brought him offerings, and he became their lord and king, and they all dwelt with him in the city at Shinar, and Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of Noach, and they were all under his power and counsel.
46
And all the earth was of one tongue and words of union, but Nimrod did not go in the ways of Yahuah, and he was more wicked than all the men that were before him, from the days of the flood until those days.
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And he made gods of wood and stone, and he bowed down to them, and he rebelled against Yahuah, and taught all his subjects and the people of the earth his wicked ways; and Mardon his son was more wicked than his father.
48
And every one that heard of the acts of Mardon the son of Nimrod would say, concerning him, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness; therefore it became a proverb in the whole earth, saying, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness, and it was current in the words of men from that time to this.
49
And Terach the son of Nachor, prince of Nimrod's host, was in those days very great in the sight of the king and his subjects, and the king and princes loved him, and they elevated him very high.
50
And Terach took a wife and her name was Amthelo the daughter of Cornebo; and the wife of Terach conceived and bare him a son in those days.
51
Terach was seventy years old when he begat him, and Terach called the name of his son that was born to him Avram, because the king had raised him in those days, and dignified him above all his princes that were with him.
Chapter 8 The Wise Men of Nimrod, by their Divination, Foretell the Evil that Avram will do to Nimrod's Kingdom, and they seek to kill the Child. Avram, with his Mother and Nurse are Hid in a cave for Ten Years
1
And it was in the night that Avram was born, that all the servants of Terach, and all the wise men of Nimrod, and his conjurors came and ate and drank in the house of Terach, and they rejoiced with him on that night.
2
And when all the wise men and conjurors went out from the house of Terach, they lifted up their eyes toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and they saw, and behold one very large star came from the east and ran in the heavens, and he swallowed up the four stars from the four sides of the heavens.
3
And all the wise men of the king and his conjurors were astonished at the sight, and the sages understood this matter, and they knew its import.
4
And they said to each other, This only betokens the child that has been born to Terach this night, who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and possess all the earth, he and his children for ever, and he and his seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands.
5
And the wise men and conjurors went home that night, and in the morning all these wise men and conjurors rose up early, and assembled in an appointed house.
6
And they spoke and said to each other, Behold the sight that we saw last night is hidden from the king, it has not been made known to him.
7
And should this thing get known to the king in the latter days, he will say to us, Why have you concealed this matter from me, and then we shall all suffer death; therefore, now let us go and tell the king the sight which we saw, and the interpretation thereof, and we shall then remain clear.
8
And they did so, and they all went to the king and bowed down to him to the ground, and they said, May the king live, may the king live.
9
We heard that a son was born to Terach the son of Nachor, the prince of thy host, and we yesternight came to his house, and we ate and drank and rejoiced with him that night.
10
And when thy servants went out from the house of Terach, to go to our respective homes to abide there for the night, we lifted up our eyes to heaven, and we saw a great star coming from the east, and the same star ran with great speed, and swallowed up four great stars, from the four sides of the heavens.
11
And thy servants were astonished at the sight which we saw, and were greatly terrified, and we made our judgment upon the sight, and knew by our wisdom the proper interpretation thereof, that this thing applies to the child that is born to Terach, who will grow up and multiply greatly, and become powerful, and kill all the kings of the earth, and inherit all their lands, he and his seed forever.
12
And now our lord and king, behold we have truly acquainted thee with what we have seen concerning this child.
13
If it seemeth good to the king to give his father value for this child, we will slay him before he shall grow up and increase in the land, and his evil increase against us, that we and our children perish through his evil.
14
And the king heard their words and they seemed good in his sight, and he sent and called for Terach, and Terach came before the king.
15
And the king said to Terach, I have been told that a son was yesternight born to thee, and after this manner was observed in the heavens at his birth.
16
And now therefore give me the child, that we may slay him before his evil springs up against us, and I will give thee for his value, thy house full of silver and gold.
17
And Terach answered the king and said to him: My Yahuah and king, I have heard thy words, and thy servant shall do all that his king desireth.
18
But my lord and king, I will tell thee what happened to me yesternight, that I may see what advice the king will give his servant, and then I will answer the king upon what he has just spoken; and the king said, Speak.
19
And Terach said to the king, Ayon, son of Mored, came to me yesternight, saying,
20
Give unto me the great and beautiful horse that the king gave thee, and I will give thee silver and gold, and straw and provender for its value; and I said to him, Wait till I see the king concerning thy words, and behold whatever the king saith, that will I do.
21
And now my lord and king, behold I have made this thing known to thee, and the advice which my king will give unto his servant, that will I follow.
22
And the king heard the words of Terach, and his anger was kindled and he considered him in the light of a fool.
23
And the king answered Terach, and he said to him, Art thou so silly, ignorant, or deficient in understanding, to do this thing, to give thy beautiful horse for silver and gold or even for straw and provender?
24
Art thou so short of silver and gold, that thou shouldst do this thing, because thou canst not obtain straw and provender to feed thy horse? and what is silver and gold to thee, or straw and provender, that thou shouldst give away that fine horse which I gave thee, like which there is none to be had on the whole earth?
25
And the king left off speaking, and Terach answered the king, saying, Like unto this has the king spoken to his servant;
26
I beseech thee, my lord and king, what is this which thou didst say unto me, saying, Give thy son that we may slay him, and I will give thee silver and gold for his value; what shall I do with silver and gold after the death of my son? who shall inherit me? surely then at my death, the silver and gold will return to my king who gave it.
27
And when the king heard the words of Terach, and the parable which he brought concerning the king, it grieved him greatly and he was vexed at this thing, and his anger burned within him.
28
And Terach saw that the anger of the king was kindled against him, and he answered the king, saying, All that I have is in the king's power; whatever the king desireth to do to his servant, that let him do, yea, even my son, he is in the king's power, without value in exchange, he and his two brothers that are older than he.
29
And the king said to Terach, No, but I will purchase thy younger son for a price.
30
And Terach answered the king, saying, I beseech thee my lord and king to let thy servant speak a word before thee, and let the king hear the word of his servant, and Terach said, Let my king give me three days' time till I consider this matter within myself, and consult with my family concerning the words of my king; and he pressed the king greatly to agree to this.
31
And the king hearkened to Terach, and he did so and he gave him three days' time, and Terach went out from the king's presence, and he came home to his family and spoke to them all the words of the king; and the people were greatly afraid.
32
And it was in the third day that the king sent to Terach, saying, Send me thy son for a price as I spoke to thee; and shouldst thou not do this, I will send and slay all thou hast in thy house, so that thou shalt not even have a dog remaining.
33
And Terach hastened, (as the thing was urgent from the king), and he took a child from one of his servants, which his handmaid had born to him that day, and Terach brought the child to the king and received value for him.
34
And Yahuah was with Terach in this matter, that Nimrod might not cause Avram's death, and the king took the child from Terach and with all his might dashed his head to the ground, for he thought it had been Avram; and this was concealed from him from that day, and it was forgotten by the king, as it was the will of Providence not to suffer Avram's death.
35
And Terach took Avram his son secretly, together with his mother and nurse, and he concealed them in a cave, and he brought them their provisions monthly.
36
And Yahuah was with Avram in the cave and he grew up, and Avram was in the cave ten years, and the king and his princes, soothsayers and sages, thought that the king had killed Avram.
Chapter 9 When Ten Years Old, Avram goes to Noach and Shem, Remains with them for Thirty-nine Years, and is Taught in all the Ways of Yahuah. The Wickedness of Nimrod and his People. They Propose to Build a Tower to Heaven and Dethrone Elohim. The confusion of Tongues
1
And Haran, the son of Terach, Avram's oldest brother, took a wife in those days.
2
Haran was thirty-nine years old when he took her; and the wife of Haran conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Lot.
3
And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Milca; and she again conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Sarai.
4
Haran was forty-two years old when he begat Sarai, which was in the tenth year of the life of Avram; and in those days Avram and his mother and nurse went out from the cave, as the king and his subjects had forgotten the affair of Avram.
5
And when Avram came out from the cave, he went to Noach and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of Yahuah and his ways, and no man knew where Avram was, and Avram served Noach and Shem his son for a long time.
6
And Avram was in Noach's house thirty-nine years, and Avram knew Yahuah from three years old, and he went in the ways of Yahuah until the day of his death, as Noach and his son Shem had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against Yahuah, and they rebelled against him and they served other gods, and they forgot Yahuah who had created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth made unto themselves, at that time, every man his god; gods of wood and stone which could neither speak, hear, nor deliver, and the sons of men served them and they became their gods.
7
And the king and all his servants, and Terach with all his household were then the first of those that served gods of wood and stone.
8
And Terach had twelve gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve months of the year, and he served each one monthly, and every month Terach would bring his meat offering and drink offering to his gods; thus did Terach all the days.
9
And all that generation were wicked in the sight of Yahuah, and they thus made every man his god, but they forsook Yahuah who had created them.
10
And there was not a man found in those days in the whole earth, who knew Yahuah (for they served each man his own Elohim) except Noach and his household, and all those who were under his counsel knew Yahuah in those days.
11
And Avram the son of Terach was waxing great in those days in the house of Noach, and no man knew it, and Yahuah was with him.
12
And Yahuah gave Avram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of that generation were vain, and that all their gods were vain and were of no avail.
13
And Avram saw the sun shining upon the earth, and Avram said unto himself Surely now this sun that shines upon the earth is Elohim, and him will I serve.
14
And Avram served the sun in that day and he prayed to him, and when evening came the sun set as usual, and Avram said within himself, Surely this cannot be Elohim?
15
And Avram still continued to speak within himself, Who is he who made the heavens and the earth? who created upon earth? where is he?
16
And night darkened over him, and he lifted up his eyes toward the west, north, south, and east, and he saw that the sun had vanished from the earth, and the day became dark.
17
And Avram saw the stars and moon before him, and he said, Surely this is the Elohim who created the whole earth as well as man, and behold these his servants are gods around him: and Avram served the moon and prayed to it all that night.
18
And in the morning when it was light and the sun shone upon the earth as usual, Avram saw all the things that Yahuah Elohim had made upon earth.
19
And Avram said unto himself Surely these are not gods that made the earth and all mankind, but these are the servants of Elohim, and Avram remained in the house of Noach and there knew Yahuah and his ways' and he served Yahuah all the days of his life, and all that generation forgot Yahuah, and served other gods of wood and stone, and rebelled all their days.
20
And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union.
21
And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut, Mitzraim, Kush and Kena’an with their families, and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars.
22
And they all went before the king, and they told the king these words, and the king agreed with them in this affair, and he did so.
23
And all the families assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men, and they went to seek an extensive piece of ground to build the city and the tower, and they sought in the whole earth and they found none like one valley at the east of the land of Shinar, about two days' walk, and they journeyed there and they dwelt there.
24
And they began to make bricks and burn fires to build the city and the tower that they had imagined to complete.
25
And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against Yahuah Elohim of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven.
26
And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and Elohim knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building.
27
And when they were building they built themselves a great city and a very high and strong tower; and on account of its height the mortar and bricks did not reach the builders in their ascent to it, until those who went up had completed a full year, and after that, they reached to the builders and gave them the mortar and the bricks; thus was it done daily.
28
And behold these ascended and others descended the whole day; and if a brick should fall from their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell and died, none of them would look at him.
29
And Yahuah knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were building they cast the arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood, and when they saw them they said to each other, Surely we have slain all those that are in heaven.
30
For this was from Yahuah in order to cause them to err, and in order; to destroy them from off the face of the ground.
31
And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and years were elapsed.
32
And Elohim said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them.
33
And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbor's tongue, and they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took from the hands of his neighbor lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it upon his neighbor, that he would die.
34
And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this manner.
35
And Yahuah smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, Yahuah killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, Yahuah scattered them throughout the earth.
36
And those who were left amongst them, when they knew and understood the evil which was coming upon them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered upon the face of the whole earth.
37
And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Bavel, for there Yahuah confounded the Language of the whole earth; behold it was at the east of the land of Shinar.
38
And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days' walk.
39
And many of the sons of men died in that tower, a people without number.
Chapter 10 The Descendants of Noach, Scattered over the whole earth, build themselves Cities
1
And Peleg the son of Eber died in those days, in the forty-eighth year of the life of Avram son of Terach, and all the days of Peleg were two hundred and thirty-nine years.
2
And when Yahuah had scattered the sons of men on account of their sin at the tower, behold they spread forth into many divisions, and all the sons of men were dispersed into the four corners of the earth.
3
And all the families became each according to its language, its land, or its city.
4
And the sons of men built many cities according to their families, in all the places where they went, and throughout the earth where Yahuah had scattered them.
5
And some of them built cities in places from which they were afterward extirpated, and they called these cities after their own names, or the names of their children, or after their particular occurrences.
6
And the sons of Yefet the son of Noach went and built themselves cities in the places where they were scattered, and they called all their cities after their names, and the sons of Yefet were divided upon the face of the earth into many divisions and languages.
7
And these are the sons of Yefet according to their families, Gomer, Magog, Medai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras; these are the children of Yefet according to their generations.
8
And the children of Gomer, according to their cities, were the Francum, who dwell in the land of Franza, by the river Franza, by the river Senah.
9
And the children of Rephath are the Bartonim, who dwell in the land of Bartonia by the river Ledah, which empties its waters in the great sea Gihon, that is, oceanus.
10
And the children of Tugarma are ten families, and these are their names: Buzar, Parzunac, Balgar, Elicanum, Ragbib, Tarki, Bid, Zebuc, Ongal and Tilmaz; all these spread and rested in the north and built themselves cities.
11
And they called their cities after their own names, those are they who abide by the rivers Hithlah and Italac unto this day.
12
But the families of Angoli, Balgar and Parzunac, they dwell by the great river Dubnee; and the names of their cities are also according to their own names.
13
And the children of Javan are the Javanim who dwell in the land of Makdonia, and the children of Medaiare are the Orelum that dwell in the land of Curson, and the children of Tubal are those that dwell in the land of Tuskanah by the river Pashiah.
14
And the children of Meshech are the Shibashni and the children of Tiras are Rushash, Cushni, and Ongolis; all these went and built themselves cities; those are the cities that are situate by the sea Jabus by the river Cura, which empties itself in the river Tragan.
15
And the children of Elishah are the Almanim, and they also went and built themselves cities; those are the cities situate between the mountains of Job and Shibathmo; and of them were the people of Lumbardi who dwell opposite the mountains of Job and Shibathmo, and they conquered the land of Italia and remained there unto this day.
16
And the children of Chittim are the Romim who dwell in the valley of Canopia by the river Tibreu.
17
And the children of Dudonim are those who dwell in the cities of the sea Gihon, in the land of Bordna.
18
These are the families of the children of Yefet according to their cities and languages, when they were scattered after the tower, and they called their cities after their names and occurrences; and these are the names of all their cities according to their families, which they built in those days after the tower.
19
And the children of Ham were Kush, Mitzraim, Phut and Kena’an according to their generation and cities.
20
All these went and built themselves cities as they found fit places for them, and they called their cities after the names of their fathers Kush, Mitzraim, Phut and Kena’an.
21
And the children of Mitzraim are the Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuchim, Pathrusim, Casluchim and Caphturim, seven families.
22
All these dwell by the river Sihor, that is the brook of Mitzrayim, and they built themselves cities and called them after their own names.
23
And the children of Pathros and Casloch intermarried together, and from them went forth the Pelishtim, the Azathim, and the Gerarim, the Githim and the Ekronim, in all five families; these also built themselves cities, and they called their cities after the names of their fathers unto this day.
24
And the children of Kena’an also built themselves cities, and they called their cities after their names, eleven cities and others without number.
25
And four men from the family of Ham went to the land of the plain; these are the names of the four men, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim.
26
And these men built themselves four cities in the land of the plain, and they called the names of their cities after their own names.
27
And they and their children and all belonging to them dwelt in those cities, and they were fruitful and multiplied greatly and dwelt peaceably.
28
And Seir the son of Hur, son of Hivi, son of Kena’an, went and found a valley opposite to Mount Paran, and he built a city there, and he and his seven sons and his household dwelt there, and he called the city which he built Seir, according to his name; that is the land of Seir unto this day.
29
These are the families of the children of Ham, according to their languages and cities, when they were scattered to their countries after the tower.
30
And some of the children of Shem son of Noach, father of all the children of Eber, also went and built themselves cities in the places wherein they were scattered, and they called their cities after their names.
31
And the sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, and they built themselves cities and called the names of all their cities after their names.
32
And Ashur son of Shem and his children and household went forth at that time, a very large body of them, and they went to a distant land that they found, and they met with a very extensive valley in the land that they went to, and they built themselves four cities, and they called them after their own names and occurrences.
33
And these are the names of the cities which the children of Ashur built, Ninevah, Resen, Calach and Rehobother; and the children of Ashur dwell there unto this day.
34
And the children of Aram also went and built themselves a city, and they called the name of the city Uz after their eldest brother, and they dwell therein; that is the land of Uz to this day.
35
And in the second year after the tower a man from the house of Ashur, whose name was Bela, went from the land of Ninevah to sojourn with his household wherever he could find a place; and they came until opposite the cities of the plain against Sodom, and they dwelt there.
36
And the man rose up and built there a small city, and called its name Bela, after his name; that is the land of Zoar unto this day.
37
And these are the families of the children of Shem according to their language and cities, after they were scattered upon the earth after the tower.
38
And every kingdom, city, and family of the families of the children of Noach built themselves many cities after this.
39
And they established governments in all their cities, in order to be regulated by their orders; so did all the families of the children of Noach forever.
Chapter 11 Nimrod's Wicked Reign. The Idolatry of Terach, Avram's Father. When Fifty Years old, Avram returns to his Father's House and Discovers his Idols. Makes a pretext to destroy them. After making Savory Meat for the gods, Avram takes a Hatchet and destroys them, leaving the Hatchet in the hands of the larger one, where it is discovered by his Father, who is told by Avram that the Great Elohim had risen up in anger and Destroyed his Fellows. Terach in his wrath betrays Avram to the King, who brings him up before the Throne for Judgment. Avram Warns his Father and the King, before all the Princes, of the Evils of Idolatry
1
And Nimrod son of Kush was still in the land of Shinar, and he reigned over it and dwelt there, and he built cities in the land of Shinar.
2
And these are the names of the four cities which he built, and he called their names after the occurrences that happened to them in the building of the tower.
3
And he called the first Bavel, saying, Because Yahuah there confounded the language of the whole earth; and the name of the second he called Erech, because from there Elohim dispersed them.
4
And the third he called Eched, saying there was a great battle at that place; and the fourth he called Calnah, because his princes and mighty men were consumed there, and they vexed Yahuah, they rebelled and transgressed against him.
5
And when Nimrod had built these cities in the land of Shinar, he placed in them the remainder of his people, his princes and his mighty men that were left in his kingdom.
6
And Nimrod dwelt in Bavel, and he there renewed his reign over the rest of his subjects, and he reigned securely, and the subjects and princes of Nimrod called his name Amraphel, saying that at the tower his princes and men fell through his means.
7
And notwithstanding this, Nimrod did not return to Yahuah, and he continued in wickedness and teaching wickedness to the sons of men; and Mardon, his son, was worse than his father, and continued to add to the abominations of his father.
8
And he caused the sons of men to sin, therefore it is said, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness.
9
At that time there was war between the families of the children of Ham, as they were dwelling in the cities which they had built.
10
And Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, went away from the families of the children of Ham, and he fought with them and he subdued them, and he went to the five cities of the plain and he fought against them and he subdued them, and they were under his control.
11
And they served him twelve years, and they gave him a yearly tax.
12
At that time died Nachor, son of Serug, in the forty-ninth year of the life of Avram son of Terach.
13
And in the fiftieth year of the life of Avram son of Terach, Avram came forth from the house of Noach, and went to his father's house.
14
And Avram knew Yahuah, and he went in his ways and instructions, and Yahuah his Elohim was with him.
15
And Terach his father was in those days, still captain of the host of king Nimrod, and he still followed strange gods.
16
And Avram came to his father's house and saw twelve gods standing there in their temples, and the anger of Avram was kindled when he saw these images in his father's house.
17
And Avram said, As Yahuah liveth these images shall not remain in my father's house; so shall Yahuah who created me do unto me if in three days' time I do not break them all.
18
And Avram went from them, and his anger burned within him. And Avram hastened and went from the chamber to his father's outer court, and he found his father sitting in the court, and all his servants with him, and Avram came and sat before him.
19
And Avram asked his father, saying, Father, tell me where is Elohim who created heaven and earth, and all the sons of men upon earth, and who created thee and me. And Terach answered his son Avram and said, Behold those who created us are all with us in the house.
20
And Avram said to his father, My lord, shew them to me I pray thee; and Terach brought Avram into the chamber of the inner court, and Avram saw, and behold the whole room was full of gods of wood and stone, twelve great images and others less than they without number.
21
And Terach said to his son, Behold these are they which made all thou seest upon earth, and which created me and thee, and all mankind.
22
And Terach bowed down to his gods, and he then went away from them, and Avram, his son, went away with him.
23
And when Avram had gone from them he went to his mother and sat before her, and he said to his mother, Behold, my father has shown me those who made heaven and earth, and all the sons of men.
24
Now, therefore, hasten and fetch a kid from the flock, and make of it savory meat, that I may bring it to my father's gods as an offering for them to eat; perhaps I may thereby become acceptable to them.
25
And his mother did so, and she fetched a kid, and made savory meat thereof, and brought it to Avram, and Avram took the savory meat from his mother and brought it before his father's gods, and he drew nigh to them that they might eat; and Terach his father, did not know of it.
26
And Avram saw on the day when he was sitting amongst them, that they had no voice, no hearing, no motion, and not one of them could stretch forth his hand to eat.
27
And Avram mocked them, and said, Surely the savory meat that I prepared has not pleased them, or perhaps it was too little for them, and for that reason they would not eat; therefore tomorrow I will prepare fresh savory meat, better and more plentiful than this, in order that I may see the result.
28
And it was on the next day that Avram directed his mother concerning the savory meat, and his mother rose and fetched three fine kids from the flock, and she made of them some excellent savory meat, such as her son was fond of, and she gave it to her son Avram; and Terach his father did not know of it.
29
And Avram took the savory meat from his mother, and brought it before his father's gods into the chamber; and he came nigh unto them that they might eat, and he placed it before them, and Avram sat before them all day, thinking perhaps they might eat.
30
And Avram viewed them, and behold they had neither voice nor hearing, nor did one of them stretch forth his hand to the meat to eat.
31
And in the evening of that day in that house Avram was clothed with the spirit of Elohim.
32
And he called out and said, Wo unto my father and this wicked generation, whose hearts are all inclined to vanity, who serve these idols of wood and stone which can neither eat, smell, hear nor speak, who have mouths without speech, eyes without sight, ears without hearing, hands without feeling, and legs which cannot move; like them are those that made them and that trust in them.
33
And when Avram saw all these things his anger was kindled against his father, and he hastened and took a hatchet in his hand, and came unto the chamber of the gods, and he broke all his father's gods.
34
And when he had done breaking the images, he placed the hatchet in the hand of the great god which was there before them, and he went out; and Terach his father came home, for he had heard at the door the sound of the striking of the hatchet; so Terach came into the house to know what this was about.
35
And Terach, having heard the noise of the hatchet in the room of images, ran to the room to the images, and he met Avram going out.
36
And Terach entered the room and found all the idols fallen down and broken, and the hatchet in the hand of the largest, which was not broken, and the savory meat which Avram his son had made was still before them.
37
And when Terach saw this his anger was greatly kindled, and he hastened and went from the room to Avram.
38
And he found Avram his son still sitting in the house; and he said to him, What is this work thou hast done to my gods?
39
And Avram answered Terach his father and he said, Not so my lord, for I brought savory meat before them, and when I came nigh to them with the meat that they might eat, they all at once stretched forth their hands to eat before the great one had put forth his hand to eat.
40
And the large one saw their works that they did before him, and his anger was violently kindled against them, and he went and took the hatchet that was in the house and came to them and broke them all, and behold the hatchet is yet in his hand as thou seest.
41
And Terach's anger was kindled against his son Avram, when he spoke this; and Terach said to Avram his son in his anger, What is this tale that thou hast told? Thou speakest lies to me.
42
Is there in these gods spirit, nefesh or power to do all thou hast told me? Are they not wood and stone, and have I not myself made them, and canst thou speak such lies, saying that the large god that was with them smote them? It is thou that didst place the hatchet in his hands, and then sayest he smote them all.
43
And Avram answered his father and said to him, And how canst thou then serve these idols in whom there is no power to do any thing? Can those idols in which thou trustest deliver thee? can they hear thy prayers when thou callest upon them? can they deliver thee from the hands of thy enemies, or will they fight thy battles for thee against thy enemies, that thou shouldst serve wood and stone which can neither speak nor hear?
44
And now surely it is not good for thee nor for the sons of men that are connected with thee, to do these things; are you so silly, so foolish or so short of understanding that you will serve wood and stone, and do after this manner?
45
And forget Yahuah Elohim who made heaven and earth, and who created you in the earth, and thereby bring a great evil upon your nefashot in this matter by serving stone and wood?
46
Did not our fathers in days of old sin in this matter, and Yahuah Elohim of the universe brought the waters of the flood upon them and destroyed the whole earth?
47
And how can you continue to do this and serve gods of wood and stone, who cannot hear, or speak, or deliver you from oppression, thereby bringing down the anger of the Elohim of the universe upon you?
48
Now therefore my father refrain from this, and bring not evil upon thy nefesh and the nefashot of thy household.
49
And Avram hastened and sprang from before his father, and took the hatchet from his father's largest idol, with which Avram broke it and ran away.
50
And Terach, seeing all that Avram had done, hastened to go from his house, and he went to the king and he came before Nimrod and stood before him, and he bowed down to the king; and the king said, What dost thou want?
51
And he said, I beseech thee my lord, to hear me--Now fifty years back a child was born to me, and thus has he done to my gods and thus has he spoken; and now therefore, my lord and king, send for him that he may come before thee, and judge him according to the Torah (the Law), that we may be delivered from his evil.
52
And the king sent three men of his servants, and they went and brought Avram before the king. And Nimrod and all his princes and servants were that day sitting before him, and Terach sat also before them.
53
And the king said to Avram, What is this that thou hast done to thy father and to his gods? And Avram answered the king in the words that he spoke to his father, and he said, The large god that was with them in the house did to them what thou hast heard.
54
And the king said to Avram, Had they power to speak and eat and do as thou hast said? And Avram answered the king, saying, And if there be no power in them why dost thou serve them and cause the sons of men to err through thy follies?
55
Dost thou imagine that they can deliver thee or do anything small or great, that thou shouldst serve them? And why wilt thou not sense the Elohim of the whole universe, who created thee and in whose power it is to kill and keep alive?
56
0 foolish, simple, and ignorant king, woe unto thee forever.
57
I thought thou wouldst teach thy servants the upright way, but thou hast not done this, but hast filled the whole earth with thy sins and the sins of thy people who have followed thy ways.
58
Dost thou not know, or hast thou not heard, that this evil which thou doest, our ancestors sinned therein in days of old, and the eternal Elohim brought the waters of the flood upon them and destroyed them all, and also destroyed the whole earth on their account? And wilt thou and thy people rise up now and do like unto this work, in order to bring down the anger of Yahuah Elohim of the universe, and to bring evil upon thee and the whole earth?
59
Now therefore put away this evil deed which thou doest, and serve the Elohim of the universe, as thy nefesh is in his hands, and then it will be well with thee.
60
And if thy wicked heart will not hearken to my words to cause thee to forsake thy evil ways, and to serve the eternal Elohim, then wilt thou die in shame in the latter days, thou, thy people and all who are connected with thee, hearing thy words or walking in thy evil ways.
61
And when Avram had ceased speaking before the king and princes, Avram lifted up his eyes to the heavens, and he said, Yahuah seeth all the wicked, and he will judge them.
Chapter 12 Avram placed in Prison, and is condemned after ten days to be cast into a Fiery Furnace. His Brother Haran being Falsely Accused is condemned to the same Fate. As Haran's heart was not right before Yahuah, he perished, but Avram is Delivered and is brought forth Alive. Is Presented with Many Gifts. The King Dreams of Avram, and again Seeks his Life. Avram flees to the House of Noach
1
And when the king heard the words of Avram he ordered him to be put into prison; and Avram was ten days in prison.
2
And at the end of those days the king ordered that all the kings, princes and governors of different provinces and the sages should come before him, and they sat before him, and Avram was still in the house of confinement.
3
And the king said to the princes and sages, Have you heard what Avram, the son of Terach, has done to his father? Thus has he done to him, and I ordered him to be brought before me, and thus has he spoken; his heart did not misgive him, neither did he stir in my presence, and behold now he is confined in the prison.
4
And therefore decide what judgment is due to this man who reviled the king; who spoke and did all the things that you heard.
5
And they all answered the king saying, The man who revileth the king should be hanged upon a tree; but having done all the things that he said, and having despised our gods, he must therefore be burned to death, for this is the Torah in this matter.
6
If it pleaseth the king to do this, let him order his servants to kindle a fire both night and day in thy brick furnace, and then we will cast this man into it. And the king did so, and he commanded his servants that they should prepare a fire for three days and three nights in the king's furnace, that is in Casdim; and the king ordered them to take Avram from prison and bring him out to be burned.
7
And all the king's servants, princes, lords, governors, and judges, and all the inhabitants of the land, about nine hundred thousand men, stood opposite the furnace to see Avram.
8
And all the women and little ones crowded upon the roofs and towers to see what was doing with Avram, and they all stood together at a distance; and there was not a man left that did not come on that day to behold the scene.
9
And when Avram was come, the conjurors of the king and the sages saw Avram, and they cried out to the king, saying, Our sovereign lord, surely this is the man whom we know to have been the child at whose birth the great star swallowed the four stars, which we declared to the king now fifty years since.
10
And behold now his father has also transgressed thy commands, and mocked thee by bringing thee another child, which thou didst kill.
11
And when the king heard their words, he was exceedingly wroth, and he ordered Terach to be brought before him.
12
And the king said, Hast thou heard what the conjurors have spoken? Now tell me truly, how didst thou; and if thou shalt speak truth thou shalt be acquitted.
13
And seeing that the king's anger was so much kindled, Terach said to the king, My lord and king, thou hast heard the truth, and what the sages have spoken is right. And the king said, How couldst thou do this thing, to transgress my orders and to give me a child that thou didst not beget, and to take value for him?
14
And Terach answered the king, Because my tender feelings were excited for my son, at that time, and I took a son of my handmaid, and I brought him to the king.
15
And the king said Who advised thee to this? Tell me, do not hide aught from me, and then thou shalt not die.
16
And Terach was greatly terrified in the king's presence, and he said to the king, It was Haran my eldest son who advised me to this; and Haran was in those days that Avram was born, two and thirty years old.
17
But Haran did not advise his father to anything, for Terach said this to the king in order to deliver his nefesh from the king, for he feared greatly; and the king said to Terach, Haran thy son who advised thee to this shall die through fire with Avram; for the sentence of death is upon him for having rebelled against the king's desire in doing this thing.
18
And Haran at that time felt inclined to follow the ways of Avram, but he kept it within himself.
19
And Haran said in his heart, Behold now the king has seized Avram on account of these things which Avram did, and it shall come to pass, that if Avram prevail over the king I will follow him, but if the king prevail I will go after the king.
20
And when Terach had spoken this to the king concerning Haran his son, the king ordered Haran to be seized with Avram.
21
And they brought them both, Avram and Haran his brother, to cast them into the fire; and all the inhabitants of the land and the king's servants and princes and all the women and little ones were there, standing that day over them.
22
And the king's servants took Avram and his brother, and they stripped them of all their clothes excepting their lower garments which were upon them.
23
And they bound their hands and feet with linen cords, and the servants of the king lifted them up and cast them both into the furnace.
24
And Yahuah loved Avram and he had compassion over him, and Yahuah came down and delivered Avram from the fire and he was not burned.
25
But all the cords with which they bound him were burned, while Avram remained and walked about in the fire.
26
And Haran died when they had cast him into the fire, and he was burned to ashes, for his heart was not perfect with Yahuah; and those men who cast him into the fire, the flame of the fire spread over them, and they were burned, and twelve men of them died.
27
And Avram walked in the midst of the fire three days and three nights, and all the servants of the king saw him walking in the fire, and they came and told the king, saying, Behold we have seen Avram walking about in the midst of the fire, and even the lower garments which are upon him are not burned, but the cord with which he was bound is burned.
28
And when the king heard their words his heart fainted and he would not believe them; so he sent other faithful princes to see this matter, and they went and saw it and told it to the king; and the king rose to go and see it, and he saw Avram walking to and fro in the midst of the fire, and he saw Haran's body burned, and the king wondered greatly.
29
And the king ordered Avram to be taken out from the fire; and his servants approached to take him out and they could not, for the fire was round about and the flame ascending toward them from the furnace.
30
And the king's servants fled from it, and the king rebuked them, saying, Make haste and bring Avram out of the fire that you shall not die.
31
And the servants of the king again approached to bring Avram out, and the flames came upon them and burned their faces so that eight of them died.
32
And when the king saw that his servants could not approach the fire lest they should be burned, the king called to Avram, O servant of the Elohim who is in heaven, go forth from amidst the fire and come hither before me; and Avram hearkened to the voice of the king, and he went forth from the fire and came and stood before the king.
33
And when Avram came out the king and all his servants saw Avram coming before the king, with his lower garments upon him, for they were not burned, but the cord with which he was bound was burned.
34
And the king said to Avram, How is it that thou wast not burned in the fire?
35
And Avram said to the king, The Elohim of heaven and earth in whom I trust and who has all in his power, he delivered me from the fire into which thou didst cast me.
36
And Haran the brother of Avram was burned to ashes, and they sought for his body, and they found it consumed.
37
And Haran was eighty-two years old when he died in the fire of Casdim. And the king, princes, and inhabitants of the land, seeing that Avram was delivered from the fire, they came and bowed down to Avram.
38
And Avram said to them, Do not bow down to me, but bow down to the Elohim of the world who made you, and serve him, and go in his ways for it is he who delivered me from out of this fire, and it is he who created the nefashot and spirits of all men, and formed man in his mother's womb, and brought him forth into the world, and it is he who will deliver those who trust in him from all pain.
39
And this thing seemed very wonderful in the eyes of the king and princes, that Avram was saved from the fire and that Haran was burned; and the king gave Avram many presents and he gave him his two head servants from the king's house; the name of one was Oni and the name of the other was Eliezer.
40
And all the kings, princes and servants gave Avram many gifts of silver and gold and pearl, and the king and his princes sent him away, and he went in peace.
41
And Avram went forth from the king in peace, and many of the king's servants followed him, and about three hundred men joined him.
42
And Avram returned on that day and went to his father's house, he and the men that followed him, and Avram served Yahuah his Elohim all the days of his life, and he walked in his ways and followed his Torah.
43
And from that day forward Avram inclined the hearts of the sons of men to serve Yahuah.
44
And at that time Nachor and Avram took unto themselves wives, the daughters of their brother Haran; the wife of Nachor was Milca and the name of Avram's wife was Sarai. And Sarai, wife of Avram, was barren; she had no offspring in those days.
45
And at the expiration of two years from Avram's going out of the fire, that is in the fifty- second year of his life, behold king Nimrod sat in Bavel upon the throne, and the king fell asleep and dreamed that he was standing with his troops and hosts in a valley opposite the king's furnace.
46
And he lifted up his eyes and saw a man in the likeness of Avram coming forth from the furnace, and that he came and stood before the king with his drawn sword, and then sprang to the king with his sword, when the king fled from the man, for he was afraid; and while he was running, the man threw an egg upon the king's head, and the egg became a great river.
47
And the king dreamed that all his troops sank in that river and died, and the king took flight with three men who were before him and he escaped.
48
And the king looked at these men and they were clothed in princely dresses as the garments of kings, and had the appearance and majesty of kings.
49
And while they were running, the river again turned to an egg before the king, and there came forth from the egg a young bird which came before the king, and flew at his head and plucked out the king's eye.
50
And the king was grieved at the sight, and he awoke out of his sleep and his spirit was agitated; and he felt a great terror.
51
And in the morning the king rose from his couch in fear, and he ordered all the wise men and magicians to come before him, when the king related his dream to them.
52
And a wise servant of the king, whose name was Anuki, answered the king, saying, This is nothing else but the evil of Avram and his seed which will spring up against my Yahuah and king in the latter days.
53
And behold the day will come when Avram and his seed and the children of his household will war with my king, and they will smite all the king's hosts and his troops.
54
And as to what thou hast said concerning three men which thou didst see like unto thyself, and which did escape, this means that only thou wilt escape with three kings from the kings of the earth who will be with thee in battle.
55
And that which thou sawest of the river which turned to an egg as at first, and the young bird plucking out thine eye, this means nothing else but the seed of Avram which will slay the king in latter days.
56
This is my king's dream, and this is its interpretation, and the dream is true, and the interpretation which thy servant has given thee is right.
57
Now therefore my king, surely thou knowest that it is now fifty-two years since thy sages saw this at the birth of Avram, and if my king will suffer Avram to live in the earth it will be to the injury of my lord and king, for all the days that Avram liveth neither thou nor thy kingdom will be established, for this was known formerly at his birth; and why will not my king slay him, that his evil may be kept from thee in latter days?
58
And Nimrod hearkened to the voice of Anuki, and he sent some of his servants in secret to go and seize Avram, and bring him before the king to suffer death.
59
And Eliezer, Avram's servant whom the king had given him, was at that time in the presence of the king, and he heard what Anuki had advised the king, and what the king had said to cause Avram's death.
60
And Eliezer said to Avram, Hasten, rise up and save thy nefesh, that thou mayest not die through the hands of the king, for thus did he see in a dream concerning thee, and thus did Anuki interpret it, and thus also did Anuki advise the king concerning thee.
61
And Avram hearkened to the voice of Eliezer, and Avram hastened and ran for safety to the house of Noach and his son Shem, and he concealed himself there and found a place of safety; and the king's servants came to Avram's house to seek him, but they could not find him, and they searched through out the country and he was not to be found, and they went and searched in every direction and he was not to be met with.
62
And when the king's servants could not find Avram they returned to the king, but the king's anger against Avram was stilled, as they did not find him, and the king drove from his mind this matter concerning Avram.
63
And Avram was concealed in Noach's house for one month, until the king had forgotten this matter, but Avram was still afraid of the king; and Terach came to see Avram his son secretly in the house of Noach, and Terach was very great in the eyes of the king.
64
And Avram said to his father, Dost thou not know that the king thinketh to slay me, and to annihilate my name from the earth by the advice of his wicked counsellors?
65
Now whom hast thou here and what hast thou in this land? Arise, let us go together to the land of Kena’an, that we may be delivered from his hand, lest thou perish also through him in the latter days.
66
Dost thou not know or hast thou not heard, that it is not through love that Nimrod giveth thee all this honor, but it is only for his benefit that he bestoweth all this good upon thee?
67
And if he do unto thee greater good than this, surely these are only vanities of the world, for wealth and riches cannot avail in the day of wrath and anger.
68
Now therefore hearken to my voice, and let us arise and go to the land of Kena’an, out of the reach of injury from Nimrod; and serve thou Yahuah who created thee in the earth and it will be well with thee; and cast away all the vain things which thou pursuest.
69
And Avram ceased to speak, when Noach and his son Shem answered Terach, saying, True is the word which Avram hath said unto thee.
70
And Terach hearkened to the voice of his son Avram, and Terach did all that Avram said, for this was from Yahuah, that the king should not cause Avram's death.
Chapter 13 On Avram's account Terach and all his House, with Avram, Leave Ur Casdim to go to the Land of Kena’an. They tarry in Haran, where Yahuah Appears to Avram, and upon condition of Faithfulness, Promises many Blessings. Avram, commanded of Yahuah, takes his Wife and all belonging to him and goes to the Land of Kena’an, where Yahuah again appears to him and Promises the Land of Kena’an as an Everlasting Inheritance. After Fifteen Years, Avram returns to Haran to Visit his Father. Teaches many to Walk in the Ways of Yahuah. Again commanded to go to Kena’an, where he Builds an Altar. Yahuah renews his Covenant with him
1
And Terach took his son Avram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-Torah, the wife of his son Avram, and all the nefashot of his household and went with them from Ur Casdim to go to the land of Kena’an. And when they came as far as the land of Haran they remained there, for it was exceedingly good land for pasture, and of sufficient extent for those who accompanied them.
2
And the people of the land of Haran saw that Avram was good and upright with Elohim and men, and that Yahuah his Elohim was with him, and some of the people of the land of Haran came and joined Avram, and he taught them the instruction of Yahuah and his ways; and these men remained with Avram in his house and they adhered to him.
3
And Avram remained in the land three years, and at the expiration of three years Yahuah appeared to Avram and said to him; I am Yahuah who brought thee forth from Ur Casdim, and delivered thee from the hands of all thine enemies.
4
And now therefore if thou wilt hearken to my voice and keep my commandments, my statutes and my Torah, then will I cause thy enemies to fall before thee, and I will multiply thy seed like the stars of heaven, and I will send my blessing upon all the works of thy hands, and thou shalt lack nothing.
5
Arise now, take thy wife and all belonging to thee and go to the land of Kena’an and remain there, and I will there be unto thee for a Elohim, and I will bless thee. And Avram rose and took his wife and all belonging to him, and he went to the land of Kena’an as Yahuah had told him; and Avram was fifty years old when he went from Haran.
6
And Avram came to the land of Kena’an and dwelt in the midst of the city, and he there pitched his tent amongst the children of Kena’an, inhabitants of the land.
7
And Yahuah appeared to Avram when he came to the land of Kena’an, and said to him, This is the land which I gave unto thee and to thy seed after thee forever, and I will make thy seed like the stars of heaven, and I will give unto thy seed for an inheritance all the lands which thou seest.
8
And Avram built an mizbeach (altar) in the place where Elohim had spoken to him, and Avram there called upon the name of Yahuah.
9
At that time, at the end of three years of Avram's dwelling in the land of Kena’an, in that year Noach died, which was the fifty- eighth year of the life of Avram; and all the days that Noach lived were nine hundred and fifty years and he died.
10
And Avram dwelt in the land of Kena’an, he, his wife, and all belonging to him, and all those that accompanied him, together with those that joined him from the people of the land; but Nachor, Avram's brother, and Terach his father, and Lot the son of Haran and all belonging to them dwelt in Haran.
11
In the fifth year of Avram's dwelling in the land of Kena’an the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the cities of the plain revolted from the power of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam; for all the kings of the cities of the plain had served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, and given him a yearly tax, but in those days in the thirteenth year, they rebelled against him.
12
And in the tenth year of Avram's dwelling in the land of Kena’an there was war between Nimrod king of Shinar and Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Nimrod came to fight with Chedorlaomer and to subdue him.
13
For Chedorlaomer was at that time one of the princes of the hosts of Nimrod, and when all the people at the tower were dispersed and those that remained were also scattered upon the face of the earth, Chedorlaomer went to the land of Elam and reigned over it and rebelled against his lord.
14
And in those days when Nimrod saw that the cities of the plain had rebelled, he came with pride and anger to war with Chedorlaomer, and Nimrod assembled all his princes and subjects, about seven hundred thousand men, and went against Chedorlaomer, and Chedorlaomer went out to meet him with five thousand men, and they prepared for battle in the valley of Bavel which is between Elam and Shinar.
15
And all those kings fought there, and Nimrod and his people were smitten before the people of Chedorlaomer, and there fell from Nimrod's men about six hundred thousand, and Mardon the king's son fell amongst them.
16
And Nimrod fled and returned in shame and disgrace to his land, and he was under subjection to Chedorlaomer for a long time, and Chedorlaomer returned to his land and sent princes of his host to the kings that dwelt around him, to Arioch king of Elasar, and to Tidal king of Goyim, and made a Beriyt (covenant) with them, and they were all obedient to his commands.
17
And it was in the fifteenth year of Avram's dwelling in the land of Kena’an, which is the seventieth year of the life of Avram, and Yahuah appeared to Avram in that year and he said to him, I am Yahuah who brought thee out from Ur Casdim to give thee this land for an inheritance.
18
Now therefore walk before me and be perfect and keep my commands, for to thee and to thy seed I will give this land for an inheritance, from the river Mitzraim unto the great river Euphrates.
19
And thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace and in good age, and the fourth generation shall return here in this land and shall inherit it forever; and Avram built an mizbeach, and he called upon the name of Yahuah who appeared to him, and he brought up sacrifices upon the mizbeach to Yahuah.
20
At that time Avram returned and went to Haran to see his father and mother, and his father's household, and Avram and his wife and all belonging to him returned to Haran, and Avram dwelt in Haran five years.
21
And many of the people of Haran, about seventy-two men, followed Avram and Avram taught them the instruction of Yahuah and his ways, and he taught them to know Yahuah.
22
In those days Yahuah appeared to Avram in Haran, and he said to him, Behold, I spoke unto thee these twenty years back saying,
23
Go forth from thy land, from thy birth-place and from thy father's house, to the land which I have shown thee to give it to thee and to thy children, for there in that land will I bless thee, and make thee a great nation, and make thy name great, and in thee shall the families of the earth be blessed.
24
Now therefore arise, go forth from this place, thou, thy wife, and all belonging to thee, also every one born in thy house and all the nefashot thou hast made in Haran, and bring them out with thee from here, and rise to return to the land of Kena’an.
25
And Avram arose and took his wife Sarai and all belonging to him and all that were born to him in his house and the nefashot which they had made in Haran, and they came out to go to the land of Kena’an.
26
And Avram went and returned to the land of Kena’an, according to the word of Yahuah. And Lot the son of his brother Haran went with him, and Avram was seventy-five years old when he went forth from Haran to return to the land of Kena’an.
27
And he came to the land of Kena’an according to the word of Yahuah to Avram, and he pitched his tent and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, and with him was Lot his brother's son, and all belonging to him.
28
And Yahuah again appeared to Avram and said, To thy seed will I give this land; and he there built an mizbeach to Yahuah who appeared to him, which is still to this day in the plains of Mamre.
Chapter 14 Rikayon's cunning Device to make Money of the Egyptians
1
In those days there was in the land of Shinar a wise man who had understanding in all wisdom, and of a beautiful appearance, but he was poor and indigent; his name was Rikayon and he was hard set to support himself.
2
And he resolved to go to Mitzrayim, to Oswiris the son of Anom king of Mitzrayim, to show the king his wisdom; for perhaps he might find grace in his sight, to raise him up and give him maintenance; and Rikayon did so.
3
And when Rikayon came to Mitzrayim he asked the inhabitants of Mitzrayim concerning the king, and the inhabitants of Mitzrayim told him the custom of the king of Mitzrayim, for it was then the custom of the king of Mitzrayim that he went from his royal palace and was seen abroad only one day in the year, and after that the king would return to his palace to remain there.
4
And on the day when the king went forth he passed judgment in the land, and every one having a suit came before the king that day to obtain his request.
5
And when Rikayon heard of the custom in Mitzrayim and that he could not come into the presence of the king, he grieved greatly and was very sorrowful.
6
And in the evening Rikayon went out and found a house in ruins, formerly a bake house in Mitzrayim, and he abode there all night in bitterness of nefesh and pinched with hunger, and sleep was removed from his eyes.
7
And Rikayon considered within himself what he should do in the town until the king made his appearance, and how he might maintain himself there.
8
And he rose in the morning and walked about, and met in his way those who sold vegetables and various sorts of seed with which they supplied the inhabitants.
9
And Rikayon wished to do the same in order to get a maintenance in the city, but he was unacquainted with the custom of the people, and he was like a blind man among them.
10
And he went and obtained vegetables to sell them for his support, and the rabble assembled about him and ridiculed him, and took his vegetables from him and left him nothing.
11
And he rose up from there in bitterness of nefesh, and went sighing to the bake house in which he had remained all the night before, and he slept there the second night.
12
And on that night again he reasoned within himself how he could save himself from starvation, and he devised a scheme how to act.
13
And he rose up in the morning and acted ingeniously, and went and hired thirty strong men of the rabble, carrying their war instruments in their hands, and he led them to the top of the Egyptian sepulchre, and he placed them there.
14
And he commanded them, saying, Thus saith the king, Strengthen yourselves and be valiant men, and let no man be buried here until two hundred pieces of silver be given, and then he may be buried; and those men did according to the order of Rikayon to the people of Mitzrayim the whole of that year.
15
And in eight months time Rikayon and his men gathered great riches of silver and gold, and Rikayon took a great quantity of horses and other animals, and he hired more men, and he gave them horses and they remained with him.
16
And when the year came round, at the time the king went forth into the town, all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim assembled together to speak to him concerning the work of Rikayon and his men.
17
And the king went forth on the appointed day, and all the Egyptians came before him and cried unto him, saying,
18
May the king live forever. What is this thing thou doest in the town to thy servants, not to suffer a dead body to be buried until so much silver and gold be given? Was there ever the like unto this done in the whole earth, from the days of former kings yea even from the days of Adam, unto this day, that the dead should not be buried only for a set price?
19
We know it to be the custom of kings to take a yearly tax from the living, but thou dost not only do this, but from the dead also thou exactest a tax day by day.
20
Now, O king, we can no more bear this, for the whole city is ruined on this account, and dost thou not know it?
21
And when the king heard all that they had spoken he was very wroth, and his anger burned within him at this affair, for he had known nothing of it.
22
And the king said, Who and where is he that dares to do this wicked thing in my land without my command? Surely you will tell me.
23
And they told him all the works of Rikayon and his men, and the king's anger was aroused, and he ordered Rikayon and his men to be brought before him.
24
And Rikayon took about a thousand children, sons and daughters, and clothed them in silk and embroidery, and he set them upon horses and sent them to the king by means of his men, and he also took a great quantity of silver and gold and precious stones, and a strong and beautiful horse, as a present for the king, with which he came before the king and bowed down to the earth before him; and the king, his servants and all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim wondered at the work of Rikayon, and they saw his riches and the present that he had brought to the king.
25
And it greatly pleased the king and he wondered at it; and when Rikayon sat before him the king asked him concerning all his works, and Rikayon spoke all his words wisely before the king, his servants and all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim.
26
And when the king heard the words of Rikayon and his wisdom, Rikayon found grace in his sight, and he met with grace and kindness from all the servants of the king and from all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim, on account of his wisdom and excellent speeches, and from that time they loved him exceedingly.
27
And the king answered and said to Rikayon, Thy name shall no more be called Rikayon but Pharaoh shall be thy name, since thou didst exact a tax from the dead; and he called his name Pharaoh.
28
And the king and his subjects loved Rikayon for his wisdom, and they consulted with all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim to make him prefect under the king.
29
And all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim and its wise men did so, and it was made a Torah in Mitzrayim.
30
And they made Rikayon Pharaoh prefect under Oswiris king of Mitzrayim, and Rikayon Pharaoh governed over Mitzrayim, daily administering justice to the whole city, but Oswiris the king would judge the people of the land one day in the year, when he went out to make his appearance.
31
And Rikayon Pharaoh cunningly usurped the government of Mitzrayim, and he exacted a tax from all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim.
32
And all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim greatly loved Rikayon Pharaoh, and they made a decree to call every king that should reign over them and their seed in Mitzrayim, Pharaoh.
33
Therefore all the kings that reigned in Mitzrayim from that time forward were called Pharaoh unto this day.
Chapter 15 On Account of Famine in Kena’an, Avram goes to Mitzrayim. Tells the People that Sarah is his Sister, on account of her Beauty. Pharaoh Desires to take her, but is Prevented by an Angel of Yahuah. The Truth is made known, and Sarah is Restored to Avram, with many Presents. Avram returns to his Home. Trouble between Lot and Avram on account of Lot's cattle. Lot Removes to Sodom
1
And in that year there was a heavy famine throughout the land of Kena’an, and the inhabitants of the land could not remain on account of the famine for it was very grievous.
2
And Avram and all belonging to him rose and went down to Mitzrayim on account of the famine, and when they were at the brook Mitzraim they remained there some time to rest from the fatigue of the road.
3
And Avram and Sarai were walking at the border of the brook Mitzraim, and Avram beheld his wife Sarai that she was very beautiful.
4
And Avram said to his wife Sarai, Since Elohim has created thee with such a beautiful countenance, I am afraid of the Egyptians lest they should slay me and take thee away, for the fear of Elohim is not in these places.
5
Surely then thou shalt do this, Say thou art my sister to all that may ask thee, in order that it may be well with me, and that we may live and not be put to death.
6
And Avram commanded the same to all those that came with him to Mitzrayim on account of the famine; also his nephew Lot he commanded, saying, If the Egyptians ask thee concerning Sarai say she is the sister of Avram.
7
And yet with all these orders Avram did not put confidence in them, but he took Sarai and placed her in a chest and concealed it amongst their vessels, for Avram was greatly concerned about Sarai on account of the wickedness of the Egyptians.
8
And Avram and all belonging to him rose up from the brook Mitzraim and came to Mitzrayim; and they had scarcely entered the gates of the city when the guards stood up to them saying, Give tithe to the king from what you have, and then you may come into the town; and Avram and those that were with him did so.
9
And Avram with the people that were with him came to Mitzrayim, and when they came they brought the chest in which Sarai was concealed and the Egyptians saw the chest.
10
And the king's servants approached Avram, saying, What hast thou here in this chest which we have not seen? Now open thou the chest and give tithe to the king of all that it contains.
11
And Avram said, This chest I will not open, but all you demand upon it I will give. And Pharaoh's officers answered Avram, saying, It is a chest of precious stones, give us the tenth thereof.
12
Avram said, All that you desire I will give, but you must not open the chest.
13
And the king's officers pressed Avram, and they reached the chest and opened it with force, and they saw, and behold a beautiful woman was in the chest.
14
And when the officers of the king beheld Sarai they were struck with admiration at her beauty, and all the princes and servants of Pharaoh assembled to see Sarai, for she was very beautiful. And the king's officers ran and told Pharaoh all that they had seen, and they praised Sarai to the king; and Pharaoh ordered her to be brought, and the woman came before the king.
15
And Pharaoh beheld Sarai and she pleased him exceedingly, and he was struck with her beauty, and the king rejoiced greatly on her account, and made presents to those who brought him the tidings concerning her.
16
And the woman was then brought to Pharaoh's house, and Avram grieved on account of his wife, and he prayed to Yahuah to deliver her from the hands of Pharaoh.
17
And Sarai also prayed at that time and said, O Yahuah Elohim thou didst tell my Yahuah Avram to go from his land and from his father's house to the land of Kena’an, and thou didst promise to do well with him if he would perform thy commands; now behold we have done that which thou didst command us, and we left our land and our families, and we went to a strange land and to a people whom we have not known before.
18
And we came to this land to avoid the famine, and this evil accident has befallen me; now therefore, O Yahuah Elohim, deliver us and save us from the hand of this oppressor, and do well with me for the sake of thy mercy.
19
And Yahuah hearkened to the voice of Sarai, and Yahuah sent an angel to deliver Sarai from the power of Pharaoh.
20
And the king came and sat before Sarai and behold an angel of Yahuah was standing over them, and he appeared to Sarai and said to her, Do not fear, for Yahuah has heard thy prayer.
21
And the king approached Sarai and said to her, What is that man to thee who brought thee hither? and she said, He is my brother.
22
And the king said, It is incumbent upon us to make him great, to elevate him and to do unto him all the good which thou shalt command us; and at that time the king sent to Avram silver and gold and precious stones in abundance, together with cattle, men servants and maid servants; and the king ordered Avram to be brought, and he sat in the court of the king's house, and the king greatly exalted Avram on that night.
23
And the king approached to speak to Sarai, and he reached out his hand to touch her, when the angel smote him heavily, and he was terrified and he refrained from reaching to her.
24
And when the king came near to Sarai, the angel smote him to the ground, and acted thus to him the whole night, and the king was terrified.
25
And the angel on that night smote heavily all the servants of the king, and his whole household, on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation that night amongst the people of Pharaoh's house.
26
And Pharaoh, seeing the evil that befell him, said, Surely on account of this woman has this thing happened to me, and he removed himself at some distance from her and spoke pleasing words to her.
27
And the king said to Sarai, Tell me I pray thee concerning the man with whom thou camest here; and Sarai said, This man is my husband, and I said to thee that he was my brother for I was afraid, lest thou shouldst put him to death through wickedness.
28
And the king kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the angel of Yahuah ceased from him and his household; and Pharaoh knew that he was smitten on account of Sarai, and the king was greatly astonished at this.
29
And in the morning the king called for Avram and said to him, What is this thou hast done to me? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, owing to which I took her unto me for a wife, and this heavy plague has therefore come upon me and my household.
30
Now therefore here is thy wife, take her and go from our land lest we all die on her account. And Pharaoh took more cattle, men servants and maid servants, and silver and gold, to give to Avram, and he returned unto him Sarai his wife.
31
And the king took a maiden whom he begat by his concubines, and he gave her to Sarai for a handmaid.
32
And the king said to his daughter, It is better for thee my daughter to be a handmaid in this man's house than to be mistress in my house, after we have beheld the evil that befell us on account of this woman.
33
And Avram arose, and he and all belonging to him went away from Mitzrayim; and Pharaoh ordered some of his men to accompany him and all that went with him.
34
And Avram returned to the land of Kena’an, to the place where he had made the mizbeach, where he at first had pitched his tent.
35
And Lot the son of Haran, Avram's brother, had a heavy stock of cattle, flocks and herds and tents, for Yahuah was bountiful to them on account of Avram.
36
And when Avram was dwelling in the land the herdsmen of Lot quarrelled with the herdsmen of Avram, for their property was too great for them to remain together in the land, and the land could not bear them on account of their cattle.
37
And when Avram's herdsmen went to feed their flock they would not go into the fields of the people of the land, but the cattle of Lot's herdsmen did otherwise, for they were suffered to feed in the fields of the people of the land.
38
And the people of the land saw this occurrence daily, and they came to Avram and quarrelled with him on account of Lot's herdsmen.
39
And Avram said to Lot, What is this thou art doing to me, to make me despicable to the inhabitants of the land, that thou orderest thy herdsman to feed thy cattle in the fields of other people? Dost thou not know that I am a stranger in this land amongst the children of Kena’an, and why wilt thou do this unto me?
40
And Avram quarrelled daily with Lot on account of this, but Lot would not listen to Avram, and he continued to do the same and the inhabitants of the land came and told Avram.
41
And Avram said unto Lot, How long wilt thou be to me for a stumbling block with the inhabitants of the land? Now I beseech thee let there be no more quarrelling between us, for we are kinsmen.
42
But I pray thee separate from me, go and choose a place where thou mayest dwell with thy cattle and all belonging to thee, but Keep thyself at a distance from me, thou and thy household.
43
And be not afraid in going from me, for if any one do an injury to thee, let me know and I will avenge thy cause from him, only remove from me.
44
And when Avram had spoken all these words to Lot, then Lot arose and lifted up his eyes toward the plain of Jordan.
45
And he saw that the whole of this place was well watered, and good for man as well as affording pasture for the cattle.
46
And Lot went from Avram to that place, and he there pitched his tent and he dwelt in Sodom, and they were separated from each other.
47
And Avram dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and he pitched his tent there, and Avram remained in that place many years.
Chapter 16 Four Kings with Eight Hundred Thousand Men War against Sodom and the Cities of the Plain, and destroy and plunder their people. Avram, Hearing that Lot is taken captive, gathers together about Three Hundred Men and Pursues the Kings, retakes the captives, and smites the whole Army of the confederate Rings. On his Return, Avram meets Adonizedek, King of Jerusalem, the same was Shem. Avram gives Tithing of all he had taken to Adonizedek, and is Blessed of Him. Avram Restores to every Man his property which he had retaken in the War, and returns to Hebron. Yahuah again appears to Avram and promises to bless him with a Numberless Posterity. Sarah being childless gives Hagar to Avram for a Wife, and becoming jealous of her, afflicts her. An Angel comforts Hagar. Yishmael is Born
1
At that time Chedorlaomer king of Elam sent to all the neighboring kings, to Nimrod, king of Shinar who was then under his power, and to Tidal, king of Goyim, and to Arioch, king of Elasar, with whom he made a Beriyt, saying, Come up to me and assist me, that we may smite all the towns of Sodom and its inhabitants, for they have rebelled against me these thirteen years.
2
And these four kings went up with all their camps, about eight hundred thousand men, and they went as they were, and smote every man they found in their road.
3
And the five kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, Bera king of Sodom, Bersha king of Gomorrah, and Bela king of Zoar, went out to meet them, and they all joined together in the valley of Siddim.
4
And these nine kings made war in the valley of Siddim; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were smitten before the kings of Elam.
5
And the valley of Siddim was full of lime pits and the kings of Elam pursued the kings of Sodom, and the kings of Sodom with their camps fled and fell into the lime pits, and all that remained went to the mountain for safety, and the five kings of Elam came after them and pursued them to the gates of Sodom, and they took all that there was in Sodom.
6
And they plundered all the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they also took Lot, Avram's brother's son, and his property, and they seized all the goods of the cities of Sodom, and they went away; and Unic, Avram's servant, who was in the battle, saw this, and told Avram all that the kings had done to the cities of Sodom, and that Lot was taken captive by them.
7
And Avram heard this, and he rose up with about three hundred and eighteen men that were with him, and he that night pursued these kings and smote them, and they all fell before Avram and his men, and there was none remaining but the four kings who fled, and they went each his own road.
8
And Avram recovered all the property of Sodom, and he also recovered Lot and his property, his wives and little ones and all belonging to him, so that Lot lacked nothing.
9
And when he returned from smiting these kings, he and his men passed the valley of Siddim where the kings had made war together.
10
And Bera king of Sodom, and the rest of his men that were with him, went out from the lime pits into which they had fallen, to meet Avram and his men.
11
And Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, the same was Shem, went out with his men to meet Avram and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained together in the valley of Melech.
12
And Adonizedek blessed Avram, and Avram gave him a tenth from all that he had brought from the spoil of his enemies, for Adonizedek was a priest before Elohim.
13
And all the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah who were there, with their servants, approached Avram and begged of him to return them their servants whom he had made captive, and to take unto himself all the property.
14
And Avram answered the kings of Sodom, saying, As Yahuah liveth who created heaven and earth, and who redeemed my nefesh from all affliction, and who delivered me this day from my enemies, and gave them into my hand, I will not take anything belonging to you, that you may not boast tomorrow, saying, Avram became rich from our property that he saved.
15
For Yahuah my Elohim in whom I trust said unto me, Thou shalt lack nothing, for I will bless thee in all the works of thy hands.
16
And now therefore behold, here is all belonging to you, take it and go; as Yahuah liveth I will not take from you from a living nefesh down to a shoetie or thread, excepting the expense of the food of those who went out with me to battle, as also the portions of the men who went with me, Anar, Ashcol, and Mamre, they and their men, as well as those also who had remained to watch the baggage, they shall take their portion of the spoil.
17
And the kings of Sodom gave Avram according to all that he had said, and they pressed him to take of whatever he chose, but he would not.
18
And he sent away the kings of Sodom and the remainder of their men, and he gave them orders about Lot, and they went to their respective places.
19
And Lot, his brother's son, he also sent away with his property, and he went with them, and Lot returned to his home, to Sodom, and Avram and his people returned to their home to the plains of Mamre, which is in Hebron.
20
At that time Yahuah again appeared to Avram in Hebron, and he said to him, Do not fear, thy reward is very great before me, for I will not leave thee, until I shall have multiplied thee, and blessed thee and made thy seed like the stars in heaven, which cannot be measured nor numbered.
21
And I will give unto thy seed all these lands that thou seest with thine eyes, to them will I give them for an inheritance forever, only be strong and do not fear, walk before me and be perfect.
22
And in the seventy-eighth year of the life of Avram, in that year died Reu, the son of Peleg, and all the days of Reu were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.
23
And Sarai, the daughter of Haran, Avram's wife, was still barren in those days; she did not bear to Avram either son or daughter.
24
And when she saw that she bare no children she took her handmaid Hagar, whom Pharaoh had given her, and she gave her to Avram her husband for a wife.
25
For Hagar learned all the ways of Sarai as Sarai taught her, she was not in any way deficient in following her good ways.
26
And Sarai said to Avram, Behold here is my handmaid Hagar, go to her that she may bring forth upon my knees, that I may also obtain children through her.
27
And at the end of ten years of Avram's dwelling in the land of Kena’an, which is the eighty-fifth year of Avram's life, Sarai gave Hagar unto him.
28
And Avram hearkened to the voice of his wife Sarai, and he took his handmaid Hagar and Avram came to her and she conceived.
29
And when Hagar saw that she had conceived she rejoiced greatly, and her mistress was despised in her eyes, and she said within herself, This can only be that I am better before Elohim than Sarai my mistress, for all the days that my mistress has been with my lord, she did not conceive, but me Yahuah has caused in so short a time to conceive by him.
30
And when Sarai saw that Hagar had conceived by Avram, Sarai was jealous of her handmaid, and Sarai said within herself, This is surely nothing else but that she must be better than I am.
31
And Sarai said unto Avram, My wrong be upon thee, for at the time when thou didst pray before Yahuah for children why didst thou not pray on my account, that Yahuah should give me seed from thee?
32
And when I speak to Hagar in thy presence, she despiseth my words, because she has conceived, and thou wilt say nothing to her; may Yahuah judge between me and thee for what thou hast done to me.
33
And Avram said to Sarai, Behold thy handmaid is in thy hand, do unto her as it may seem good in thy eyes; and Sarai afflicted her, and Hagar fled from her to the wilderness.
34
And an angel of Yahuah found her in the place where she had fled, by a well, and he said to her, Do not fear, for I will multiply thy seed, for thou shalt bear a son and thou shalt call his name Yishmael; now then return to Sarai thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
35
And Hagar called the place of that well Beer- lahai-roi, it is between Kadesh and the wilderness of Bered.
36
And Hagar at that time returned to her master's house, and at the end of days Hagar bare a son to Avram, and Avram called his name Yishmael; and Avram was eighty-six years old when he begat him.
Chapter 17 Yahuah Appears to Avram and Establishes the Covenant of Circumcision, and calls his name Avraham, and Sarai, He calls Sarah
1
And in those days, in the ninety-first year of the life of Avram, the children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal, for when Yahuah had scattered the sons of men upon the face of the earth, the children of Chittim went and embodied themselves in the plain of Canopia, and they built themselves cities there and dwelt by the river Tibreu.
2
And the children of Tubal dwelt in Tuscanah, and their boundaries reached the river Tibreu, and the children of Tubal built a city in Tuscanan, and they called the name Sabinah, after the name of Sabinah son of Tubal their father, and they dwelt there unto this day.
3
And it was at that time the children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal, and the children of Tubal were smitten before the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim caused three hundred and seventy men to fall from the children of Tubal.
4
And at that time the children of Tubal swore to the children of Chittim, saying, You shall not intermarry amongst us, and no man shall give his daughter to any of the sons of Chittim.
5
For all the daughters of Tubal were in those days fair, for no women were then found in the whole earth so fair as the daughters of Tubal.
6
And all who delighted in the beauty of women went to the daughters of Tubal and took wives from them, and the sons of men, kings and princes, who greatly delighted in the beauty of women, took wives in those days from the daughters of Tubal.
7
And at the end of three years after the children of Tubal had sworn to the children of Chittim not to give them their daughters for wives, about twenty men of the children of Chittim went to take some of the daughters of Tubal, but they found none.
8
For the children of Tubal kept their oaths not to intermarry with them, and they would not break their oaths.
9
And in the days of harvest the children of Tubal went into their fields to get in their harvest, when the young men of Chittim assembled and went to the city of Sabinah, and each man took a young woman from the daughters of Tubal, and they came to their cities.
10
And the children of Tubal heard of it and they went to make war with them, and they could not prevail over them, for the mountain was exceedingly high from them, and when they saw they could not prevail over them they returned to their land.
11
And at the revolution of the year the children of Tubal went and hired about ten thousand men from those cities that were near them, and they went to war with the children of Chittim.
12
And the children of Tubal went to war with the children of Chittim, to destroy their land and to distress them, and in this engagement the children of Tubal prevailed over the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim, seeing that they were greatly distressed, lifted up the children which they had had by the daughters of Tubal, upon the wall which had been built, to be before the eyes of the children of Tubal.
13
And the children of Chittim said to them, Have you come to make war with your own sons and daughters, and have we not been considered your flesh and bones from that time till now?
14
And when the children of Tubal heard this they ceased to make war with the children of Chittim, and they went away.
15
And they returned to their cities, and the children of Chittim at that time assembled and built two cities by the sea, and they called one Purtu and the other Ariza.
16
And Avram the son of Terach was then ninety-nine years old.
17
At that time Yahuah appeared to him and he said to him, I will make my Beriyt between me and thee, and I will greatly multiply thy seed, and this is the Beriyt which I make between me and thee, that every male child be circumcised, thou and thy seed after thee.
18
At eight days old shall it be circumcised, and this Beriyt shall be in your flesh for an everlasting Beriyt.
19
And now therefore thy name shall no more be called Avram but Avraham, and thy wife shall no more be called Sarai but Sarah.
20
For I will bless you both, and I will multiply your seed after you that you shall become a great nation, and kings shall come forth from you.
Chapter 18 Avraham Entertains Three Angels, who eat with him. Sarah is promised a Son. The People of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of all the Cities of the Plain become very Wicked
1
And Avraham rose and did all that Elohim had ordered him, and he took the men of his household and those bought with his money, and he circumcised them as Yahuah had commanded him.
2
And there was not one left whom he did not circumcise, and Avraham and his son Yishmael were circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin; thirteen years old was Yishmael when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
3
And in the third day Avraham went out of his tent and sat at the door to enjoy the heat of the sun, during the pain of his flesh.
4
And Yahuah appeared to him in the plain of Mamre, and sent three of his ministering angels to visit him, and he was sitting at the door of the tent, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and lo three men were coming from a distance, and he rose up and ran to meet them, and he bowed down to them and brought them into his house.
5
And he said to them, If now I have found favor in your sight, turn in and eat a morsel of bread; and he pressed them, and they turned in and he gave them water and they washed their feet, and he placed them under a tree at the door of the tent.
6
And Avraham ran and took a calf, tender and good, and he hastened to kill it, and gave it to his servant Eliezer to dress.
7
And Avraham came to Sarah into the tent, and he said to her, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes to cover the pot containing the meat, and she did so.
8
And Avraham hastened and brought before them butter and milk, beef and mutton, and gave it before them to eat before the flesh of the calf was sufficiently done, and they did eat.
9
And when they had done eating one of them said to him, I will return to thee according to the time of life, and Sarah thy wife shall have a son.
10
And the men afterward departed and went their ways, to the places to which they were sent.
11
In those days all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the whole five cities, were exceedingly wicked and sinful against Yahuah and they provoked Yahuah with their abominations, and they strengthened in aging abominably and scornfully before Yahuah, and their wickedness and crimes were in those days great before Yahuah.
12
And they had in their land a very extensive valley, about half a day's walk, and in it there were fountains of water and a great deal of herbage surrounding the water.
13
And all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah went there four times in the year, with their wives and children and all belonging to them, and they rejoiced there with timbrels and dances.
14
And in the time of rejoicing they would all rise and lay hold of their neighbor's wives, and some, the virgin daughters of their neighbors, and they enjoyed them, and each man saw his wife and daughter in the hands of his neighbor and did not say a word.
15
And they did so from morning to night, and they afterward returned home each man to his house and each woman to her tent; so they always did four times in the year.
16
Also when a stranger came into their cities and brought goods which he had purchased with a view to dispose of there, the people of these cities would assemble, men, women and children, young and old, and go to the man and take his goods by force, giving a little to each man until there was an end to all the goods of the owner which he had brought into the land.
17
And if the owner of the goods quarreled with them, saying, What is this work which you have done to me, then they would approach to him one by one, and each would show him the little which he took and taunt him, saying, I only took that little which thou didst give me; and when he heard this from them all, he would arise and go from them in sorrow and bitterness of nefesh, when they would all arise and go after him, and drive him out of the city with great noise and tumult.
18
And there was a man from the country of Elam who was leisurely going on the road, seated upon his ass, which carried a fine mantle of divers colors, and the mantle was bound with a cord upon the ass.
19
And the man was on his journey passing through the street of Sodom when the sun set in the evening, and he remained there in order to abide during the night, but no one would let him into his house; and at that time there was in Sodom a wicked and mischievous man, one skillful to do evil, and his name was Hedad.
20
And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the street of the city, and he came to him and said, Whence comest thou and whither dost thou go?
21
And the man said to him, I am traveling from Hebron to Elam where I belong, and as I passed the sun set and no one would suffer me to enter his house, though I had bread and water and also straw and provender for my ass, and am short of nothing.
22
And Hedad answered and said to him, All that thou shalt want shall be supplied by me, but in the street thou shalt not abide all night.
23
And Hedad brought him to his house, and he took off the mantle from the ass with the cord, and brought them to his house, and he gave the ass straw and provender whilst the traveler ate and drank in Hedad's house, and he abode there that night.
24
And in the morning the traveler rose up early to continue his journey, when Hedad said to him, Wait, comfort thy heart with a morsel of bread and then go, and the man did so; and he remained with him, and they both ate and drank together during the day, when the man rose up to go.
25
And Hedad said to him, Behold now the day is declining, thou hadst better remain all night that thy heart may be comforted; and he pressed him so that he tarried there all night, and on the second day he rose up early to go away, when Hedad pressed him, saying, Comfort thy heart with a morsel of bread and then go, and he remained and ate with him also the second day, and then the man rose up to continue his journey.
26
And Hedad said to him, Behold now the day is declining, remain with me to comfort thy heart and in the morning rise up early and go thy way.
27
And the man would not remain, but rose and saddled his ass, and whilst he was saddling his ass the wife of Hedad said to her husband, Behold this man has remained with us for two days eating and drinking and he has given us nothing, and now shall he go away from us without giving anything? and Hedad said to her, Be silent.
28
And the man saddled his ass to go, and he asked Hedad to give him the cord and mantle to tie it upon the ass.
29
And Hedad said to him, What sayest thou? And he said to him, That thou my lord shalt give me the cord and the mantle made with divers colors which thou didst conceal with thee in thy house to take care of it.
30
And Hedad answered the man, saying, This is the interpretation of thy dream, the cord which thou didst see, means that thy life will be lengthened out like a cord, and having seen the mantle colored with all sorts of colors, means that thou shalt have a vineyard in which thou wilt plant trees of all fruits.
31
And the traveler answered, saying, Not so my lord, for I was awake when I gave thee the cord and also a mantle woven with different colors, which thou didst take off the ass to put them by for me; and Hedad answered and said, Surely I have told thee the interpretation of thy dream and it is a good dream, and this is the interpretation thereof.
32
Now the sons of men give me four pieces of silver, which is my charge for interpreting dreams, and of thee only I require three pieces of silver.
33
And the man was provoked at the words of Hedad, and he cried bitterly, and he brought Hedad to Serak judge of Sodom.
34
And the man laid his cause before Serak the judge, when Hedad replied, saying, It is not so, but thus the matter stands; and the judge said to the traveler, This man Hedad telleth thee truth, for he is famed in the cities for the accurate interpretation of dreams.
35
And the man cried at the word of the judge, and he said, Not so my Yahuah, for it was in the day that I gave him the cord and mantle which was upon the ass, in order to put them by in his house; and they both disputed before the judge, the one saying, Thus the matter was, and the other declaring otherwise.
36
And Hedad said to the man, Give me four pieces of silver that I charge for my interpretations of dreams; I will not make any allowance; and give me the expense of the four meals that thou didst eat in my house.
37
And the man said to Hedad, Truly I will pay thee for what I ate in thy house, only give me the cord and mantle which thou didst conceal in thy house.
38
And Hedad replied before the judge and said to the man, Did I not tell thee the interpretation of thy dream? the cord means that thy days shall be prolonged like a cord, and the mantle, that thou wilt have a vineyard in which thou wilt plant all kinds of fruit trees.
39
This is the proper interpretation of thy dream, now give me the four pieces of silver that I require as a compensation, for I will make thee no allowance.
40
And the man cried at the words of Hedad and they both quarreled before the judge, and the judge gave orders to his servants, who drove them rashly from the house.
41
And they went away quarreling from the judge, when the people of Sodom heard them, and they gathered about them and they exclaimed against the stranger, and they drove him rashly from the city.
42
And the man continued his journey upon his ass with bitterness of nefesh, lamenting and weeping.
43
And whilst he was going along he wept at what had happened to him in the corrupt city of Sodom.
Chapter 19 The Abominations of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Two Angels sent to Save Lot. The Cities of the Plain and all their Inhabitants Destroyed by Fire
1
And the cities of Sodom had four judges to four cities, and these were their names, Serak in the city of Sodom, Sharkad in Gomorrah, Zabnac in Admah, and Menon in Zeboyim.
2
And Eliezer Avraham's servant applied to them different names, and he converted Serak to Shakra, Sharkad to Shakrura, Zebnac to Kezobim, and Menon to Matzlodin.
3
And by desire of their four judges the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had beds erected in the streets of the cities, and if a man came to these places they laid hold of him and brought him to one of their beds, and by force made him to lie in them.
4
And as he lay down, three men would stand at his head and three at his feet, and measure him by the length of the bed, and if the man was less than the bed these six men would stretch him at each end, and when he cried out to them they would not answer him.
5
And if he was longer than the bed they would draw together the two sides of the bed at each end, until the man had reached the gates of death.
6
And if he continued to cry out to them, they would answer him, saying, Thus shall it be done to a man that cometh into our land.
7
And when men heard all these things that the people of the cities of Sodom did, they refrained from coming there.
8
And when a poor man came to their land they would give him silver and gold, and cause a proclamation in the whole city not to give him a morsel of bread to eat, and if the stranger should remain there some days, and die from hunger, not having been able to obtain a morsel of bread, then at his death all the people of the city would come and take their silver and gold which they had given to him.
9
And those that could recognize the silver or gold which they had given him took it back, and at his death they also stripped him of his garments, and they would fight about them, and he that prevailed over his neighbor took them.
10
They would after that carry him and bury him under some of the shrubs in the deserts; so they did all the days to any one that came to them and died in their land.
11
And in the course of time Sarah sent Eliezer to Sodom, to see Lot and inquire after his welfare.
12
And Eliezer went to Sodom, and he met a man of Sodom fighting with a stranger, and the man of Sodom stripped the poor man of all his clothes and went away.
13
And this poor man cried to Eliezer and supplicated his favor on account of what the man of Sodom had done to him.
14
And he said to him, Why dost thou act thus to the poor man who came to thy land?
15
And the man of Sodom answered Eliezer, saying, Is this man thy brother, or have the people of Sodom made thee a judge this day, that thou speakest about this man?
16
And Eliezer strove with the man of Sodom on account of the poor man, and when Eliezer approached to recover the poor man's clothes from the man of Sodom, he hastened and with a stone smote Eliezer in the forehead.
17
And the blood flowed copiously from Eliezer's forehead, and when the man saw the blood he caught hold of Eliezer, saying, Give me my hire for having rid thee of this bad blood that was in thy forehead, for such is the custom and the Torah in our land.
18
And Eliezer said to him, Thou hast wounded me and requirest me to pay thee thy hire; and Eliezer would not hearken to the words of the man of Sodom.
19
And the man laid hold of Eliezer and brought him to Shakra the judge of Sodom for judgment.
20
And the man spoke to the judge, saying, I beseech thee my lord, thus has this man done, for I smote him with a stone that the blood flowed from his forehead, and he is unwilling to give me my hire.
21
And the judge said to Eliezer, This man speaketh truth to thee, give him his hire, for this is the custom in our land; and Eliezer heard the words of the judge, and he lifted up a stone and smote the judge, and the stone struck on his forehead, and the blood flowed copiously from the forehead of the judge, and Eliezer said, If this then is the custom in your land give thou unto this man what I should have given him, for this has been thy decision, thou didst decree it.
22
And Eliezer left the man of Sodom with the judge, and he went away.
23
And when the kings of Elam had made war with the kings of Sodom, the kings of Elam captured all the property of Sodom, and they took Lot captive, with his property, and when it was told to Avraham he went and made war with the kings of Elam, and he recovered from their hands all the property of Lot as well as the property of Sodom.
24
At that time the wife of Lot bare him a daughter, and he called her name Paltith, saying, Because Elohim had delivered him and his whole household from the kings of Elam; and Paltith daughter of Lot grew up, and one of the men of Sodom took her for a wife.
25
And a poor man came into the city to seek a maintenance, and he remained in the city some days, and all the people of Sodom caused a proclamation of their custom not to give this man a morsel of bread to eat, until he dropped dead upon the earth, and they did so.
26
And Paltith the daughter of Lot saw this man lying in the streets starved with hunger, and no one would give him any thing to keep him alive, and he was just upon the point of death.
27
And her nefesh was filled with pity on account of the man, and she fed him secretly with bread for many days, and the nefesh of this man was revived.
28
For when she went forth to fetch water she would put the bread in the water pitcher, and when she came to the place where the poor man was, she took the bread from the pitcher and gave it him to eat; so she did many days.
29
And all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah wondered how this man could bear starvation for so many days.
30
And they said to each other, This can only be that he eats and drinks, for no man can bear starvation for so many days or live as this man has, without even his countenance changing; and three men concealed themselves in a place where the poor man was stationed, to know who it was that brought him bread to eat.
31
And Paltith daughter of Lot went forth that day to fetch water, and she put bread into her pitcher of water, and she went to draw water by the poor man's place, and she took out the bread from the pitcher and gave it to the poor man and he ate it.
32
And the three men saw what Paltith did to the poor man, and they said to her, It is thou then who hast supported him, and therefore has he not starved, nor changed in appearance nor died like the rest.
33
And the three men went out of the place in which they were concealed, and they seized Paltith and the bread which was in the poor man's hand.
34
And they took Paltith and brought her before their judges, and they said to them, Thus did she do, and it is she who supplied the poor man with bread, therefore did he not die all this time; now therefore declare to us the punishment due to this woman for having transgressed our Torah.
35
And the people of Sodom and Gomorrah assembled and kindled a fire in the street of the city, and they took the woman and cast her into the fire and she was burned to ashes.
36
And in the city of Admah there was a woman to whom they did the like.
37
For a traveler came into the city of Admah to abide there all night, with the intention of going home in the morning, and he sat opposite the door of the house of the young woman's father, to remain there, as the sun had set when be had reached that place; and the young woman saw him sitting by the door of the house.
38
And he asked her for a drink of water and she said to him, Who art thou? and he said to her, I was this day going on the road, and reached here when the sun set, so I will abide here all night, and in the morning I will arise early and continue my journey.
39
And the young woman went into the house and fetched the man bread and water to eat and drink.
40
And this affair became known to the people of Admah, and they assembled and brought the young woman before the judges, that they should judge her for this act.
41
And the judge said, The judgment of death must pass upon this woman because she transgressed our Torah, and this therefore is the decision concerning her.
42
And the people of those cities assembled and brought out the young woman, and anointed her with honey from head to foot, as the judge had decreed, and they placed her before a swarm of bees which were then in their hives, and the bees flew upon her and stung her that her whole body was swelled.
43
And the young woman cried out on account of the bees, but no one took notice of her or pitied her, and her cries ascended to heaven.
44
And Yahuah was provoked at this and at all the works of the cities of Sodom, for they had abundance of food, and had tranquility amongst them, and still would not sustain the poor and the needy, and in those days their evil doings and sins became great before Yahuah.
45
And Yahuah sent for two of the angels that had come to Avraham's house, to destroy Sodom and its cities.
46
And the angels rose up from the door of Avraham's tent, after they had eaten and drunk, and they reached Sodom in the evening, and Lot was then sitting in the gate of Sodom, and when he saw them he rose to meet them, and he bowed down to the ground.
47
And he pressed them greatly and brought them into his house, and he gave them victuals which they ate, and they abode all night in his house.
48
And the angels said to Lot, Arise, go forth from this place, thou and all belonging to thee, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of this city, for Yahuah will destroy this place.
49
And the angels laid hold upon the hand of Lot and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hands of his children, and all belonging to him, and they brought him forth and set him without the cities.
50
And they said to Lot, Escape for thy life, and he fled and all belonging to him.
51
Then Yahuah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah and upon all these cities brimstone and fire from Yahuah out of heaven.
52
And he overthrew these cities, all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground; and Ado the wife of Lot looked back to see the destruction of the cities, for her compassion was moved on account of her daughters who remained in Sodom, for they did not go with her.
53
And when she looked back she became a pillar of salt, and it is yet in that place unto this day.
54
And the oxen which stood in that place daily licked up the salt to the extremities of their feet, and in the morning it would spring forth afresh, and they again licked it up unto this day.
55
And Lot and two of his daughters that remained with him fled and escaped to the cave of Adullam, and they remained there for some time.
56
And Avraham rose up early in the morning to see what had been done to the cities of Sodom; and he looked and beheld the smoke of the cities going up like the smoke of a furnace.
57
And Lot and his two daughters remained in the cave, and they made their father drink wine, and they lay with him, for they said there was no man upon earth that could raise up seed from them, for they thought that the whole earth was destroyed.
58
And they both lay with their father, and they conceived and bare sons, and the first born called the name of her son Moab, saying, From my father did I conceive him; he is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
59
And the younger also called her son Benami; he is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
60
And after this Lot and his two daughters went away from there, and he dwelt on the other side of the Jordan with his two daughters and their sons, and the sons of Lot grew up, and they went and took themselves wives from the land of Kena’an, and they begat children and they were fruitful and multiplied.
Chapter 20 Avraham goes to the land of the Philistines, and again tells the People that Sarah is his Sister. Abimelech the King desires her for a Wife. An Angel warns him, and commands him to return her to her Husband. The whole land afflicted on account of the matter. Sarah Restored to Avraham, who entreats Yahuah to heal the People of Abimelech
1
And at that time Avraham journeyed from the plain of Mamre, and he went to the land of the Philistines, and he dwelt in Gerar; it was in the twenty-fifth year of Avraham's being in the land of Kena’an, and the hundredth year of the life of Avraham, that he came to Gerar in the land of the Philistines.
2
And when they entered the land he said to Sarah his wife, Say thou art my sister, to any one that shall ask thee, in order that we may escape the evil of the inhabitants of the land.
3
And as Avraham was dwelling in the land of the Philistines, the servants of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, saw that Sarah was exceedingly beautiful, and they asked Avraham concerning her, and he said, She is my sister.
4
And the servants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying, A man from the land of Kena’an is come to dwell in the land, and he has a sister that is exceeding fair.
5
And Abimelech heard the words of his servants who praised Sarah to him, and Abimelech sent his officers, and they brought Sarah to the king.
6
And Sarah came to the house of Abimelech, and the king saw that Sarah was beautiful, and she pleased him exceedingly.
7
And he approached her and said to her, What is that man to thee with whom thou didst come to our land? and Sarah answered and said He is my brother, and we came from the land of Kena’an to dwell wherever we could find a place.
8
And Abimelech said to Sarah, Behold my land is before thee, place thy brother in any part of this land that pleases thee, and it will be our duty to exalt and elevate him above all the people of the land since he is thy brother.
9
And Abimelech sent for Avraham, and Avraham came to Abimelech.
10
And Abimelech said to Avraham, Behold I have given orders that thou shalt be honored as thou desirest on account of thy sister Sarah.
11
And Avraham went forth from the king, and the king's present followed him.
12
As at evening time, before men lie down to rest, the king was sitting upon his throne, and a deep sleep fell upon him, and he lay upon the throne and slept till morning.
13
And he dreamed that an angel of Yahuah came to him with a drawn sword in his hand, and the angel stood over Abimelech, and wished to slay him with the sword, and the king was terrified in his dream, and said to the angel, In what have I sinned against thee that thou comest to slay me with thy sword?
14
And the angel answered and said to Abimelech, Behold thou diest on account of the woman which thou didst yesternight bring to thy house, for she is a married woman, the wife of Avraham who came to thy house; now therefore return that man his wife, for she is his wife; and shouldst thou not return her, know that thou wilt surely die, thou and all belonging to thee.
15
And on that night there was a great outcry in the land of the Philistines, and the inhabitants of the land saw the figure of a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand, and he smote the inhabitants of the land with the sword, yea he continued to smite them.
16
And the angel of Yahuah smote the whole land of the Philistines on that night, and there was a great confusion on that night and on the following morning.
17
And every womb was closed, and all their issues, and the hand of Yahuah was upon them on account of Sarah, wife of Avraham, whom Abimelech had taken.
18
And in the morning Abimelech rose with terror and confusion and with a great dread, and he sent and had his servants called in, and he related his dream to them, and the people were greatly afraid.
19
And one man standing amongst the servants of the king answered the king, saying, O sovereign king, restore this woman to her husband, for he is her husband, for the like happened to the king of Mitzrayim when this man came to Mitzrayim.
20
And he said concerning his wife, She is my sister, for such is his manner of doing when he cometh to dwell in the land in which he is a stranger.
21
And Pharaoh sent and took this woman for a wife and Yahuah brought upon him grievous plagues until he returned the woman to her husband.
22
Now therefore, O sovereign king, know what happened yesternight to the whole land, for there was a very great consternation and great pain and lamentation, and we know that it was on account of the woman which thou didst take.
23
Now, therefore, restore this woman to her husband, lest it should befall us as it did to Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim and his subjects, and that we may not die; and Abimelech hastened and called and had Sarah called for, and she came before him, and he had Avraham called for, and he came before him.
24
And Abimelech said to them, What is this work you have been doing in saying you are brother and sister, and I took this woman for a wife?
25
And Avraham said, Because I thought I should suffer death on account of my wife; and Abimelech took flocks and herds, and men servants and maid servants, and a thousand pieces of silver, and he gave them to Avraham, and he returned Sarah to him.
26
And Abimelech said to Avraham, Behold the whole land is before thee, dwell in it wherever thou shalt choose.
27
And Avraham and Sarah, his wife, went forth from the king's presence with honor and respect, and they dwelt in the land, even in Gerar.
28
And all the inhabitants of the land of the Philistines and the king's servants were still in pain, through the plague which the angel had inflicted upon them the whole night on account of Sarah.
29
And Abimelech sent for Avraham, saying, Pray now for thy servants to Yahuah thy Elohim, that he may put away this mortality from amongst us.
30
And Avraham prayed on account of Abimelech and his subjects, and Yahuah heard the prayer of Avraham, and he healed Abimelech and all his subjects.
Chapter 21 Yitzchak is Born, causing much Rejoicing among the Friends of Avraham. Yishmael Attempts to kill Yitzchak, and on that account is sent away with his Mother. Yishmael is blessed with Riches and Posterity
1
And it was at that time at the end of a year and four months of Avraham's dwelling in the land of the Philistines in Gerar, that Elohim visited Sarah, and Yahuah remembered her, and she conceived and bare a son to Avraham.
2
And Avraham called the name of the son which was born to him, which Sarah bare to him, Yitzchak.
3
And Avraham circumcised his son Yitzchak at eight days old, as Elohim had commanded Avraham to do unto his seed after him; and Avraham was one hundred, and Sarah ninety years old, when Yitzchak was born to them.
4
And the child grew up and he was weaned, and Avraham made a great feast upon the day that Yitzchak was weaned.
5
And Shem and Eber and all the great people of the land, and Abimelech king of the Philistines, and his servants, and Phicol, the captain of his host, came to eat and drink and rejoice at the feast which Avraham made upon the day of his son Yitzchak's being weaned.
6
Also Terach, the father of Avraham, and Nachor his brother, came from Haran, they and all belonging to them, for they greatly rejoiced on hearing that a son had been born to Sarah.
7
And they came to Avraham, and they ate and drank at the feast which Avraham made upon the day of Yitzchak's being weaned.
8
And Terach and Nachor rejoiced with Avraham, and they remained with him many days in the land of the Philistines.
9
At that time Serug the son of Reu died, in the first year of the birth of Yitzchak son of Avraham.
10
And all the days of Serug were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.
11
And Yishmael the son of Avraham was grown up in those days; he was fourteen years old when Sarah bare Yitzchak to Avraham.
12
And Elohim was with Yishmael the son of Avraham, and he grew up, and he learned to use the bow and became an archer.
13
And when Yitzchak was five years old he was sitting with Yishmael at the door of the tent.
14
And Yishmael came to Yitzchak and seated himself opposite to him, and he took the bow and drew it and put the arrow in it, and intended to slay Yitzchak.
15
And Sarah saw the act which Yishmael desired to do to her son Yitzchak, and it grieved her exceedingly on account of her son, and she sent for Avraham, and said to him, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for her son shall not be heir with my son, for thus did he seek to do unto him this day.
16
And Avraham hearkened to the voice of Sarah, and he rose up early in the morning, and he took twelve loaves and a bottle of water which he gave to Hagar, and sent her away with her son, and Hagar went with her son to the wilderness, and they dwelt in the wilderness of Paran with the inhabitants of the wilderness, and Yishmael was an archer, and he dwelt in the wilderness a long time.
17
And he and his mother afterward went to the land of Mitzrayim, and they dwelt there, and Hagar took a wife for her son from Mitzrayim, and her name was Meribah.
18
And the wife of Yishmael conceived and bare four sons and two daughters, and Yishmael and his mother and his wife and children afterward went and returned to the wilderness.
19
And they made themselves tents in the wilderness, in which they dwelt, and they continued to travel and then to rest monthly and yearly.
20
And Elohim gave Yishmael flocks and herds and tents on account of Avraham his father, and the man increased in cattle.
21
And Yishmael dwelt in deserts and in tents, traveling and resting for a long time, and he did not see the face of his father.
22
And in some time after, Avraham said to Sarah his wife, I will go and see my son Yishmael, for I have a desire to see him, for I have not seen him for a long time.
23
And Avraham rode upon one of his camels to the wilderness to seek his son Yishmael, for he heard that he was dwelling in a tent in the wilderness with all belonging to him.
24
And Avraham went to the wilderness, and he reached the tent of Yishmael about noon, and he asked after Yishmael, and he found the wife of Yishmael sitting in the tent with her children, and Yishmael her husband and his mother were not with them.
25
And Avraham asked the wife of Yishmael, saying, Where has Yishmael gone? and she said, He has gone to the field to hunt, and Avraham was still mounted upon the camel, for he would not get off to the ground as he had sworn to his wife Sarah that he would not get off from the camel.
26
And Avraham said to Yishmael's wife, My daughter, give me a little water that I may drink, for I am fatigued from the journey.
27
And Yishmael's wife answered and said to Avraham, We have neither water nor bread, and she continued sitting in the tent and did not notice Avraham, neither did she ask him who he was.
28
But she was beating her children in the tent, and she was cursing them, and she also cursed her husband Yishmael and reproached him, and Avraham heard the words of Yishmael's wife to her children, and he was very angry and displeased.
29
And Avraham called to the woman to come out to him from the tent, and the woman came and stood opposite to Avraham, for Avraham was still mounted upon the camel.
30
And Avraham said to Yishmael's wife, When thy husband Yishmael returneth home say these words to him,
31
A very old man from the land of the Philistines came hither to seek thee, and thus was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing thou wast not here he spoke unto me and said, When Yishmael thy husband returneth tell him thus did this man say, When thou comest home put away this nail of the tent which thou hast placed here, and place another nail in its stead.
32
And Avraham finished his instructions to the woman, and he turned and went off on the camel homeward.
33
And after that Yishmael came from the chase he and his mother, and returned to the tent, and his wife spoke these words to him,
34
A very old man from the land of the Philistines came to seek thee, and thus was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing thou wast not at home he said to me, When thy husband cometh home tell him, thus saith the old man, Put away the nail of the tent which thou hast placed here and place another nail in its stead.
35
And Yishmael heard the words of his wife, and he knew that it was his father, and that his wife did not honor him.
36
And Yishmael understood his father's words that he had spoken to his wife, and Yishmael hearkened to the voice of his father, and Yishmael cast off that woman and she went away.
37
And Yishmael afterward went to the land of Kena’an, and he took another wife and he brought her to his tent to the place where he then dwelt.
38
And at the end of three years Avraham said, I will go again and see Yishmael my son, for I have not seen him for a long time.
39
And he rode upon his camel and went to the wilderness, and he reached the tent of Yishmael about noon.
40
And he asked after Yishmael, and his wife came out of the tent and she said, He is not here my lord, for he has gone to hunt in the fields, and to feed the camels, and the woman said to Avraham, Turn in my lord into the tent, and eat a morsel of bread, for thy nefesh must be wearied on account of the journey.
41
And Avraham said to her, I will not stop for I am in haste to continue my journey, but give me a little water to drink, for I have thirst; and the woman hastened and ran into the tent and she brought out water and bread to Avraham, which she placed before him and she urged him to eat, and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted and he blessed his son Yishmael.
42
And he finished his meal and he blessed Yahuah, and he said to Yishmael's wife, When Yishmael cometh home say these words to him,
43
A very old man from the land of the Philistines came hither and asked after thee, and thou wast not here; and I brought him out bread and water and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted.
44
And he spoke these words to me: When Yishmael thy husband cometh home, say unto him, The nail of the tent which thou hast is very good, do not put it away from the tent.
45
And Avraham finished commanding the woman, and he rode off to his home to the land of the Philistines; and when Yishmael came to his tent his wife went forth to meet him with joy and a cheerful heart.
46
And she said to him, An old man came here from the land of the Philistines and thus was his appearance, and he asked after thee and thou wast not here, so I brought out bread and water, and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted.
47
And he spoke these words to me, When Yishmael thy husband cometh home say to him, The nail of the tent which thou hast is very good, do not put it away from the tent.
48
And Yishmael knew that it was his father, and that his wife had honored him, and Yahuah blessed Yishmael.
Chapter 22 Yishmael returns to his Father, with his Wives and Children. Avraham Returns to Kena’an and makes his Home in Beersheba, where he Hospitably Entertains all strangers and teaches them the way of Yahuah. Yitzchak and Yishmael's conversation. The Offering of Yitzchak Foretold. Satan's opinion of the Father of the Faithful
1
And Yishmael then rose up and took his wife and his children and his cattle and all belonging to him, and he journeyed from there and he went to his father in the land of the Philistines.
2
And Avraham related to Yishmael his son the transaction with the first wife that Yishmael took, according to what she did.
3
And Yishmael and his children dwelt with Avraham many days in that land, and Avraham dwelt in the land of the Philistines a long time.
4
And the days increased and reached twenty six years, and after that Avraham with his servants and all belonging to him went from the land of the Philistines and removed to a great distance, and they came near to Hebron, and they remained there, and the servants of Avraham dug wells of water, and Avraham and all belonging to him dwelt by the water, and the servants of Abimelech king of the Philistines heard the report that Avraham's servants had dug wells of water in the borders of the land.
5
And they came and quarreled with the servants of Avraham, and they robbed them of the great well which they had dug.
6
And Abimelech king of the Philistines heard of this affair, and he with Phicol the captain of his host and twenty of his men came to Avraham, and Abimelech spoke to Avraham concerning his servants, and Avraham rebuked Abimelech concerning the well of which his servants had robbed him.
7
And Abimelech said to Avraham, As Yahuah liveth who created the whole earth, I did not hear of the act which my servants did unto thy servants until this day.
8
And Avraham took seven ewe lambs and gave them to Abimelech, saying, Take these, I pray thee, from my hands that it may be a testimony for me that I dug this well.
9
And Abimelech took the seven ewe lambs which Avraham had given to him, for he had also given him cattle and herds in abundance, and Abimelech swore to Avraham concerning the well, therefore he called that well Beersheba, for there they both swore concerning it.
10
And they both made a Beriyt in Beersheba, and Abimelech rose up with Phicol the captain of his host and all his men, and they returned to the land of the Philistines, and Avraham and all belonging to him dwelt in Beersheba and he was in that land a long time.
11
And Avraham planted a large grove in Beersheba, and he made to it four gates facing the four sides of the earth, and he planted a vineyard in it, so that if a traveler came to Avraham he entered any gate which was in his road, and remained there and ate and drank and satisfied himself and then departed.
12
For the house of Avraham was always open to the sons of men that passed and repassed, who came daily to eat and drink in the house of Avraham.
13
And any man who had hunger and came to Avraham's house, Avraham would give him bread that he might eat and drink and be satisfied, and any one that came naked to his house he would clothe with garments as he might choose, and give him silver and gold and make known to him Yahuah who had created him in the earth; this did Avraham all his life.
14
And Avraham and his children and all belonging to him dwelt in Beersheba, and he pitched his tent as far as Hebron.
15
And Avraham's brother Nachor and his father and all belonging to them dwelt in Haran, for they did not come with Avraham to the land of Kena’an.
16
And children were born to Nachor which Milca the daughter of Haran, and sister to Sarah, Avraham's wife, bare to him.
17
And these are the names of those that were born to him, Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Kesed, Chazo, Pildash, Tidlaf, and Bethuel, being eight sons, these are the children of Milca which she bare to Nachor, Avraham's brother.
18
And Nachor had a concubine and her name was Reumah, and she also bare to Nachor, Zebach, Gachash, Tachash and Maacha, being four sons.
19
And the children that were born to Nachor were twelve sons besides his daughters, and they also had children born to them in Haran.
20
And the children of Uz the first born of Nachor were Abi, Cheref, Gadin, Melus, and Deborah their sister.
21
And the sons of Buz were Berachel, Naamath, Sheva, and Madonu.
22
And the sons of Kemuel were Aram and Rechob.
23
And the sons of Kesed were Anamlech, Meshai, Benon and Yifi; and the sons of Chazo were Pildash, Mechi and Opher.
24
And the sons of Pildash were Arud, Chamum, Mered and Moloch.
25
And the sons of Tidlaf were Mushan, Cushan and Mutzi.
26
And the children of Bethuel were Sechar, Lavan and their sister Rivkah.
27
These are the families of the children of Nachor, that were born to them in Haran; and Aram the son of Kemuel and Rechob his brother went away from Haran, and they found a valley in the land by the river Euphrates.
28
And they built a city there, and they called the name of the city after the name of Pethor the son of Aram, that is Aram Naherayim unto this day.
29
And the children of Kesed also went to dwell where they could find a place, and they went and they found a valley opposite to the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
30
And they there built themselves a city, and they called the name at the city Kesed after the name of their father, that is the land Kasdim unto this day, and the Kasdim dwelt in that land and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly.
31
And Terach, father of Nachor and Avraham, went and took another wife in his old age, and her name was Pelilah, and she conceived and bare him a son and he called his name Zoba.
32
And Terach lived twenty-five years after he begat Zoba.
33
And Terach died in that year, that is in the thirty-fifth year of the birth of Yitzchak son of Avraham.
34
And the days of Terach were two hundred and five years, and he was buried in Haran.
35
And Zoba the son of Terach lived thirty years and he begat Aram, Achlis and Merik.
36
And Aram son of Zoba son of Terach, had three wives and he begat twelve sons and three daughters; and Yahuah gave to Aram the son of Zoba, riches and possessions, and abundance of cattle, and flocks and herds, and the man increased greatly.
37
And Aram the son of Zoba and his brother and all his household journeyed from Haran, and they went to dwell where they should find a place, for their property was too great to remain in Haran; for they could not stop in Haran together with their brethren the children of Nachor.
38
And Aram the son of Zoba went with his brethren, and they found a valley at a distance toward the eastern country and they dwelt there.
39
And they also built a city there, and they called the name thereof Aram, after the name of their eldest brother; that is Aram Zoba to this day.
40
And Yitzchak the son of Avraham was growing up in those days, and Avraham his father taught him the way of Yahuah to know Yahuah, and Yahuah was with him.
41
And when Yitzchak was thirty-seven years old, Yishmael his brother was going about with him in the tent.
42
And Yishmael boasted of himself to Yitzchak, saying, I was thirteen years old when Yahuah spoke to my father to circumcise us, and I did according to the word of Yahuah which he spoke to my father, and I gave my nefesh unto Yahuah, and I did not transgress his word which he commanded my father.
43
And Yitzchak answered Yishmael, saying, Why dost thou boast to me about this, about a little bit of thy flesh which thou didst take from thy body, concerning which Yahuah commanded thee?
44
As Yahuah liveth, the Elohim of my father Avraham, if Yahuah should say unto my father, Take now thy son Yitzchak and bring him up an offering before me, I would not refrain but I would joyfully accede to it.
45
And Yahuah heard the word that Yitzchak spoke to Yishmael, and it seemed good in the sight of Yahuah, and he thought to try Avraham in this matter.
46
And the day arrived when the sons of Elohim came and placed themselves before Yahuah, and Satan also came with the sons of Elohim before Yahuah.
47
And Yahuah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered Yahuah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
48
And Yahuah said to Satan, What is thy word to me concerning all the children of the earth? and Satan answered Yahuah and said, I have seen all the children of the earth who serve thee and remember thee when they require anything from thee.
49
And when thou givest them the thing which they require from thee, they sit at their ease, and forsake thee and they remember thee no more.
50
Hast thou seen Avraham the son of Terach, who at first had no children, and he served thee and erected mizbechot to thee wherever he came, and he brought up offerings upon them, and he proclaimed thy name continually to all the children of the earth.
51
And now that his son Yitzchak is born to him, he has forsaken thee, he has made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the land, and Yahuah he has forgotten.
52
For amidst all that he has done he brought thee no offering; neither burnt offering nor peace offering, neither ox, lamb nor goat of all that he killed on the day that his son was weaned.
53
Even from the time of his son's birth till now, being thirty-seven years, he built no mizbeach before thee, nor brought any offering to thee, for he saw that thou didst give what he requested before thee, and he therefore forsook thee.
54
And Yahuah said to Satan, Hast thou thus considered my servant Avraham? for there is none like him upon earth, a perfect and an upright man before me, one that feareth Elohim and avoideth evil; as I live, were I to say unto him, Bring up Yitzchak thy son before me, he would not withhold him from me, much more if I told him to bring up a burnt offering before me from his flock or herds.
55
And Satan answered Yahuah and said, Speak then now unto Avraham as thou hast said, and thou wilt see whether he will not this day transgress and cast aside thy words.
Chapter 23 Avraham commanded to Offer up Yitzchak, in the Land Moriah. Avraham's Obedience. Sarah's Affliction. What Happened on the Way. Satan attempts to hinder them. Yitzchak an Acceptable Offering. Father and Son alone. The willingness of Yitzchak. He Assists his Father in Building the Altar. While they both weep bitterly, they yet Rejoice to be counted worthy before Yahuah. Yitzchak bound and placed upon the Altar. The Angels of Elohim intercede for Yitzchak, who is released at the command of Yahuah, and a Ram is offered in his place. Satan, by his deception and Evils, causes the Death of Sarah
1
At that time the word of Yahuah came to Avraham, and he said unto him, Avraham, and he said, Here I am.
2
And he said to him, Take now thy son, thine only son whom thou lovest, even Yitzchak, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which shall be shown to thee, for there wilt thou see a cloud and the glory of Yahuah.
3
And Avraham said within himself, How shall I separate my son Yitzchak from Sarah his mother, in order to bring him up for a burnt offering before Yahuah?
4
And Avraham came into the tent, and he sat before Sarah his wife, and he spoke these words to her,
5
My son Yitzchak is grown up and he has not for some time studied the service of his Elohim, now tomorrow I will go and bring him to Shem, and Eber his son, and there he will learn the ways of Yahuah, for they will teach him to know Yahuah as well as to know that when he prayeth continually before Yahuah, he will answer him, therefore there he will know the way of serving Yahuah his Elohim.
6
And Sarah said, Thou hast spoken well, go my lord and do unto him as thou hast said, but remove him not at a great distance from me, neither let him remain there too long, for my nefesh is bound within his nefesh.
7
And Avraham said unto Sarah, My daughter, let us pray to Yahuah our Elohim that he may do good with us.
8
And Sarah took her son Yitzchak and he abode all that night with her, and she kissed and embraced him, and gave him instructions till morning.
9
And she said to him, O my son, how can my nefesh separate itself from thee? And she still kissed him and embraced him, and she gave Avraham instructions concerning him.
10
And Sarah said to Avraham, O my lord, I pray thee take heed of thy son, and place thine eyes over him, for I have no other son nor daughter but him.
11
O forsake him not. If he be hungry give him bread, and if he be thirsty give him water to drink; do not let him go on foot, neither let him sit in the sun.
12
Neither let him go by himself in the road, neither force him from whatever he may desire, but do unto him as he may say to thee.
13
And Sarah wept bitterly the whole night on account of Yitzchak, and she gave him instructions till morning.
14
And in the morning Sarah selected a very fine and beautiful garment from those garments which she had in the house, that Abimelech had given to her.
15
And she dressed Yitzchak her son therewith, and she put a turban upon his head, and she enclosed a precious stone in the top of the turban, and she gave them provision for the road, and they went forth, and Yitzchak went with his father Avraham, and some of their servants accompanied them to see them off the road.
16
And Sarah went out with them, and she accompanied them upon the road to see them off, and they said to her, Return to the tent.
17
And when Sarah heard the words of her son Yitzchak she wept bitterly, and Avraham her husband wept with her, and their son wept with them a great weeping; also those who went with them wept greatly.
18
And Sarah caught hold of her son Yitzchak, and she held him in her arms, and she embraced him and continued to weep with him, and Sarah said, Who knoweth if after this day I shall ever see thee again?
19
And they still wept together, Avraham, Sarah and Yitzchak, and all those that accompanied them on the road wept with them, and Sarah afterward turned away from her son, weeping bitterly, and all her men servants and maid servants returned with her to the tent.
20
And Avraham went with Yitzchak his son to bring him up as an offering before Yahuah, as He had commanded him.
21
And Avraham took two of his young men with him, Yishmael the son of Hagar and Eliezer his servant, and they went together with them, and whilst they were walking in the road the young men spoke these words to themselves,
22
And Yishmael said to Eliezer, Now my father Avraham is going with Yitzchak to bring him up for a burnt offering to Yahuah, as He commanded him.
23
Now when he returneth he will give unto me all that he possesses, to inherit after him, for I am his first born.
24
And Eliezer answered Yishmael and said, Surely Avraham did cast thee away with thy mother, and swear that thou shouldst not inherit any thing of all he possesses, and to whom will he give all that he has, with all his treasures, but unto me his servant, who has been faithful in his house, who has served him night and day, and has done all that he desired me? to me will he bequeath at his death all that he possesses.
25
And whilst Avraham was proceeding with his son Yitzchak along the road, Satan came and appeared to Avraham in the figure of a very aged man, humble and of contrite spirit, and he approached Avraham and said to him, Art thou silly or brutish, that thou goest to do this thing this day to thine only son?
26
For Elohim gave thee a son in thy latter days, in thy old age, and wilt thou go and slaughter him this day because he committed no violence, and wilt thou cause the nefesh of thine only son to perish from the earth?
27
Dost thou not know and understand that this thing cannot be from Yahuah? for Yahuah cannot do unto man such evil upon earth to say to him, Go slaughter thy child.
28
And Avraham heard this and knew that it was the word of Satan who endeavored to draw him aside from the way of Yahuah, but Avraham would not hearken to the voice of Satan, and Avraham rebuked him so that he went away.
29
And Satan returned and came to Yitzchak; and he appeared unto Yitzchak in the figure of a young man comely and well favored.
30
And he approached Yitzchak and said unto him, Dost thou not know and understand that thy old silly father bringeth thee to the slaughter this day for naught?
31
Now therefore, my son, do not listen nor attend to him, for he is a silly old man, and let not thy precious nefesh and beautiful figure be lost from the earth.
32
And Yitzchak heard this, and said unto Avraham, Hast thou heard, my father, that which this man has spoken? even thus has he spoken.
33
And Avraham answered his son Yitzchak and said to him, Take heed of him and do not listen to his words, nor attend to him, for he is Satan, endeavoring to draw us aside this day from the commands of Elohim.
34
And Avraham still rebuked Satan, and Satan went from them, and seeing he could not prevail over them he hid himself from them, and he went and passed before them in the road; and he transformed himself to a large brook of water in the road, and Avraham and Yitzchak and his two young men reached that place, and they saw a brook large and powerful as the mighty waters.
35
And they entered the brook and passed through it, and the waters at first reached their legs.
36
And they went deeper in the brook and the waters reached up to their necks, and they were all terrified on account of the water; and whilst they were going over the brook Avraham recognized that place, and he knew that there was no water there before.
37
And Avraham said to his son Yitzchak, I know this place in which there was no brook nor water, now therefore it is this Satan who does all this to us, to draw us aside this day from the commands of Elohim.
38
And Avraham rebuked him and said unto him, Yahuah rebuke thee, O Satan, begone from us for we go by the commands of Elohim.
39
And Satan was terrified at the voice of Avraham, and he went away from them, and the place again became dry land as it was at first.
40
And Avraham went with Yitzchak toward the place that Elohim had told him.
41
And on the third day Avraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place at a distance which Elohim had told him of.
42
And a pillar of fire appeared to him that reached from the earth to heaven, and a cloud of glory upon the mountain, and the glory of Yahuah was seen in the cloud.
43
And Avraham said to Yitzchak, My son, dost thou see in that mountain, which we perceive at a distance, that which I see upon it?
44
And Yitzchak answered and said unto his father, I see and lo a pillar of fire and a cloud, and the glory of Yahuah is seen upon the cloud.
45
And Avraham knew that his son Yitzchak was accepted before Yahuah for a burnt offering.
46
And Avraham said unto Eliezer and unto Yishmael his son, Do you also see that which we see upon the mountain which is at a distance?
47
And they answered and said, We see nothing more than like the other mountains of the earth. And Avraham knew that they were not accepted before Yahuah to go with them, and Avraham said to them, Abide ye here with the ass whilst I and Yitzchak my son will go to yonder mount and worship there before Yahuah and then return to you.
48
And Eliezer and Yishmael remained in that place, as Avraham had commanded.
49
And Avraham took wood for a burnt offering and placed it upon his son Yitzchak, and he took the fire and the knife, and they both went to that place.
50
And when they were going along Yitzchak said to his father, Behold, I see here the fire and wood, and where then is the lamb that is to be the burnt offering before Yahuah?
51
And Avraham answered his son Yitzchak, saying, Yahuah has made choice of thee my son, to be a perfect burnt offering instead of the lamb.
52
And Yitzchak said unto his father, I will do all that Yahuah spoke to thee with joy and cheerfulness of heart.
53
And Avraham again said unto Yitzchak his son, Is there in thy heart any thought or counsel concerning this, which is not proper? tell me my son, I pray thee, O my son conceal it not from me.
54
And Yitzchak answered his father Avraham and said unto him, O my father, as Yahuah liveth and as thy nefesh liveth, there is nothing in my heart to cause me to deviate either to the right or to the left from the word that he has spoken to thee.
55
Neither limb nor muscle has moved or stirred at this, nor is there in my heart any thought or evil counsel concerning this.
56
But I am of joyful and cheerful heart in this matter, and I say, Blessed is Yahuah who has this day chosen me to be a burnt offering before Him.
57
And Avraham greatly rejoiced at the words of Yitzchak, and they went on and came together to that place that Yahuah had spoken of.
58
And Avraham approached to build the mizbeach in that place, and Avraham was weeping, and Yitzchak took stones and mortar until they had finished building the mizbeach.
59
And Avraham took the wood and placed it in order upon the mizbeach which he had built.
60
And he took his son Yitzchak and bound him in order to place him upon the wood which was upon the mizbeach, to slay him for a burnt offering before Yahuah.
61
And Yitzchak said to his father, Bind me securely and then place me upon the mizbeach lest I should turn and move, and break loose from the force of the knife upon my flesh and thereof profane the burnt offering; and Avraham did so.
62
And Yitzchak still said to his father, O my father, when thou shalt have slain me and burnt me for an offering, take with thee that which shall remain of my ashes to bring to Sarah my mother, and say to her, This is the sweet smelling savor of Yitzchak; but do not tell her this if she should sit near a well or upon any high place, lest she should cast her nefesh after me and die.
63
And Avraham heard the words of Yitzchak, and he lifted up his voice and wept when Yitzchak spake these words; and Avraham's tears gushed down upon Yitzchak his son, and Yitzchak wept bitterly, and he said to his father, Hasten thou, O my father, and do with me the will of Yahuah our Elohim as He has commanded thee.
64
And the hearts of Avraham and Yitzchak rejoiced at this thing which Yahuah had commanded them; but the eye wept bitterly whilst the heart rejoiced.
65
And Avraham bound his son Yitzchak, and placed him on the mizbeach upon the wood, and Yitzchak stretched forth his neck upon the mizbeach before his father, and Avraham stretched forth his hand to take the knife to slay his son as a burnt offering before Yahuah.
66
At that time the angels of mercy came before Yahuah and spake to him concerning Yitzchak, saying,
67
0 Yahuah, thou art a merciful and compassionate King over all that thou hast created in heaven and in earth, and thou supportest them all; give therefore ransom and redemption instead of thy servant Yitzchak, and pity and have compassion upon Avraham and Yitzchak his son, who are this day performing thy commands.
68
Hast thou seen, O Yahuah, how Yitzchak the son of Avraham thy servant is bound down to the slaughter like an animal? now therefore let thy pity be roused for them, O Yahuah.
69
At that time Yahuah appeared unto Avraham, and called to him, from heaven, and said unto him, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him, for now I know that thou fearest Elohim in performing this act, and in not withholding thy son, thine only son, from me.
70
And Avraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram was caught in a thicket by his horns; that was the ram which Yahuah Elohim had created in the earth in the day that he made earth and heaven.
71
For Yahuah had prepared this ram from that day, to be a burnt offering instead of Yitzchak.
72
And this ram was advancing to Avraham when Satan caught hold of him and entangled his horns in the thicket, that he might not advance to Avraham, in order that Avraham might slay his son.
73
And Avraham, seeing the ram advancing to him and Satan withholding him, fetched him and brought him before the mizbeach, and he loosened his son Yitzchak from his binding, and he put the ram in his stead, and Avraham killed the ram upon the mizbeach, and brought it up as an offering in the place of his son Yitzchak.
74
And Avraham sprinkled some of the blood of the ram upon the mizbeach, and he exclaimed and said, This is in the place of my son, and may this be considered this day as the blood of my son before Yahuah.
75
And all that Avraham did on this occasion by the mizbeach, he would exclaim and say, This is in the room of my son, and may it this day be considered before Yahuah in the place of my son; and Avraham finished the whole of the service by the mizbeach, and the service was accepted before Yahuah, and was accounted as if it had been Yitzchak; and Yahuah blessed Avraham and his seed on that day.
76
And Satan went to Sarah, and he appeared to her in the figure of an old man very humble and meek, and Avraham was yet engaged in the burnt offering before Yahuah.
77
And he said unto her, Dost thou not know all the work that Avraham has made with thine only son this day? for he took Yitzchak and built an mizbeach, and killed him, and brought him up as a sacrifice upon the mizbeach, and Yitzchak cried and wept before his father, but he looked not at him, neither did he have compassion over him.
78
And Satan repeated these words, and he went away from her, and Sarah heard all the words of Satan, and she imagined him to be an old man from amongst the sons of men who had been with her son, and had come and told her these things.
79
And Sarah lifted up her voice and wept and cried out bitterly on account of her son; and she threw herself upon the ground and she cast dust upon her head, and she said, O my son, Yitzchak my son, O that I had this day died instead of thee. And she continued to weep and said, It grieves me for thee, O my son, my son Yitzchak, O that I had died this day in thy stead.
80
And she still continued to weep, and said, It grieves me for thee after that I have reared thee and have brought thee up; now my joy is turned into mourning over thee, I that had a longing for thee, and cried and prayed to Elohim till I bare thee at ninety years old; and now hast thou served this day for the knife and the fire, to be made an offering.
81
But I console myself with thee, my son, in its being the word of Yahuah, for thou didst perform the command of thy Elohim; for who can transgress the word of our Elohim, in whose hands is the nefesh of every living creature?
82
Thou art just, O Yahuah our Elohim, for all thy works are good and righteous; for I also am rejoiced with thy word which thou didst command, and whilst mine eye weepeth bitterly my heart rejoiceth.
83
And Sarah laid her head upon the bosom of one of her handmaids, and she became as still as a stone.
84
She afterward rose up and went about making inquiries till she came to Hebron, and she inquired of all those whom she met walking in the road, and no one could tell her what had happened to her son.
85
And she came with her maid servants and men servants to Kireath-arba, which is Hebron, and she asked concerning her Son, and she remained there while she sent some of her servants to seek where Avraham had gone with Yitzchak; they went to seek him in the house of Shem and Eber, and they could not find him, and they sought throughout the land and he was not there.
86
And behold, Satan came to Sarah in the shape of an old man, and he came and stood before her, and he said unto her, I spoke falsely unto thee, for Avraham did not kill his son and he is not dead; and when she heard the word her joy was so exceedingly violent on account of her son, that her nefesh went out through joy; she died and was gathered to her people.
87
And when Avraham had finished his service he returned with his son Yitzchak to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba, and they came home.
88
And Avraham sought for Sarah, and could not find her, and he made inquiries concerning her, and they said unto him, She went as far as Hebron to seek you both where you had gone, for thus was she informed.
89
And Avraham and Yitzchak went to her to Hebron, and when they found that she was dead they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly over her; and Yitzchak fell upon his mother's face and wept over her, and he said, O my mother, my mother, how hast thou left me, and where hast thou gone? O how, how hast thou left me!
90
And Avraham and Yitzchak wept greatly and all their servants wept with them on account of Sarah, and they mourned over her a great and heavy mourning.
Chapter 24 Avraham Purchases a Burial Place. Yitzchak sent to the House of Shem and Eber to Learn the Way of Yahuah. Eliezer is sent to get a Wife for Yitzchak. Goes to the House of Bethuel and brings Rivkah
1
And the life of Sarah was one hundred and twenty-seven years, and Sarah died; and Avraham rose up from before his dead to seek a burial place to bury his wife Sarah; and he went and spoke to the children of Heth, the inhabitants of the land, saying,
2
I am a stranger and a sojourner with you in your land; give me a possession of a burial place in your land, that I may bury my dead from before me.
3
And the children of Heth said unto Avraham, behold the land is before thee, in the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead, for no man shall withhold thee from burying thy dead.
4
And Avraham said unto them, If you are agreeable to this go and entreat for me to Ephron, the son of Zochar, requesting that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which is in the end of his field, and I will purchase it of him for whatever he desire for it.
5
And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth, and they went and called for him, and he came before Avraham, and Ephron said unto Avraham, Behold all thou requirest thy servant will do; and Avraham said, No, but I will buy the cave and the field which thou hast for value, In order that it may be for a possession of a burial place for ever.
6
And Ephron answered and said, Behold the field and the cave are before thee, give whatever thou desirest; and Avraham said, Only at full value will I buy it from thy hand, and from the hands of those that go in at the gate of thy city, and from the hand of thy seed for ever.
7
And Ephron and all his brethren heard this, and Avraham weighed to Ephron four hundred shekels of silver in the hands of Ephron and in the hands of all his brethren; and Avraham wrote this transaction, and he wrote it and testified it with four witnesses.
8
And these are the names of the witnesses, Amigal son of Abishna the Hittite, Adichorom son of Ashunach the Hivite, Abdon son of Achiram the Gomerite, Bakdil the son of Abudish the Zidonite.
9
And Avraham took the book of the purchase, and placed it in his treasures, and these are the words that Avraham wrote in the book, namely:
10
That the cave and the field Avraham bought from Ephron the Hittite, and from his seed, and from those that go out of his city, and from their seed for ever, are to be a purchase to Avraham and to his seed and to those that go forth from his loins, for a possession of a burial place for ever; and he put a signet to it and testified it with witnesses.
11
And the field and the cave that was in it and all that place were made sure unto Avraham and unto his seed after him, from the children of Heth; behold it is before Mamre in Hebron, which is in the land of Kena’an.
12
And after this Avraham buried his wife Sarah there, and that place and all its boundary became to Avraham and unto his seed for a possession of a burial place.
13
And Avraham buried Sarah with pomp as observed at the interment of kings, and she was buried in very fine and beautiful garments.
14
And at her bier was Shem, his sons Eber and Abimelech, together with Anar, Ashcol and Mamre, and all the grandees of the land followed her bier.
15
And the days of Sarah were one hundred and twenty-seven years and she died, and Avraham made a great and heavy mourning, and he performed the rites of mourning for seven days.
16
And all the inhabitants of the land comforted Avraham and Yitzchak his son on account of Sarah.
17
And when the days of their mourning passed by Avraham sent away his son Yitzchak, and he went to the house of Shem and Eber, to learn the ways of Yahuah and his instructions, and Avraham remained there three years.
18
At that time Avraham rose up with all his servants, and they went and returned homeward to Beersheba, and Avraham and all his servants remained in Beersheba.
19
And at the revolution of the year Abimelech king of the Philistines died in that year; he was one hundred and ninety-three years old at his death; and Avraham went with his people to the land of the Philistines, and they comforted the whole household and all his servants, and he then turned and went home.
20
And it was after the death of Abimelech that the people of Gerar took Benmalich his son, and he was only twelve years old, and they made him lying in the place of his father.
21
And they called his name Abimelech after the name of his father, for thus was it their custom to do in Gerar, and Abimelech reigned instead of Abimelech his father, and he sat upon his throne.
22
And Lot the son of Haran also died in those days, in the thirty-ninth year of the life of Yitzchak, and all the days that Lot lived were one hundred and forty years and he died.
23
And these are the children of Lot, that were born to him by his daughters, the name of the first born was Moab, and the name of the second was Benami.
24
And the two sons of Lot went and took themselves wives from the land of Kena’an, and they bare children to them, and the children of Moab were Ed, Mayon, Tarsus, and Kanvil, four sons, these are fathers to the children of Moab unto this day.
25
And all the families of the children of Lot went to dwell wherever they should light upon, for they were fruitful and increased abundantly.
26
And they went and built themselves cities in the land where they dwelt, and they called the names of the cities which they built after their own names.
27
And Nachor the son of Terach, brother to Avraham, died in those days in the fortieth year of the life of Yitzchak, and all the days of Nachor were one hundred and seventy- two years and he died and was buried in Haran.
28
And when Avraham heard that his brother was dead he grieved sadly, and he mourned over his brother many days.
29
And Avraham called for Eliezer his head servant, to give him orders concerning his house, and he came and stood before him.
30
And Avraham said to him, Behold I am old, I do not know the day of my death; for I am advanced in days; now therefore rise up, go forth and do not take a wife for my son from this place and from this land, from the daughters of the Canaanites amongst whom we dwell.
31
But go to my land and to my birthplace, and take from thence a wife for my son, and Yahuah Elohim of Heaven and earth who took me from my father's house and brought me to this place, and said unto me, To thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance for ever, he will send his angel before thee and prosper thy way, that thou mayest obtain a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house.
32
And the servant answered his master Avraham and said, Behold I go to thy birthplace and to thy father's house, and take a wife for thy son from there; but if the woman be not willing to follow me to this land, shall I take thy son back to the land of thy birthplace?
33
And Avraham said unto him, Take heed that thou bring not my son hither again, for Yahuah before whom I have walked he will send his angel before thee and prosper thy way.
34
And Eliezer did as Avraham ordered him, and Eliezer swore unto Avraham his master upon this matter; and Eliezer rose up and took ten camels of the camels of his master, and ten men from his master's servants with him, and they rose up and went to Haran, the city of Avraham and Nachor, in order to fetch a wife for Yitzchak the son of Avraham; and whilst they were gone Avraham sent to the house of Shem and Eber, and they brought from thence his son Yitzchak.
35
And Yitzchak came home to his father's house to Beersheba, whilst Eliezer and his men came to Haran; and they stopped in the city by the watering place, and he made his camels to kneel down by the water and they remained there.
36
And Eliezer, Avraham's servant, prayed and said, O Elohim of Avraham my master; send me I pray thee good speed this day and show kindness unto my master, that thou shalt appoint this day a wife for my master's son from his family.
37
And Yahuah hearkened to the voice of Eliezer, for the sake of his servant Avraham, and he happened to meet with the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nachor, brother to Avraham, and Eliezer came to her house.
38
And Eliezer related to them all his concerns, and that he was Avraham's servant, and they greatly rejoiced at him.
39
And they all blessed Yahuah who brought this thing about, and they gave him Rivkah, the daughter of Bethuel, for a wife for Yitzchak.
40
And the young woman was of very comely appearance, she was a virgin, and Rivkah was ten years old in those days.
41
And Bethuel and Lavan and his children made a feast on that night, and Eliezer and his men came and ate and drank and rejoiced there on that night.
42
And Eliezer rose up in the morning, he and the men that were with him, and he called to the whole household of Bethuel, saying, Send me away that I may go to my master; and they rose up and sent away Rivkah and her nurse Deborah, the daughter of Uz, and they gave her silver and gold, men servants and maid servants, and they blessed her.
43
And they sent Eliezer away with his men; and the servants took Rivkah, and he went and returned to his master to the land of Kena’an.
44
And Yitzchak took Rivkah and she became his wife, and he brought her into the tent.
45
And Yitzchak was forty years old when he took Rivkah, the daughter of his uncle Bethuel, for a wife.
Chapter 25 Avraham takes Keturah for a Wife, by whom he has Six Sons. The Generations of the Sons of Keturah, and of Yishmael
1
And it was at that time that Avraham again took a wife in his old age, and her name was Keturah, from the land of Kena’an.
2
And she bare unto him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuach, being six sons. And the children of Zimran were Abihen, Molich and Narim.
3
And the sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan, and the sons of Medan were Amida, Joab, Gochi, Elisha and Nothach; and the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Chanoch, Abida and Eldaah.
4
And the sons of Ishbak were Makiro, Beyodua and Tator.
5
And the sons of Shuach were Bildad, Mamdad, Munan and Meban; all these are the families of the children of Keturah the Canaanitish woman which she bare unto Avraham the Hebrew.
6
And Avraham sent all these away, and he gave them gifts, and they went away from his son Yitzchak to dwell wherever they should find a place.
7
And all these went to the mountain at the east, and they built themselves six cities in which they dwelt unto this day.
8
But the children of Sheba and Dedan, children of Jokshan, with their children, did not dwell with their brethren in their cities, and they journeyed and encamped in the countries and wildernesses unto this day.
9
And the children of Midian, son of Avraham, went to the east of the land of Kush, and they there found a large valley in the eastern country, and they remained there and built a city, and they dwelt therein, that is the land of Midian unto this day.
10
And Midian dwelt in the city which he built, he and his five sons and all belonging to him.
11
And these are the names of the sons of Midian according to their names in their cities, Ephah, Epher, Chanoch, Abida and Eldaah.
12
And the sons of Ephah were Methach, Meshar, Avi and Tzanua, and the sons of Epher were Ephron, Zur, Alirun and Medin, and the sons of Chanoch were Reuel, Rekem, Azi, Alyoshub and Alad.
13
And the sons of Abida were Chur, Melud, Kerury, Molchi; and the sons of Eldaah were Miker, and Reba, and Malchiyah and Gabol; these are the names of the Midianites according to their families; and afterward the families of Midian spread throughout the land of Midian.
14
And these are the generations of Yishmael the son Avraham, whom Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Avraham.
15
And Yishmael took a wife from the land of Mitzrayim, and her name was Ribah, the same is Meribah.
16
And Ribah bare unto Yishmael Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam and their sister Bosmath.
17
And Yishmael cast away his wife Ribah, and she went from him and returned to Mitzrayim to the house of her father, and she dwelt there, for she had been very bad in the sight of Yishmael, and in the sight of his father Avraham.
18
And Yishmael afterward took a wife from the land of Kena’an, and her name was Malchuth, and she bare unto him Nishma, Dumah, Masa, Chadad, Tema, Yetur, Naphish and Kedma.
19
These are the sons of Yishmael, and these are their names, being twelve princes according to their nations; and the families of Yishmael afterward spread forth, and Yishmael took his children and all the property that he had gained, together with the nefashot of his household and all belonging to him, and they went to dwell where they should find a place.
20
And they went and dwelt near the wilderness of Paran, and their dwelling was from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Mitzrayim as thou comest toward Assyria.
21
And Yishmael and his sons dwelt in the land, and they had children born to them, and they were fruitful and increased abundantly.
22
And these are the names of the sons of Nebayoth the first born of Yishmael; Mend, Send, Mayon; and the sons of Kedar were Alyon, Kezem, Chamad and Eli.
23
And the sons of Adbeel were Chamad and Jabin; and the sons of Mibsam were Obadiah, Ebedmelech and Yeush; these are the families of the children of Ribah the wife of Yishmael.
24
And the sons of Mishma the son of Yishmael were Shamua, Zecaryon and Obed; and the sons of Dumah were Kezed, Eli, Machmad and Amed.
25
And the sons of Masa were Melon, Mula and Ebidadon; and the sons of Chadad were Azur, Minzar and Ebedmelech; and the sons of Tema were Seir, Sadon and Yakol.
26
And the sons of Yetur were Merith, Yaish, Alyo, and Pachoth; and the sons of Naphish were Ebed-Tamed, Abiyasaph and Mir; and the sons of Kedma were Calip, Tachti, and Omir; these were the children of Malchuth the wife of Yishmael according to their families.
27
All these are the families of Yishmael according to their generations, and they dwelt in those lands wherein they had built themselves cities unto this day.
28
And Rivkah the daughter of Bethuel, the wife of Avraham's son Yitzchak, was barren in those days, she had no offspring; and Yitzchak dwelt with his father in the land of Kena’an; and Yahuah was with Yitzchak; and Arpachshad the son of Shem the son of Noach died in those days, in the forty-eighth year of the life of Yitzchak, and all the days that Arpachshad lived were four hundred and thirty-eight years, and he died.
Chapter 26 Yitzchak and Rivkah pray for children. Their Prayers answered, and Esav and Ya'akov are Born. Avraham, after recounting all the Wonderful Works of Yahuah, enjoins his Son to Walk in His way and keep His Commandments. In the Fifteenth Year of Ya'akov and Esav's lives, Avraham Dies and is Buried by all the Kings of the land. All the People and even the children mourn for Avraham for a Full
1
And in the fifty-ninth year of the life of Yitzchak the son of Avraham, Rivkah his wife was still barren in those days.
2
And Rivkah said unto Yitzchak, Truly I have heard, my lord, that thy mother Sarah was barren in her days until my Yahuah Avraham, thy father, prayed for her and she conceived by him.
3
Now therefore stand up, pray thou also to Elohim and he will hear thy prayer and remember us through his mercies.
4
And Yitzchak answered his wife Rivkah, saying, Avraham has already prayed for me to Elohim to multiply his seed, now therefore this barrenness must proceed to us from thee.
5
And Rivkah said unto him, But arise now thou also and pray, that Yahuah may hear thy prayer and grant me children, and Yitzchak hearkened to the words of his wife, and Yitzchak and his wife rose up and went to the land of Moriah to pray there and to seek Yahuah, and when they had reached that place Yitzchak stood up and prayed to Yahuah on account of his wife because she was barren.
6
And Yitzchak said, O Yahuah Elohim of heaven and earth, whose goodness and mercies fill the earth, thou who didst take my father from his father's house and from his birthplace, and didst bring him unto this land, and didst say unto him, To thy seed will I give the land, and thou didst promise him and didst declare unto him, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the sea, now may thy words be verified which thou didst speak unto my father.
7
For thou art Yahuah our Elohim, our eyes are toward thee to give us seed of men, as thou didst promise us, for thou art Yahuah our Elohim and our eyes are directed toward thee only.
8
And Yahuah heard the prayer of Yitzchak the son of Avraham, and Yahuah was entreated of him and Rivkah his wife conceived.
9
And in about seven months after the children struggled together within her, and it pained her greatly that she was wearied on account of them, and she said to all the women who were then in the land, Did such a thing happen to you as it has to me? and they said unto her, No.
10
And she said unto them, Why am I alone in this amongst all the women that were upon earth? and she went to the land of Moriah to seek Yahuah on account of this; and she went to Shem and Eber his son to make inquiries of them in this matter, and that they should seek Yahuah in this thing respecting her.
11
And she also asked Avraham to seek and inquire of Yahuah about all that had befallen her.
12
And they all inquired of Yahuah concerning this matter, and they brought her word from Yahuah and told her, Two children are in thy womb, and two nations shall rise from them; and one nation shall be stronger than the other, and the greater shall serve the younger.
13
And when her days to be delivered were completed, she knelt down, and behold there were twins in her womb, as Yahuah had spoken to her.
14
And the first came out red all over like a hairy garment, and all the people of the land called his name Esav, saying, That this one was made complete from the womb.
15
And after that came his brother, and his hand took hold of Esav's heel, therefore they called his name Ya'akov.
16
And Yitzchak, the son of Avraham, was sixty years old when he begat them.
17
And the boys grew up to their fifteenth year, and they came amongst the society of men. Esav was a designing and deceitful man, and an expert hunter in the field, and Ya'akov was a man perfect and wise, dwelling in tents, feeding flocks and learning the instructions of Yahuah and the commands of his father and mother.
18
And Yitzchak and the children of his household dwelt with his father Avraham in the land of Kena’an, as Elohim had commanded them.
19
And Yishmael the son of Avraham went with his children and all belonging to them, and they returned there to the land of Havilah, and they dwelt there.
20
And all the children of Avraham's concubines went to dwell in the land of the east, for Avraham had sent them away from his son, and had given them presents, and they went away.
21
And Avraham gave all that he had to his son Yitzchak, and he also gave him all his treasures.
22
And he commanded him saying, Dost thou not know and understand Yahuah is Elohim in heaven and in earth, and there is no other beside him?
23
And it was he who took me from my father's house, and from my birth place, and gave me all the delights upon earth; who delivered me from the counsel of the wicked, for in him did I trust.
24
And he brought me to this place, and he delivered me from Ur Casdim; and he said unto me, To thy seed will I give all these lands, and they shall inherit them when they keep my commandments, my statutes and my judgments that I have commanded thee, and which I shall command them.
25
Now therefore my son, hearken to my voice, and keep the commandments of Yahuah thy Elohim, which I commanded thee, do not turn from the right way either to the right or to the left, in order that it may be well with thee and thy children after thee forever.
26
And remember the wonderful works of Yahuah, and his kindness that he has shown toward us, in having delivered us from the hands of our enemies, and Yahuah our Elohim caused them to fall into our hands; and now therefore keep all that I have commanded thee, and turn not away from the commandments of thy Elohim, and serve none beside him, in order that it may be well with thee and thy seed after thee.
27
And teach thou thy children and thy seed the instructions of Yahuah and his commandments, and teach them the upright way in which they should go, in order that it may be well with them forever.
28
And Yitzchak answered his father and said unto him, That which my Yahuah has commanded that will I do, and I will not depart from the commands of Yahuah my Elohim, I will keep all that he commanded me; and Avraham blessed his son Yitzchak, and also his children; and Avraham taught Ya'akov the instruction of Yahuah and his ways.
29
And it was at that time that Avraham died, in the fifteenth year of the life of Ya'akov and Esav, the sons of Yitzchak, and all the days of Avraham were one hundred and seventy- five years, and he died and was gathered to his people in good old age, old and satisfied with days, and Yitzchak and Yishmael his sons buried him.
30
And when the inhabitants of Kena’an heard that Avraham was dead, they all came with their kings and princes and all their men to bury Avraham.
31
And all the inhabitants of the land of Haran, and all the families of the house of Avraham, and all the princes and grandees, and the sons of Avraham by the concubines, all came when they heard of Avraham's death, and they requited Avraham's kindness, and comforted Yitzchak his son, and they buried Avraham in the cave which he bought from Ephron the Hittite and his children, for the possession of a burial place.
32
And all the inhabitants of Kena’an, and all those who had known Avraham, wept for Avraham a whole year, and men and women mourned over him.
33
And all the little children, and all the inhabitants of the land wept on account of Avraham, for Avraham had been good to them all, and because he had been upright with Elohim and men.
34
And there arose not a man who feared Elohim like unto Avraham, for he had feared his Elohim from his youth, and had served Yahuah, and had gone in all his ways during his life, from his childhood to the day of his death.
35
And Yahuah was with him and delivered him from the counsel of Nimrod and his people, and when he made war with the four kings of Elam he conquered them.
36
And he brought all the children of the earth to the service of Elohim, and he taught them the ways of Yahuah, and caused them to know Yahuah.
37
And he formed a grove and he planted a vineyard therein, and he had always prepared in his tent meat and drink to those that passed through the land, that they might satisfy themselves in his house.
38
And Yahuah Elohim delivered the whole earth on account of Avraham.
39
And it was after the death of Avraham that Elohim blessed his son Yitzchak and his children, and Yahuah was with Yitzchak as he had been with his father Avraham, for Yitzchak kept all the commandments of Yahuah as Avraham his father had commanded him; he did not turn to the right or to the left from the right path which his father had commanded him.
Chapter 27 Esav slays Nimrod and Two of his Mighty Men. Returns Home weary from the Fight, and sells his Birthright for Value
1
And Esav at that time, after the death of Avraham, frequently went in the field to hunt.
2
And Nimrod king of Bavel, the same was Amraphel, also frequently went with his mighty men to hunt in the field, and to walk about with his men in the cool of the day.
3
And Nimrod was observing Esav all the days, for a jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esav all the days.
4
And on a certain day Esav went in the field to hunt, and he found Nimrod walking in the wilderness with his two men.
5
And all his mighty men and his people were with him in the wilderness, but they removed at a distance from him, and they went from him in different directions to hunt, and Esav concealed himself for Nimrod, and he lurked for him in the wilderness.
6
And Nimrod and his men that were with him did not know him, and Nimrod and his men frequently walked about in the field at the cool of the day, and to know where his men were hunting in the field.
7
And Nimrod and two of his men that were with him came to the place where they were, when Esav started suddenly from his lurking place, and drew his sword, and hastened and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head.
8
And Esav fought a desperate fight with the two men that were with Nimrod, and when they called out to him, Esav turned to them and smote them to death with his sword.
9
And all the mighty men of Nimrod, who had left him to go to the wilderness, heard the cry at a distance, and they knew the voices of those two men, and they ran to know the cause of it, when they found their king and the two men that were with him lying dead in the wilderness.
10
And when Esav saw the mighty men of Nimrod coming at a distance, he fled, and thereby escaped; and Esav took the valuable garments of Nimrod, which Nimrod's father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with which Nimrod prevailed over the whole land, and he ran and concealed them in his house.
11
And Esav took those garments and ran into the city on account of Nimrod's men, and he came unto his father's house wearied and exhausted from fight, and he was ready to die through grief when he approached his brother Ya'akov and sat before him.
12
And he said unto his brother Ya'akov, Behold I shall die this day, and wherefore then do I want the birthright? And Ya'akov acted wisely with Esav in this matter, and Esav sold his birthright to Ya'akov, for it was so brought about by Yahuah.
13
And Esav's portion in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Avraham had bought from the children of Heth for the possession of a burial ground, Esav also sold to Ya'akov, and Ya'akov bought all this from his brother Esav for value given.
14
And Ya'akov wrote the whole of this in a book, and he testified the same with witnesses, and he sealed it, and the book remained in the hands of Ya'akov.
15
And when Nimrod the son of Kush died, his men lifted him up and brought him in consternation, and buried him in his city, and all the days that Nimrod lived were two hundred and fifteen years and he died.
16
And the days that Nimrod reigned upon the people of the land were one hundred and eighty-five years; and Nimrod died by the sword of Esav in shame and contempt, and the seed of Avraham caused his death as he had seen in his dream.
17
And at the death of Nimrod his kingdom became divided into many divisions, and all those parts that Nimrod reigned over were restored to the respective kings of the land, who recovered them after the death of Nimrod, and all the people of the house of Nimrod were for a long time enslaved to all the other kings of the land.
Chapter 28 On account of Famine, Yitzchak goes to Gerar, the Land of the Philistines. After the Famine he Returns at the Command of Yahuah to Hebron. Ya'akov is sent to the House of Shem where he Remains Thirty-two Years to learn the Way of Yahuah, but Esav would not go. Esav marries a Canaanitish Woman
1
And in those days, after the death of Avraham, in that year Yahuah brought a heavy famine in the land, and whilst the famine was raging in the land of Kena’an, Yitzchak rose up to go down to Mitzrayim on account of the famine, as his father Avraham had done.
2
And Yahuah appeared that night to Yitzchak and he said to him, Do not go down to Mitzrayim but rise and go to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines, and remain there till the famine shall cease.
3
And Yitzchak rose up and went to Gerar, as Yahuah commanded him, and he remained there a full year.
4
And when Yitzchak came to Gerar, the people of the land saw that Rivkah his wife was of a beautiful appearance, and the people of Gerar asked Yitzchak concerning his wife, and he said, She is my sister, for he was afraid to say she was his wife lest the people of the land should slay him on account of her.
5
And the princes of Abimelech went and praised the woman to the king, but he answered them not, neither did he attend to their words.
6
But he heard them say that Yitzchak declared her to be his sister, so the king reserved this within himself.
7
And when Yitzchak had remained three months in the land, Abimelech looked out at the window, and he saw, and behold Yitzchak was sporting with Rivkah his wife, for Yitzchak dwelt in the outer house belonging to the king, so that the house of Yitzchak was opposite the house of the king.
8
And the king said unto Yitzchak, What is this thou hast done to us in saying of thy wife, She is my sister? how easily might one of the great men of the people have lain with her, and thou wouldst then have brought guilt upon us.
9
And Yitzchak said unto Abimelech, Because I was afraid lest I die on account of my wife, therefore I said, She is my sister.
10
At that time Abimelech gave orders to all his princes and great men, and they took Yitzchak and Rivkah his wife and brought them before the king.
11
And the king commanded that they should dress them in princely garments, and make them ride through the streets of the city, and proclaim before them throughout the land, saying, This is the man and this is his wife; whoever toucheth this man or his wife shall surely die. And Yitzchak returned with his wife to the king's house, and Yahuah was with Yitzchak and he continued to wax great and lacked nothing.
12
And Yahuah caused Yitzchak to find favor in the sight of Abimelech, and in the sight of all his subjects, and Abimelech acted well with Yitzchak, for Abimelech remembered the oath and the Beriyt that existed between his father and Avraham.
13
And Abimelech said unto Yitzchak, Behold the whole earth is before thee; dwell wherever it may seem good in thy sight until thou shalt return to thy land; and Abimelech gave Yitzchak fields and vineyards and the best part of the land of Gerar, to sow and reap and eat the fruits of the ground until the days of the famine should have passed by.
14
And Yitzchak sowed in that land, and received a hundred-fold in the same year, and Yahuah blessed him.
15
And the man waxed great, and he had possession of flocks and possession of herds and great store of servants.
16
And when the days of the famine had passed away Yahuah appeared to Yitzchak and said unto him, Rise up, go forth from this place and return to thy land, to the land of Kena’an; and Yitzchak rose up and returned to Hebron which is in the land of Kena’an, he and all belonging to him as Yahuah commanded him.
17
And after this Shelach the son at Arpachshad died in that year, which is the eighteenth year of the lives of Ya'akov and Esav; and all the days that Shelach lived were four hundred and thirty-three years and he died.
18
At that time Yitzchak sent his younger son Ya'akov to the house of Shem and Eber, and he learned the instructions of Yahuah, and Ya'akov remained in the house of Shem and Eber for thirty-two years, and Esav his brother did not go, for he was not willing to go, and he remained in his father's house in the land of Kena’an.
19
And Esav was continually hunting in the fields to bring home what he could get, so did Esav all the days.
20
And Esav was a designing and deceitful man, one who hunted after the hearts of men and inveigled them, and Esav was a valiant man in the field, and in the course of time went as usual to hunt; and he came as far as the field of Seir, the same is Edom.
21
And he remained in the land of Seir hunting in the field a year and four months.
22
And Esav there saw in the land of Seir the daughter of a man of Kena’an, and her name was Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, son of Epher, from the families of Heth the son of Kena’an.
23
And Esav took her for a wife, and he came unto her; forty years old was Esav when he took her, and he brought her to Hebron, the land of his father's dwelling place, and he dwelt there.
24
And it came to pass in those days, in the hundred and tenth year of the life of Yitzchak, that is in the fiftieth year of the life of Ya'akov, in that year died Shem the son of Noach; Shem was six hundred years old at his death.
25
And when Shem died Ya'akov returned to his father to Hebron which is in the land of Kena’an.
26
And in the fifty-sixth year of the life of Ya'akov, people came from Haran, and Rivkah was told concerning her brother Lavan the son of Bethuel.
27
For the wife of Lavan was barren in those days, and bare no children, and also all his handmaids bare none to him.
28
And Yahuah afterward remembered Adinah the wife of Lavan, and she conceived and bare twin daughters, and Lavan called the names of his daughters, the name of the elder Leah, and the name of the younger Rachel.
29
And those people came and told these things to Rivkah, and Rivkah rejoiced greatly that Yahuah had visited her brother and that he had got children.
Chapter 29 Ya'akov by deceit obtains his Brother's Blessing. Ya'akov fearing his Brother's anger, flees to the House of Eber, where he remains for Fourteen Years. Esav again marries a Woman of the Land. Ya'akov returns to his Father, but being still threatened by Esav, is advised by his Mother to go to her Brother Lavan, in Haran. Ya'akov goes to Haran, being Commanded by his Father not to Marry any of the Daughters of Kena’an. Ya'akov is Waylaid on the Road, by the Son of Esav, and is Robbed of all he Possessed
1
And Yitzchak the son of Avraham became old and advanced in days, and his eyes became heavy through age; they were dim and could not see.
2
At that time Yitzchak called unto Esav his son, saying, Get I pray thee thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, rise up and go forth into the field and get me some venison, and make me savory meat and bring it to me, that I may eat in order that I may bless thee before my death, as I have now become old and gray-headed.
3
And Esav did so; and he took his weapon and went forth into the field to hunt for venison, as usual, to bring to his father as he had ordered him, so that he might bless him.
4
And Rivkah heard all the words that Yitzchak had spoken unto Esav, and she hastened and called her son Ya'akov, saying, Thus did thy father speak unto thy brother Esav, and thus did I hear, now therefore hasten thou and make that which I shall tell thee.
5
Rise up and go, I pray thee, to the flock and fetch me two fine kids of the goats, and I will get the savory meat for thy father, and thou shalt bring the savory meat that he may eat before thy brother shall have come from the chase, in order that thy father may bless thee.
6
And Ya'akov hastened and did as his mother had commanded him, and he made the savory meat and brought it before his father before Esav had come from his chase.
7
And Yitzchak said unto Ya'akov, Who art thou, my son? And he said, I am thy first born Esav, I have done as thou didst order me, now therefore rise up I pray thee, and eat of my hunt, in order that thy nefesh may bless me as thou didst speak unto me.
8
And Yitzchak rose up and he ate and he drank, and his heart was comforted, and he blessed Ya'akov and Ya'akov went away from his father; and as soon as Yitzchak had blessed Ya'akov and he had gone away from him, behold Esav came from his hunt from the field, and he also made savory meat and brought it to his father to eat thereof and to bless him.
9
And Yitzchak said unto Esav, And who was he that has taken venison and brought it me before thou camest and whom I did bless? And Esav knew that his brother Ya'akov had done this, and the anger of Esav was kindled against his brother Ya'akov that he had acted thus toward him.
10
And Esav said, Is he not rightly called Ya'akov? for he has supplanted me twice, he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing; and Esav wept greatly; and when Yitzchak heard the voice of his son Esav weeping, Yitzchak said unto Esav, What can I do, my son, thy brother came with subtlety and took away thy blessing; and Esav hated his brother Ya'akov on account of the blessing that his father had given him, and his anger was greatly roused against him.
11
And Ya'akov was very much afraid of his brother Esav, and he rose up and fled to the house of Eber the son of Shem, and he concealed himself there on account of his brother, and Ya'akov was sixty-three years old when he went forth from the land of Kena’an from Hebron, and Ya'akov was concealed in Eber's house fourteen years on account of his brother Esav, and he there continued to learn the ways of Yahuah and his commandments.
12
And when Esav saw that Ya'akov had fled and escaped from him, and that Ya'akov had cunningly obtained the blessing, then Esav grieved exceedingly, and he was also vexed at his father and mother; and he also rose up and took his wife and went away from his father and mother to the land of Seir, and he dwelt there; and Esav saw there a woman from amongst the daughters of Heth whose name was Bosmath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and he took her for a wife in addition to his first wife, and Esav called her name Adah, saying the blessing had in that time passed from him.
13
And Esav dwelt in the land of Seir six months without seeing his father and mother, and afterward Esav took his wives and rose up and returned to the land of Kena’an, and Esav placed his two wives in his father's house in Hebron.
14
And the wives of Esav vexed and provoked Yitzchak and Rivkah with their works, for they walked not in the ways of Yahuah, but served their father's gods of wood and stone as their father had taught them, and they were more wicked than their father.
15
And they went according to the evil desires of their hearts, and they sacrificed and burnt incense to the Baalim, and Yitzchak and Rivkah became weary of them.
16
And Rivkah said, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Ya'akov take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good then is life unto me?
17
And in those days Adah the wife of Esav conceived and bare him a son, and Esav called the name of the son that was born unto him Eliphaz, and Esav was sixty-five years old when she bare him.
18
And Yishmael the son of Avraham died in those days, in the sixty-forth year of the life of Ya'akov, and all the days that Yishmael lived were one hundred and thirty-seven years and he died.
19
And when Yitzchak heard that Yishmael was dead he mourned for him, and Yitzchak lamented over him many days.
20
And at the end of fourteen years of Ya'akov's residing in the house of Eber, Ya'akov desired to see his father and mother, and Ya'akov came to the house of his father and mother to Hebron, and Esav had in those days forgotten what Ya'akov had done to him in having taken the blessing from him in those days.
21
And when Esav saw Ya'akov coming to his father and mother he remembered what Ya'akov had done to him, and he was greatly incensed against him and he sought to slay him.
22
And Yitzchak the son of Avraham was old and advanced in days, and Esav said, Now my father's time is drawing nigh that he must die, and when he shall die I will slay my brother Ya'akov.
23
And this was told to Rivkah, and she hastened and sent and called for Ya'akov her son, and she said unto him, Arise, go and flee to Haran to my brother Lavan, and remain there for some time, until thy brother's anger be turned from thee and then shalt thou come back.
24
And Yitzchak called unto Ya'akov and said unto him, Take not a wife from the daughters of Kena’an, for thus did our father Avraham command us according to the word of Yahuah which he had commanded him, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; if thy children keep my Beriyt that I have made with thee, then will I also perform to thy children that which I have spoken unto thee and I will not forsake them.
25
Now therefore my son hearken to my voice, to all that I shall command thee, and refrain from taking a wife from amongst the daughters of Kena’an; arise, go to Haran to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father, and take unto thee a wife from there from the daughters of Lavan thy mother's brother.
26
Therefore take heed lest thou shouldst forget Yahuah thy Elohim and all his ways in the land to which thou goest, and shouldst get connected with the people of the land and pursue vanity and forsake Yahuah thy Elohim.
27
But when thou comest to the land serve there Yahuah, do not turn to the right or to the left from the way which I commanded thee and which thou didst learn.
28
And may the Almighty Elohim grant thee favor in the sight of the people of the earth, that thou mayest take there a wife according to thy choice; one who is good and upright in the ways of Yahuah.
29
And may Elohim give unto thee and thy seed the blessing of thy father Avraham, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, and mayest thou become a multitude of people in the land whither thou goest, and may Elohim cause thee to return to this land, the land of thy father's dwelling, with children and with great riches, with joy and with pleasure.
30
And Yitzchak finished commanding Ya'akov and blessing him, and he gave him many gifts, together with silver and gold, and he sent him away; and Ya'akov hearkened to his father and mother; he kissed them and arose and went to Padan-aram; and Ya'akov was seventy- seven years old when he went out from the land of Kena’an from Beersheba.
31
And when Ya'akov went away to go to Haran Esav called unto his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke unto him, saying, Now hasten, take thy sword in thy hand and pursue Ya'akov and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with thy sword in one of the mountains, and take all belonging to him and come back.
32
And Eliphaz the son of Esav was an active man and expert with the bow as his father had taught him, and he was a noted hunter in the field and a valiant man.
33
And Eliphaz did as his father had commanded him, and Eliphaz was at that time thirteen years old, and Eliphaz rose up and went and took ten of his mother's brothers with him and pursued Ya'akov.
34
And he closely followed Ya'akov, and he lurked for him in the border of the land of Kena’an opposite to the city of Shechem.
35
And Ya'akov saw Eliphaz and his men pursuing him, and Ya'akov stood still in the place in which he was going, in order to know what this was, for he did not know the thing; and Eliphaz drew his sword and he went on advancing, he and his men, toward Ya'akov; and Ya'akov said unto them, What is to do with you that you have come hither, and what meaneth it that you pursue with your swords.
36
And Eliphaz came near to Ya'akov and he answered and said unto him, Thus did my father command me, and now therefore I will not deviate from the orders which my father gave me; and when Ya'akov saw that Esav had spoken to Eliphaz to employ force, Ya'akov then approached and supplicated Eliphaz and his men, saying to him,
37
Behold all that I have and which my father and mother gave unto me, that take unto thee and go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing be accounted unto thee a righteousness.
38
And Yahuah caused Ya'akov to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esav, and his men, and they hearkened to the voice of Ya'akov, and they did not put him to death, and Eliphaz and his men took all belonging to Ya'akov together with the silver and gold that he had brought with him from Beersheba; they left him nothing.
39
And Eliphaz and his men went away from him and they returned to Esav to Beersheba, and they told him all that had occurred to them with Ya'akov, and they gave him all that they had taken from Ya'akov.
40
And Esav was indignant at Eliphaz his son, and at his men that were with him, because they had not put Ya'akov to death.
41
And they answered and said unto Esav, Because Ya'akov supplicated us in this matter not to slay him, our pity was excited toward him, and we took all belonging to him and brought it unto thee; and Esav took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Ya'akov and he put them by in his house.
42
At that time when Esav saw that Yitzchak had blessed Ya'akov, and had commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife from amongst the daughters of Kena’an, and that the daughters of Kena’an were bad in the sight of Yitzchak and Rivkah,
43
Then he went to the house of Yishmael his uncle, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Yishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.
Chapter 30 When he Arrives at Mount Moriah, Yahuah appears to Ya'akov and establishes His Covenant with him. Arriving at his Uncle's House he Engages to Serve Seven Years for Rachel
1
And Ya'akov went forth continuing his road to Haran, and he came as far as mount Moriah, and he tarried there all night near the city of Luz; and Yahuah appeared there unto Ya'akov on that night, and he said unto him, I am Yahuah Elohim of Avraham and the Elohim of Yitzchak thy father; the land upon which thou liest I will give unto thee and thy seed.
2
And behold I am with thee and will keep thee wherever thou goest, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of Heaven, and I will cause all thine enemies to fall before thee; and when they shall make war with thee they shall not prevail over thee, and I will bring thee again unto this land with joy, with children, and with great riches.
3
And Ya'akov awoke from his sleep and he rejoiced greatly at the vision which he had seen; and he called the name of that place Bethel.
4
And Ya'akov rose up from that place quite rejoiced, and when he walked his feet felt light to him for joy, and he went from there to the land of the children of the East, and he returned to Haran and he set by the shepherd's well.
5
And he there found some men; going from Haran to feed their flocks, and Ya'akov made inquiries of them, and they said, We are from Haran.
6
And he said unto them, Do you know Lavan, the son of Nachor? and they said, We know him, and behold his daughter Rachel is coming along to feed her father's flock.
7
Whilst he was yet speaking with them, Rachel the daughter of Lavan came to feed her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
8
And when Ya'akov saw Rachel, the daughter of Lavan, his mother's brother, he ran and kissed her, and lifted up his voice and wept.
9
And Ya'akov told Rachel that he was the son of Rivkah, her father's sister, and Rachel ran and told her father, and Ya'akov continued to cry because he had nothing with him to bring to the house of Lavan.
10
And when Lavan heard that his sister's son Ya'akov had come, he ran and kissed him and embraced him and brought him into the house and gave him bread, and he ate.
11
And Ya'akov related to Lavan what his brother Esav had done to him, and what his son Eliphaz had done to him in the road.
12
And Ya'akov resided in Lavan's house for one month, and Ya'akov ate and drank in the house of Lavan, and afterward Lavan said unto Ya'akov, Tell me what shall be thy wages, for how canst thou serve me for nought?
13
And Lavan had no sons but only daughters, and his other wives and handmaids were still barren in those days; and these are the names of Lavan's daughters which his wife Adinah had borne unto him; the name of the elder was Leah and the name of the younger was Rachel; and Leah was tender-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well favored, and Ya'akov loved her.
14
And Ya'akov said unto Lavan, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter; and Lavan consented to this and Ya'akov served Lavan seven years for his daughter Rachel.
15
And in the second year of Ya'akov's dwelling in Haran, that is in the seventy ninth year of the life of Ya'akov, in that year died Eber the son of Shem, he was four hundred and sixty- four years old at his death.
16
And when Ya'akov heard that Eber was dead he grieved exceedingly, and he lamented and mourned over him many days.
17
And in the third year of Ya'akov's dwelling in Haran, Bosmath, the daughter of Yishmael, the wife of Esav, bare unto him a son, and Esav called his name Reuel.
18
And in the fourth year of Ya'akov's residence in the house of Lavan, Yahuah visited Lavan and remembered him on account of Ya'akov, and sons were born unto him, and his first born was Beor, his second was Alib, and the third was Chorash.
19
And Yahuah gave Lavan riches and honor, sons and daughters, and the man increased greatly on account of Ya'akov.
20
And Ya'akov in those days served Lavan in all manner of work, in the house and in the field, and the blessing of Yahuah was in all that belonged to Lavan in the house and in the field.
21
And in the fifth year died Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, the wife of Esav, in the land of Kena’an, and she had no sons but daughters only.
22
And these are the names of her daughters which she bare to Esav, the name of the elder was Marzith, and the name of the younger was Puith.
23
And when Jehudith died, Esav rose up and went to Seir to hunt in the field, as usual, and Esav dwelt in the land of Seir for a long time.
24
And in the sixth year Esav took for a wife, in addition to his other wives, Ahlibamah, the daughter of Zebeon the Hivite, and Esav brought her to the land of Kena’an.
25
And Ahlibamah conceived and bare unto Esav three sons, Yeush, Yaalan, and Korah.
26
And in those days, in the land of Kena’an, there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Esav and the herdsmen of the inhabitants of the land of Kena’an, for Esav's cattle and goods were too abundant for him to remain in the land of Kena’an, in his father's house, and the land of Kena’an could not bear him on account of his cattle.
27
And when Esav saw that his quarreling increased with the inhabitants of the land of Kena’an, he rose up and took his wives and his sons and his daughters, and all belonging to him, and the cattle which he possessed, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Kena’an, and he went away from the inhabitants of the land to the land of Seir, and Esav and all belonging to him dwelt in the land of Seir.
28
But from time to time Esav would go and see his father and mother in the land of Kena’an, and Esav intermarried with the Horites, and he gave his daughters to the sons of Seir, the Horite.
29
And he gave his elder daughter Marzith to Anah, the son of Zebeon, his wife's brother, and Puith he gave to Azar, the son of Bilhan the Horite; and Esav dwelt in the mountain, he and his children, and they were fruitful and multiplied.
Chapter 31 Ya'akov is Deceived and is given Leah in Place of Rachel, but is Given Rachel for Seven Years' more Service. Ya'akov serves Lavan six years longer for Wages and becomes very Rich, when Yahuah Appears to him and commands him to Return to the Land of Kena’an. Ya'akov Obeys and goes from Lavan. Rachel Steals her Father's gods, that he may not know where Ya'akov has fled. Lavan Pursues him, but establishes a covenant of peace. Lavan breaks his Covenant by sending his Son secretly to Esav that Ya'akov may Fall in his Hands. Esav, with Four Hundred Men, seek to Destroy Ya'akov
1
And in the seventh year, Ya'akov's service which he served Lavan was completed, and Ya'akov said unto Lavan, Give me my wife, for the days of my service are fulfilled; and Lavan did so, and Lavan and Ya'akov assembled all the people of that place and they made a feast.
2
And in the evening Lavan came to the house, and afterward Ya'akov came there with the people of the feast, and Lavan extinguished all the lights that were there in the house.
3
And Ya'akov said unto Lavan, Wherefore dost thou do this thing unto us? and Lavan answered, Such is our custom to act in this land.
4
And afterward Lavan took his daughter Leah, and he brought her to Ya'akov, and he came to her and Ya'akov did not know that she was Leah.
5
And Lavan gave his daughter Leah his maid Zilpah for a handmaid.
6
And all the people at the feast knew what Lavan had done to Ya'akov, but they did not tell the thing to Ya'akov.
7
And all the neighbors came that night to Ya'akov's house, and they ate and drank and rejoiced, and played before Leah upon timbrels, and with dances, and they responded before Ya'akov, Heleah, Heleah.
8
And Ya'akov heard their words but did not understand their meaning, but he thought such might be their custom in this land.
9
And the neighbors spoke these words before Ya'akov during the night, and all the lights that were in the house Lavan had that night extinguished.
10
And in the morning, when daylight appeared, Ya'akov turned to his wife and he saw, and behold it was Leah that had been lying in his bosom, and Ya'akov said, Behold now I know what the neighbors said last night, Heleah, they said, and I knew it not.
11
And Ya'akov called unto Lavan, and said unto him, What is this that thou didst unto me? Surely I served thee for Rachel, and why didst thou deceive me and didst give me Leah?
12
And Lavan answered Ya'akov, saying, Not so is it done in our place to give the younger before the elder now therefore if thou desirest to take her sister likewise, take her unto thee for the service which thou wilt serve me for another seven years.
13
And Ya'akov did so, and he also took Rachel for a wife, and he served Lavan seven years more, and Ya'akov also came to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and Lavan gave her his maid Bilhah for a handmaid.
14
And when Yahuah saw that Leah was hated, Yahuah opened her womb, and she conceived and bare Ya'akov four sons in those days.
15
And these are their names, Reuven Shimon, Levi, and Yahudah, and she afterward left bearing.
16
And at that time Rachel was barren, and she had no offspring, and Rachel envied her sister Leah, and when Rachel saw that she bare no children to Ya'akov, she took her handmaid Bilhah, and she bare Ya'akov two sons, Dan and Naftali.
17
And when Leah saw that she had left bearing, she also took her handmaid Zilpah, and she gave her to Ya'akov for a wife, and Ya'akov also came to Zilpah, and she also bare Ya'akov two sons, Gad and Asher.
18
And Leah again conceived and bare Ya'akov in those days two sons and one daughter, and these are their names, Yissachar, Zebulon, and their sister Dinah.
19
And Rachel was still barren in those days, and Rachel prayed unto Yahuah at that time, and she said, O Yahuah Elohim remember me and visit me, I beseech thee, for now my husband will cast me off, for I have borne him no children.
20
Now O Yahuah Elohim, hear my supplication before thee, and see my affliction, and give me children like one of the handmaids, that I may no more bear my reproach.
21
And Elohim heard her and opened her womb, and Rachel conceived and bare a son, and she said, Yahuah has taken away my reproach, and she called his name Yosef, saying, May Yahuah add to me another son; and Ya'akov was ninety-one years old when she bare him.
22
At that time Ya'akov's mother, Rivkah, sent her nurse Deborah the daughter of Uz, and two of Yitzchak's servants unto Ya'akov.
23
And they came to Ya'akov to Haran and they said unto him, Rivkah has sent us to thee that thou shalt return to thy father's house to the land of Kena’an; and Ya'akov hearkened unto them in this which his mother had spoken.
24
At that time, the other seven years which Ya'akov served Lavan for Rachel were completed, and it was at the end of fourteen years that he had dwelt in Haran that Ya'akov said unto Lavan, give me my wives and send me away, that I may go to my land, for behold my mother did send unto me from the land at Kena’an that I should return to my father's house.
25
And Lavan said unto him, Not so I pray thee; if I have found favor in thy sight do not leave me; appoint me thy wages and I will give them, and remain with me.
26
And Ya'akov said unto him, This is what thou shalt give me for wages, that I shall this day pass through all thy flock and take away from them every lamb that is speckled and spotted and such as are brown amongst the sheep, and amongst the goats, and if thou wilt do this thing for me I will return and feed thy flock and keep them as at first.
27
And Lavan did so, and Lavan removed from his flock all that Ya'akov had said and gave them to him.
28
And Ya'akov placed all that he had removed from Lavan's flock in the hands of his sons, and Ya'akov was feeding the remainder of Lavan's flock.
29
And when the servants of Yitzchak which he had sent unto Ya'akov saw that Ya'akov would not then return with them to the land of Kena’an to his father, they then went away from him, and they returned home to the land of Kena’an.
30
And Deborah remained with Ya'akov in Haran, and she did not return with the servants of Yitzchak to the land of Kena’an, and Deborah resided with Ya'akov's wives and children in Haran.
31
And Ya'akov served Lavan six years longer, and when the sheep brought forth, Ya'akov removed from them such as were speckled and spotted, as he had determined with Lavan, and Ya'akov did so at Lavan's for six years, and the man increased abundantly and he had cattle and maid servants and men servants, camels, and asses.
32
And Ya'akov had two hundred drove of cattle, and his cattle were of large size and of beautiful appearance and were very productive, and all the families of the sons of men desired to get some of the cattle of Ya'akov, for they were exceedingly prosperous.
33
And many of the sons of men came to procure some of Ya'akov's flock, and Ya'akov gave them a sheep for a man servant or a maid servant or for an ass or a camel, or whatever Ya'akov desired from them they gave him.
34
And Ya'akov obtained riches and honor and possessions by means of these transactions with the sons of men, and the children of Lavan envied him of this honor.
35
And in the course of time he heard the words of Lavan's sons, saying, Ya'akov has taken away all that was our father's, and of that which was our father's has he acquired all this glory.
36
And Ya'akov beheld the countenance of Lavan and of his children, and behold it was not toward him in those days as it had been before.
37
And Yahuah appeared to Ya'akov at the expiration of the six years, and said unto him, Arise, go forth out of this land, and return to the land of thy birthplace and I will be with thee.
38
And Ya'akov rose up at that time and he mounted his children and wives and all belonging to him upon camels, and he went forth to go to the land of Kena’an to his father Yitzchak.
39
And Lavan did not know that Ya'akov had gone from him, for Lavan had been that day sheep-shearing.
40
And Rachel stole her father's images, and she took them and she concealed them upon the camel upon which she sat, and she went on.
41
And this is the manner of the images; in taking a man who is the first born and slaying him and taking the hair off his head, and taking salt and salting the head and anointing it in oil, then taking a small tablet of copper or a tablet of gold and writing the name upon it, and placing the tablet under his tongue, and taking the head with the tablet under the tongue and putting it in the house, and lighting up lights before it and bowing down to it.
42
And at the time when they bow down to it, it speaketh to them in all matters that they ask of it, through the power of the name which is written in it.
43
And some make them in the figures of men, of gold and silver, and go to them in times known to them, and the figures receive the influence of the stars, and tell them future things, and in this manner were the images which Rachel stole from her father.
44
And Rachel stole these images which were her father's, in order that Lavan might not know through them where Ya'akov had gone.
45
And Lavan came home and he asked concerning Ya'akov and his household, and he was not to be found, and Lavan sought his images to know where Ya'akov had gone, and could not find them, and he went to some other images, and he inquired of them and they told him that Ya'akov had fled from him to his father's, to the land of Kena’an.
46
And Lavan then rose up and he took his brothers and all his servants, and he went forth and pursued Ya'akov, and he overtook him in mount Gilead.
47
And Lavan said unto Ya'akov, What is this thou hast done to me to flee and deceive me, and lead my daughters and their children as captives taken by the sword?
48
And thou didst not suffer me to kiss them and send them away with joy, and thou didst steal my gods and didst go away.
49
And Ya'akov answered Lavan, saying, Because I was afraid lest thou wouldst take thy daughters by force from me; and now with whomsoever thou findest thy gods he shall die.
50
And Lavan searched for the images and he examined in all Ya'akov's tents and furniture, but could not find them.
51
And Lavan said unto Ya'akov, We will make a Beriyt together and it shall be a testimony between me and thee; if thou shalt afflict my daughters, or shalt take other wives besides my daughters, even Elohim shall be a witness between me and thee in this matter.
52
And they took stones and made a heap, and Lavan said, This heap is a witness between me and thee, therefore he called the name thereof Gilead.
53
And Ya'akov and Lavan offered sacrifice upon the mount, and they ate there by the heap, and they tarried in the mount all night, and Lavan rose up early in the morning, and he wept with his daughters and he kissed them, and he returned unto his place.
54
And he hastened and sent off his son Beor, who was seventeen years old, with Abichorof the son of Uz, the son of Nachor, and with them were ten men.
55
And they hastened and went and passed on the road before Ya'akov, and they came by another road to the land of Seir.
56
And they came unto Esav and said unto him, Thus saith thy brother and relative, thy mother's brother Lavan, the son of Bethuel, saying,
57
Hast thou heard what Ya'akov thy brother has done unto me, who first came to me naked and bare, and I went to meet him, and brought him to my house with honor, and I made him great, and I gave him my two daughters for wives and also two of my maids.
58
And Elohim blessed him on my account, and he increased abundantly, and had sons, daughters and maid servants.
59
He has also an immense stock of flocks and herds, camels and asses, also silver and gold in abundance; and when he saw that his wealth increased, he left me whilst I went to shear my sheep, and he rose up and fled in secrecy.
60
And he lifted his wives and children upon camels, and he led away all his cattle and property which he acquired in my land, and he lifted up his countenance to go to his father Yitzchak, to the land of Kena’an.
61
And he did not suffer me to kiss my daughters and their children, and he led my daughters as captives taken by the sword, and he also stole my gods and he fled.
62
And now I have left him in the mountain of the brook of Jabuk, him and all belonging to him; he lacketh nothing.
63
If it be thy wish to go to him, go then and there wilt thou find him, and thou canst do unto him as thy nefesh desireth; and Lavan's messengers came and told Esav all these things.
64
And Esav heard all the words of Lavan's messengers, and his anger was greatly kindled against Ya'akov, and he remembered his hatred, and his anger burned within him.
65
And Esav hastened and took his children and servants and the nefashot of his household, being sixty men, and he went and assembled all the children of Seir the Horite and their people, being three hundred and forty men, and took all this number of four hundred men with drawn swords, and he went unto Ya'akov to smite him.
66
And Esav divided this number into several parts, and he took the sixty men of his children and servants and the nefashot of his household as one head, and gave them in care of Eliphaz his eldest son.
67
And the remaining heads he gave to the care of the six sons of Seir the Horite, and he placed every man over his generations and children.
68
And the whole of this camp went as it was, and Esav went amongst them toward Ya'akov, and he conducted them with speed.
69
And Lavan's messengers departed from Esav and went to the land of Kena’an, and they came to the house of Rivkah the mother of Ya'akov and Esav.
70
And they told her saying, Behold thy son Esav has gone against his brother Ya'akov with four hundred men, for he heard that he was coming, and he is gone to make war with him, and to smite him and to take all that he has.
71
And Rivkah hastened and sent seventy two men from the servants of Yitzchak to meet Ya'akov on the road; for she said, Peradventure, Esav may make war in the road when he meets him.
72
And these messengers went on the road to meet Ya'akov, and they met him in the road of the brook on the opposite side of the brook Jabuk, and Ya'akov said when he saw them, This camp is destined to me from Elohim, and Ya'akov called the name of that place Machnayim.
73
And Ya'akov knew all his father's people, and he kissed them and embraced them and came with them, and Ya'akov asked them concerning his father and mother, and they said, They were well.
74
And these messengers said unto Ya'akov, Rivkah thy mother has sent us to thee, saying, I have heard, my son, that thy brother Esav has gone forth against thee on the road with men from the children of Seir the Horite.
75
And therefore, my son, hearken to my voice and see with thy counsel what thou wilt do, and when he cometh up to thee, supplicate him, and do not speak rashly to him, and give him a present from what thou possessest, and from what Elohim has favored thee with.
76
And when he asketh thee concerning thy affairs, conceal nothing from him, perhaps he may turn from his anger against thee and thou wilt thereby save thy nefesh, thou and all belonging to thee, for it is thy duty to honor him, for he is thy elder brother.
77
And when Ya'akov heard the words of his mother which the messengers had spoken to him, Ya'akov lifted up his voice and wept bitterly, and did as his mother then commanded him.
Chapter 32 Ya'akov sends a Message of Peace to his Brother, who rejects it with contempt, and Advances to Destroy him. Hosts of Angels cause the Fear of Ya'akov to come upon Esav, and he goes to meet him in peace, in answer to Ya'akov's Prayer. Ya'akov Wrestles with an Angel of Yahuah
1
And at that time Ya'akov sent messengers to his brother Esav toward the land of Seir, and he spoke to him words of supplication.
2
And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say to my lord, to Esav, Thus saith thy servant Ya'akov, Let not my lord imagine that my father's blessing with which he did bless me has proved beneficial to me.
3
For I have been these twenty years with Lavan, and he deceived me and changed my wages ten times, as it has all been already told unto my lord.
4
And I served him in his house very laboriously, and Elohim afterward saw my affliction, my labor and the work of my hands, and he caused me to find grace and favor in his sight.
5
And I afterward through Elohim's great mercy and kindness acquired oxen and asses and cattle, and men servants and maid servants.
6
And now I am coming to my land and my home to my father and mother, who are in the land of Kena’an; and I have sent to let my lord know all this in order to find favor in the sight of my lord, so that he may not imagine that I have of myself obtained wealth, or that the blessing with which my father blessed me has benefited me.
7
And those messengers went to Esav, and found him on the borders of the land of Edom going toward Ya'akov, and four hundred men of the children of Seir the Horite were standing with drawn swords.
8
And the messengers of Ya'akov told Esav all the words that Ya'akov had spoken to them concerning Esav.
9
And Esav answered them with pride and contempt, and said unto them, Surely I have heard and truly it has been told unto me what Ya'akov has done to Lavan, who exalted him in his house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he begat sons and daughters, and abundantly increased in wealth and riches in Lavan's house through his means.
10
And when he saw that his wealth was abundant and his riches great he fled with all belonging to him, from Lavan's house, and he led Lavan's daughters away from the face of their father, as captives taken by the sword without telling him of it.
11
And not only to Lavan has Ya'akov done thus but also unto me has he done so and has twice supplanted me, and shall I be silent?
12
Now therefore I have this day come with my camps to meet him, and I will do unto him according to the desire of my heart.
13
And the messengers returned and came to Ya'akov and said unto him, We came to thy brother, to Esav, and we told him all thy words, and thus has he answered us, and behold he cometh to meet thee with four hundred men.
14
Now then know and see what thou shalt do, and pray before Elohim to deliver thee from him.
15
And when he heard the words of his brother which he had spoken to the messengers of Ya'akov, Ya'akov was greatly afraid and he was distressed.
16
And Ya'akov prayed to Yahuah his Elohim, and he said, O Yahuah Elohim of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak, thou didst say unto me when I went away from my father's house, saying,
17
I am Yahuah Elohim of thy father Avraham and the Elohim of Yitzchak, unto thee do I give this land and thy seed after thee, and I will make thy seed as the stars of heaven, and thou shalt spread forth to the four sides of heaven, and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
18
And thou didst establish thy words, and didst give unto me riches and children and cattle, as the utmost wishes of my heart didst thou give unto thy servant; thou didst give unto me all that I asked from thee, so that I lacked nothing.
19
And thou didst afterward say unto me, Return to thy parents and to thy birth place and I will still do well with thee.
20
And now that I have come, and thou didst deliver me from Lavan, I shall fall in the hands of Esav who will slay me, yea, together with the mothers of my children.
21
Now therefore, O Yahuah Elohim, deliver me, I pray thee, also from the hands of my brother Esav, for I am greatly afraid of him.
22
And if there is no righteousness in me, do it for the sake of Avraham and my father Yitzchak.
23
For I know that through kindness and mercy have I acquired this wealth; now therefore I beseech thee to deliver me this day with thy kindness and to answer me.
24
And Ya'akov ceased praying to Yahuah, and he divided the people that were with him with the flocks and cattle into two camps, and he gave the half to the care of Damesek, the son of Eliezer, Avraham's servant, for a camp, with his children, and the other half he gave to the care of his brother Elianus the son of Eliezer, to be for a camp with his children.
25
And he commanded them, saying, Keep yourselves at a distance with your camps, and do not come too near each other, and if Esav come to one camp and slay it, the other camp at a distance from it will escape him.
26
And Ya'akov tarried there that night, and during the whole night he gave his servants instructions concerning the forces and his children.
27
And Yahuah heard the prayer of Ya'akov on that day, and Yahuah then delivered Ya'akov from the hands of his brother Esav.
28
And Yahuah sent three angels of the angels of heaven, and they went before Esav and came to him.
29
And these angels appeared unto Esav and his people as two thousand men, riding upon horses furnished with all sorts of war instruments, and they appeared in the sight of Esav and all his men to be divided into four camps, with four chiefs to them.
30
And one camp went on and they found Esav coming with four hundred men toward his brother Ya'akov, and this camp ran toward Esav and his people and terrified them, and Esav fell off the horse in alarm, and all his men separated from him in that place, for they were greatly afraid.
31
And the whole of the camp shouted after them when they fled from Esav, and all the warlike men answered, saying,
32
Surely we are the servants of Ya'akov, who is the servant of Elohim, and who then can stand against us? And Esav said unto them, O then, my lord and brother Ya'akov is your lord, whom I have not seen for these twenty years, and now that I have this day come to see him, do you treat me in this manner?
33
And the angels answered him saying, As Yahuah liveth, were not Ya'akov of whom thou speaketh thy brother, we had not let one remaining from thee and thy people, but only on account of Ya'akov we will do nothing to them.
34
And this camp passed from Esav and his men and it went away, and Esav and his men had gone from them about a league when the second camp came toward him with all sorts of weapons, and they also did unto Esav and his men as the first camp had done to them.
35
And when they had left it to go on, behold the third camp came toward him and they were all terrified, and Esav fell off the horse, and the whole camp cried out, and said, Surely we are the servants of Ya'akov, who is the servant of Elohim, and who can stand against us?
36
And Esav again answered them saying, O then, Ya'akov my lord and your lord is my brother, and for twenty years I have not seen his countenance and hearing this day that he was coming, I went this day to meet him, and do you treat me in this manner?
37
And they answered him, and said unto him, As Yahuah liveth, were not Ya'akov thy brother as thou didst say, we had not left a remnant from thee and thy men, but on account of Ya'akov of whom thou speakest being thy brother, we will not meddle with thee or thy men.
38
And the third camp also passed from them, and he still continued his road with his men toward Ya'akov, when the fourth camp came toward him, and they also did unto him and his men as the others had done.
39
And when Esav beheld the evil which the four angels had done to him and to his men, he became greatly afraid of his brother Ya'akov, and he went to meet him in peace.
40
And Esav concealed his hatred against Ya'akov, because he was afraid of his life on account of his brother Ya'akov, and because he imagined that the four camps that he had lighted upon were Ya'akov's servants.
41
And Ya'akov tarried that night with his servants in their camps, and he resolved with his servants to give unto Esav a present from all that he had with him, and from all his property; and Ya'akov rose up in the morning, he and his men, and they chose from amongst the cattle a present for Esav.
42
And this is the amount of the present which Ya'akov chose from his flock to give unto his brother Esav: and he selected two hundred and forty head from the flocks, and he selected from the camels and asses thirty each, and of the herds he chose fifty kine.
43
And he put them all in ten droves, and he placed each sort by itself, and he delivered them into the hands of ten of his servants, each drove by itself.
44
And he commanded them, and said unto them, Keep yourselves at a distance from each other, and put a space between the droves, and when Esav and those who are with him shall meet you and ask you, saying, Whose are you, and whither do you go, and to whom belongeth all this before you, you shall say unto them, We are the servants of Ya'akov, and we come to meet Esav in peace, and behold Ya'akov cometh behind us.
45
And that which is before us is a present sent from Ya'akov to his brother Esav.
46
And if they shall say unto you, Why doth he delay behind you, from coming to meet his brother and to see his face, then you shall say unto them, Surely he cometh joyfully behind us to meet his brother, for he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth to him, and after this I will see his face, peradventure he will accept of me.
47
So the whole present passed on in the hands of his servants, and went before him on that day, and he lodged that night with his camps by the border of the brook of Jabuk, and he rose up in the midst of the night, and he took his wives and his maid servants, and all belonging to him, and he that night passed them over the ford Jabuk.
48
And when he passed all belonging to him over the brook, Ya'akov was left by himself, and a man met him, and he wrestled with him that night until the breaking of the day, and the hollow of Ya'akov's thigh was out of joint through wrestling with him.
49
And at the break of day the man left Ya'akov there, and he blessed him and went away, and Ya'akov passed the brook at the break of day, and he halted upon his thigh.
50
And the sun rose upon him when he had passed the brook, and he came up to the place of his cattle and children.
51
And they went on till midday, and whilst they were going the present was passing on before them.
52
And Ya'akov lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold Esav was at a distance, coming along with many men, about four hundred, and Ya'akov was greatly afraid of his brother.
53
And Ya'akov hastened and divided his children unto his wives and his handmaids, and his daughter Dinah he put in a chest, and delivered her into the hands of his servants.
54
And he passed before his children and wives to meet his brother, and he bowed down to the ground, yea he bowed down seven times until he approached his brother, and Elohim caused Ya'akov to find grace and favor in the sight of Esav and his men, for Elohim had heard the prayer of Ya'akov.
55
And the fear of Ya'akov and his terror fell upon his brother Esav, for Esav was greatly afraid of Ya'akov for what the angels of Elohim had done to Esav, and Esav's anger against Ya'akov was turned into kindness.
56
And when Esav saw Ya'akov running toward him, he also ran toward him and he embraced him, and he fell upon his neck, and they kissed and they wept.
57
And Elohim put fear and kindness toward Ya'akov in the hearts of the men that came with Esav, and they also kissed Ya'akov and embraced him.
58
And also Eliphaz, the son of Esav, with his four brothers, sons of Esav, wept with Ya'akov, and they kissed him and embraced him, for the fear of Ya'akov had fallen upon them all.
59
And Esav lifted up his eyes and saw the women with their offspring, the children of Ya'akov, walking behind Ya'akov and bowing along the road to Esav.
60
And Esav said unto Ya'akov, Who are these with thee, my brother? are they thy children or thy servants? and Ya'akov answered Esav and said, They are my children which Elohim hath graciously given to thy servant.
61
And whilst Ya'akov was speaking to Esav and his men, Esav beheld the whole camp, and he said unto Ya'akov, Whence didst thou get the whole of the camp that I met yesternight? and Ya'akov said, To find favor in the sight of my lord, it is that which Elohim graciously gave to thy servant.
62
And the present came before Esav, and Ya'akov pressed Esav, saying, Take I pray thee the present that I have brought to my lord, and Esav said, Wherefore is this my purpose? keep that which thou hast unto thyself.
63
And Ya'akov said, It is incumbent upon me to give all this, since I have seen thy face, that thou still livest in peace.
64
And Esav refused to take the present, and Ya'akov said unto him, I beseech thee my lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand, for I have therefore seen thy face, as though I had seen a god-like face, because thou wast pleased with me.
65
And Esav took the present, and Ya'akov also gave unto Esav silver and gold and bdellium, for he pressed him so much that he took them.
66
And Esav divided the cattle that were in the camp, and he gave the half to the men who had come with him, for they had come on hire, and the other half he delivered unto the hands of his children.
67
And the silver and gold and bdellium he gave in the hands of Eliphaz his eldest son, and Esav said unto Ya'akov, Let us remain with thee, and we will go slowly along with thee until thou comest to my place with me, that we may dwell there together.
68
And Ya'akov answered his brother and said, I would do as my lord speaketh unto me, but my lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with their young who are with me, go but slowly, for if they went swiftly they would all die, for thou knowest their burdens and their fatigue.
69
Therefore let my lord pass on before his servant, and I will go on slowly for the sake of the children and the flock, until I come to my lord's place to Seir.
70
And Esav said unto Ya'akov, I will place with thee some of the people that are with me to take care of thee in the road, and to bear thy fatigue and burden, and he said, What needeth it my lord, if I may find grace in thy sight?
71
Behold I will come unto thee to Seir to dwell there together as thou hast spoken, go thou then with thy people for I will follow thee.
72
And Ya'akov said this to Esav in order to remove Esav and his men from him, so that Ya'akov might afterward go to his father's house to the land of Kena’an.
73
And Esav hearkened to the voice of Ya'akov, and Esav returned with the four hundred men that were with him on their road to Seir, and Ya'akov and all belonging to him went that day as far as the extremity of the land of Kena’an in its borders, and he remained there some time.
Chapter 33 Ya'akov goes to Shechem. Prince Shechem defiles Dinah the Daughter of Ya'akov. Shechem desires her for a Wife
1
And in some time after Ya'akov went away from the borders of the land, and he came to the land of Shalem, that is the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Kena’an, and he rested in front of the city.
2
And he bought a parcel of the field which was there, from the children of Hamor the people of the land, for five shekels.
3
And Ya'akov there built himself a house, and he pitched his tent there, and he made booths for his cattle, therefore he called the name of that place Succoth.
4
And Ya'akov remained in Succoth a year and six months.
5
At that time some of the women of the inhabitants of the land went to the city of Shechem to dance and rejoice with the daughters of the people of the city, and when they went forth then Rachel and Leah the wives of Ya'akov with their families also went to behold the rejoicing of the daughters of the city.
6
And Dinah the daughter of Ya'akov also went along with them and saw the daughters of the city, and they remained there before these daughters whilst all the people of the city were standing by them to behold their rejoicings, and all the great people of the city were there.
7
And Shechem the son of Hamor, the prince of the land was also standing there to see them.
8
And Shechem beheld Dinah the daughter of Ya'akov sitting with her mother before the daughters of the city, and the damsel pleased him greatly, and he there asked his friends and his people, saying, Whose daughter is that sitting amongst the women, whom I do not know in this city?
9
And they said unto him, Surely this is the daughter of Ya'akov the son of Yitzchak the Hebrew, who has dwelt in this city for some time, and when it was reported that the daughters of the land were going forth to rejoice she went with her mother and maid servants to sit amongst them as thou seest.
10
And Shechem beheld Dinah the daughter of Ya'akov, and when he looked at her his nefesh became fixed upon Dinah.
11
And he sent and had her taken by force, and Dinah came to the house of Shechem and he seized her forcibly and lay with her and humbled her, and he loved her exceedingly and placed her in his house.
12
And they came and told the thing unto Ya'akov, and when Ya'akov heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, Ya'akov sent twelve of his servants to fetch Dinah from the house of Shechem, and they went and came to the house of Shechem to take away Dinah from there.
13
And when they came Shechem went out to them with his men and drove them from his house, and he would not suffer them to come before Dinah, but Shechem was sitting with Dinah kissing and embracing her before their eyes.
14
And the servants of Ya'akov came back and told him, saying, When we came, he and his men drove us away, and thus did Shechem do unto Dinah before our eyes.
15
And Ya'akov knew moreover that Shechem had defiled his daughter, but he said nothing, and his sons were feeding his cattle in the field, and Ya'akov remained silent till their return.
16
And before his sons came home Ya'akov sent two maidens from his servants' daughters to take care of Dinah in the house of Shechem, and to remain with her, and Shechem sent three of his friends to his father Hamor the son of Chiddekem, the son of Pered, saying, Get me this damsel for a wife.
17
And Hamor the son of Chiddekem the Hivite came to the house of Shechem his son, and he sat before him, and Hamor said unto his son, Shechem, Is there then no woman amongst the daughters of thy people that thou wilt take an Hebrew woman who is not of thy people?
18
And Shechem said to him, Her only must thou get for me, for she is delightful in my sight; and Hamor did according to the word of his son, for he was greatly beloved by him.
19
And Hamor went forth to Ya'akov to commune with him concerning this matter, and when he had gone from the house of his son Shechem, before he came to Ya'akov to speak unto him, behold the sons of Ya'akov had come from the field, as soon as they heard the thing that Shechem the son of Hamor had done.
20
And the men were very much grieved concerning their sister, and they all came home fired with anger, before the time of gathering in their cattle.
21
And they came and sat before their father and they spoke unto him kindled with wrath, saying, Surely death is due to this man and to his household, because Yahuah Elohim of the whole earth commanded Noach and his children that man shall never rob, nor commit adultery; now behold Shechem has both ravaged and committed fornication with our sister, and not one of all the people of the city spoke a word to him.
22
Surely thou knowest and understandest that the judgment of death is due to Shechem, and to his father, and to the whole city on account of the thing which he has done.
23
And whilst they were speaking before their father in this matter, behold Hamor the father of Shechem came to speak to Ya'akov the words of his son concerning Dinah, and he sat before Ya'akov and before his sons.
24
And Hamor spoke unto them, saying, The nefesh of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter; I pray you give her unto him for a wife and intermarry with us; give us your daughters and we will give you our daughters, and you shall dwell with us in our land and we will be as one people in the land.
25
For our land is very extensive, so dwell ye and trade therein and get possessions in it, and do therein as you desire, and no one shall prevent you by saying a word to you.
26
And Hamor ceased speaking unto Ya'akov and his sons, and behold Shechem his son had come after him, and he sat before them.
27
And Shechem spoke before Ya'akov and his sons, saying, May I find favor in your sight that you will give me your daughter, and whatever you say unto me that will I do for her.
28
Ask me for abundance of dowry and gift, and I will give it, and whatever you shall say unto me that will I do, and whoever he be that will rebel against your orders, he shall die; only give me the damsel for a wife.
29
And Shimon and Levi answered Hamor and Shechem his son deceitfully, saying, All you have spoken unto us we will do for you.
30
And behold our sister is in your house, but keep away from her until we send to our father Yitzchak concerning this matter, for we can do nothing without his consent.
31
For he knoweth the ways of our father Avraham, and whatever he sayeth unto us we will tell you, we will conceal nothing from you.
32
And Shimon and Levi spoke this unto Shechem and his father in order to find a pretext, and to seek counsel what was to be done to Shechem and to his city in this matter.
33
And when Shechem and his father heard the words of Shimon and Levi, it seemed good in their sight, and Shechem and his father came forth to go home.
34
And when they had gone, the sons of Ya'akov said unto their father, saying, Behold, we know that death is due to these wicked ones and to their city, because they transgressed that which Elohim had commanded unto Noach and his children and his seed after them.
35
And also because Shechem did this thing to our sister Dinah in defiling her, for such vileness shall never be done amongst us.
36
Now therefore know and see what you will do, and seek counsel and pretext what is to be done to them, in order to kill all the inhabitants of this city.
37
And Shimon said to them, Here is a proper advice for you: tell them to circumcise every male amongst them as we are circumcised, and if they do not wish to do this, we shall take our daughter from them and go away.
38
And if they consent to do this and will do it, then when they are sunk down with pain, we will attack them with our swords, as upon one who is quiet and peaceable, and we will slay every male person amongst them.
39
And Shimon's advice pleased them, and Shimon and Levi resolved to do unto them as it was proposed.
40
And on the next morning Shechem and Hamor his father came again unto Ya'akov and his sons, to speak concerning Dinah, and to hear what answer the sons of Ya'akov would give to their words.
41
And the sons of Ya'akov spoke deceitfully to them, saying, We told our father Yitzchak all your words, and your words pleased him.
42
But he spoke unto us, saying, Thus did Avraham his father command him from Elohim Yahuah of the whole earth, that any man who is not of his descendants that should wish to take one of his daughters, shall cause every male belonging to him to be circumcised, as we are circumcised, and then we may give him our daughter for a wife.
43
Now we have made known to you all our ways that our father spoke unto us, for we cannot do this of which you spoke unto us, to give our daughter to an uncircumcised man, for it is a disgrace to us.
44
But herein will we consent to you, to give you our daughter, and we will also take unto ourselves your daughters, and will dwell amongst you and be one people as you have spoken, if you will hearken to us, and consent to be like us, to circumcise every male belonging to you, as we are circumcised.
45
And if you will not hearken unto us, to have every male circumcised as we are circumcised, as we have commanded, then we will come to you, and take our daughter from you and go away.
46
And Shechem and his father Hamor heard the words of the sons of Ya'akov, and the thing pleased them exceedingly, and Shechem and his father Hamor hastened to do the wishes of the sons of Ya'akov, for Shechem was very fond of Dinah, and his nefesh was riveted to her.
47
And Shechem and his father Hamor hastened to the gate of the city, and they assembled all the men of their city and spoke unto them the words of the sons of Ya'akov, saying,
48
We came to these men, the sons of Ya'akov, and we spoke unto them concerning their daughter, and these men will consent to do according to our wishes, and behold our land is of great extent for them, and they will dwell in it, and trade in it, and we shall be one people; we will take their daughters, and our daughters we will give unto them for wives.
49
But only on this condition will these men consent to do this thing, that every male amongst us be circumcised as they are circumcised, as their Elohim commanded them, and when we shall have done according to their instructions to be circumcised, then will they dwell amongst us, together with their cattle and possessions, and we shall be as one people with them.
50
And when all the men of the city heard the words of Shechem and his father Hamor, then all the men of their city were agreeable to this proposal, and they obeyed to be circumcised, for Shechem and his father Hamor were greatly esteemed by them, being the princes of the land.
51
And on the next day, Shechem and Hamor his father rose up early in the morning, and they assembled all the men of their city into the middle of the city, and they called for the sons of Ya'akov, who circumcised every male belonging to them on that day and the next.
52
And they circumcised Shechem and Hamor his father, and the five brothers of Shechem, and then every one rose up and went home, for this thing was from Yahuah against the city of Shechem, and from Yahuah was Shimon's counsel in this matter, in order that Yahuah might deliver the city of Shechem into the hands of Ya'akov's two sons.
Chapter 34 The Perfidy of Shechem. Shimon and Levi, Sons of Ya'akov, avenge the Honor of their Sister Dinah, Destroy all the Men of the City, and Spoil it. The People of Kena’an conspire to avenge the cause of Shechem. Yitzchak and Ya'akov Pray for Succor
1
And the number of all the males that were circumcised, were six hundred and forty-five men, and two hundred and forty-six children.
2
But Chiddekem, son of Pered, the father of Hamor, and his six brothers, would not listen unto Shechem and his father Hamor, and they would not be circumcised, for the proposal of the sons of Ya'akov was loathsome in their sight, and their anger was greatly roused at this, that the people of the city had not hearkened to them.
3
And in the evening of the second day, they found eight small children who had not been circumcised, for their mothers had concealed them from Shechem and his father Hamor, and from the men of the city.
4
And Shechem and his father Hamor sent to have them brought before them to be circumcised, when Chiddekem and his six brothers sprang at them with their swords, and sought to slay them.
5
And they sought to slay also Shechem and his father Hamor and they sought to slay Dinah with them on account of this matter.
6
And they said unto them, What is this thing that you have done? are there no women amongst the daughters of your brethren the Canaanites, that you wish to take unto yourselves daughters of the Hebrews, whom ye knew not before, and will do this act which your fathers never commanded you?
7
Do you imagine that you will succeed through this act which you have done? and what will you answer in this affair to your brethren the Canaanites, who will come tomorrow and ask you concerning this thing?
8
And if your act shall not appear just and good in their sight, what will you do for your lives, and me for our lives, in your not having hearkened to our voices?
9
And if the inhabitants of the land and all your brethren the children of Ham, shall hear of your act, saying,
10
On account of a Hebrew woman did Shechem and Hamor his father, and all the inhabitants of their city, do that with which they had been unacquainted and which their ancestors never commanded them, where then will you fly or where conceal your shame, all your days before your brethren, the inhabitants of the land of Kena’an?
11
Now therefore we cannot bear up against this thing which you have done, neither can we be burdened with this yoke upon us, which our ancestors did not command us.
12
Behold tomorrow we will go and assemble all our brethren, the Canaanitish brethren who dwell in the land, and we will all come and smite you and all those who trust in you, that there shall not be a remnant left from you or them.
13
And when Hamor and his son Shechem and all the people of the city heard the words of Chiddekem and his brothers, they were terribly afraid of their lives at their words, and they repented of what they had done.
14
And Shechem and his father Hamor answered their father Chiddekem and his brethren, and they said unto them, All the words which you spoke unto us are true.
15
Now do not say, nor imagine in your hearts that on account of the love of the Hebrews we did this thing that our ancestors did not command us.
16
But because we saw that it was not their intention and desire to accede to our wishes concerning their daughter as to our taking her, except on this condition, so we hearkened to their voices and did this act which you saw, in order to obtain our desire from them.
17
And when we shall have obtained our request from them, we will then return to them and do unto them that which you say unto us.
18
We beseech you then to wait and tarry until our flesh shall be healed and we again become strong, and we will then go together against them, and do unto them that which is in your hearts and in ours.
19
And Dinah the daughter of Ya'akov heard all these words which Chiddekem and his brothers had spoken, and what Hamor and his son Shechem and the people of their city had answered them.
20
And she hastened and sent one of her maidens, that her father had sent to take care of her in the house of Shechem, to Ya'akov her father and to her brethren, saying:
21
Thus did Chiddekem and his brothers advise concerning you, and thus did Hamor and Shechem and the people of the city answer them.
22
And when Ya'akov heard these words he was filled with wrath, and he was indignant at them, and his anger was kindled against them.
23
And Shimon and Levi swore and said, As Yahuah liveth, the Elohim of the whole earth, by this time tomorrow, there shall not be a remnant left in the whole city.
24
And twenty young men had concealed themselves who were not circumcised, and these young men fought against Shimon and Levi, and Shimon and Levi killed eighteen of them, and two fled from them and escaped to some lime pits that were in the city, and Shimon and Levi sought for them, but could not find them.
25
And Shimon and Levi continued to go about in the city, and they killed all the people of the city at the edge of the sword, and they left none remaining.
26
And there was a great consternation in the midst of the city, and the cry of the people of the city ascended to heaven, and all the women and children cried aloud.
27
And Shimon and Levi slew all the city; they left not a male remaining in the whole city.
28
And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son at the edge of the sword, and they brought away Dinah from the house of Shechem and they went from there.
29
And the sons of Ya'akov went and returned, and came upon the slain, and spoiled all their property which was in the city and the field.
30
And whilst they were taking the spoil, three hundred men stood up and threw dust at them and struck them with stones, when Shimon turned to them and he slew them all with the edge of the sword, and Shimon turned before Levi, and came into the city.
31
And they took away their sheep and their oxen and their cattle, and also the remainder of the women and little ones, and they led all these away, and they opened a gate and went out and came unto their father Ya'akov with vigor.
32
And when Ya'akov saw all that they had done to the city, and saw the spoil that they took from them, Ya'akov was very angry at them, and Ya'akov said unto them, What is this that you have done to me? behold I obtained rest amongst the Canaanitish inhabitants of the land, and none of them meddled with me.
33
And now you have done to make me obnoxious to the inhabitants of the land, amongst the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I am but of a small number, and they will all assemble against me and slay me when they hear of your work with their brethren, and I and my household will be destroyed.
34
And Shimon and Levi and all their brothers with them answered their father Ya'akov and said unto him, Behold we live in the land, and shall Shechem do this to our sister? why art thou silent at all that Shechem has done? and shall he deal with our sister as with a harlot in the streets?
35
And the number of women whom Shimon and Levi took captives from the city of Shechem, whom they did not slay, was eighty-five who had not known man.
36
And amongst them was a young damsel of beautiful appearance and well favored, whose name was Bunah, and Shimon took her for a wife, and the number of the males which they took captives and did not slay, was forty-seven men, and the rest they slew.
37
And all the young men and women that Shimon and Levi had taken captives from the city of Shechem, were servants to the sons of Ya'akov and to their children after them, until the day of the sons of Ya'akov going forth from the land of Mitzrayim.
38
And when Shimon and Levi had gone forth from the city, the two young men that were left, who had concealed themselves in the city, and did not die amongst the people of the city, rose up, and these young men went into the city and walked about in it, and found the city desolate without man, and only women weeping, and these young men cried out and said, Behold, this is the evil which the sons of Ya'akov the Hebrew did to this city in their having this day destroyed one of the Canaanitish cities, and were not afraid of their lives of all the land of Kena’an.
39
And these men left the city and went to the city of Tapnach, and they came there and told the inhabitants of Tapnach all that had befallen them, and all that the sons of Ya'akov had done to the city of Shechem.
40
And the information reached Jashub king of Tapnach, and he sent men to the city of Shechem to see those young men, for the king did not believe them in this account, saying, How could two men lay waste such a large town as Shechem?
41
And the messengers of Jashub came back and told him, saying, We came unto the city, and it is destroyed, there is not a man there; only weeping women; neither is any flock or cattle there, for all that was in the city the sons of Ya'akov took away.
42
And Jashub wondered at this, saying, How could two men do this thing, to destroy so large a city, and not one man able to stand against them?
43
For the like has not been from the days of Nimrod, and not even from the remotest time, has the like taken place; and Jashub, king of Tapnach, said to his people, Be courageous and we will go and fight against these Hebrews, and do unto them as they did unto the city, and we will avenge the cause of the people of the city.
44
And Jashub, king of Tapnach, consulted with his counsellors about this matter, and his advisers said unto him, Alone thou wilt not prevail over the Hebrews, for they must be powerful to do this work to the whole city.
45
If two of them laid waste the whole city, and no one stood against them, surely if thou wilt go against them, they will all rise against us and destroy us likewise.
46
But if thou wilt send to all the kings that surround us, and let them come together, then we will go with them and fight against the sons of Ya'akov; then wilt thou prevail against them.
47
And Jashub heard the words of his counsellors, and their words pleased him and his people, and he did so; and Jashub king of Tapnach sent to all the kings of the Amorites that surrounded Shechem and Tapnach, saying,
48
Go up with me and assist me, and we will smite Ya'akov the Hebrew and all his sons, and destroy them from the earth, for thus did he do to the city of Shechem, and do you not know of it?
49
And all the kings of the Amorites heard the evil that the sons of Ya'akov had done to the city of Shechem, and they were greatly astonished at them.
50
And the seven kings of the Amorites assembled with all their armies, about ten thousand men with drawn swords, and they came to fight against the sons of Ya'akov; and Ya'akov heard that the kings of the Amorites had assembled to fight against his sons, and Ya'akov was greatly afraid, and it distressed him.
51
And Ya'akov exclaimed against Shimon and Levi, saying, What is this act that you did? why have you injured me, to bring against me all the children of Kena’an to destroy me and my household? for I was at rest, even I and my household, and you have done this thing to me, and provoked the inhabitants of the land against me by your proceedings.
52
And Yahudah answered his father, saying, Was it for naught my brothers Shimon and Levi killed all the inhabitants of Shechem? Surely it was because Shechem had humbled our sister, and transgressed the command of our Elohim to Noach and his children, for Shechem took our sister away by force, and committed adultery with her.
53
And Shechem did all this evil and not one of the inhabitants of his city interfered with him, to say, Why wilt thou do this? surely for this my brothers went and smote the city, and Yahuah delivered it into their hands, because its inhabitants had transgressed the commands of our Elohim. Is it then for naught that they have done all this?
54
And now why art thou afraid or distressed, and why art thou displeased at my brothers, and why is thine anger kindled against them?
55
Surely our Elohim who delivered into their hand the city of Shechem and its people, he will also deliver into our hands all the Canaanitish kings who are coming against us, and we will do unto them as my brothers did unto Shechem.
56
Now be tranquil about them and cast away thy fears, but trust in Yahuah our Elohim, and pray unto him to assist us and deliver us, and deliver our enemies into our hands.
57
And Yahudah called to one of his father's servants, Go now and see where those kings, who are coming against us, are situated with their armies.
58
And the servant went and looked far off, and went up opposite Mount Sihon, and saw all the camps of the kings standing in the fields, and he returned to Yahudah and said, Behold the kings are situated in the field with all their camps, a people exceedingly numerous, like unto the sand upon the sea shore.
59
And Yahudah said unto Shimon and Levi, and unto all his brothers, Strengthen yourselves and be sons of valor, for Yahuah our Elohim is with us, do not fear them.
60
Stand forth each man, girt with his weapons of war, his bow and his sword, and we will go and fight against these uncircumcised men; Yahuah is our Elohim, He will save us.
61
And they rose up, and each girt on his weapons of war, great and small, eleven sons of Ya'akov, and all the servants of Ya'akov with them.
62
And all the servants of Yitzchak who were with Yitzchak in Hebron, all came to them equipped in all sorts of war instruments, and the sons of Ya'akov and their servants, being one hundred and twelve men, went towards these kings, and Ya'akov also went with them.
63
And the sons of Ya'akov sent unto their father Yitzchak the son of Avraham to Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, saying,
64
Pray we beseech thee for us unto Yahuah our Elohim, to protect us from the hands of the Canaanites who are coming against us, and to deliver them into our hands.
65
And Yitzchak the son of Avraham prayed unto Yahuah for his sons, and he said, O Yahuah Elohim, thou didst promise my father, saying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and thou didst also promise me, and establish thou thy word, now that the kings of Kena’an are coming together, to make war with my children because they committed no violence.
66
Now therefore, O Yahuah Elohim, Elohim of the whole earth, pervert, I pray thee, the counsel of these kings that they may not fight against my sons.
67
And impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons and bring down their pride, and that they may turn away from my sons.
68
And with thy strong hand and outstretched arm deliver my sons and their servants from them, for power and might are in thy hands to do all this.
69
And the sons of Ya'akov and their servants went toward these kings, and they trusted in Yahuah their Elohim, and whilst they were going, Ya'akov their father also prayed unto Yahuah and said, O Yahuah Elohim, powerful and exalted Elohim, who has reigned from days of old, from thence till now and forever;
70
Thou art He who stirreth up wars and causeth them to cease, in thy hand are power and might to exalt and to bring down; O may my prayer be acceptable before thee that thou mayest turn to me with thy mercies, to impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons, and terrify them and their camps, and with thy great kindness deliver all those that trust in thee, for it is thou who canst bring people under us and reduce nations under our power.
Chapter 35 The Fear of Elohim come upon the Canaanites, and they do not Fight with Ya'akov
1
And all the kings of the Amorites came and took their stand in the field to consult with their counsellors what was to be done with the sons of Ya'akov, for they were still afraid of them, saying, Behold, two of them slew the whole of the city of Shechem.
2
And Yahuah heard the prayers of Yitzchak and Ya'akov, and he filled the hearts of all these kings' advisers with great fear and terror that they unanimously exclaimed,
3
Are you silly this day, or is there no understanding in you, that you will fight with the Hebrews, and why will you take a delight in your own destruction this day?
4
Behold two of them came to the city of Shechem without fear or terror, and they killed all the inhabitants of the city, that no man stood up against them, and how will you be able to fight with them all?
5
Surely you know that their Elohim is exceedingly fond of them, and has done mighty things for them, such as have not been done from days of old, and amongst all the gods of nations, there is none can do like unto his mighty deeds.
6
Surely he delivered their father Avraham, the Hebrew, from the hand of Nimrod, and from the hand of all his people who had many times sought to slay him.
7
He delivered him also from the fire in which king Nimrod had cast him, and his Elohim delivered him from it.
8
And who else can do the like? surely it was Avraham who slew the five kings of Elam, when they had touched his brother's son who in those days dwelt in Sodom.
9
And took his servant that was faithful in his house and a few of his men, and they pursued the kings of Elam in one night and killed them, and restored to his brother's son all his property which they had taken from him.
10
And surely you know the Elohim of these Hebrews is much delighted with them, and they are also delighted with him, for they know that he delivered them from all their enemies.
11
And behold through his love toward his Elohim, Avraham took his only and precious son and intended to bring him up as a burnt offering to his Elohim, and had it not been for Elohim who prevented him from doing this, he would then have done it through his love to his Elohim.
12
And Elohim saw all his works, and swore unto him, and promised him that he would deliver his sons and all his seed from every trouble that would befall them, because he had done this thing, and through his love to his Elohim stifled his compassion for his child.
13
And have you not heard what their Elohim did to Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim, and to Abimelech king of Gerar, through taking Avraham's wife, who said of her, She is my sister, lest they might slay him on account of her, and think of taking her for a wife? and Elohim did unto them and their people all that you heard of.
14
And behold, we ourselves saw with our eyes that Esav, the brother of Ya'akov, came to him with four hundred men, with the intention of slaying him, for he called to mind that he had taken away from him his father's blessing.
15
And he went to meet him when he came from Syria, to smite the mother with the children, and who delivered him from his hands but his Elohim in whom he trusted? he delivered him from the hand of his brother and also from the hands of his enemies, and surely he again will protect them.
16
Who does not know that it was their Elohim who inspired them with strength to do to the town of Shechem the evil which you heard of?
17
Could it then be with their own strength that two men could destroy such a large city as Shechem had it not been for their Elohim in whom they trusted? he said and did unto them all this to slay the inhabitants of the city in their city.
18
And can you then prevail over them who have come forth together from your city to fight with the whole of them, even if a thousand times as many more should come to your assistance?
19
Surely you know and understand that you do not come to fight with them, but you come to war with their Elohim who made choice of them, and you have therefore all come this day to be destroyed.
20
Now therefore refrain from this evil which you are endeavoring to bring upon yourselves, and it will be better for you not to go to battle with them, although they are but few in numbers, because their Elohim is with them.
21
And when the kings of the Amorites heard all the words of their advisers, their hearts were filled with terror, and they were afraid of the sons of Ya'akov and would not fight against them.
22
And they inclined their ears to the words of their advisers, and they listened to all their words, and the words of the counsellors greatly pleased the kings, and they did so.
23
And the kings turned and refrained from the sons of Ya'akov, for they durst not approach them to make war with them, for they were greatly afraid of them, and their hearts melted within them from their fear of them.
24
For this proceeded from Yahuah to them, for he heard the prayers of his servants Yitzchak and Ya'akov, for they trusted in him; and all these kings returned with their camps on that day, each to his own city, and they did not at that time fight with the sons of Ya'akov.
25
And the sons of Ya'akov kept their station that day till evening opposite mount Sihon, and seeing that these kings did not come to fight against them, the sons of Ya'akov returned home.
Chapter 36 Ya'akov and his House goes to Bethel, where Yahuah appears to him, calls his name Yisrael, and Blesses him. The Generations of Ya'akov and Esav
1
At that time Yahuah appeared unto Ya'akov saying, Arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and make there an mizbeach to Yahuah who appeareth unto thee, who delivered thee and thy sons from affliction.
2
And Ya'akov rose up with his sons and all belonging to him, and they went and came to Bethel according to the word of Yahuah.
3
And Ya'akov was ninety-nine years old when he went up to Bethel, and Ya'akov and his sons and all the people that were with him, remained in Bethel in Luz, and he there built an mizbeach to Yahuah who appeared unto him, and Ya'akov and his sons remained in Bethel six months.
4
At that time died Deborah the daughter of Uz, the nurse of Rivkah, who had been with Ya'akov; and Ya'akov buried her beneath Bethel under an oak that was there.
5
And Rivkah the daughter of Bethuel, the mother of Ya'akov, also died at that time in Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Avraham had bought from the children of Heth.
6
And the life of Rivkah was one hundred and thirty-three years, and she died and when Ya'akov heard that his mother Rivkah was dead he wept bitterly for his mother, and made a great mourning for her, and for Deborah her nurse beneath the oak, and he called the name of that place Allon-bachuth.
7
And Lavan the Syrian died in those days, for Elohim smote him because he transgressed the Beriyt that existed between him and Ya'akov.
8
And Ya'akov was a hundred years old when Yahuah appeared unto him, and blessed him and called his name Yisrael, and Rachel the wife of Ya'akov conceived in those days.
9
And at that time Ya'akov and all belonging to him journeyed from Bethel to go to his father's house, to Hebron.
10
And whilst they were going on the road, and there was yet but a little way to come to Ephrath, Rachel bare a son and she had hard labor and she died.
11
And Ya'akov buried her in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and he set a pillar upon her grave, which is there unto this day; and the days of Rachel were forty- five years and she died.
12
And Ya'akov called the name of his son that was born to him, which Rachel bare unto him, Binyamin, for he was born to him in the land on the right hand.
13
And it was after the death of Rachel, that Ya'akov pitched his tent in the tent of her handmaid Bilhah.
14
And Reuven was jealous for his mother Leah on account of this, and he was filled with anger, and he rose up in his anger and went and entered the tent of Bilhah and he thence removed his father's bed.
15
At that time the portion of birthright, together with the kingly and priestly offices, was removed from the sons of Reuven, for he had profaned his father's bed, and the birthright was given unto Yosef, the kingly office to Yahudah, and the priesthood unto Levi, because Reuven had defiled his father's bed.
16
And these are the generations of Ya'akov who were born to him in Padan-aram, and the sons of Ya'akov were twelve.
17
The sons of Leah were Reuven the first born, and Shimon, Levi, Yahudah, Yissachar, Zevulun, and their sister Dinah; and the sons of Rachel were Yosef and Binyamin.
18
The sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, were Gad and Asher, and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, were Dan and Naftali; these are the sons of Ya'akov which were born to him in Padan-aram.
19
And Ya'akov and his sons and all belonging to him journeyed and came to Mamre, which is Kireath-arba, that is in Hebron, where Avraham and Yitzchak sojourned, and Ya'akov with his sons and all belonging to him, dwelt with his father in Hebron.
20
And his brother Esav and his sons, and all belonging to him went to the land of Seir and dwelt there, and had possessions in the land of Seir, and the children of Esav were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land of Seir.
21
And these are the generations of Esav that were born to him in the land of Kena’an, and the sons of Esav were five.
22
And Adah bare to Esav his first born Eliphaz, and she also bare to him Reuel, and Ahlibamah bare to him Jeush, Yaalam and Korah.
23
These are the children of Esav who were born to him in the land of Kena’an; and the sons of Eliphaz the son of Esav were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz and Amalex, and the sons of Reuel were Nachath, Zerach, Shamah and Mizzah.
24
And the sons of Jeush were Timnah, Alvah, Jetheth; and the sons of Yaalam were Alah, Phinor and Kenaz.
25
And the sons of Korah were Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Eram; these are the families of the sons of Esav according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir.
26
And these are the names of the sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land of Seir, Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishan, Ezer and Dishon, being seven sons.
27
And the children of Lotan were Hori, Heman and their sister Timna, that is Timna who came to Ya'akov and his sons, and they would not give ear to her, and she went and became a concubine to Eliphaz the son of Esav, and she bare to him Amalek.
28
And the sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam, and the sons of Zibeon were Ajah, and Anah, this was that Anah who found the Yemim in the wilderness when he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.
29
And whilst he was feeding his father's asses he led them to the wilderness at different times to feed them.
30
And there was a day that he brought them to one of the deserts on the sea shore, opposite the wilderness of the people, and whilst he was feeding them, behold a very heavy storm came from the other side of the sea and rested upon the asses that were feeding there, and they all stood still.
31
And afterward about one hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where the asses were, and they placed themselves there.
32
And those animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness of the keephas, with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon these asses, and led them away, and they went away unto this day.
33
And one of these animals approached Anah and smote him with his tail, and then fled from that place.
34
And when he saw this work he was exceedingly afraid of his life, and he fled and escaped to the city.
35
And he related to his sons and brothers all that had happened to him, and many men went to seek the asses but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers went no more to that place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid of their lives.
36
And the children of Anah the son of Seir, were Dishon and his sister Ahlibamah, and the children of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Cheran, and the children of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan, and the children of Dishon were Uz and Aran.
37
These are the families of the children of Seir the Horite, according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir.
38
And Esav and his children dwelt in the land of Seir the Horite, the inhabitant of the land, and they had possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly, and Ya'akov and his children and all belonging to them, dwelt with their father Yitzchak in the land of Kena’an, as Yahuah had commanded Avraham their father.
Chapter 37 Ya'akov Returns to Shechem. The Kings of Kena’an again assemble against Ya'akov. Ya'akov's Ten Sons with One Hundred and Two of their servants Fight against the Canaanites and Amorites, and are successful. CHAPTER 38 and 39--The Sons of Ya'akov Destroy many Cities of Kena’an and all their people
1
And in the one hundred and fifth year of the life of Ya'akov, that is the ninth year of Ya'akov's dwelling with his children in the land of Kena’an, he came from Padan-aram.
2
And in those days Ya'akov journeyed with his children from Hebron, and they went and returned to the city of Shechem, they and all belonging to them, and they dwelt there, for the children of Ya'akov obtained good and fat pasture land for their cattle in the city of Shechem, the city of Shechem having then been rebuilt, and there were in it about three hundred men and women.
3
And Ya'akov and his children and all belonging to him dwelt in the part of the field which Ya'akov had bought from Hamor the father of Shechem, when he came from Padan-aram before Shimon and Levi had smitten the city.
4
And all those kings of the Canaanites and Amorites that surrounded the city of Shechem, heard that the sons of Ya'akov had again come to Shechem and dwelt there.
5
And they said, Shall the sons of Ya'akov the Hebrew again come to the city and dwell therein, after that they have smitten its inhabitants and driven them out? shall they now return and also drive out those who are dwelling in the city or slay them?
6
And all the kings of Kena’an again assembled, and they came together to make war with Ya'akov and his sons.
7
And Jashub king of Tapnach sent also to all his neighboring kings, to Elan king of Gaash, and to Ihuri king of Shiloh, and to Parathon king of Chazar, and to Susi king of Sarton, and to Lavan king of Bethchoran, and to Shabir king of Othnay-mah, saying,
8
Come up to me and assist me, and let us smite Ya'akov the Hebrew and his sons, and all belonging to him, for they are again come to Shechem to possess it and to slay its inhabitants as before.
9
And all these kings assembled together and came with all their camps, a people exceedingly plentiful like the sand upon the sea shore, and they were all opposite to Tapnach.
10
And Jashub king of Tapnach went forth to them with all his army, and he encamped with them opposite to Tapnach without the city, and all these kings they divided into seven divisions, being seven camps against the sons of Ya'akov.
11
And they sent a declaration to Ya'akov and his son, saying, Come you all forth to us that we may have an interview together in the plain, and revenge the cause of the men of Shechem whom you slew in their city, and you will now again return to the city of Shechem and dwell therein, and slay its inhabitants as before.
12
And the sons of Ya'akov heard this and their anger was kindled exceedingly at the words of the kings of Kena’an, and ten of the sons of Ya'akov hastened and rose up, and each of them girt on his weapons of war; and there were one hundred and two of their servants with them equipped in battle array.
13
And all these men, the sons of Ya'akov with their servants, went toward these kings, and Ya'akov their father was with them, and they all stood upon the heap of Shechem.
14
And Ya'akov prayed to Yahuah for his sons, and he spread forth his hands to Yahuah, and he said, O Elohim, thou art an Almighty Elohim, thou art our father, thou didst form us and we are the works of thine hands; I pray thee deliver my sons through thy mercy from the hand of their enemies, who are this day coming to fight with them and save them from their hand, for in thy hand is power and might, to save the few from the many.
15
And give unto my sons, thy servants, strength of heart and might to fight with their enemies, to subdue them, and make their enemies fall before them, and let not my sons and their servants die through the hands of the children of Kena’an.
16
But if it seemeth good in thine eyes to take away the lives of my sons and their servants, take them in thy great mercy through the hands of thy ministers, that they may not perish this day by the hands of the kings of the Amorites.
17
And when Ya'akov ceased praying to Yahuah the earth shook from its place, and the sun darkened, and all these kings were terrified and a great consternation seized them.
18
And Yahuah hearkened to the prayer of Ya'akov, and Yahuah impressed the hearts of all the kings and their hosts with the terror and awe of the sons of Ya'akov.
19
For Yahuah caused them to hear the voice of chariots, and the voice of mighty horses from the sons of Ya'akov, and the voice of a great army accompanying them.
20
And these kings were seized with great terror at the sons of Ya'akov, and whilst they were standing in their quarters, behold the sons of Ya'akov advanced upon them, with one hundred and twelve men, with a great and tremendous shouting.
21
And when the kings saw the sons of Ya'akov advancing toward them, they were still more panic struck, and they were inclined to retreat from before the sons of Ya'akov as at first, and not to fight with them.
22
But they did not retreat, saying, It would be a disgrace to us thus twice to retreat from before the Hebrews.
23
And the sons of Ya'akov came near and advanced against all these kings and their armies, and they saw, and behold it was a very mighty people, numerous as the sand of the sea.
24
And the sons of Ya'akov called unto Yahuah and said, Help us O Yahuah, help us and answer us, for we trust in thee, and let us not die by the hands of these uncircumcised men, who this day have come against us.
25
And the sons of Ya'akov girt on their weapons of war, and they took in their hands each man his shield and his javelin, and they approached to battle.
26
And Yahudah, the son of Ya'akov, ran first before his brethren, and ten of his servants with him, and he went toward these kings.
27
And Jashub, king of Tapnach, also came forth first with his army before Yahudah, and Yahudah saw Jashub and his army coming toward him, and Yahudah's wrath was kindled, and his anger burned within him, and he approached to battle in which Yahudah ventured his life.
28
And Jashub and all his army were advancing toward Yahudah, and he was riding upon a very strong and powerful horse, and Jashub was a very valiant man, and covered with iron and brass from head to foot.
29
And whilst he was upon the horse, he shot arrows with both hands from before and behind, as was his manner in all his battles, and he never missed the place to which he aimed his arrows.
30
And when Jashub came to fight with Yahudah, and was darting many arrows against Yahudah, Yahuah bound the hand of Jashub, and all the arrows that he shot rebounded upon his own men.
31
And notwithstanding this, Jashub kept advancing toward Yahudah, to challenge him with the arrows, but the distance between them was about thirty cubits, and when Yahudah saw Jashub darting forth his arrows against him, he ran to him with his wrath-excited might.
32
And Yahudah took up a large stone from the ground, and its weight was sixty shekels, and Yahudah ran toward Jashub, and with the stone struck him on his shield, that Jashub was stunned with the blow, and fell off from his horse to the ground.
33
And the shield burst asunder out of the hand of Jashub, and through the force of the blow sprang to the distance of about fifteen cubits, and the shield fell before the second camp.
34
And the kings that came with Jashub saw at a distance the strength of Yahudah, the son of Ya'akov, and what he had done to Jashub, and they were terribly afraid of Yahudah.
35
And they assembled near Jashub's camp, seeing his confusion, and Yahudah drew his sword and smote forty-two men of the camp of Jashub, and the whole of Jashub's camp fled before Yahudah, and no man stood against him, and they left Jashub and fled from him, and Jashub was still prostrate upon the ground.
36
And Jashub seeing that all the men of his camp had fled from him, hastened and rose up with terror against Yahudah, and stood upon his legs opposite Yahudah.
37
And Jashub had a single combat with Yahudah, placing shield toward shield, and Jashub's men all fled, for they were greatly afraid of Yahudah.
38
And Jashub took his spear in his hand to strike Yahudah upon his head, but Yahudah had quickly placed his shield to his head against Jashub's spear, so that the shield of Yahudah received the blow from Jashub's spear, and the shield was split in too.
39
And when Yahudah saw that his shield was split, he hastily drew his sword and smote Jashub at his ankles, and cut off his feet that Jashub fell upon the ground, and the spear fell from his hand.
40
And Yahudah hastily picked up Jashub's spear, with which he severed his head and cast it next to his feet.
41
And when the sons of Ya'akov saw what Yahudah had done to Jashub, they all ran into the ranks of the other kings, and the sons of Ya'akov fought with the army of Jashub, and the armies of all the kings that were there.
42
And the sons of Ya'akov caused fifteen thousand of their men to fall, and they smote them as if smiting at gourds, and the rest fled for their lives.
43
And Yahudah was still standing by the body of Jashub, and stripped Jashub of his coat of mail.
44
And Yahudah also took off the iron and brass that was about Jashub, and behold nine men of the captains of Jashub came along to fight against Yahudah.
45
And Yahudah hastened and took up a stone from the ground, and with it smote one of them upon the head, and his skull was fractured, and the body also fell from the horse to the ground.
46
And the eight captains that remained, seeing the strength of Yahudah, were greatly afraid and they fled, and Yahudah with his ten men pursued them, and they overtook them and slew them.
47
And the sons of Ya'akov were still smiting the armies of the kings, and they slew many of them, but those kings daringly kept their stand with their captains, and did not retreat from their places, and they exclaimed against those of their armies that fled from before the sons of Ya'akov, but none would listen to them, for they were afraid of their lives lest they should die.
48
And all the sons of Ya'akov, after having smitten the armies of the kings, returned and came before Yahudah, and Yahudah was still slaying the eight captains of Jashub, and stripping off their garments.
49
And Levi saw Elon, king of Gaash, advancing toward him, with his fourteen captains to smite him, but Levi did not know it for certain.
50
And Elon with his captains approached nearer, and Levi looked back and saw that battle was given him in the rear, and Levi ran with twelve of his servants, and they went and slew Elon and his captains with the edge of the sword.
Chapter 38
1
And Ihuri king of Shiloh came up to assist Elon, and he approached Ya'akov, when Ya'akov drew his bow that was in his hand and with an arrow struck Ihuri which caused his death.
2
And when Ihuri king of Shiloh was dead, the four remaining kings fled from their station with the rest of the captains, and they endeavored to retreat, saying, We have no more strength with the Hebrews after their having killed the three kings and their captains who were more powerful than we are.
3
And when the sons of Ya'akov saw that the remaining kings had removed from their station, they pursued them, and Ya'akov also came from the heap of Shechem from the place where he was standing, and they went after the kings and they approached them with their servants.
4
And the kings and the captains with the rest of their armies, seeing that the sons of Ya'akov approached them, were afraid of their lives and fled till they reached the city of Chazar.
5
And the sons of Ya'akov pursued them to the gate of the city of Chazar, and they smote a great smiting amongst the kings and their armies, about four thousand men, and whilst they were smiting the army of the kings, Ya'akov was occupied with his bow confining himself to smiting the kings, and he slew them all.
6
And he slew Parathon king of Chazar at the gate of the city of Chazar, and he afterward smote Susi king of Sarton, and Lavan king of Bethchorin, and Shabir king of Machnaymah, and he slew them all with arrows, an arrow to each of them, and they died.
7
And the sons of Ya'akov seeing that all the kings were dead and that they were broken up and retreating, continued to carry on the battle with the armies of the kings opposite the gate of Chazar, and they still smote about four hundred of their men.
8
And three men of the servants of Ya'akov fell in that battle, and when Yahudah saw that three of his servants had died, it grieved him greatly, and his anger burned within him against the Amorites.
9
And all the men that remained of the armies of the kings were greatly afraid of their lives, and they ran and broke the gate of the walls of the city of Chazar, and they all entered the city for safety.
10
And they concealed themselves in the midst of the city of Chazar, for the city of Chazar was very large and extensive, and when all these armies had entered the city, the sons of Ya'akov ran after them to the city.
11
And four mighty men, experienced in battle, went forth from the city and stood against the entrance of the city, with drawn swords and spears in their hands, and they placed themselves opposite the sons of Ya'akov, and would not suffer them to enter the city.
12
And Naftali ran and came between them and with his sword smote two of them, and cut off their heads at one stroke.
13
And he turned to the other two, and behold they had fled, and he pursued them, overtook them, smote them and slew them.
14
And the sons of Ya'akov came to the city and saw, and behold there was another wall to the city, and they sought for the gate of the wall and could not find it, and Yahudah sprang upon the top of the wall, and Shimon and Levi followed him, and they all three descended from the wall into the city.
15
And Shimon and Levi slew all the men who ran for safety into the city, and also the inhabitants of the city with their wives and little ones, they slew with the edge of the sword, and the cries of the city ascended up to heaven.
16
And Dan and Naftali sprang upon the wall to see what caused the noise of lamentation, for the sons of Ya'akov felt anxious about their brothers, and they heard the inhabitants of the city speaking with weeping and supplications, saying, Take all that we possess in the city and go away, only do not put us to death.
17
And when Yahudah, Shimon, and Levi had ceased smiting the inhabitants of the city, they ascended the wall and called to Dan and Naftali, who were upon the wall, and to the rest of their brothers, and Shimon and Levi informed them of the entrance into the city, and all the sons of Ya'akov came to fetch the spoil.
18
And the sons of Ya'akov took the spoil of the city of Chazar, the flocks and herds, and the property, and they took all that could be captured, and went away that day from the city.
19
And on the next day the sons of Ya'akov went to Sarton, for they heard that the men of Sarton who had remained in the city were assembling to fight with them for having slain their king, and Sarton was a very high and fortified city, and it had a deep rampart surrounding the city.
20
And the pillar of the rampart was about fifty cubits and its breadth forty cubits, and there was no place for a man to enter the city on account of the rampart, and the sons of Ya'akov saw the rampart of the city, and they sought an entrance in it but could not find it.
21
For the entrance to the city was at the rear, and every man that wished to come into the city came by that road and went around the whole city, and he afterwards entered the city.
22
And the sons of Ya'akov seeing they could not find the way into the city, their anger was kindled greatly, and the inhabitants of the city seeing that the sons of Ya'akov were coming to them were greatly afraid of them, for they had heard of their strength and what they had done to Chazar.
23
And the inhabitants of the city of Sarton could not go out toward the sons of Ya'akov after having assembled in the city to fight against them, lest they might thereby get into the city, but when they saw that they were coming toward them, they were greatly afraid of them, for they had heard of their strength and what they had done to Chazar.
24
So the inhabitants of Sarton speedily took away the bridge of the road of the city, from its place, before the sons of Ya'akov came, and they brought it into the city.
25
And the sons of Ya'akov came and sought the way into the city, and could not find it and the inhabitants of the city went up to the top of the wall, and saw, and behold the sons of Ya'akov were seeking an entrance into the city.
26
And the inhabitants of the city reproached the sons of Ya'akov from the top of the wall, and they cursed them, and the sons of Ya'akov heard the reproaches, and they were greatly incensed, and their anger burned within them.
27
And the sons of Ya'akov were provoked at them, and they all rose and sprang over the rampart with the force of their strength, and through their might passed the forty cubits' breadth of the rampart.
28
And when they had passed the rampart they stood under the wall of the city, and they found all the gates of the city enclosed with iron doors.
29
And the sons of Ya'akov came near to break open the doors of the gates of the city, and the inhabitants did not let them, for from the top of the wall they were casting stones and arrows upon them.
30
And the number of the people that were upon the wall was about four hundred men, and when the sons of Ya'akov saw that the men of the city would not let them open the gates of the city, they sprang and ascended the top of the wall, and Yahudah went up first to the east part of the city.
31
And Gad and Asher went up after him to the west corner of the city, and Shimon and Levi to the north, and Dan and Reuven to the south.
32
And the men who were on the top of the wall, the inhabitants of the city, seeing that the sons of Ya'akov were coming up to them, they all fled from the wall, descended into the city, and concealed themselves in the midst of the city.
33
And Yissachar and Naftali that remained under the wall approached and broke the gates of the city, and kindled a fire at the gates of the city, that the iron melted, and all the sons of Ya'akov came into the city, they and all their men, and they fought with the inhabitants of the city of Sarton, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and no man stood up before them.
34
And about two hundred men fled from the city, and they all went and hid themselves in a certain tower in the city, and Yahudah pursued them to the tower and he broke down the tower, which fell upon the men, and they all died.
35
And the sons of Ya'akov went up the road of the roof of that tower, and they saw, and behold there was another strong and high tower at a distance in the city, and the top of it reached to heaven, and the sons of Ya'akov hastened and descended, and went with all their men to that tower, and found it filled with about three hundred men, women and little ones.
36
And the sons of Ya'akov smote a great smiting amongst those men in the tower and they ran away and fled from them.
37
And Shimon and Levi pursued them, when twelve mighty and valiant men came out to them from the place where they had concealed themselves.
38
And those twelve men maintained a strong battle against Shimon and Levi, and Shimon and Levi could not prevail over them, and those valiant men broke the shields of Shimon and Levi, and one of them struck at Levi's head with his sword, when Levi hastily placed his hand to his head, for he was afraid of the sword, and the sword struck Levi's hand, and it wanted but little to the hand of Levi being cut off.
39
And Levi seized the sword of the valiant man in his hand, and took it forcibly from the man, and with it he struck at the head of the powerful man, and he severed his head.
40
And eleven men approached to fight with Levi, for they saw that one of them was killed, and the sons of Ya'akov fought, but the sons of Ya'akov could not prevail over them, for those men were very powerful.
41
And the sons of Ya'akov seeing that they could not prevail over them, Shimon gave a loud and tremendous shriek, and the eleven powerful men were stunned at the voice of Shimon's shrieking.
42
And Yahudah at a distance knew the voice of Shimon's shouting, and Naftali and Yahudah ran with their shields to Shimon and Levi, and found them fighting with those powerful men, unable to prevail over them as their shields were broken.
43
And Naftali saw that the shields of Shimon and Levi were broken, and he took two shields from his servants and brought them to Shimon and Levi.
44
And Shimon, Levi and Yahudah on that day fought all three against the eleven mighty men until the time of sunset, but they could not prevail over them.
45
And this was told unto Ya'akov, and he was sorely grieved, and he prayed unto Yahuah, and he and Naftali his son went against these mighty men.
46
And Ya'akov approached and drew his bow, and came nigh unto the mighty men, and slew three of their men with the bow, and the remaining eight turned back, and behold, the war waged against them in the front and rear, and they were greatly afraid of their lives, and could not stand before the sons of Ya'akov, and they fled from before them.
47
And in their flight they met Dan and Asher coming toward them, and they suddenly fell upon them, and fought with them, and slew two of them, and Yahudah and his brothers pursued them, and smote the remainder of them, and slew them.
48
And all the sons of Ya'akov returned and walked about the city, searching if they could find any men, and they found about twenty young men in a cave in the city, and Gad and Asher smote them all, and Dan and Naftali lighted upon the rest of the men who had fled and escaped from the second tower, and they smote them all.
49
And the sons of Ya'akov smote all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton, but the women and little ones they left in the city and did not slay them.
50
And all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton were powerful men, one of them would pursue a thousand, and two of them would not flee from ten thousand of the rest of men.
51
And the sons of Ya'akov slew all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton with the edge of the sword, that no man stood up against them, and they left the women in the city.
52
And the sons of Ya'akov took all the spoil of the city, and captured what they desired, and they took flocks and herds and property from the city, and the sons of Ya'akov did unto Sarton and its inhabitants as they had done to Chazar and its inhabitants, and they turned and went away.
Chapter 39
1
And when the sons of Ya'akov went from the city of Sarton, they had gone about two hundred cubits when they met the inhabitants of Tapnach coming toward them, for they went out to fight with them, because they had smitten the king of Tapnach and all his men.
2
So all that remained in the city of Tapnach came out to fight with the sons of Ya'akov, and they thought to retake from them the booty and the spoil which they had captured from Chazar and Sarton.
3
And the rest of the men of Tapnach fought with the sons of Ya'akov in that place, and the sons of Ya'akov smote them, and they fled before them, and they pursued them to the city of Arbelan, and they all fell before the sons of Ya'akov.
4
And the sons of Ya'akov returned and came to Tapnach, to take away the spoil of Tapnach, and when they came to Tapnach they heard that the people of Arbelan had gone out to meet them to save the spoil of their brethren, and the sons of Ya'akov left ten of their men in Tapnach to plunder the city, and they went out toward the people of Arbelan.
5
And the men of Arbelan went out with their wives to fight with the sons of Ya'akov, for their wives were experienced in battle, and they went out, about four hundred men and women.
6
And all the sons of Ya'akov shouted with a loud voice, and they all ran toward the inhabitants of Arbelan, and with a great and tremendous voice.
7
And the inhabitants of Arbelan heard the noise of the shouting of the sons of Ya'akov, and their roaring like the noise of lions and like the roaring of the sea and its waves.
8
And fear and terror possessed their hearts on account of the sons of Ya'akov, and they were terribly afraid of them, and they retreated and fled before them into the city, and the sons of Ya'akov pursued them to the gate of the city, and they came upon them in the city.
9
And the sons of Ya'akov fought with them in the city, and all their women were engaged in slinging against the sons of Ya'akov, and the combat was very severe amongst them the whole of that day till evening.
10
And the sons of Ya'akov could not prevail over them, and the sons of Ya'akov had almost perished in that battle, and the sons of Ya'akov cried unto Yahuah and greatly gained strength toward evening, and the sons of Ya'akov smote all the inhabitants of Arbelan by the edge of the sword, men, women and little ones.
11
And also the remainder of the people who had fled from Sarton, the sons of Ya'akov smote them in Arbelan, and the sons of Ya'akov did unto Arbelan and Tapnach as they had done to Chazar and Sarton, and when the women saw that all the men were dead, they went upon the roofs of the city and smote the sons of Ya'akov by showering down stones like rain.
12
And the sons of Ya'akov hastened and came into the city and seized all the women and smote them with the edge of the sword, and the sons of Ya'akov captured all the spoil and booty, flocks and herds and cattle.
13
And the sons of Ya'akov did unto Machnaymah as they had done to Tapnach, to Chazar and to Shiloh, and they turned from there and went away.
14
And on the fifth day the sons of Ya'akov heard that the people of Gaash had gathered against them to battle, because they had slain their king and their captains, for there had been fourteen captains in the city of Gaash, and the sons of Ya'akov had slain them all in the first battle.
15
And the sons of Ya'akov that day girt on their weapons of war, and they marched to battle against the inhabitants of Gaash, and in Gaash there was a strong and mighty people of the people of the Amorites, and Gaash was the strongest and best fortified city of all the cities of the Amorites, and it had three walls.
16
And the sons of Ya'akov came to Gaash and they found the gates of the city locked, and about five hundred men standing at the top of the outer-most wall, and a people numerous as the sand upon the sea shore were in ambush for the sons of Ya'akov from without the city at the rear thereof.
17
And the sons of Ya'akov approached to open the gates of the city, and whilst they were drawing nigh, behold those who were in ambush at the rear of the city came forth from their places and surrounded the sons of Ya'akov.
18
And the sons of Ya'akov were enclosed between the people of Gaash, and the battle was both to their front and rear, and all the men that were upon the wall, were casting from the wall upon them, arrows and stones.
19
And Yahudah, seeing that the men of Gaash were getting too heavy for them, gave a most piercing and tremendous shriek and all the men of Gaash were terrified at the voice of Yahudah's cry, and men fell from the wall at his powerful shriek, and all those that were from without and within the city were greatly afraid of their lives.
20
And the sons of Ya'akov still came nigh to break the doors of the city, when the men of Gaash threw stones and arrows upon them from the top of the wall, and made them flee from the gate.
21
And the sons of Ya'akov returned against the men of Gaash who were with them from without the city, and they smote them terribly, as striking against gourds, and they could not stand against the sons of Ya'akov, for fright and terror had seized them at the shriek of Yahudah.
22
And the sons of Ya'akov slew all those men who were without the city, and the sons of Ya'akov still drew nigh to effect an entrance into the city, and to fight under the city walls, but they could not for all the inhabitants of Gaash who remained in the city had surrounded the walls of Gaash in every direction, so that the sons of Ya'akov were unable to approach the city to fight with them.
23
And the sons of Ya'akov came nigh to one corner to fight under the wall, the inhabitants of Gaash threw arrows and stones upon them like showers of rain, and they fled from under the wall.
24
And the people of Gaash who were upon the wall, seeing that the sons of Ya'akov could not prevail over them from under the wall, reproached the sons of Ya'akov in these words, saying,
25
What is the matter with you in the battle that you cannot prevail? can you then do unto the mighty city of Gaash and its inhabitants as you did to the cities of the Amorites that were not so powerful? Surely to those weak ones amongst us you did those things, and slew them in the entrance of the city, for they had no strength when they were terrified at the sound of your shouting.
26
And will you now then be able to fight in this place? Surely here you will all die, and we will avenge the cause of those cities that you have laid waste.
27
And the inhabitants of Gaash greatly reproached the sons of Ya'akov and reviled them with their gods, and continued to cast arrows and stones upon them from the wall.
28
And Yahudah and his brothers heard the words of the inhabitants of Gaash and their anger was greatly roused, and Yahudah was jealous of his Elohim in this matter, and he called out and said, O Yahuah, help, send help to us and our brothers.
29
And he ran at a distance with all his might, with his drawn sword in his hand, and he sprang from the earth and by dint of his strength, mounted the wall, and his sword fell from his hand.
30
And Yahudah shouted upon the wall, and all the men that were upon the wall were terrified, and some of them fell from the wall into the city and died, and those who were yet upon the wall, when they saw Yahudah's strength, they were greatly afraid and fled for their lives into the city for safety.
31
And some were emboldened to fight with Yahudah upon the wall, and they came nigh to slay him when they saw there was no sword in Yahudah's hand, and they thought of casting him from the wall to his brothers, and twenty men of the city came up to assist them, and they surrounded Yahudah and they all shouted over him, and approached him with drawn swords, and they terrified Yahudah, and Yahudah cried out to his brothers from the wall.
32
And Ya'akov and his sons drew the bow from under the wall, and smote three of the men that were upon the top of the wall, and Yahudah continued to cry and he exclaimed, O Yahuah help us, O Yahuah deliver us, and he cried out with a loud voice upon the wall, and the cry was heard at a great distance.
33
And after this cry he again repeated to shout, and all the men who surrounded Yahudah on the top of the wall were terrified, and they each threw his sword from his hand at the sound of Yahudah's shouting and his tremor, and fled.
34
And Yahudah took the swords which had fallen from their hands, and Yahudah fought with them and slew twenty of their men upon the wall.
35
And about eighty men and women still ascended the wall from the city and they all surrounded Yahudah, and Yahuah impressed the fear of Yahudah in their hearts, that they were unable to approach him.
36
And Ya'akov and all who were with him drew the bow from under the wall, and they slew ten men upon the wall, and they fell below the wall, before Ya'akov and his sons.
37
And the people upon the wall seeing that twenty of their men had fallen, they still ran toward Yahudah with drawn swords, but they could not approach him for they were greatly terrified at Yahudah's strength.
38
And one of their mighty men whose name was Arud approached to strike Yahudah upon the head with his sword, when Yahudah hastily put his shield to his head, and the sword hit the shield, and it was split in two.
39
And this mighty man after he had struck Yahudah ran for his life, at the fear of Yahudah, and his feet slipped upon the wall and he fell amongst the sons of Ya'akov who were below the wall, and the sons of Ya'akov smote him and slew him.
40
And Yahudah's head pained him from the blow of the powerful man, and Yahudah had nearly died from it.
41
And Yahudah cried out upon the wall owing to the pain produced by the blow, when Dan heard him, and his anger burned within him, and he also rose up and went at a distance and ran and sprang from the earth and mounted the wall with his wrath-excited strength.
42
And when Dan came upon the wall near unto Yahudah all the men upon the wall fled, who had stood against Yahudah, and they went up to the second wall, and they threw arrows and stones upon Dan and Yahudah from the second wall, and endeavored to drive them from the wall.
43
And the arrows and stones struck Dan and Yahudah, and they had nearly been killed upon the wall, and wherever Dan and Yahudah fled from the wall, they were attacked with arrows and stones from the second wall.
44
And Ya'akov and his sons were still at the entrance of the city below the first wall, and they were not able to draw their bow against the inhabitants of the city, as they could not be seen by them, being upon the second wall.
45
And Dan and Yahudah when they could no longer bear the stones and arrows that fell upon them from the second wall, they both sprang upon the second wall near the people of the city, and when the people of the city who were upon the second wall saw that Dan and Yahudah had come to them upon the second wall, they all cried out and descended below between the walls.
46
And Ya'akov and his sons heard the noise of the shouting from the people of the city, and they were still at the entrance of the city, and they were anxious about Dan and Yahudah who were not seen by them, they being upon the second wall.
47
And Naftali went up with his wrath-excited might and sprang upon the first wall to see what caused the noise of shouting which they had heard in the city, and Yissachar and Zevulun drew nigh to break the doors of the city, and they opened the gates of the city and came into the city.
48
And Naftali leaped from the first wall to the second, and came to assist his brothers, and the inhabitants of Gaash who were upon the wall, seeing that Naftali was the third who had come up to assist his brothers, they all fled and descended into the city, and Ya'akov and all his sons and all their young men came into the city to them.
49
And Yahudah and Dan and Naftali descended from the wall into the city and pursued the inhabitants of the city, and Shimon and Levi were from without the city and knew not that the gate was opened, and they went up from there to the wall and came down to their brothers into the city.
50
And the inhabitants of the city had all descended into the city, and the sons of Ya'akov came to them in different directions, and the battle waged against them from the front and the rear, and the sons of Ya'akov smote them terribly, and slew about twenty thousand of them men and women, not one of them could stand up against the sons of Ya'akov.
51
And the blood flowed plentifully in the city, and it was like a brook of water, and the blood flowed like a brook to the outer part of the city, and reached the desert of Bethchorin.
52
And the people of Bethchorin saw at a distance the blood flowing from the city of Gaash, and about seventy men from amongst them ran to see the blood, and they came to the place where the blood was.
53
And they followed the track of the blood and came to the wall of the city of Gaash, and they saw the blood issue from the city, and they heard the voice of crying from the inhabitants of Gaash, for it ascended unto heaven, and the blood was continuing to flow abundantly like a brook of water.
54
And all the sons of Ya'akov were still smiting the inhabitants of Gaash, and were engaged in slaying them till evening, about twenty thousand men and women, and the people of Chorin said, Surely this is the work of the Hebrews, for they are still carrying on war in all the cities of the Amorites.
55
And those people hastened and ran to Bethchorin, and each took his weapons of war, and they cried out to all the inhabitants of Bethchorin, who also girt on their weapons of war to go and fight with the sons of Ya'akov.
56
And when the sons of Ya'akov had done smiting the inhabitants of Gaash, they walked about the city to strip all the slain, and coming in the innermost part of the city and farther on they met three very powerful men, and there was no sword in their hand.
57
And the sons of Ya'akov came up to the place where they were, and the powerful men ran away, and one of them had taken Zevulun, who he saw was a young lad and of short stature, and with his might dashed him to the ground.
58
And Ya'akov ran to him with his sword and Ya'akov smote him below his loins with the sword, and cut him in two, and the body fell upon Zevulun.
59
And the second one approached and seized Ya'akov to fell him to the ground, and Ya'akov turned to him and shouted to him, whilst Shimon and Levi ran and smote him on the hips with the sword and felled him to the ground.
60
And the powerful man rose up from the ground with wrath-excited might, and Yahudah came to him before he had gained his footing, and struck him upon the head with the sword, and his head was split and he died.
61
And the third powerful man, seeing that his companions were killed, ran from before the sons of Ya'akov, and the sons of Ya'akov pursued him in the city; and whilst the powerful man was fleeing he found one of the swords of the inhabitants of the city, and he picked it up and turned to the sons of Ya'akov and fought them with that sword.
62
And the powerful man ran to Yahudah to strike him upon the head with the sword, and there was no shield in the hand of Yahudah; and whilst he was aiming to strike him, Naftali hastily took his shield and put it to Yahudah's head, and the sword of the powerful man hit the shield of Naftali and Yahudah escaped the sword.
63
And Shimon and Levi ran upon the powerful man with their swords and struck at him forcibly with their swords, and the two swords entered the body of the powerful man and divided it in two, length-wise.
64
And the sons of Ya'akov smote the three mighty men at that time, together with all the inhabitants of Gaash, and the day was about to decline.
65
And the sons of Ya'akov walked about Gaash and took all the spoil of the city, even the little ones and women they did not suffer to live, and the sons of Ya'akov did unto Gaash as they had done to Sarton and Shiloh.
Chapter 40 The Remaining Twenty-one Kings of Kena’an, fearing the Sons of Ya'akov, make a permanent Peace with them
1
And the sons of Ya'akov led away all the spoil of Gaash, and went out of the city by night.
2
They were going out marching toward the castle of Bethchorin, and the inhabitants of Bethchorin were going to the castle to meet them, and on that night the sons of Ya'akov fought with the inhabitants of Bethchorin, in the castle of Bethchorin.
3
And all the inhabitants of Bethchorin were mighty men, one of them would not flee from before a thousand men, and they fought on that night upon the castle, and their shouts were heard on that night from afar, and the earth quaked at their shouting.
4
And all the sons of Ya'akov were afraid of those men, as they were not accustomed to fight in the dark, and they were greatly confounded, and the sons of Ya'akov cried unto Yahuah, saying, Give help to us O Yahuah, deliver us that we may not die by the hands of these uncircumcised men.
5
And Yahuah hearkened to the voice of the sons of Ya'akov, and Yahuah caused great terror and confusion to seize the people of Bethchorin, and they fought amongst themselves the one with the other in the darkness of night, and smote each other in great numbers.
6
And the sons of Ya'akov, knowing that Yahuah had brought a spirit of perverseness amongst those men, and that they fought each man with his neighbor, went forth from among the bands of the people of Bethchorin and went as far as the descent of the castle of Bethchorin, and farther, and they tarried there securely with their young men on that night.
7
And the people of Bethchorin fought the whole night, one man with his brother, and the other with his neighbor, and they cried out in every direction upon the castle, and their cry was heard at a distance, and the whole earth shook at their voice, for they were powerful above all the people of the earth.
8
And all the inhabitants of the cities of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites and all the kings of Kena’an, and also those who were on the other side of the Jordan, heard the noise of the shouting on that night.
9
And they said, Surely these are the battles of the Hebrews who are fighting against the seven cities, who came nigh unto them; and who can stand against those Hebrews?
10
And all the inhabitants of the cities of the Canaanites, and all those who were on the other side of the Jordan, were greatly afraid of the sons of Ya'akov, for they said, Behold the same will be done to us as was done to those cities, for who can stand against their mighty strength?
11
And the cries of the Chorinites were very great on that night, and continued to increase; and they smote each other till morning, and numbers of them were killed.
12
And the morning appeared, and all the sons of Ya'akov rose up at daybreak and went up to the castle, and they smote those who remained of the Chorinites in a terrible manner, and they were all killed in the castle.
13
And the sixth day appeared, and all the inhabitants of Kena’an saw at a distance all the people of Bethchorin lying dead in the castle of Bethchorin, and strewed about as the carcasses of lambs and goats.
14
And the sons of Ya'akov led all the spoil which they had captured from Gaash and went to Bethchorin, and they found the city full of people like the sand of the sea, and they fought with them, and the sons of Ya'akov smote them there till evening time.
15
And the sons of Ya'akov did unto Bethchorin as they had done to Gaash and Tapnach, and as they had done to Chazar, to Sarton and to Shiloh.
16
And the sons of Ya'akov took with them the spoil of Bethchorin and all the spoil of the cities, and on that day they went home to Shechem.
17
And the sons of Ya'akov came home to the city of Shechem, and they remained without the city, and they then rested there from the war, and tarried there all night.
18
And all their servants together with all the spoil that they had taken from the cities, they left without the city, and they did not enter the city, for they said, Peradventure there may be yet more fighting against us, and they may come to besiege us in Shechem.
19
And Ya'akov and his sons and their servants remained on that night and the next day in the portion of the field which Ya'akov had purchased from Hamor for five shekels, and all that they had captured was with them.
20
And all the booty which the sons of Ya'akov had captured, was in the portion of the field, immense as the sand upon the sea shore.
21
And the inhabitants of the land observed them from afar, and all the inhabitants of the land were afraid of the sons of Ya'akov who had done this thing, for no king from the days of old had ever done the like.
22
And the seven kings of the Canaanites resolved to make peace with the sons of Ya'akov, for they were greatly afraid of their lives, on account of the sons of Ya'akov.
23
And on that day, being the seventh day, Japhia king of Hebron sent secretly to the king of Ai, and to the king of Gibeon, and to the king of Shalem, and to the king of Adulam, and to the king of Lachish, and to the king of Chazar, and to all the Canaanitish kings who were under their subjection, saying,
24
Go up with me, and come to me that we may go to the sons of Ya'akov, and I will make peace with them, and form a treaty with them, lest all your lands be destroyed by the swords of the sons of Ya'akov, as they did to Shechem and the cities around it, as you have heard and seen.
25
And when you come to me, do not come with many men, but let every king bring his three head captains, and every captain bring three of his officers.
26
And come all of you to Hebron, and we will go together to the sons of Ya'akov, and supplicate them that they shall form a treaty of peace with us.
27
And all those kings did as the king of Hebron had sent to them, for they were all under his counsel and command, and all the kings of Kena’an assembled to go to the sons of Ya'akov, to make peace with them; and the sons of Ya'akov returned and went to the portion of the field that was in Shechem, for they did not put confidence in the kings of the land.
28
And the sons of Ya'akov returned and remained in the portion of the field ten days, and no one came to make war with them.
29
And when the sons of Ya'akov saw that there was no appearance of war, they all assembled and went to the city of Shechem, and the sons of Ya'akov remained in Shechem.
30
And at the expiration of forty days, all the kings of the Amorites assembled from all their places and came to Hebron, to Japhia, king of Hebron.
31
And the number of kings that came to Hebron, to make peace with the sons of Ya'akov, was twenty-one kings, and the number of captains that came with them was sixty-nine, and their men were one hundred and eighty-nine, and all these kings and their men rested by Mount Hebron.
32
And the king of Hebron went out with his three captains and nine men, and these kings resolved to go to the sons of Ya'akov to make peace.
33
And they said unto the king of Hebron, Go thou before us with thy men, and speak for us unto the sons of Ya'akov, and we will come after thee and confirm thy words, and the king of Hebron did so.
34
And the sons of Ya'akov heard that all the kings of Kena’an had gathered together and rested in Hebron, and the sons of Ya'akov sent four of their servants as spies, saying, Go and spy these kings, and search and examine their men whether they are few or many, and if they are but few in number, number them all and come back.
35
And the servants of Ya'akov went secretly to these kings, and did as the sons of Ya'akov had commanded them, and on that day they came back to the sons of Ya'akov, and said unto them, We came unto those kings, and they are but few in number, and we numbered them all, and behold, they were two hundred and eighty-eight, kings and men.
36
And the sons of Ya'akov said, They are but few in number, therefore we will not all go out to them; and in the morning the sons of Ya'akov rose up and chose sixty two of their men, and ten of the sons of Ya'akov went with them; and they girt on their weapons of war, for they said, They are coming to make war with us, for they knew not that they were coming to make peace with them.
37
And the sons of Ya'akov went with their servants to the gate of Shechem, toward those kings, and their father Ya'akov was with them.
38
And when they had come forth, behold, the king of Hebron and his three captains and nine men with him were coming along the road against the sons of Ya'akov, and the sons of Ya'akov lifted up their eyes, and saw at a distance Japhia, king of Hebron, with his captains, coming toward them, and the sons of Ya'akov took their stand at the place of the gate of Shechem, and did not proceed.
39
And the king of Hebron continued to advance, he and his captains, until he came nigh to the sons of Ya'akov, and he and his captains bowed down to them to the ground, and the king of Hebron sat with his captains before Ya'akov and his sons.
40
And the sons of Ya'akov said unto him, What has befallen thee, O king of Hebron? why hast thou come to us this day? what dost thou require from us? and the king of Hebron said unto Ya'akov, I beseech thee my lord, all the kings of the Canaanites have this day come to make peace with you.
41
And the sons of Ya'akov heard the words of the king of Hebron, and they would not consent to his proposals, for the sons of Ya'akov had no faith in him, for they imagined that the king of Hebron had spoken deceitfully to them.
42
And the king of Hebron knew from the words of the sons of Ya'akov, that they did not believe his words, and the king of Hebron approached nearer to Ya'akov, and said unto him, I beseech thee, my lord, to be assured that all these kings have come to you on peaceable terms, for they have not come with all their men, neither did they bring their weapons of war with them, for they have come to seek peace from my lord and his sons.
43
And the sons of Ya'akov answered the king of Hebron, saying, Send thou to all these kings, and if thou speakest truth unto us, let them each come singly before us, and if they come unto us unarmed, we shall then know that they seek peace from us.
44
And Japhia, king of Hebron, sent one of his men to the kings, and they all came before the sons of Ya'akov, and bowed down to them to the ground, and these kings sat before Ya'akov and his sons, and they spoke unto them, saying,
45
We have heard all that you did unto the kings of the Amorites with your sword and exceedingly mighty arm, so that no man could stand up before you, and we were afraid of you for the sake of our lives, lest it should befall us as it did to them.
46
So we have come unto you to form a treaty of peace between us, and now therefore contract with us a Beriyt of peace and truth, that you will not meddle with us, inasmuch as we have not meddled with you.
47
And the sons of Ya'akov knew that they had really come to seek peace from them, and the sons of Ya'akov listened to them, and formed a Beriyt with them.
48
And the sons of Ya'akov swore unto them that they would not meddle with them, and all the kings of the Canaanites swore also to them, and the sons of Ya'akov made them tributary from that day forward.
49
And after this all the captains of these kings came with their men before Ya'akov, with presents in their hands for Ya'akov and his sons, and they bowed down to him to the ground.
50
And these kings then urged the sons of Ya'akov and begged of them to return all the spoil they had captured from the seven cities of the Amorites, and the sons of Ya'akov did so, and they returned all that they had captured, the women, the little ones, the cattle and all the spoil which they had taken, and they sent them off, and they went away each to his city.
51
And all these kings again bowed down to the sons of Ya'akov, and they sent or brought them many gifts in those days, and the sons of Ya'akov sent off these kings and their men, and they went peaceably away from them to their cities, and the sons of Ya'akov also returned to their home, to Shechem.
52
And there was peace from that day forward between the sons of Ya'akov and the kings of the Canaanites, until the children of Yisrael came to inherit the land of Kena’an.
Chapter 41 Yosef, the Son of Ya'akov, Dreams of his Future Exaltation over his Brethren. Being his Father's Favorite, his Brethren become Jealous. Yosef is sent to Visit his Brethren. They conspire against him, and at the Suggestion of Reuven Place him in a Pit
1
And at the revolution of the year the sons of Ya'akov journeyed from Shechem, and they came to Hebron, to their father Yitzchak, and they dwelt there, but their flocks and herds they fed daily in Shechem, for there was there in those days good and fat pasture, and Ya'akov and his sons and all their household dwelt in the valley of Hebron.
2
And it was in those days, in that year, being the hundred and sixth year of the life of Ya'akov, in the tenth year of Ya'akov's coming from Padan-aram, that Leah the wife of Ya'akov died; she was fifty-one years old when she died in Hebron.
3
And Ya'akov and his sons buried her in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Avraham had bought from the children of Heth, for the possession of a burial place.
4
And the sons of Ya'akov dwelt with their father in the valley of Hebron, and all the inhabitants of the land knew their strength and their fame went throughout the land.
5
And Yosef the son of Ya'akov, and his brother Binyamin, the sons of Rachel, the wife of Ya'akov, were yet young in those days, and did not go out with their brethren during their battles in all the cities of the Amorites.
6
And when Yosef saw the strength of his brethren, and their greatness, he praised them and extolled them, but he ranked himself greater than them, and extolled himself above them; and Ya'akov, his father, also loved him more than any of his sons, for he was a son of his old age, and through his love toward him, he made him a coat of many colors.
7
And when Yosef saw that his father loved him more than his brethren, he continued to exalt himself above his brethren, and he brought unto his father evil reports concerning them.
8
And the sons of Ya'akov seeing the whole of Yosef's conduct toward them, and that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him all the days.
9
And Yosef was seventeen years old, and he was still magnifying himself above his brethren, and thought of raising himself above them.
10
At that time he dreamed a dream, and he came unto his brothers and told them his dream, and he said unto them, I dreamed a dream, and behold we were all binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf rose and placed itself upon the ground and your sheaves surrounded it and bowed down to it.
11
And his brethren answered him and said unto him, What meaneth this dream that thou didst dream? dost thou imagine in thy heart to reign or rule over us?
12
And he still came, and told the thing to his father Ya'akov, and Ya'akov kissed Yosef when he heard these words from his mouth, and Ya'akov blessed Yosef.
13
And when the sons of Ya'akov saw that their father had blessed Yosef and had kissed him, and that he loved him exceedingly, they became jealous of him and hated him the more.
14
And after this Yosef dreamed another dream and related the dream to his father in the presence of his brethren, and Yosef said unto his father and brethren, Behold I have again dreamed a dream, and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.
15
And his father heard the words of Yosef and his dream, and seeing that his brethren hated Yosef on account of this matter, Ya'akov therefore rebuked Yosef before his brethren on account of this thing, saying, What meaneth this dream which thou hast dreamed, and this magnifying thyself before thy brethren who are older than thou art?
16
Dost thou imagine in thy heart that I and thy mother and thy eleven brethren will come and bow down to thee, that thou speakest these things?
17
And his brethren were jealous of him on account of his words and dreams, and they continued to hate him, and Ya'akov reserved the dreams in his heart.
18
And the sons of Ya'akov went one day to feed their father's flock in Shechem, for they were still herdsmen in those days; and whilst the sons of Ya'akov were that day feeding in Shechem they delayed, and the time of gathering in the cattle was passed, and they had not arrived.
19
And Ya'akov saw that his sons were delayed in Shechem, and Ya'akov said within himself, Peradventure the people of Shechem have risen up to fight against them, therefore they have delayed coming this day.
20
And Ya'akov called Yosef his son and commanded him, saying, Behold thy brethren are feeding in Shechem this day, and behold they have not yet come back; go now therefore and see where they are, and bring me word back concerning the welfare of thy brethren and the welfare of the flock.
21
And Ya'akov sent his son Yosef to the valley of Hebron, and Yosef came for his brothers to Shechem, and could not find them, and Yosef went about the field which was near Shechem, to see where his brothers had turned, and he missed his road in the wilderness, and knew not which way he should go.
22
And an angel of Yahuah found him wandering in the road toward the field, and Yosef said unto the angel of Yahuah, I seek my brethren; hast thou not heard where they are feeding? and the angel of Yahuah said unto Yosef, I saw thy brethren feeding here, and I heard them say they would go to feed in Dothan.
23
And Yosef hearkened to the voice of the angel of Yahuah, and he went to his brethren in Dothan and he found them in Dothan feeding the flock.
24
And Yosef advanced to his brethren, and before he had come nigh unto them, they had resolved to slay him.
25
And Shimon said to his brethren, Behold the man of dreams is coming unto us this day, and now therefore come and let us kill him and cast him in one of the pits that are in the wilderness, and when his father shall seek him from us, we will say an evil beast has devoured him.
26
And Reuven heard the words of his brethren concerning Yosef, and he said unto them, You should not do this thing, for how can we look up to our father Ya'akov? Cast him into this pit to die there, but stretch not forth a hand upon him to spill his blood; and Reuven said this in order to deliver him from their hand, to bring him back to his father.
27
And when Yosef came to his brethren he sat before them, and they rose upon him and seized him and smote him to the earth, and stripped the coat of many colors which he had on.
28
And they took him and cast him into a pit, and in the pit there was no water, but serpents and scorpions. And Yosef was afraid of the serpents and scorpions that were in the pit. And Yosef cried out with a loud voice, and Yahuah hid the serpents and scorpions in the sides of the pit, and they did no harm unto Yosef.
29
And Yosef called out from the pit to his brethren, and said unto them, What have I done unto you, and in what have I sinned? why do you not fear Yahuah concerning me? am I not of your bones and flesh, and is not Ya'akov your father, my father? why do you do this thing unto me this day, and how will you be able to look up to our father Ya'akov?
30
And he continued to cry out and call unto his brethren from the pit, and he said, O Yahudah, Shimon, and Levi, my brethren, lift me up from the place of darkness in which you have placed me, and come this day to have compassion on me, ye children of Yahuah, and sons of Ya'akov my father. And if I have sinned unto you, are you not the sons of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov? if they saw an orphan they had compassion over him, or one that was hungry, they gave him bread to eat, or one that was thirsty, they gave him water to drink, or one that was naked, they covered him with garments!
31
And how then will you withhold your pity from your brother, for I am of your flesh and bones, and if I have sinned unto you, surely you will do this on account of my father!
32
And Yosef spoke these words from the pit, and his brethren could not listen to him, nor incline their ears to the words of Yosef, and Yosef was crying and weeping in the pit.
33
And Yosef said, O that my father knew, this day, the act which my brothers have done unto me, and the words which they have this day spoken unto me.
34
And all his brethren heard his cries and weeping in the pit, and his brethren went and removed themselves from the pit, so that they might not hear the cries of Yosef and his weeping in the pit.
Chapter 42 Yosef is sold to a company of Midianites, who in Turn sold him to the Ishmaelites, who take him down to Mitzrayim. An account of his Journey thither, and of his Affliction on the Road
1
And they went and sat on the opposite side, about the distance of a bow-shot, and they sat there to eat bread, and whilst they were eating, they held counsel together what was to be done with him, whether to slay him or to bring him back to his father.
2
They were holding the counsel, when they lifted up their eyes, and saw, and behold there was a company of Ishmaelites coming at a distance by the road of Gilead, going down to Mitzrayim.
3
And Yahudah said unto them, What gain will it be to us if we slay our brother? peradventure Elohim will require him from us; this then is the counsel proposed concerning him, which you shall do unto him: Behold this company of Ishmaelites going down to Mitzrayim,
4
Now therefore, come let us dispose of him to them, and let not our hand be upon him, and they will lead him along with them, and he will be lost amongst the people of the land, and we will not put him to death with our own hands. And the proposal pleased his brethren and they did according to the word of Yahudah.
5
And whilst they were discoursing about this matter, and before the company of Ishmaelites had come up to them, seven trading men of Midian passed by them, and as they passed they were thirsty, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the pit in which Yosef was immured, and they looked, and behold every species of bird was upon him.
6
And these Midianites ran to the pit to drink water, for they thought that it contained water, and on coming before the pit they heard the voice of Yosef crying and weeping in the pit, and they looked down into the pit, and they saw and behold there was a youth of comely appearance and well favored.
7
And they called unto him and said, Who art thou and who brought thee hither, and who placed thee in this pit, in the wilderness? and they all assisted to raise up Yosef and they drew him out, and brought him up from the pit, and took him and went away on their journey and passed by his brethren.
8
And these said unto them, Why do you do this, to take our servant from us and to go away? surely we placed this youth in the pit because he rebelled against us, and you come and bring him up and lead him away; now then give us back our servant.
9
And the Midianites answered and said unto the sons of Ya'akov, Is this your servant, or does this man attend you? peradventure you are all his servants, for he is more comely and well favored than any of you, and why do you all speak falsely unto us?
10
Now therefore we will not listen to your words, nor attend to you, for we found the youth in the pit in the wilderness, and we took him; we will therefore go on.
11
And all the sons of Ya'akov approached them and rose up to them and said unto them, Give us back our servant, and why will you all die by the edge of the sword? And the Midianites cried out against them, and they drew their swords, and approached to fight with the sons of Ya'akov.
12
And behold Shimon rose up from his seat against them, and sprang upon the ground and drew his sword and approached the Midianites and he gave a terrible shout before them, so that his shouting was heard at a distance, and the earth shook at Shimon's shouting.
13
And the Midianites were terrified on account of Shimon and the noise of his shouting, and they fell upon their faces, and were excessively alarmed.
14
And Shimon said unto them, Verily I am Shimon, the son of Ya'akov the Hebrew, who have, only with my brother, destroyed the city of Shechem and the cities of the Amorites; so shall Elohim moreover do unto me, that if all your brethren the people of Midian, and also the kings of Kena’an, were to come with you, they could not fight against me.
15
Now therefore give us back the youth whom you have taken, lest I give your flesh to the birds of the skies and the beasts of the earth.
16
And the Midianites were more afraid of Shimon, and they approached the sons of Ya'akov with terror and fright, and with pathetic words, saying,
17
Surely you have said that the young man is your servant, and that he rebelled against you, and therefore you placed him in the pit; what then will you do with a servant who rebels against his master? Now therefore sell him unto us, and we will give you all that you require for him; and Yahuah was pleased to do this in order that the sons of Ya'akov should not slay their brother.
18
And the Midianites saw that Yosef was of a comely appearance and well-favored; they desired him in their hearts and were urgent to purchase him from his brethren.
19
And the sons of Ya'akov hearkened to the Midianites and they sold their brother Yosef to them for twenty pieces of silver, and Reuven their brother was not with them, and the Midianites took Yosef and continued their journey to Gilead.
20
They were going along the road, and the Midianites repented of what they had done, in having purchased the young man, and one said to the other, What is this thing that we have done, in taking this youth from the Hebrews, who is of comely appearance and well favored.
21
Perhaps this youth is stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and why then have we done this thing? and if he should be sought for and found in our hands we shall die through him.
22
Now surely hardy and powerful men have sold him to us, the strength of one of whom you saw this day; perhaps they stole him from his land with their might and with their powerful arm, and have therefore sold him to us for the small value which we gave unto them.
23
And whilst they were thus discoursing together, they looked, and behold the company of Ishmaelites which was coming at first, and which the sons of Ya'akov saw, was advancing toward the Midianites, and the Midianites said to each other, Come let us sell this youth to the company of Ishmaelites who are coming toward us, and we will take for him the little that we gave for him, and we will be delivered from his evil.
24
And they did so, and they reached the Ishmaelites, and the Midianites sold Yosef to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver which they had given for him to his brethren.
25
And the Midianites went on their road to Gilead, and the Ishmaelites took Yosef and they let him ride upon one of the camels, and they were leading him to Mitzrayim.
26
And Yosef heard that the Ishmaelites were proceeding to Mitzrayim, and Yosef lamented and wept at this thing that he was to be so far removed from the land of Kena’an, from his father, and he wept bitterly whilst he was riding upon the camel, and one of their men observed him, and made him go down from the camel and walk on foot, and notwithstanding this Yosef continued to cry and weep, and he said, O my father, my father.
27
And one of the Ishmaelites rose up and smote Yosef upon the cheek, and still he continued to weep; and Yosef was fatigued in the road, and was unable to proceed on account of the bitterness of his nefesh, and they all smote him and afflicted him in the road, and they terrified him in order that he might cease from weeping.
28
And Yahuah saw the ambition of Yosef and his trouble, and Yahuah brought down upon those men darkness and confusion, and the hand of every one that smote him became withered.
29
And they said to each other, What is this thing that Elohim has done to us in the road? and they knew not that this befell them on account of Yosef. And the men proceeded on the road, and they passed along the road of Ephrath where Rachel was buried.
30
And Yosef reached his mother's grave, and Yosef hastened and ran to his mother's grave, and fell upon the grave and wept.
31
And Yosef cried aloud upon his mother's grave, and he said, O my mother, my mother, O thou who didst give me birth, awake now, and rise and see thy son, how he has been sold for a slave, and no one to pity him.
32
O rise and see thy son, weep with me on account of my troubles, and see the heart of my brethren.
33
Arouse my mother, arouse, awake from thy sleep for me, and direct thy battles against my brethren. O how have they stripped me of my coat, and sold me already twice for a slave, and separated me from my father, and there is no one to pity me.
34
Arouse and lay thy cause against them before Elohim, and see whom Elohim will justify in the judgment, and whom he will condemn.
35
Rise, O my mother, rise, awake from thy sleep and see my father how his nefesh is with me this day, and comfort him and ease his heart.
36
And Yosef continued to speak these words, and Yosef cried aloud and wept bitterly upon his mother's grave; and he ceased speaking, and from bitterness of heart he became still as a stone upon the grave.
37
And Yosef heard a voice speaking to him from beneath the ground, which answered him with bitterness of heart, and with a voice of weeping and praying in these words:
38
My son, my son Yosef, I have heard the voice of thy weeping and the voice of thy lamentation; I have seen thy tears; I know thy troubles, my son, and it grieves me for thy sake, and abundant grief is added to my grief.
39
Now therefore my son, Yosef my son, hope to Yahuah, and wait for him and do not fear, for Yahuah is with thee, he will deliver thee from all trouble.
40
Rise my son, go down unto Mitzrayim with thy masters, and do not fear, for Yahuah is with thee, my son. And she continued to speak like unto these words unto Yosef, and she was still.
41
And Yosef heard this, and he wondered greatly at this, and he continued to weep; and after this one of the Ishmaelites observed him crying and weeping upon the grave, and his anger was kindled against him, and he drove him from there, and he smote him and cursed him.
42
And Yosef said unto the men, May I find grace in your sight to take me back to my father's house, and he will give you abundance of riches.
43
And they answered him, saying, Art thou not a slave, and where is thy father? and if thou hadst a father thou wouldst not already twice have been sold for a slave for so little value; and their anger was still roused against him, and they continued to smite him and to chastise him, and Yosef wept bitterly.
44
And Yahuah saw Yosef's affliction, and Yahuah again smote these men, and chastised them, and Yahuah caused darkness to envelope them upon the earth, and the lightning flashed and the thunder roared, and the earth shook at the voice of the thunder and of the mighty wind, and the men were terrified and knew not where they should go.
45
And the beasts and camels stood still, and they led them, but they would not go, they smote them, and they crouched upon the ground; and the men said to each other, What is this that Elohim has done to us? what are our transgressions, and what are our sins that this thing has thus befallen us?
46
And one of them answered and said unto them, Perhaps on account of the sin of afflicting this slave has this thing happened this day to us; now therefore implore him strongly to forgive us, and then we shall know on whose account this evil befalleth us, and if Elohim shall have compassion over us, then we shall know that all this cometh to us on account of the sin of afflicting this slave.
47
And the men did so, and they supplicated Yosef and pressed him to forgive them; and they said, We have sinned to Yahuah and to thee, now therefore vouchsafe to request of thy Elohim that he shall put away this death from amongst us, for we have sinned to him.
48
And Yosef did according to their words, and Yahuah hearkened to Yosef, and Yahuah put away the plague which he had inflicted upon those men on account of Yosef, and the beasts rose up from the ground and they conducted them, and they went on, and the raging storm abated and the earth became tranquilized, and the men proceeded on their journey to go down to Mitzrayim, and the men knew that this evil had befallen them on account of Yosef.
49
And they said to each other, Behold we know that it was on account of his affliction that this evil befell us; now therefore why shall we bring this death upon our nefashot? Let us hold counsel what to do to this slave.
50
And one answered and said, Surely he told us to bring him back to his father; now therefore come, let us take him back and we will go to the place that he will tell us, and take from his family the price that we gave for him and we will then go away.
51
And one answered again and said, Behold this counsel is very good, but we cannot do so for the way is very far from us, and we cannot go out of our road.
52
And one more answered and said unto them, This is the counsel to be adopted, we will not swerve from it; behold we are this day going to Mitzrayim, and when we shall have come to Mitzrayim, we will sell him there at a high price, and we will be delivered from his evil.
53
And this thing pleased the men and they did so, and they continued their journey to Mitzrayim with Yosef.
Chapter 43 Reuven's Anguish at not Finding Yosef in the Pit. The Brothers contrive to Deceive their Father by Dipping his coat in Blood. Ya'akov's Anguish at the loss of his Son
1
And when the sons of Ya'akov had sold their brother Yosef to the Midianites, their hearts were smitten on account of him, and they repented of their acts, and they sought for him to bring him back, but could not find him.
2
And Reuven returned to the pit in which Yosef had been put, in order to lift him out, and restore him to his father, and Reuven stood by the pit, and he heard not a word, and he called out Yosef! Yosef! and no one answered or uttered a word.
3
And Reuven said, Yosef has died through fright, or some serpent has caused his death; and Reuven descended into the pit, and he searched for Yosef and could not find him in the pit, and he came out again.
4
And Reuven tore his garments and he said, The child is not there, and how shall I reconcile my father about him if he be dead? and he went to his brethren and found them grieving on account of Yosef, and counseling together how to reconcile their father about him, and Reuven said unto his brethren, I came to the pit and behold Yosef was not there, what then shall we say unto our father, for my father will only seek the lad from me.
5
And his brethren answered him saying, Thus and thus we did, and our hearts afterward smote us on account of this act, and we now sit to seek a pretext how we shall reconcile our father to it.
6
And Reuven said unto them, What is this you have done to bring down the grey hairs of our father in sorrow to the grave? the thing is not good, that you have done.
7
And Reuven sat with them, and they all rose up and swore to each other not to tell this thing unto Ya'akov, and they all said, The man who will tell this to our father or his household, or who will report this to any of the children of the land, we will all rise up against him and slay him with the sword.
8
And the sons of Ya'akov feared each other in this matter, from the youngest to the oldest, and no one spoke a word, and they concealed the thing in their hearts.
9
And they afterward sat down to determine and invent something to say unto their father Ya'akov concerning all these things.
10
And Yissachar said unto them, Here is an advice for you if it seem good in your eyes to do this thing, take the coat which belongeth to Yosef and tear it, and kill a kid of the goats and dip it in its blood.
11
And send it to our father and when he seeth it he will say an evil beast has devoured him, therefore tear ye his coat and behold his blood will be upon his coat, and by your doing this we shall be free of our father's murmurings.
12
And Yissachar's advice pleased them, and they hearkened unto him and they did according to the word of Yissachar which he had counselled them.
13
And they hastened and took Yosef's coat and tore it, and they killed a kid of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood of the kid, and then trampled it in the dust, and they sent the coat to their father Ya'akov by the hand of Naftali, and they commanded him to say these words:
14
We had gathered in the cattle and had come as far as the road to Shechem and farther, when we found this coat upon the road in the wilderness dipped in blood and in dust; now therefore know whether it be thy son's coat or not.
15
And Naftali went and he came unto his father and he gave him the coat, and he spoke unto him all the words which his brethren had commanded him.
16
And Ya'akov saw Yosef's coat and he knew it and he fell upon his face to the ground, and became as still as a stone, and he afterward rose up and cried out with a loud and weeping voice and he said, It is the coat of my son Yosef!
17
And Ya'akov hastened and sent one of his servants to his sons, who went to them and found them coming along the road with the flock.
18
And the sons of Ya'akov came to their father about evening, and behold their garments were torn and dust was upon their heads, and they found their father crying out and weeping with a loud voice.
19
And Ya'akov said unto his sons, Tell me truly what evil have you this day suddenly brought upon me? and they answered their father Ya'akov, saying, We were coming along this day after the flock had been gathered in, and we came as far as the city of Shechem by the road in the wilderness, and we found this coat filled with blood upon the ground, and we knew it and we sent unto thee if thou couldst know it.
20
And Ya'akov heard the words of his sons and he cried out with a loud voice, and he said, It is the coat of my son, an evil beast has devoured him; Yosef is rent in pieces, for I sent him this day to see whether it was well with you and well with the flocks and to bring me word again from you, and he went as I commanded him, and this has happened to him this day whilst I thought my son was with you.
21
And the sons of Ya'akov answered and said, He did not come to us, neither have we seen him from the time of our going out from thee until now.
22
And when Ya'akov heard their words he again cried out aloud, and he rose up and tore his garments, and he put sackcloth upon his loins, and he wept bitterly and he mourned and lifted up his voice in weeping and exclaimed and said these words,
23
Yosef my son, O my son Yosef, I sent thee this day after the welfare of thy brethren, and behold thou hast been torn in pieces; through my hand has this happened to my son.
24
It grieves me for thee Yosef my son, it grieves me for thee; how sweet wast thou to me during life, and now how exceedingly bitter is thy death to me.
25
0 that I had died in thy stead Yosef my son, for it grieves me sadly for thee my son, O my son, my son. Yosef my son, where art thou, and where hast thou been drawn? arouse, arouse from thy place, and come and see my grief for thee, O my son Yosef.
26
Come now and number the tears gushing from my eyes down my cheeks, and bring them up before Yahuah, that his anger may turn from me.
27
0 Yosef my son, how didst thou fall, by the hand of one by whom no one had fallen from the beginning of the world unto this day; for thou hast been put to death by the smiting of an enemy, inflicted with cruelty, but surely I know that this has happened to thee, on account of the multitude of my sins.
28
Arouse now and see how bitter is my trouble for thee my son, although I did not rear thee, nor fashion thee, nor give thee breath and nefesh, but it was Elohim who formed thee and built thy bones and covered them with flesh, and breathed in thy nostrils the breath of life, and then he gave thee unto me.
29
Now truly Elohim who gave thee unto me, he has taken thee from me, and such then has befallen thee
30
And Ya'akov continued to speak like unto these words concerning Yosef, and he wept bitterly; he fell to the ground and became still.
31
And all the sons of Ya'akov seeing their father's trouble, they repented of what they had done, and they also wept bitterly.
32
And Yahudah rose up and lifted his father's head from the ground, and placed it upon his lap, and he wiped his father's tears from his cheeks, and Yahudah wept an exceeding great weeping, whilst his father's head was reclining upon his lap, still as a stone.
33
And the sons of Ya'akov saw their father's trouble, and they lifted up their voices and continued to weep, and Ya'akov was yet lying upon the ground still as a stone.
34
And all his sons and his servants and his servant's children rose up and stood round him to comfort him, and he refused to be comforted.
35
And the whole household of Ya'akov rose up and mourned a great mourning on account of Yosef and their father's trouble, and the intelligence reached Yitzchak, the son of Avraham, the father of Ya'akov, and he wept bitterly on account of Yosef, he and all his household, and he went from the place where he dwelt in Hebron, and his men with him, and he comforted Ya'akov his son, and he refused to be comforted.
36
And after this, Ya'akov rose up from the ground, and his tears were running down his cheeks, and he said unto his sons, Rise up and take your swords and your bows, and go forth into the field, and seek whether you can find my son's body and bring it unto me that I may bury it.
37
Seek also, I pray you, among the beasts and hunt them, and that which shall come the first before you seize and bring it unto me, perhaps Yahuah will this day pity my affliction, and prepare before you that which did tear my son in pieces, and bring it unto me, and I will avenge the cause of my son.
38
And his sons did as their father had commanded them, and they rose up early in the morning, and each took his sword and his bow in his hand, and they went forth into the field to hunt the beasts.
39
And Ya'akov was still crying aloud and weeping for Yosef day after day, and he mourned for his son many days.
40
And the sons of Ya'akov went into the wilderness to seize the beasts, and behold a wolf came toward them, and they seized him, and brought him unto their father, and they said unto him, This is the first we have found, and we have brought him unto thee as thou didst command us, and thy son's body we could not find.
41
And Ya'akov took the beast from the hands of his sons, and he cried out with a loud and weeping voice, holding the beast in his hand, and he spoke with a bitter heart unto the beast, Why didst thou devour my son Yosef, and how didst thou have no fear of the Elohim of the earth, or of my trouble for my son Yosef?
42
And thou didst devour my son for naught, because he committed no violence, and didst thereby render me culpable on his account, therefore Elohim will require him that is persecuted.
43
And Yahuah opened the mouth of the beast in order to comfort Ya'akov with its words, and it answered Ya'akov and spoke these words unto him,
44
As Elohim liveth who created us in the earth, and as thy nefesh liveth, my lord, I did not see thy son, neither did I tear him to pieces, but from a distant land I also came to seek my son who went from me this day, and I know not whether he be living or dead.
45
And I came this day into the field to seek my son, and your sons found me, and seized me and increased my grief, and have this day brought me before thee, and I have now spoken all my words to thee.
46
And now therefore, O son of man, I am in thy hands, and do unto me this day as it may seem good in thy sight, but by the life of Elohim who created me, I did not see thy son, nor did I tear him to pieces, neither has the flesh of man entered my mouth all the days of my life.
47
And when Ya'akov heard the words of the beast he was greatly astonished, and sent forth the beast from his hand, and she went her way.
48
And Ya'akov was still crying aloud and weeping for Yosef day after day, and he mourned for his son many days.
Chapter 44 Yosef is sold to Potiphar, an Officer of Pharaoh. Zelicah, the Wife of Potiphar, seeks to entice Yosef to do Evil, but all her advances are Rejected. Is Falsely Accused by her and is brought to Judgment. Is Acquitted by his Judges, but for the Sake of the Report against Potiphar's Wife, he is cast into Prison
1
And the sons of Yishmael who had bought Yosef from the Midianites, who had bought him from his brethren, went to Mitzrayim with Yosef, and they came upon the borders of Mitzrayim, and when they came near unto Mitzrayim, they met four men of the sons of Medan the son of Avraham, who had gone forth from the land of Mitzrayim on their journey.
2
And the Ishmaelites said unto them, Do you desire to purchase this slave from us? and they said, Deliver him over to us, and they delivered Yosef over to them, and they beheld him, that he was a very comely youth and they purchased him for twenty shekels.
3
And the Ishmaelites continued their journey to Mitzrayim and the Medanim also returned that day to Mitzrayim, and the Medanim said to each other, Behold we have heard that Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, seeketh a good servant who shall stand before him to attend him, and to make him overseer over his house and all belonging to him.
4
Now therefore come let us sell him to him for what we may desire, if he be able to give unto us that which we shall require for him.
5
And these Medanim went and came to the house of Potiphar, and said unto him, We have heard that thou seekest a good servant to attend thee, behold we have a servant that will please thee, if thou canst give unto us that which we may desire, and we will sell him unto thee.
6
And Potiphar said, Bring him before me, and I will see him, and if he please me I will give unto you that which you may require for him.
7
And the Medanim went and brought Yosef and placed him before Potiphar, and he saw him, and he pleased him exceedingly, and Potiphar said unto them, Tell me what you require for this youth?
8
And they said, Four hundred pieces of silver we desire for him, and Potiphar said, I will give it you if you bring me the record of his sale to you, and will tell me his history, for perhaps he may be stolen, for this youth is neither a slave, nor the son of a slave, but I observe in him the appearance of a goodly and handsome person.
9
And the Medanim went and brought unto him the Ishmaelites who had sold him to them, and they told him, saying, He is a slave and we sold him to them.
10
And Potiphar heard the words of the Ishmaelites in his giving the silver unto the Medanim, and the Medanim took the silver and went on their journey, and the Ishmaelites also returned home.
11
And Potiphar took Yosef and brought him to his house that he might serve him, and Yosef found favor in the sight of Potiphar, and he placed confidence in him, and made him overseer over his house, and all that belonged to him he delivered over into his hand.
12
And Yahuah was with Yosef and he became a prosperous man, and Yahuah blessed the house of Potiphar for the sake of Yosef.
13
And Potiphar left all that he had in the hand of Yosef, and Yosef was one that caused things to come in and go out, and everything was regulated by his wish in the house of Potiphar.
14
And Yosef was eighteen years old, a youth with beautiful eyes and of comely appearance, and like unto him was not in the whole land of Mitzrayim.
15
At that time whilst he was in his master's house, going in and out of the house and attending his master, Zelicah, his master's wife, lifted up her eyes toward Yosef and she looked at him, and behold he was a youth comely and well favored.
16
And she coveted his beauty in her heart, and her nefesh was fixed upon Yosef, and she enticed him day after day, and Zelicah persuaded Yosef daily, but Yosef did not lift up his eyes to behold his master's wife.
17
And Zelicah said unto him, How goodly are thy appearance and form, truly I have looked at all the slaves, and have not seen so beautiful a slave as thou art; and Yosef said unto her, Surely he who created me in my mother's womb created all mankind.
18
And she said unto him, How beautiful are thine eyes, with which thou hast dazzled all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim, men and women; and he said unto her, How beautiful they are whilst we are alive, but shouldst thou behold them in the grave, surely thou wouldst move away from them.
19
And she said unto him, How beautiful and pleasing are all thy words; take now, I pray thee, the harp which is in the house, and play with thy hands and let us hear thy words.
20
And he said unto her, How beautiful and pleasing are my words when I speak the praise of my Elohim and his glory; and she said unto him, How very beautiful is the hair of thy head, behold the golden comb which is in the house, take it I pray thee, and curl the hair of thy head.
21
And he said unto her, How long wilt thou speak these words? cease to utter these words to me, and rise and attend to thy domestic affairs.
22
And she said unto him, There is no one in my house, and there is nothing to attend to but to thy words and to thy wish; yet notwithstanding all this, she could not bring Yosef unto her, neither did he place his eye upon her, but directed his eyes below to the ground.
23
And Zelicah desired Yosef in her heart, that he should lie with her, and at the time that Yosef was sitting in the house doing his work, Zelicah came and sat before him, and she enticed him daily with her discourse to lie with her, or ever to look at her, but Yosef would not hearken to her.
24
And she said unto him, If thou wilt not do according to my words, I will chastise thee with the punishment of death, and put an iron yoke upon thee.
25
And Yosef said unto her, Surely Elohim who created man looseth the fetters of prisoners, and it is he who will deliver me from thy prison and from thy judgment.
26
And when she could not prevail over him, to persuade him, and her nefesh being still fixed upon him, her desire threw her into a grievous sickness.
27
And all the women of Mitzrayim came to visit her, and they said unto her, Why art thou in this declining state? thou that lackest nothing; surely thy husband is a great and esteemed prince in the sight of the king, shouldst thou lack anything of what thy heart desireth?
28
And Zelicah answered them, saying, This day it shall be made known to you, whence this disorder springs in which you see me, and she commanded her maid servants to prepare food for all the women, and she made a banquet for them, and all the women ate in the house of Zelicah.
29
And she gave them knives to peel the citrons to eat them, and she commanded that they should dress Yosef in costly garments, and that he should appear before them, and Yosef came before their eyes and all the women looked on Yosef, and could not take their eyes from off him, and they all cut their hands with the knives that they had in their hands, and all the citrons that were in their hands were filled with blood.
30
And they knew not what they had done but they continued to look at the beauty of Yosef, and did not turn their eyelids from him.
31
And Zelicah saw what they had done, and she said unto them, What is this work that you have done? behold I gave you citrons to eat and you have all cut your hands.
32
And all the women saw their hands, and behold they were full of blood, and their blood flowed down upon their garments, and they said unto her, this slave in your house has overcome us, and we could not turn our eyelids from him on account of his beauty.
33
And she said unto them, Surely this happened to you in the moment that you looked at him, and you could not contain yourselves from him; how then can I refrain when he is constantly in my house, and I see him day after day going in and out of my house? how then can I keep from declining or even from perishing on account of this?
34
And they said unto her, the words are true, for who can see this beautiful form in the house and refrain from him, and is he not thy slave and attendant in thy house, and why dost thou not tell him that which is in thy heart, and sufferest thy nefesh to perish through this matter?
35
And she said unto them, I am daily endeavoring to persuade him, and he will not consent to my wishes, and I promised him everything that is good, and yet I could meet with no return from him; I am therefore in a declining state as you see.
36
And Zelicah became very ill on account of her desire toward Yosef, and she was desperately lovesick on account of him, and all the people of the house of Zelicah and her husband knew nothing of this matter, that Zelicah was ill on account of her love to Yosef.
37
And all the people of her house asked her, saying, Why art thou ill and declining, and lackest nothing? and she said unto them, I know not this thing which is daily increasing upon me.
38
And all the women and her friends came daily to see her, and they spoke with her, and she said unto them, This can only be through the love of Yosef; and they said unto her, Entice him and seize him secretly, perhaps he may hearken to thee, and put off this death from thee.
39
And Zelicah became worse from her love to Yosef, and she continued to decline, till she had scarce strength to stand.
40
And on a certain day Yosef was doing his master's work in the house, and Zelicah came secretly and fell suddenly upon him, and Yosef rose up against her, and he was more powerful than she, and he brought her down to the ground.
41
And Zelicah wept on account of the desire of her heart toward him, and she supplicated him with weeping, and her tears flowed down her cheeks, and she spoke unto him in a voice of supplication and in bitterness of nefesh, saying,
42
Hast thou ever heard, seen or known of so beautiful a woman as I am, or better than myself, who speak daily unto thee, fall into a decline through love for thee, confer all this honor upon thee, and still thou wilt not hearken to my voice?
43
And if it be through fear of thy master lest he punish thee, as the king liveth no harm shall come to thee from thy master through this thing; now, therefore pray listen to me, and consent for the sake of the honor which I have conferred upon thee, and put off this death from me, and why should I die for thy sake? and she ceased to speak.
44
And Yosef answered her, saying, Refrain from me, and leave this matter to my master; behold my master knoweth not what there is with me in the house, for all that belongeth to him he has delivered into my hand, and how shall I do these things in my master's house?
45
For he hath also greatly honored me in his house, and he hath also made me overseer over his house, and he hath exalted me, and there is no one greater in this house than I am, and my master hath refrained nothing from me, excepting thee who art his wife, how then canst thou speak these words unto me, and how can I do this great evil and sin to Elohim and to thy husband?
46
Now therefore refrain from me, and speak no more such words as these, for I will not hearken to thy words. But Zelicah would not hearken to Yosef when he spoke these words unto her, but she daily enticed him to listen to her.
47
And it was after this that the brook of Mitzrayim was filled above all its sides, and all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim went forth, and also the king and princes went forth with timbrels and dances, for it was a great rejoicing in Mitzrayim, and a holiday at the time of the inundation of the sea Sihor, and they went there to rejoice all the day.
48
And when the Egyptians went out to the river to rejoice, as was their custom, all the people of the house of Potiphar went with them, but Zelicah would not go with them, for she said, I am indisposed, and she remained alone in the house, and no other person was with her in the house.
49
And she rose up and ascended to her temple in the house, and dressed herself in princely garments, and she placed upon her head precious stones of onyx stones, inlaid with silver and gold, and she beautified her face and skin with all sorts of women's purifying liquids, and she perfumed the temple and the house with cassia and frankincense, and she spread myrrh and aloes, and she afterward sat in the entrance of the temple, in the passage of the house, through which Yosef passed to do his work, and behold Yosef came from the field, and entered the house to do his master's work.
50
And he came to the place through which he had to pass, and he saw all the work of Zelicah, and he turned back.
51
And Zelicah saw Yosef turning back from her, and she called out to him, saying What aileth thee Yosef? come to thy work, and behold I will make room for thee until thou shalt have passed to thy seat.
52
And Yosef returned and came to the house, and passed from thence to the place of his seat, and he sat down to do his master's work as usual and behold Zelicah came to him and stood before him in princely garments, and the scent from her clothes was spread to a distance.
53
And she hastened and caught hold of Yosef and his garments, and she said unto him, As the king liveth if thou wilt not perform my request thou shalt die this day, and she hastened and stretched forth her other hand and drew a sword from beneath her garments, and she placed it upon Yosef's neck, and she said, Rise and perform my request, and if not thou diest this day.
54
And Yosef was afraid of her at her doing this thing, and he rose up to flee from her, and she seized the front of his garments, and in the terror of his flight the garment which Zelicah seized was torn, and Yosef left the garment in the hand of Zelicah, and he fled and got out, for he was in fear.
55
And when Zelicah saw that Yosef's garment was torn, and that he had left it in her hand, and had fled, she was afraid of her life, lest the report should spread concerning her, and she rose up and acted with cunning, and put off the garments in which she was dressed, and she put on her other garments.
56
And she took Yosef's garment, and she laid it beside her, and she went and seated herself in the place where she had sat in her illness, before the people of her house had gone out to the river, and she called a young lad who was then in the house, and she ordered him to call the people of the house to her.
57
And when she saw them she said unto them with a loud voice and lamentation, See what a Hebrew your master has brought to me in the house, for he came this day to lie with me.
58
For when you had gone out he came to the house, and seeing that there was no person in the house, he came unto me, and caught hold of me, with intent to lie with me.
59
And I seized his garments and tore them and called out against him with a loud voice, and when I had lifted up my voice he was afraid of his life and left his garment before me, and fled.
60
And the people of her house spoke nothing, but their wrath was very much kindled against Yosef, and they went to his master and told him the words of his wile.
61
And Potiphar came home enraged, and his wife cried out to him, saying, What is this thing that thou hast done unto me in bringing a He. brew servant into my house, for he came unto me this day to sport with me; thus did he do unto me this day.
62
And Potiphar heard the words of his wife, and he ordered Yosef to be punished with severe stripes, and they did so to him.
63
And whilst they were smiting him, Yosef called out with a loud voice, and he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and he said, O Yahuah Elohim, thou knowest that I am innocent of all these things, and why shall I die this day through falsehood, by the hand of these uncircumcised wicked men, whom thou knowest?
64
And whilst Potiphar's men were beating Yosef, he continued to cry out and weep, and there was a child there eleven months old, and Yahuah opened the mouth of the child, and he spake these words before Potiphar's men, who were smiting Yosef, saying,
65
What do you want of this man, and why do you do this evil unto him? my mother speaketh falsely and uttereth lies; thus was the transaction.
66
And the child told them accurately all that happened, and all the words of Zelicah to Yosef day after day did he declare unto them.
67
And all the men heard the words of the child and they wondered greatly at the child's words, and the child ceased to speak and became still.
68
And Potiphar was very much ashamed at the words of his son, and he commanded his men not to beat Yosef any more, and the men ceased beating Yosef.
69
And Potiphar took Yosef and ordered him to be brought to justice before the priests, who were judges belonging to the king, in order to judge him concerning this affair.
70
And Potiphar and Yosef came before the priests who were the king's judges, and he said unto them, Decide I pray you, what judgment is due to a servant, for thus has he done.
71
And the priests said unto Yosef, Why didst thou do this thing to thy master? and Yosef answered them, saying, Not so my lords, thus was the matter; and Potiphar said unto Yosef, Surely I entrusted in thy hands all that belonged to me, and I withheld nothing from thee but my wife, and how couldst thou do this evil?
72
And Yosef answered saying, Not so my lord, as Yahuah liveth, and as thy nefesh liveth, my lord, the word which thou didst hear from thy wife is untrue, for thus was the affair this day.
73
A year has elapsed to me since I have been in thy house; hast thou seen any iniquity in me, or any thing which might cause thee to demand my life?
74
And the priests said unto Potiphar, Send, we pray thee, and let them bring before us Yosef's torn garment, and let us see the tear in it, and if it shall be that the tear is in front of the garment, then his face must have been opposite to her and she must have caught hold of him, to come to her, and with deceit did thy wife do all that she has spoken.
75
And they brought Yosef's garment before the priests who were judges, and they saw and behold the tear was in front of Yosef, and all the judging priests knew that she had pressed him, and they said, The judgment of death is not due to this slave for he has done nothing, but his judgment is, that he be placed in the prison house on account of the report, which through him has gone forth against thy wife.
76
And Potiphar heard their words, and he placed him in the prison house, the place where the king's prisoners are confined, and Yosef was in the house of confinement twelve years.
77
And notwithstanding this, his master's wife did not turn from him, and she did not cease from speaking to him day after day to hearken to her, and at the end of three months Zelicah continued going to Yosef to the house of confinement day by day, and she enticed him to hearken to her, and Zelicah said unto Yosef, How long wilt thou remain in this house? but hearken now to my voice, and I will bring thee out of this house.
78
And Yosef answered her, saying, It is better for me to remain in this house than to hearken to thy words, to sin against Elohim; and she said unto him, If thou wilt not perform my wish, I will pluck out thine eyes, add fetters to thy feet, and will deliver thee into the hands of them whom thou didst not know before.
79
And Yosef answered her and said, Behold the Elohim of the whole earth is able to deliver me from all that thou canst do unto me, for he openeth the eyes of the blind, and looseth those that are bound, and preserveth all strangers who are unacquainted with the land.
80
And when Zelicah was unable to persuade Yosef to hearken to her, she left off going to entice him; and Yosef was still confined in the house of confinement. And Ya'akov the father of Yosef, and all his brethren who were in the land of Kena’an still mourned and wept in those days on account of Yosef, for Ya'akov refused to be comforted for his son Yosef, and Ya'akov cried aloud, and wept and mourned all those days.
Chapter 45 An Account of the Families of Ya'akov's Sons
1
And it was at that time in that year, which is the year of Yosef's going down to Mitzrayim after his brothers had sold him, that Reuven the son of Ya'akov went to Timnah and took unto him for a wife Eliuram, the daughter of Avi the Canaanite, and he came to her.
2
And Eliuram the wife of Reuven conceived and bare him Hanoch, Palu, Chetzron and Carmi, four sons; and Shimon his brother took his sister Dinah for a wife, and she bare unto him Memuel, Yamin, Ohad, Jachin and Zochar, five sons.
3
And he afterward came to Bunah the Canaanitish woman, the same is Bunah whom Shimon took captive from the city of Shechem, and Bunah was before Dinah and attended upon her, and Shimon came to her, and she bare unto him Saul.
4
And Yahudah went at that time to Adulam, and he came to a man of Adulam, and his name was Hirah, and Yahudah saw there the daughter of a man from Kena’an, and her name was Aliyath, the daughter of Shua, and he took her, and came to her, and Aliyath bare unto Yahudah, Er, Onan and Shiloh; three sons.
5
And Levi and Yissachar went to the land of the east, and they took unto themselves for wives the daughters of Jobab the son of Yoktan, the son of Eber; and Jobab the son of Yoktan had two daughters; the name of the elder was Adinah, and the name of the younger was Aridah.
6
And Levi took Adinah, and Yissachar took Aridah, and they came to the land of Kena’an, to their father's house, and Adinah bare unto Levi, Gershon, Kehath and Merari; three sons.
7
And Aridah bare unto Yissachar Tola, Puvah, Job and Shomron, four sons; and Dan went to the land of Moab and took for a wife Aphlaleth, the daughter of Chamudan the Moabite, and he brought her to the land of Kena’an.
8
And Aphlaleth was barren, she had no offspring, and Elohim afterward remembered Aphlaleth the wife of Dan, and she conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Chushim.
9
And Gad and Naftali went to Haran and took from thence the daughters of Amuram the son of Uz, the son of Nachor, for wives.
10
And these are the names of the daughters of Amuram; the name of the elder was Merimah, and the name of the younger Uzith; and Naftali took Merimah, and Gad took Uzith; and brought them to the land of Kena’an, to their father's house.
11
And Merimah bare unto Naftali Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer and Shalem, four sons; and Uzith bare unto Gad Zephion, Chagi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Arali, seven sons.
12
And Asher went forth and took Adon the daughter of Aphlal, the son of Hadad, the son of Yishmael, for a wife, and he brought her to the land of Kena’an.
13
And Adon the wife of Asher died in those days: she had no offspring; and it was after the death of Adon that Asher went to the other side of the river and took for a wife Hadurah the daughter of Abimael, the son of Eber, the son of Shem.
14
And the young woman was of a comely appearance, and a woman of sense, and she had been the wife of Malkiel the son of Elam, the son of Shem.
15
And Hadurah bare a daughter unto Malkiel, and he called her name Serach, and Malkiel died after this, and Hadurah went and remained in her father's house.
16
And after the death of the wife at Asher he went and took Hadurah for a wife, and brought her to the land of Kena’an, and Serach her daughter he also brought with them, and she was three years old, and the damsel was brought up in Ya'akov's house.
17
And the damsel was of a comely appearance, and she went in the sanctified ways of the children of Ya'akov; she lacked nothing, and Yahuah gave her wisdom and understanding.
18
And Hadurah the wife of Asher conceived and bare unto him Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi and Beriah; four sons.
19
And Zevulun went to Midian, and took for a wife Merishah the daughter of Molad, the son of Abida, the son of Midian, and brought her to the land of Kena’an.
20
And Merushah bare unto Zevulun Sered, Elon and Yachleel; three sons.
21
And Ya'akov sent to Aram, the son of Zoba, the son of Terach, and he took for his son Binyamin Mechalia the daughter of Aram, and she came to the land of Kena’an to the house of Ya'akov; and Binyamin was ten years old when he took Mechalia the daughter of Aram for a wife.
22
And Mechalia conceived and bare unto Binyamin Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, five sons; and Binyamin went afterward and took for a wife Aribath, the daughter of Shomron, the son of Avraham, in addition to his first wife, and he was eighteen years old; and Aribath bare unto Binyamin Achi, Vosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord; five sons.
23
And in those days Yahudah went to the house of Shem and took Tamar the daughter of Elam, the son of Shem, for a wife for his first born Er.
24
And Er came to his wife Tamar, and she became his wife, and when he came to her he outwardly destroyed his seed, and his work was evil in the sight of Yahuah, and Yahuah slew him.
25
And it was after the death of Er, Yahudah's first born, that Yahudah said unto Onan, go to thy brother's wife and marry her as the next of kin, and raise up seed to thy brother.
26
And Onan took Tamar for a wife and he came to her, and Onan also did like unto the work of his brother, and his work was evil in the sight of Yahuah, and he slew him also.
27
And when Onan died, Yahudah said unto Tamar, Remain in thy father's house until my son Shiloh shall have grown up, and Yahudah did no more delight in Tamar, to give her unto Shiloh, for he said, Peradventure he will also die like his brothers.
28
And Tamar rose up and went and remained in her father's house, and Tamar was in her father's house for some time.
29
And at the revolution of the year, Aliyath the wife of Yahudah died; and Yahudah was comforted for his wife, and after the death of Aliyath, Yahudah went up with his friend Hirah to Timnah to shear their sheep.
30
And Tamar heard that Yahudah had gone up to Timnah to shear the sheep, and that Shiloh was grown up, and Yahudah did not delight in her.
31
And Tamar rose up and put off the garments of her widowhood, and she put a vail upon her, and she entirely covered herself, and she went and sat in the public thoroughfare, which is upon the road to Timnah.
32
And Yahudah passed and saw her and took her and he came to her, and she conceived by him, and at the time of being delivered, behold, there were twins in her womb, and he called the name of the first Perez, and the name of the second Zarah.
Chapter 46 Yosef Interprets the Dreams of his Fellow-Prisoners
1
In those days Yosef was still confined in the prison house in the land of Mitzrayim.
2
At that time the attendants of Pharaoh were standing before him, the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers which belonged to the king of Mitzrayim.
3
And the butler took wine and placed it before the king to drink, and the baker placed bread before the king to eat, and the king drank of the wine and ate of the bread, he and his servants and ministers that ate at the king's table.
4
And whilst they were eating and drinking, the butler and the baker remained there, and Pharaoh's ministers found many flies in the wine, which the butler had brought, and stones of nitre were found in the baker's bread.
5
And the captain of the guard placed Yosef as an attendant on Pharaoh's officers, and Pharaoh's officers were in confinement one year.
6
And at the end of the year, they both dreamed dreams in one night, in the place of confinement where they were, and in the morning Yosef came to them to attend upon them as usual, and he saw them, and behold their countenances were dejected and sad.
7
And Yosef asked them, Why are your countenances sad and dejected this day? and they said unto him, We dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it; and Yosef said unto them, Relate, I pray you, your dream unto me, and Elohim shall give you an answer of peace as you desire.
8
And the butler related his dream unto Yosef, and he said, I saw in my dream, and behold a large vine was before me, and upon that vine I saw three branches, and the vine speedily blossomed and reached a great height, and its clusters were ripened and became grapes.
9
And I took the grapes and pressed them in a cup, and placed it in Pharaoh's hand and he drank; and Yosef said unto him, The three branches that were upon the vine are three days.
10
Yet within three days, the king will order thee to be brought out and he will restore thee to thy office, and thou shalt give the king his wine to drink as at first when thou wast his butler; but let me find favor in thy sight, that thou shalt remember me to Pharaoh when it will be well with thee, and do kindness unto me, and get me brought forth from this prison, for I was stolen away from the land of Kena’an and was sold for a slave in this place.
11
And also that which was told thee concerning my master's wife is false, for they placed me in this dungeon for naught; and the butler answered Yosef, saying, If the king deal well with me as at first, as thou last interpreted to me, I will do all that thou desirest, and get thee brought out of this dungeon.
12
And the baker, seeing that Yosef had accurately interpreted the butler's dream, also approached, and related the whole of his dream to Yosef.
13
And he said unto him, In my dream I saw and behold three white baskets upon my head, and I looked, and behold there were in the upper-most basket all manner of baked meats for Pharaoh, and behold the birds were eating them from off my head.
14
And Yosef said unto him, The three baskets which thou didst see are three days, yet within three days Pharaoh will take off thy head, and hang thee upon a tree, and the birds will eat thy flesh from off thee, as thou sawest in thy dream.
15
In those days the queen was about to be delivered, and upon that day she bare a son unto the king of Mitzrayim, and they proclaimed that the king had gotten his first born son and all the people of Mitzrayim together with the officers and servants of Pharaoh rejoiced greatly.
16
And upon the third day of his birth Pharaoh made a feast for his officers and servants, for the hosts of the land of Zoar and of the land of Mitzrayim.
17
And all the people of Mitzrayim and the servants of Pharaoh came to eat and drink with the king at the feast of his son, and to rejoice at the king's rejoicing.
18
And all the officers of the king and his servants were rejoicing at that time for eight days at the feast, and they made merry with all sorts of musical instruments, with timbrels and with dances in the king's house for eight days.
19
And the butler, to whom Yosef had interpreted his dream, forgot Yosef, and he did not mention him to the king as he had promised, for this thing was from Yahuah in order to punish Yosef because he had trusted in man.
20
And Yosef remained after this in the prison house two years, until he had completed twelve years.
Chapter 47 Yitzchak Blesses his two Sons and Dies. His Property is Divided. Esav takes all the personal Property and Ya'akov chooses the Inheritance of the Land of Kena’an, with the Cave of Machpelah for a Burying Place
1
And Yitzchak the son of Avraham was still living in those days in the land of Kena’an; he was very aged, one hundred and eighty years old, and Esav his son, the brother of Ya'akov, was in the land of Edom, and he and his sons had possessions in it amongst the children of Seir.
2
And Esav heard that his father's time was drawing nigh to die, and he and his sons and household came unto the land of Kena’an, unto his father's house, and Ya'akov and his sons went forth from the place where they dwelt in Hebron, and they all came to their father Yitzchak, and they found Esav and his sons in the tent.
3
And Ya'akov and his sons sat before his father Yitzchak, and Ya'akov was still mourning for his son Yosef.
4
And Yitzchak said unto Ya'akov, Bring me hither thy sons and I will bless them; and Ya'akov brought his eleven children before his father Yitzchak.
5
And Yitzchak placed his hands upon all the sons of Ya'akov, and he took hold of them and embraced them, and kissed them one by one, and Yitzchak blessed them on that day, and he said unto them, May the Elohim of your fathers bless you and increase your seed like the stars of heaven for number.
6
And Yitzchak also blessed the sons of Esav, saying, May Elohim cause you to be a dread and a terror to all that will behold you, and to all your enemies.
7
And Yitzchak called Ya'akov and his sons, and they all came and sat before Yitzchak, and Yitzchak said unto Ya'akov, Yahuah Elohim of the whole earth said unto me, Unto thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance if thy children keep my statutes and my ways, and I will perform unto them the oath which I swore unto thy father Avraham.
8
Now therefore my son, teach thy children and thy children's children to fear Yahuah, and to go in the good way which will please Yahuah thy Elohim, for if you keep the ways of Yahuah and his statutes Yahuah will also keep unto you his Beriyt with Avraham, and will do well with you and your seed all the days.
9
And when Yitzchak had finished commanding Ya'akov and his children, he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people.
10
And Ya'akov and Esav fell upon the face of their father Yitzchak, and they wept, and Yitzchak was one hundred and eighty years old when he died in the land of Kena’an, in Hebron, and his sons carried him to the cave of Machpelah, which Avraham had bought from the children of Heth for a possession of a burial place.
11
And all the kings of the land of Kena’an went with Ya'akov and Esav to bury Yitzchak, and all the kings of Kena’an showed Yitzchak great honor at his death.
12
And the sons of Ya'akov and the sons of Esav went barefooted round about, walking and lamenting until they reached Kireath- arba.
13
And Ya'akov and Esav buried their father Yitzchak in the cave of Machpelah, which is in Kireath-arba in Hebron, and they buried him with very great honor, as at the funeral of kings.
14
And Ya'akov and his sons, and Esav and his sons, and all the kings of Kena’an made a great and heavy mourning, and they buried him and mourned for him many days.
15
And at the death of Yitzchak, he left his cattle and his possessions and all belonging to him to his sons; and Esav said unto Ya'akov, Behold I pray thee, all that our father has left we will divide it in two parts, and I will have the choice, and Ya'akov said, We will do so.
16
And Ya'akov took all that Yitzchak had left in the land of Kena’an, the cattle and the property, and he placed them in two parts before Esav and his sons, and he said unto Esav, Behold all this is before thee, choose thou unto thyself the half which thou wilt take.
17
And Ya'akov said unto Esav, Hear thou I pray thee what I will speak unto thee, saying, Yahuah Elohim of heaven and earth spoke unto our fathers Avraham and Yitzchak, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance forever.
18
Now therefore all that our father has left is before thee, and behold all the land is before thee; choose thou from them what thou desirest.
19
If thou desirest the whole land take it for thee and thy children forever, and I will take this riches, and it thou desirest the riches take it unto thee, and I will take this land for me and for my children to inherit it forever.
20
And Nebayoth, the son of Yishmael, was then in the land with his children, and Esav went on that day and consulted with him, saying.
21
Thus has Ya'akov spoken unto me, and thus has he answered me, now give thy advice and we will hear.
22
And Nebayoth said, What is this that Ya'akov hath spoken unto thee? behold all the children of Kena’an are dwelling securely in their land, and Ya'akov sayeth he will inherit it with his seed all the days.
23
Go now therefore and take all thy father's riches and leave Ya'akov thy brother in the land, as he has spoken.
24
And Esav rose up and returned to Ya'akov, and did all that Nebayoth the son of Yishmael had advised; and Esav took all the riches that Yitzchak had left, the nefashot, the beasts, the cattle and the property, and all the riches; he gave nothing to his brother Ya'akov; and Ya'akov took all the land of Kena’an, from the brook of Mitzrayim unto the river Euphrates, and he took it for an everlasting possession, and for his children and for his seed after him forever.
25
Ya'akov also took from his brother Esav the cave of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Avraham had bought from Ephron for a possession of a burial place for him and his seed forever.
26
And Ya'akov wrote all these things in the book of purchase, and he signed it, and he testified all this with four faithful witnesses.
27
And these are the words which Ya'akov wrote in the book, saying: The land of Kena’an and all the cities of the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Gergashites, all the seven nations from the river of Mitzrayim unto the river Euphrates.
28
And the city of Hebron Kireath-arba, and the cave which is in it, the whole did Ya'akov buy from his brother Esav for value, for a possession and for an inheritance for his seed after him forever.
29
And Ya'akov took the book of purchase and the signature, the command and the statutes and the revealed book, and he placed them in an earthen vessel in order that they should remain for a long time, and he delivered them into the hands of his children.
30
Esav took all that his father had left him after his death from his brother Ya'akov, and he took all the property, from man and beast, camel and ass, ox and lamb, silver and gold, stones and bdellium, and all the riches which had belonged to Yitzchak the son of Avraham; there was nothing left which Esav did not take unto himself, from all that Yitzchak had left after his death.
31
And Esav took all this, and he and his children went home to the land of Seir the Horite, away from his brother Ya'akov and his children.
32
And Esav had possessions amongst the children of Seir, and Esav returned not to the land of Kena’an from that day forward.
33
And the whole land of Kena’an became an inheritance to the children of Yisrael for an everlasting inheritance, and Esav with all his children inherited the mountain of Seir.
Chapter 48 Pharaoh's Dreams. Not Receiving a Satisfactory Interpretation from the Magicians, he orders the Wise Men to be Slain. The King's Butler makes Yosef's Gifts known to Pharaoh. Yosef is Brought before the King, who Relates his Dreams to him. Yosef, by the Gift of Elohim, Interprets them. A great Famine Predicted
1
In those days, after the death of Yitzchak, Yahuah commanded and caused a famine upon the whole earth.
2
At that time Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim was sitting upon his throne in the land of Mitzrayim, and lay in his bed and dreamed dreams, and Pharaoh saw in his dream that he was standing by the side of the river of Mitzrayim.
3
And whilst he was standing he saw and behold seven fat fleshed and well favored kine came up out of the river.
4
And seven other kine, lean fleshed and ill favored, came up after them, and the seven ill favored ones swallowed up the well favored ones, and still their appearance was ill as at first.
5
And he awoke, and he slept again and he dreamed a second time, and he saw and behold seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good, and seven thin ears blasted with the east wind sprang, up after them, and the thin ears swallowed up the full ones, and Pharaoh awoke out of his dream.
6
And in the morning the king remembered his dreams, and his spirit was sadly troubled on account of his dreams, and the king hastened and sent and called for all the magicians of Mitzrayim, and the wise men, and they came and stood before Pharaoh.
7
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed dreams, and there is none to interpret them; and they said unto the king, relate thy dreams to thy servants and let us hear them.
8
And the king related his dreams to them, and they all answered and said with one voice to the king, may the king live forever; and this is the interpretation of thy dreams.
9
The seven good kine which thou didst see denote seven daughters that will be born unto thee in the latter days, and the seven kine which thou sawest come up after them, and swallowed them up, are for a sign that the daughters which will be born unto thee will all die in the life-time of the king.
10
And that which thou didst see in the second dream of seven full good ears of corn coming up upon one stalk, this is their interpretation, that thou wilt build unto thyself in the latter days seven cities throughout the land of Mitzrayim; and that which thou sawest of the seven blasted ears of corn springing up after them and swallowing them up whilst thou didst behold them with thine eyes, is for a sign that the cities which thou wilt build will all be destroyed in the latter days, in the life-time of the king.
11
And when they spoke these words the king did not incline his ear to their words, neither did he fix his heart upon them, for the king knew in his wisdom that they did not give a proper interpretation of the dreams; and when they had finished speaking before the king, the king answered them, saying, What is this thing that you have spoken unto me? surely you have uttered falsehood and spoken lies; therefore now give the proper interpretation of my dreams, that you may not die.
12
And the king commanded after this, and he sent and called again for other wise men, and they came and stood before the king, and the king related his dreams to them, and they all answered him according to the first interpretation, and the king's anger was kindled and he was very wroth, and the king said unto them, Surely you speak lies and utter falsehood in what you have said.
13
And the king commanded that a proclamation should be issued throughout the land of Mitzrayim, saying, It is resolved by the king and his great men, that any wise man who knoweth and understandeth the interpretation of dreams, and will not come this day before the king, shall die.
14
And the man that will declare unto the king the proper interpretation of his dreams, there shall be given unto him all that he will require from the king. And all the wise men of the land of Mitzrayim came before the king, together with all the magicians and sorcerers that were in Mitzrayim and in Goshen, in Rameses, in Tachpanches, in Zoar, and in all the places on the borders of Mitzrayim, and they all stood before the king.
15
And all the nobles and the princes, and the attendants belonging to the king, came together from all the cities of Mitzrayim, and they all sat before the king, and the king related his dreams before the wise men, and the princes, and all that sat before the king were astonished at the vision.
16
And all the wise men who were before the king were greatly divided in their interpretation of his dreams; some of them interpreted them to the king, saying, The seven good kine are seven kings, who from the king's issue will be raised over Mitzrayim.
17
And the seven bad kine are seven princes, who will stand up against them in the latter days and destroy them; and the seven ears of corn are the seven great princes belonging to Mitzrayim, who will fall in the hands of the seven less powerful princes of their enemies, in the wars of our lord the king.
18
And some of them interpreted to the king in this manner, saying, The seven good kine are the strong cities of Mitzrayim, and the seven bad kine are the seven nations of the land of Kena’an, who will come against the seven cities of Mitzrayim in the latter days and destroy them.
19
And that which thou sawest in the second dream, of seven good and bad ears of corn, is a sign that the government of Mitzrayim will again return to thy seed as at first.
20
And in his reign the people of the cities of Mitzrayim will turn against the seven cities of Kena’an who are stronger than they are, and will destroy them, and the government of Mitzrayim will return to thy seed.
21
And some of them said unto the king, This is the interpretation of thy dreams; the seven good kine are seven queens, whom thou wilt take for wives in the latter days, and the seven bad kine denote that those women will all die in the lifetime of the king.
22
And the seven good and bad ears of corn which thou didst see in the second dream are fourteen children, and it will be in the latter days that they will stand up and fight amongst themselves, and seven of them will smite the seven that are more powerful.
23
And some of them said these words unto the king, saying, The seven good kine denote that seven children will be born to thee, and they will slay seven of thy children's children in the latter days; and the seven good ears of corn which thou didst see in the second dream, are those princes against whom seven other less powerful princes will fight and destroy them in the latter days, and avenge thy children's cause, and the government will again return to thy seed.
24
And the king heard all the words of the wise men of Mitzrayim and their interpretation of his dreams, and none of them pleased the king.
25
And the king knew in his wisdom that they did not altogether speak correctly in all these words, for this was from Yahuah to frustrate the words of the wise men of Mitzrayim, in order that Yosef might go forth from the house of confinement, and in order that he should become great in Mitzrayim.
26
And the king saw that none amongst all the wise men and magicians of Mitzrayim spoke correctly to him, and the king's wrath was kindled, and his anger burned within him.
27
And the king commanded that all the wise men and magicians should go out from before him, and they all went out from before the king with shame and disgrace.
28
And the king commanded that a proclamation be sent throughout Mitzrayim to slay all the magicians that were in Mitzrayim, and not one of them should be suffered to live.
29
And the captains of the guards belonging to the king rose up, and each man drew his sword, and they began to smite the magicians of Mitzrayim, and the wise men.
30
And after this Merod, chief butler to the king, came and bowed down before the king and sat before him.
31
And the butler said unto the king, May the king live forever, and his government be exalted in the land.
32
Thou wast angry with thy servant in those days, now two years past, and didst place me in the ward, and I was for some time in the ward, I and the chief of the bakers.
33
And there was with us a Hebrew servant belonging to the captain of the guard, his name was Yosef, for his master had been angry with him and placed him in the house of confinement, and he attended us there.
34
And in some time after when we were in the ward, we dreamed dreams in one night, I and the chief of the bakers; we dreamed, each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
35
And we came in the morning and told them to that servant, and he interpreted to us our dreams, to each man according to his dream, did he correctly interpret.
36
And it came to pass as he interpreted to us, so was the event; there fell not to the ground any of his words.
37
And now therefore my lord and king do not slay the people of Mitzrayim for naught; behold that slave is still confined in the house by the captain of the guard his master, in the house of confinement.
38
If it pleaseth the king let him send for him that he may come before thee and he will make known to thee, the correct interpretation of the dream which thou didst dream.
39
And the king heard the words of the chief butler, and the king ordered that the wise men of Mitzrayim should not be slain.
40
And the king ordered his servants to bring Yosef before him, and the king said unto them, Go to him and do not terrify him lest he be confused and will not know to speak properly.
41
And the servants of the king went to Yosef, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon, and the king's servants shaved him, and he changed his prison garment and he came before the king.
42
And the king was sitting upon his royal throne in a princely dress girt around with a golden ephod, and the fine gold which was upon it sparkled, and the carbuncle and the ruby and the emerald, together with all the precious stones that were upon the king's head, dazzled the eye, and Yosef wondered greatly at the king.
43
And the throne upon which the king sat was covered with gold and silver, and with onyx stones, and it had seventy steps.
44
And it was their custom throughout the land of Mitzrayim, that every man who came to speak to the king, if he was a prince or one that was estimable in the sight of the king, he ascended to the king's throne as far as the thirty-first step, and the king would descend to the thirty-sixth step, and speak with him.
45
If he was one of the common people, he ascended to the third step, and the king would descend to the fourth and speak to him, and their custom was, moreover, that any man who understood to speak in all the seventy languages, he ascended the seventy steps, and went up and spoke till he reached the king.
46
And any man who could not complete the seventy, he ascended as many steps as the languages which he knew to speak in.
47
And it was customary in those days in Mitzrayim that no one should reign over them, but who understood to speak in the seventy languages.
48
And when Yosef came before the king he bowed down to the ground before the king, and he ascended to the third step, and the king sat upon the fourth step and spoke with Yosef.
49
And the king said unto Yosef, I dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter to interpret it properly, and I commanded this day that all the magicians of Mitzrayim and the wise men thereof, should come before me, and I related my dreams to them, and no one has properly interpreted them to me.
50
And after this I this day heard concerning thee, that thou art a wise man, and canst correctly interpret every dream that thou hearest.
51
And Yosef answered Pharaoh, saying, Let Pharaoh relate his dreams that he dreamed; surely the interpretations belong to Elohim; and Pharaoh related his dreams to Yosef, the dream of the kine, and the dream of the ears of corn, and the king left off speaking.
52
And Yosef was then clothed with the spirit of Elohim before the king, and he knew all the things that would befall the king from that day forward, and he knew the proper interpretation of the king's dream, and he spoke before the king.
53
And Yosef found favor in the sight of the king, and the king inclined his ears and his heart, and he heard all the words of Yosef. And Yosef said unto the king, Do not imagine that they are two dreams, for it is only one dream, for that which Elohim has chosen to do throughout the land he has shown to the king in his dream, and this is the proper interpretation of thy dream:
54
The seven good kine and ears of corn are seven years, and the seven bad kine and ears of corn are also seven years; it is one dream.
55
Behold the seven years that are coming there will be a great plenty throughout the land, and after that the seven years of famine will follow them, a very grievous famine; and all the plenty will be forgotten from the land, and the famine will consume the inhabitants of the land.
56
The king dreamed one dream, and the dream was therefore repeated unto Pharaoh because the thing is established by Elohim, and Elohim will shortly bring it to pass.
57
Now therefore I will give thee counsel and deliver thy nefesh and the nefashot of the inhabitants of the land from the evil of the famine, that thou seek throughout thy kingdom for a man very discreet and wise, who knoweth all the affairs of government, and appoint him to superintend over the land of Mitzrayim.
58
And let the man whom thou placest over Mitzrayim appoint officers under him, that they gather in all the food of the good years that are coming, and let them lay up corn and deposit it in thy appointed stores.
59
And let them keep that food for the seven years of famine, that it may be found for thee and thy people and thy whole land, and that thou and thy land be not cut off by the famine.
60
Let all the inhabitants of the land be also ordered that they gather in, every man the produce of his field, of all sorts of food, during the seven good years, and that they place it in their stores, that it may be found for them in the days of the famine and that they may live upon it.
61
This is the proper interpretation of thy dream, and this is the counsel given to save thy nefesh and the nefashot of all thy subjects.
62
And the king answered and said unto Yosef, Who sayeth and who knoweth that thy words are correct? And he said unto the king, This shall be a sign for thee respecting all my words, that they are true and that my advice is good for thee.
63
Behold thy wife sitteth this day upon the stool of delivery, and she will bear thee a son and thou wilt rejoice with him; when thy child shall have gone forth from his mother's womb, thy first born son that has been born these two years back shall die, and thou wilt be comforted in the child that will be born unto thee this day.
64
And Yosef finished speaking these words to the king, and he bowed down to the king and he went out, and when Yosef had gone out from the king's presence, those signs which Yosef had spoken unto the king came to pass on that day.
65
And the queen bare a son on that day and the king heard the glad tidings about his son, and he rejoiced, and when the reporter had gone forth from the king's presence, the king's servants found the first born son of the king fallen dead upon the ground.
66
And there was great lamentation and noise in the king's house, and the king heard it, and he said, What is the noise and lamentation that I have heard in the house? and they told the king that his first born son had died; then the king knew that all Yosef's words that he had spoken were correct, and the king was consoled for his son by the child that was born to him on that day as Yosef had spoken.
Chapter 49 Pharaoh Assembles all the Great Men of the Kingdom, and desires to appoint Yosef to Govern Mitzrayim. They Object because he cannot speak all the Seventy Languages of the Earth. An Angel visits Yosef and teaches him all the Languages of the Earth. When brought before the King, Yosef's Wisdom and Knowledge please Pharaoh and all the Princes of Mitzrayim, and he is appointed the Second to the King, and all authority is given him. Yosef is made Wealthy and clothed in Princely apparel and proclaimed Governor of Mitzrayim. Is given the Daughter of Potiphar for a Wife
1
After these things the king sent and assembled all his officers and servants, and all the princes and nobles belonging to the king, and they all came before the king.
2
And the king said unto them, Behold you have seen and heard all the words of this Hebrew man, and all the signs which he declared would come to pass, and not any of his words have fallen to the ground.
3
You know that he has given a proper interpretation of the dream, and it will surely come to pass, now therefore take counsel, and know what you will do and how the land will be delivered from the famine.
4
Seek now and see whether the like can be found, in whose heart there is wisdom and knowledge, and I will appoint him over the land.
5
For you have heard what the Hebrew man has advised concerning this to save the land therewith from the famine, and I know that the land will not be delivered from the famine but with the advice of the Hebrew man, him that advised me.
6
And they all answered the king and said, The counsel which the Hebrew has given concerning this is good; now therefore, our lord and king, behold the whole land is in thy hand, do that which seemeth good in thy sight.
7
Him whom thou chooses, and whom thou in thy wisdom knowest to be wise and capable of delivering the land with his wisdom, him shall the king appoint to be under him over the land.
8
And the king said to all the officers: I have thought that since Elohim has made known to the Hebrew man all that he has spoken, there is none so discreet and wise in the whole land as he is; if it seem good in your sight I will place him over the land, for he will save the land with his wisdom.
9
And all the officers answered the king and said, But surely it is written in the Torah of Mitzrayim, and it should not be violated, that no man shall reign over Mitzrayim, nor be the second to the king, but one who has knowledge in all the languages of the sons of men.
10
Now therefore our lord and king, behold this Hebrew man can only speak the Hebrew language, and how then can he be over us the second under government, a man who not even knoweth our language?
11
Now we pray thee send for him, and let him come before thee, and prove him in all things, and do as thou see fit.
12
And the king said, It shall be done tomorrow, and the thing that you have spoken is good; and all the officers came on that day before the king.
13
And on that night Yahuah sent one of his ministering angels, and he came into the land of Mitzrayim unto Yosef, and the angel of Yahuah stood over Yosef, and behold Yosef was lying in the bed at night in his master's house in the dungeon, for his master had put him back into the dungeon on account of his wife.
14
And the angel roused him from his sleep, and Yosef rose up and stood upon his legs, and behold the angel of Yahuah was standing opposite to him; and the angel of Yahuah spoke with Yosef, and he taught him all the languages of man in that night, and he called his name Jehoseph.
15
And the angel of Yahuah went from him, and Yosef returned and lay upon his bed, and Yosef was astonished at the vision which he saw.
16
And it came to pass in the morning that the king sent for all his officers and servants, and they all came and sat before the king, and the king ordered Yosef to be brought, and the king's servants went and brought Yosef before Pharaoh.
17
And the king came forth and ascended the steps of the throne, and Yosef spoke unto the king in all languages, and Yosef went up to him and spoke unto the king until he arrived before the king in the seventieth step, and he sat before the king.
18
And the king greatly rejoiced on account of Yosef, and all the king's officers rejoiced greatly with the king when they heard all the words of Yosef.
19
And the thing seemed good in the sight of the king and the officers, to appoint Yosef to be second to the king over the whole land of Mitzrayim, and the king spoke to Yosef, saying,
20
Now thou didst give me counsel to appoint a wise man over the land of Mitzrayim, in order with his wisdom to save the land from the famine; now therefore, since Elohim has made all this known to thee, and all the words which thou hast spoken, there is not throughout the land a discreet and wise man like unto thee.
21
And thy name no more shall be called Yosef, but Zaphnath Paaneah shall be thy name; thou shalt be second to me, and according to thy word shall be all the affairs of my government, and at thy word shall my people go out and come in.
22
Also from under thy hand shall my servants and officers receive their salary which is given to them monthly, and to thee shall all the people of the land bow down; only in my throne will I be greater than thou.
23
And the king took off his ring from his hand and put it upon the hand of Yosef, and the king dressed Yosef in a princely garment, and he put a golden crown upon his head, and he put a golden chain upon his neck.
24
And the king commanded his servants, and they made him ride in the second chariot belonging to the king, that went opposite to the king's chariot, and he caused him to ride upon a great and strong horse from the king's horses, and to be conducted through the streets of the land of Mitzrayim.
25
And the king commanded that all those that played upon timbrels, harps and other musical instruments should go forth with Yosef; one thousand timbrels, one thousand mecholoth, and one thousand nebalim went after him.
26
And five thousand men, with drawn swords glittering in their hands, and they went marching and playing before Yosef, and twenty thousand of the great men of the king girt with girdles of skin covered with gold, marched at the right hand of Yosef, and twenty thousand at his left, and all the women and damsels went upon the roofs or stood in the streets playing and rejoicing at Yosef, and gazed at the appearance of Yosef and at his beauty.
27
And the king's people went before him and behind him, perfuming the road with frankincense and with cassia, and with all sorts of fine perfume, and scattered myrrh and aloes along the road, and twenty men proclaimed these words before him throughout the land in a loud voice:
28
Do you see this man whom the king has chosen to be his second? all the affairs of government shall be regulated by him, and he that transgresses his orders, or that does not bow down before him to the ground, shall die, for he rebels against the king and his second.
29
And when the heralds had ceased proclaiming, all the people of Mitzrayim bowed down to the ground before Yosef and said, May the king live, also may his second live; and all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim bowed down along the road, and when the heralds approached them, they bowed down, and they rejoiced with all sorts of timbrels, mechol and nebal before Yosef.
30
And Yosef upon his horse lifted up his eyes to heaven, and called out and said, He raiseth the poor man from the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill. O Yahuah of Hosts, happy is the man who trusteth in thee.
31
And Yosef passed throughout the land of Mitzrayim with Pharaoh's servants and officers, and they showed him the whole land of Mitzrayim and all the king's treasures.
32
And Yosef returned and came on that day before Pharaoh, and the king gave unto Yosef a possession in the land of Mitzrayim, a possession of fields and vineyards, and the king gave unto Yosef three thousand talents of silver and one thousand talents of gold, and onyx stones and bdellium and many gifts.
33
And on the next day the king commanded all the people of Mitzrayim to bring unto Yosef offerings and gifts, and that he that violated the command of the king should die; and they made a high place in the street of the city, and they spread out garments there, and whoever brought anything to Yosef put it into the high place.
34
And all the people of Mitzrayim cast something into the high place, one man a golden ear- ring, and the other rings and ear- rings, and different vessels of gold and silver work, and onyx stones and bdellium did he cast upon the high place; every one gave something of what he possessed.
35
And Yosef took all these and placed them in his treasuries, and all the officers and nobles belonging to the king exalted Yosef, and they gave him many gifts, seeing that the king had chosen him to be his second.
36
And the king sent to Potiphera, the son of Ahiram priest of On, and he took his young daughter Osnath and gave her unto Yosef for a wife.
37
And the damsel was very comely, a virgin, one whom man had not known, and Yosef took her for a wife; and the king said unto Yosef, I am Pharaoh, and beside thee none shall dare to lift up his hand or his foot to regulate my people throughout the land of Mitzrayim.
38
And Yosef was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and Yosef went out from before the king, and he became the king's second in Mitzrayim.
39
And the king gave Yosef a hundred servants to attend him in his house, and Yosef also sent and purchased many servants and they remained in the house of Yosef.
40
Yosef then built for himself a very magnificent house like unto the houses of kings, before the court of the king's palace, and he made in the house a large temple, very elegant in appearance and convenient for his residence; three years was Yosef in erecting his house.
41
And Yosef made unto himself a very elegant throne of abundance of gold and silver, and he covered it with onyx stones and bdellium, and he made upon it the likeness of the whole land of Mitzrayim, and the likeness of the river of Mitzrayim that watereth the whole land of Mitzrayim; and Yosef sat securely upon his throne in his house and Yahuah increased Yosef's wisdom.
42
And all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim and Pharaoh's servants and his princes loved Yosef exceedingly, for this thing was from Yahuah to Yosef.
43
And Yosef had an army that made war, going out in hosts and troops to the number of forty thousand six hundred men, capable of bearing arms to assist the king and Yosef against the enemy, besides the king's officers and his servants and inhabitants of Mitzrayim without number.
44
And Yosef gave unto his mighty men, and to all his host, shields and javelins, and caps and coats of mail and stones for slinging.
Chapter 50 Yosef goes to help the Ishmaelites against their Enemies. Great Plenty prevails in Mitzrayim as Yosef predicted. Yosef's Two Sons, Menashe and Efrayim. Yosef stores up Food throughout Mitzrayim. That stored by the Egyptians is spoiled. The Famine prevails over all the Land and Yosef sells corn to all the Egyptians and the surrounding Nations. Knowing that his Brethren will have to come to Mitzrayim for Corn, he arranges to meet them when they come
1
At that time the children of Tarshish came against the sons of Yishmael, and made war with them, and the children of Tarshish spoiled the Ishmaelites for a long time.
2
And the children of Yishmael were small in number in those days, and they could not prevail over the children of Tarshish, and they were sorely oppressed.
3
And the old men of the Ishmaelites sent a record to the king of Mitzrayim, saying, Send I pray thee unto thy servants officers and hosts to help us to fight against the children of Tarshish, for we have been consuming away for a long time.
4
And Pharaoh sent Yosef with the mighty men and host which were with him, and also his mighty men from the king's house.
5
And they went to the land of Havilah to the children of Yishmael, to assist them against the children of Tarshish, and the children of Yishmael fought with the children of Tarshish, and Yosef smote the Tarshishites and he subdued all their land, and the children of Yishmael dwell therein unto this day.
6
And when the land of Tarshish was subdued, all the Tarshishites ran away, and came on the border of their brethren the children of Javan, and Yosef with all his mighty men and host returned to Mitzrayim, not one man of them missing.
7
And at the revolution of the year, in the second year of Yosef's reigning over Mitzrayim, Yahuah gave great plenty throughout the land for seven years as Yosef had spoken, for Yahuah blessed all the produce of the earth in those days for seven years, and they ate and were greatly satisfied.
8
And Yosef at that time had officers under him, and they collected all the food of the good years, and heaped corn year by year, and they placed it in the treasuries of Yosef.
9
And at any time when they gathered the food Yosef commanded that they should bring the corn in the ears, and also bring with it some of the soil of the field, that it should not spoil.
10
And Yosef did according to this year by year, and he heaped up corn like the sand of the sea for abundance, for his stores were immense and could not be numbered for abundance.
11
And also all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim gathered all sorts of food in their stores in great abundance during the seven good years, but they did not do unto it as Yosef did.
12
And all the food which Yosef and the Egyptians had gathered during the seven years of plenty, was secured for the land in stores for the seven years of famine, for the support of the whole land.
13
And the inhabitants of Mitzrayim filled each man his store and his concealed place with corn, to be for support during the famine.
14
And Yosef placed all the food that he had gathered in all the cities of Mitzrayim, and he closed all the stores and placed sentinels over them.
15
And Yosef's wife Osnath the daughter of Potiphera bare him two sons, Menashe and Efrayim, and Yosef was thirty-four years old when he begat them.
16
And the lads grew up and they went in his ways and in his instructions, they did not deviate from the way which their father taught them, either to the right or left.
17
And Yahuah was with the lads, and they grew up and had understanding and skill in all wisdom and in all the affairs of government, and all the king's officers and his great men of the inhabitants of Mitzrayim exalted the lads, and they were brought up amongst the king's children.
18
And the seven years of plenty that were throughout the land were at an end, and the seven years of famine came after them as Yosef had spoken, and the famine was throughout the land.
19
And all the people of Mitzrayim saw that the famine had commenced in the land of Mitzrayim, and all the people of Mitzrayim opened their stores of corn for the famine prevailed over them.
20
And they found all the food that was in their stores, full of vermin and not fit to eat, and the famine prevailed throughout the land, and all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim came and cried before Pharaoh, for the famine was heavy upon them.
21
And they said unto Pharaoh, Give food unto thy servants, and wherefore shall we die through hunger before thy eyes, even we and our little ones?
22
And Pharaoh answered them, saying, And wherefore do you cry unto me? did not Yosef command that the corn should be laid up during the seven years of plenty for the years of famine? and wherefore did you not hearken to his voice?
23
And the people of Mitzrayim answered the king, saying, As thy nefesh liveth, our lord, thy servants have done all that Yosef ordered, for thy servants also gathered in all the produce of their fields during the seven years of plenty and laid it in the stores unto this day.
24
And when the famine prevailed over thy servants we opened our stores, and behold all our produce was filled with vermin and was not fit for food.
25
And when the king heard all that had befallen the inhabitants of Mitzrayim, the king was greatly afraid on account of the famine, and he was much terrified; and the king answered the people of Mitzrayim, saying, Since all this has happened unto you, go unto Yosef, do whatever he shall say unto you, transgress not his commands.
26
And all the people of Mitzrayim went forth and came unto Yosef, and said unto him, Give unto us food, and wherefore shall we die before thee through hunger? for we gathered in our produce during the seven years as thou didst command, and we put it in store, and thus has it befallen us.
27
And when Yosef heard all the words of the people of Mitzrayim and what had befallen them, Yosef opened all his stores of the produce and he sold it unto the people of Mitzrayim.
28
And the famine prevailed throughout the land, and the famine was in all countries, but in the land of Mitzrayim there was produce for sale.
29
And all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim came unto Yosef to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over them, and all their corn was spoiled, and Yosef daily sold it to all the people of Mitzrayim.
30
And all the inhabitants of the land of Kena’an and the Philistines, and those beyond the Jordan, and the children of the east and all the cities of the lands far and nigh heard that there was corn in Mitzrayim, and they all came to Mitzrayim to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over them.
31
And Yosef opened the stores of corn and placed officers over them, and they daily stood and sold to all that came.
32
And Yosef knew that his brethren also would come to Mitzrayim to buy corn, for the famine prevailed throughout the earth. And Yosef commanded all his people that they should cause it to be proclaimed throughout the land of Mitzrayim, saying,
33
It is the pleasure of the king, of his second and of their great men, that any person who wishes to buy corn in Mitzrayim shall not send his servants to Mitzrayim to purchase, but his sons, and also any Egyptian or Canaanite, who shall come from any of the stores from buying corn in Mitzrayim, and shall go and sell it throughout the land, he shall die, for no one shall buy but for the support of his household.
34
And any man leading two or three beasts shall die, for a man shall only lead his own beast.
35
And Yosef placed sentinels at the gates of Mitzrayim, and commanded them, saying, Any person who may come to buy corn, suffer him not to enter until his name, and the name of his father, and the name of his father's father be written down, and whatever is written by day, send their names unto me in the evening that I may know their names.
36
And Yosef placed officers throughout the land of Mitzrayim, and he commanded them to do all these things.
37
And Yosef did all these things, and made these statutes, in order that he might know when his brethren should come to Mitzrayim to buy corn; and Yosef's people caused it daily to be proclaimed in Mitzrayim according to these words and statutes which Yosef had commanded.
38
And all the inhabitants of the east and west country, and of all the earth, heard of the statutes and regulations which Yosef had enacted in Mitzrayim, and the inhabitants of the extreme parts of the earth came and they bought corn in Mitzrayim day after day, and then went away.
39
And all the officers of Mitzrayim did as Yosef had commanded, and all that came to Mitzrayim to buy corn, the gate keepers would write their names, and their fathers' names, and daily bring them in the evening before Yosef.
Chapter 51 Ya'akov sends his Ten Oldest Sons to Mitzrayim for Food. Tells them not to enter in at one gate but to go in Separately. On the way they Covenant together to seek for Yosef, and if they cannot ransom him they resolve to take him by force. They enter in at ten gates, and spread themselves to seek for Yosef three days. Yosef, in the meantime, has his men Seeking them. When found they are brought before Yosef who accuses them of being Spies. Yosef sends his Brethren home with corn, while Shimon is kept as a hostage till they shall again come to Mitzrayim with their Younger Brother. They are astonished to find their Money in their sacks of corn
1
And Ya'akov afterward heard that there was corn in Mitzrayim, and he called unto his sons to go to Mitzrayim to buy corn, for upon them also did the famine prevail, and he called unto his sons, saying,
2
Behold I hear that there is corn in Mitzrayim, and all the people of the earth go there to purchase, now therefore why will you show yourselves satisfied before the whole earth? go you also down to Mitzrayim and buy us a little corn amongst those that come there, that we may not die.
3
And the sons of Ya'akov hearkened to the voice of their father, and they rose up to go down to Mitzrayim in order to buy corn amongst the rest that came there.
4
And Ya'akov their father commanded them, saying, When you come into the city do not enter together in one gate, on account of the inhabitants of the land.
5
And the sons of Ya'akov went forth and they went to Mitzrayim, and the sons of Ya'akov did all as their father had commanded them, and Ya'akov did not send Binyamin, for he said, Lest an accident might befall him on the road like his brother; and ten of Ya'akov's sons went forth.
6
And whilst the sons of Ya'akov were going on the road, they repented of what they had done to Yosef, and they spoke to each other, saying, We know that our brother Yosef went down to Mitzrayim, and now we will seek him where we go, and if we find him we will take him from his master for a ransom, and if not, by force, and we will die for him.
7
And the sons of Ya'akov agreed to this thing and strengthened themselves on account of Yosef, to deliver him from the hand of his master, and the sons of Ya'akov went to Mitzrayim; and when they came near to Mitzrayim they separated from each other, and they came through ten gates of Mitzrayim, and the gate keepers wrote their names on that day, and brought them to Yosef in the evening.
8
And Yosef read the names from the hand of the gate-keepers of the city, and he found that his brethren had entered at the ten gates of the city, and Yosef at that time commanded that it should be proclaimed throughout the land of Mitzrayim, saying,
9
Go forth all ye store guards, close all the corn stores and let only one remain open, that those who come may purchase from it.
10
And all the officers of Yosef did so at that time, and they closed all the stores and left only one open.
11
And Yosef gave the written names of his brethren to him that was set over the open store, and he said unto him, Whosoever shall come to thee to buy corn, ask his name, and when men of these names shall come before thee, seize them and send them, and they did so.
12
And when the sons of Ya'akov came into the city, they joined together in the city to seek Yosef before they bought themselves corn.
13
And they went to the walls of the harlots, and they sought Yosef in the walls of the harlots for three days, for they thought that Yosef would come in the walls of the harlots, for Yosef was very comely and well favored, and the sons of Ya'akov sought Yosef for three days, and they could not find him.
14
And the man who was set over the open store sought for those names which Yosef had given him, and he did not find them.
15
And he sent to Yosef, saying, These three days have passed, and those men whose names thou didst give unto me have not come; and Yosef sent servants to seek the men in all Mitzrayim, and to bring them before Yosef.
16
And Yosef's servants went and came into Mitzrayim and could not find them, and went to Goshen and they were not there, and then went to the city of Rameses and could not find them.
17
And Yosef continued to send sixteen servants to seek his brothers, and they went and spread themselves in the four corners of the city, and four of the servants went into the house of the harlots, and they found the ten men there seeking their brother.
18
And those four men took them and brought them before him, and they bowed down to him to the ground, and Yosef was sitting upon his throne in his temple, clothed with princely garments, and upon his head was a large crown of gold, and all the mighty men were sitting around him.
19
And the sons of Ya'akov saw Yosef, and his figure and comeliness and dignity of countenance seemed wonderful in their eyes, and they again bowed down to him to the ground.
20
And Yosef saw his brethren, and he knew them, but they knew him not, for Yosef was very great in their eyes, therefore they knew him not.
21
And Yosef spoke to them, saying, From whence come ye? and they all answered and said, Thy servants have come from the land of Kena’an to buy corn, for the famine prevails throughout the earth, and thy servants heard that there was corn in Mitzrayim, so they have come amongst the other comers to buy corn for their support.
22
And Yosef answered them, saying, If you have come to purchase as you say, why do you come through ten gates of the city? it can only be that you have come to spy through the land.
23
And they all together answered Yosef, and said, Not so my lord, we are right, thy servants are not spies, but we have come to buy corn, for thy servants are all brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Kena’an, and our father commanded us, saying, When you come to the city do not enter together at one gate on account of the inhabitants of the land.
24
And Yosef again answered them and said, That is the thing which I spoke unto you, you have come to spy through the land, therefore you all came through ten gates of the city; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.
25
Surely every one that cometh to buy corn goeth his way, and you are already three days in the land, and what do you do in the walls of harlots in which you have been for these three days? surely spies do like unto these things.
26
And they said unto Yosef, Far be it from our lord to speak thus, for we are twelve brothers, the sons of our father Ya'akov, in the land of Kena’an, the son of Yitzchak, the son of Avraham, the Hebrew, and behold the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Kena’an, and one is not, for he was lost from us, and we thought perhaps he might be in this land, so we are seeking him throughout the land, and have come even to the houses of harlots to seek him there.
27
And Yosef said unto them, And have you then sought him throughout the earth, that there only remained Mitzrayim for you to seek him in? And what also should your brother do in the houses of harlots, although he were in Mitzrayim? have you not said, That you are from the sons of Yitzchak, the son of Avraham, and what shall the sons of Ya'akov do then in the houses of harlots?
28
And they said unto him, Because we heard that Ishmaelites stole him from us, and it was told unto us that they sold him in Mitzrayim, and thy servant, our brother, is very comely and well favored, so we thought he would surely be in the houses of harlots, therefore thy servants went there to seek him and give ransom for him.
29
And Yosef still answered them, saying, Surely you speak falsely and utter lies, to say of yourselves that you are the sons of Avraham; as Pharaoh liveth you are spies, therefore have you come to the houses of harlots that you should not be known.
30
And Yosef said unto them, And now if you find him, and his master requireth of you a great price, will you give it for him? and they said, It shall be given.
31
And he said unto them, And if his master will not consent to part with him for a great price, what will you do unto him on his account? and they answered him, saying, If he will not give him unto us we will slay him, and take our brother and go away.
32
And Yosef said unto them, That is the thing which I have spoken to you; you are spies, for you are come to slay the inhabitants of the land, for we heard that two of your brethren smote all the inhabitants of Shechem, in the land of Kena’an, on account of your sister, and you now come to do the like in Mitzrayim on account of your brother.
33
Only hereby shall I know that you are true men; if you will send home one from amongst you to fetch your youngest brother from your father, and to bring him here unto me, and by doing this thing I will know that you are right.
34
And Yosef called to seventy of his mighty men, and he said unto them, Take these men and bring them into the ward.
35
And the mighty men took the ten men, they laid hold of them and put them into the ward, and they were in the ward three days.
36
And on the third day Yosef had them brought out of the ward, and he said unto them, Do this for yourselves if you be true men, so that you may live, one of your brethren shall be confined in the ward whilst you go and take home the corn for your household to the land of Kena’an, and fetch your youngest brother, and bring him here unto me, that I may know that you are true men when you do this thing.
37
And Yosef went out from them and came into the chamber, and wept a great weeping, for his pity was excited for them, and he washed his face, and returned to them again, and he took Shimon from them and ordered him to be bound, but Shimon was not willing to be done so, for he was a very powerful man and they could not bind him.
38
And Yosef called unto his mighty men and seventy valiant men came before him with drawn swords in their hands, and the sons of Ya'akov were terrified at them.
39
And Yosef said unto them, Seize this man and confine him in prison until his brethren come to him, and Yosef's valiant men hastened and they all laid hold of Shimon to bind him, and Shimon gave a loud and terrible shriek and the cry was heard at a distance.
40
And all the valiant men of Yosef were terrified at the sound of the shriek, that they fell upon their faces, and they were greatly afraid and fled.
41
And all the men that were with Yosef fled, for they were greatly afraid of their lives, and only Yosef and Menashe his son remained there, and Manassah the son of Yosef saw the strength of Shimon, and he was exceedingly wroth.
42
And Manassah the son of Yosef rose up to Shimon, and Manassah smote Shimon a heavy blow with his fist against the back of his neck, and Shimon was stilled of his rage.
43
And Manassah laid hold of Shimon and he seized him violently and he bound him and brought him into the house of confinement, and all the sons of Ya'akov were astonished at the act of the youth.
44
And Shimon said unto his brethren, None of you must say that this is the smiting of an Egyptian, but it is the smiting of the house of my father.
45
And after this Yosef ordered him to be called who was set over the storehouse, to fill their sacks with corn as much as they could carry, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the road, and thus did he unto them.
46
And Yosef commanded them, saying, Take heed lest you transgress my orders to bring your brother as I have told you, and it shall be when you bring your brother hither unto me, then will I know that you are true men, and you shall traffic in the land, and I will restore unto you your brother, and you shall return in peace to your father.
47
And they all answered and said, According as our lord speaketh so will we do, and they bowed down to him to the ground.
48
And every man lifted his corn upon his ass, and they went out to go to the land of Kena’an to their father; and they came to the inn and Levi spread his sack to give provender to his ass, when he saw and behold his money in full weight was still in his sack.
49
And the man was greatly afraid, and he said unto his brethren, My money is restored, and lo, it is even in my sack, and the men were greatly afraid, and they said, What is this that Elohim hath done unto us?
50
And they all said, And where is Yahuah's kindness with our fathers, with Avraham, Yitzchak, end Ya'akov, that Yahuah has this day delivered us into the hands of the king of Mitzrayim to contrive against us?
51
And Yahudah said unto them, Surely we are guilty sinners before Yahuah our Elohim in having sold our brother, our own flesh, and wherefore do you say, Where is Yahuah's kindness with our fathers?
52
And Reuven said unto them, Said I not unto you, do not sin against the lad, and you would not listen to me? now Elohim requireth him from us, and how dare you say, Where is Yahuah's kindness with our fathers, whilst you have sinned unto Yahuah?
53
And they tarried over night in that place, and they rose up early in the morning and laded their asses with their corn, and they led them and went on and came to their father's house in the land of Kena’an.
54
And Ya'akov and his household went out to meet his sons, and Ya'akov saw and behold their brother Shimon was not with them, and Ya'akov said unto his sons, Where is your brother Shimon, whom I do not see? and his sons told him all that had befallen them in Mitzrayim.
Chapter 52 Ya'akov's sorrow at the absence of Shimon; Refuses to let Binyamin go. But when he and his Household become pinched with hunger, Yahudah pleads for Binyamin. Tells his Father of the great glory and Authority of the Governor of Mitzrayim and offers himself as Security for his Younger Brother. Ya'akov consents and sends his Sons again to Mitzrayim with a conciliatory Letter and Present to the Governor
1
And they entered their house, and every man opened his sack and they saw and behold every man's bundle of money was there, at which they and their father were greatly terrified.
2
And Ya'akov said unto them, What is this that you have done to me? I sent your brother Yosef to inquire after your welfare and you said unto me. A wild beast did devour him.
3
And Shimon went with you to buy food and you say the king of Mitzrayim hath confined him in prison, and you wish to take Binyamin to cause his death also, and bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave on account of Binyamin and his brother Yosef.
4
Now therefore my son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he is left alone, and mischief may befall him by the way in which you go, as it befell his brother.
5
And Reuven said unto his father, Thou shalt slay my two sons if I do not bring thy son and place him before thee; and Ya'akov said unto his sons, Abide ye here and do not go down to Mitzrayim, for my son shall not go down with you to Mitzrayim, nor die like his brother.
6
And Yahudah said unto them, refrain ye from him until the corn is finished, and he will then say, Take down your brother, when he will find his own life and the life of his household in danger from the famine.
7
And in those days the famine was sore throughout the land, and all the people of the earth went and came to Mitzrayim to buy food, for the famine prevailed greatly amongst them, and the sons of Ya'akov remained in Kena’an a year and two months until their corn was finished.
8
And it came to pass after their corn was finished, the whole household of Ya'akov was pinched with hunger, and all the infants of the sons of Ya'akov came together and they approached Ya'akov, and they all surrounded him, and they said unto him, Give unto us bread, and wherefore shall we all perish through hunger in thy presence?
9
Ya'akov heard the words of his son's children, and he wept a great weeping, and his pity was roused for them, and Ya'akov called unto his sons and they all came and sat before him.
10
And Ya'akov said unto them, And have you not seen how your children have been weeping over me this day, saying, Give unto us bread, and there is none? now therefore return and buy for us a little food.
11
And Yahudah answered and said unto his father, If thou wilt send our brother with us we will go down and buy corn for thee, and if thou wilt not send him then we will not go down, for surely the king of Mitzrayim particularly enjoined us, saying, You shall not see my face unless your brother be with you, for the king of Mitzrayim is a strong and mighty king, and behold if we shall go to him without our brother we shall all be put to death.
12
Dost thou not know and hast thou not heard that this king is very powerful and wise, and there is not like unto him in all the earth? behold we have seen all the kings of the earth and we have not seen one like that king, the king of Mitzrayim; surely amongst all the kings of the earth there is none greater than Abimelech king of the Philistines, yet the king of Mitzrayim is greater and mightier than he, and Abimelech can only be compared to one of his officers.
13
Father, thou hast not seen his palace and his throne, and all his servants standing before him; thou hast not seen that king upon his throne in his pomp and royal appearance, dressed in his kingly robes with a large golden crown upon his head; thou hast not seen the honor and glory which Elohim has given unto him, for there is not like unto him in all the earth.
14
Father, thou hast not seen the wisdom, the understanding and the knowledge which Elohim has given in his heart, nor heard his sweet voice when he spake unto us.
15
We know not, father, who made him acquainted with our names and all that befell us, yet he asked also after thee, saying, Is your father still living, and is it well with him?
16
Thou hast not seen the affairs of the government of Mitzrayim regulated by him, without inquiring of Pharaoh his lord; thou hast not seen the awe and fear which he impressed upon all the Egyptians.
17
And also when we went from him, we threatened to do unto Mitzrayim like unto the rest of the cities of the Amorites, and we were exceedingly wroth against all his words which he spoke concerning us as spies, and now when we shall again come before him his terror will fall upon us all, and not one of us will be able to speak to him either a little or a great thing.
18
Now therefore father, send we pray thee the lad with us, and we will go down and buy thee food for our support, and not die through hunger. And Ya'akov said, Why have you dealt so ill with me to tell the king you had a brother? what is this thing that you have done unto me?
19
And Yahudah said unto Ya'akov his father, Give the lad into my care and we will rise up and go down to Mitzrayim and buy corn, and then return, and it shall be when we return if the lad be not with us, then let me bear thy blame forever.
20
Hast thou seen all our infants weeping over thee through hunger and there is no power in thy hand to satisfy them? now let thy pity be roused for them and send our brother with us and we will go.
21
For how will Yahuah's kindness to our ancestors be manifested to thee when thou sayest that the king of Mitzrayim will take away thy son? as Yahuah liveth I will not leave him until I bring him and place him before thee; but pray for us unto Yahuah, that he may deal kindly with us, to cause us to be received favorably and kindly before the king of Mitzrayim and his men, for had we not delayed surely now we had returned a second time with thy son.
22
And Ya'akov said unto his sons, I trust in Yahuah Elohim that he may deliver you and give you favor in the sight of the king of Mitzrayim, and in the sight of all his men.
23
Now therefore rise up and go to the man, and take for him in your hands a present from what can be obtained in the land and bring it before him, and may the Almighty Elohim give you mercy before him that he may send Binyamin and Shimon your brethren with you.
24
And all the men rose up, and they took their brother Binyamin, and they took in their hands a large present of the best of the land, and they also took a double portion of silver.
25
And Ya'akov strictly commanded his sons concerning Binyamin, Saying, Take heed of him in the way in which you are going, and do not separate yourselves from him in the road, neither in Mitzrayim.
26
And Ya'akov rose up from his sons and spread forth his hands and he prayed unto Yahuah on account of his sons, saying, O Yahuah Elohim of heaven and earth, remember thy Beriyt with our father Avraham, remember it with my father Yitzchak and deal kindly with my sons and deliver them not into the hands of the king of Mitzrayim; do it I pray thee O Elohim for the sake of thy mercies and redeem all my children and rescue them from Egyptian power, and send them their two brothers.
27
And all the wives of the sons of Ya'akov and their children lifted up their eyes to heaven and they all wept before Yahuah, and cried unto him to deliver their fathers from the hand of the king of Mitzrayim.
28
And Ya'akov wrote a record to the king of Mitzrayim and gave it into the hand of Yahudah and into the hands of his sons for the king of Mitzrayim, saying,
29
From thy servant Ya'akov, son of Yitzchak, son of Avraham the Hebrew, the prince of Elohim, to the powerful and wise king, the revealer of secrets, king of Mitzrayim, greeting.
30
Be it known to my lord the king of Mitzrayim, the famine was sore upon us in the land of Kena’an, and I sent my sons to thee to buy us a little food from thee for our support.
31
For my sons surrounded me and I being very old cannot see with my eyes, for my eyes have become very heavy through age, as well as with daily weeping for my son, for Yosef who was lost from before me, and I commanded my sons that they should not enter the gates of the city when they came to Mitzrayim, on account of the inhabitants of the land.
32
And I also commanded them to go about Mitzrayim to seek for my son Yosef, perhaps they might find him there, and they did so, and thou didst consider them as spies of the land.
33
Have we not heard concerning thee that thou didst interpret Pharaoh's dream and didst speak truly unto him? how then dost thou not know in thy wisdom whether my sons are spies or not?
34
Now therefore, my lord and king, behold I have sent my son before thee, as thou didst speak unto my sons; I beseech thee to put thy eyes upon him until he is returned to me in peace with his brethren.
35
For dost thou not know, or hast thou not heard that which our Elohim did unto Pharaoh when he took my mother Sarah, and what he did unto Abimelech king of the Philistines on account of her, and also what our father Avraham did unto the nine kings of Elam, how he smote them all with a few men that were with him?
36
And also what my two sons Shimon and Levi did unto the eight cities of the Amorites, how they destroyed them on account of their sister Dinah?
37
And also on account of their brother Binyamin they consoled themselves for the loss of his brother Yosef; what will they then do for him when they see the hand of any people prevailing over them, for his sake?
38
Dost thou not know, O king of Mitzrayim, that the power of Elohim is with us, and that also Elohim ever heareth our prayers and forsaketh us not all the days?
39
And when my sons told me of thy dealings with them, I called not unto Yahuah on account of thee, for then thou wouldst have perished with thy men before my son Binyamin came before thee, but I thought that as Shimon my son was in thy house, perhaps thou mightest deal kindly with him, therefore I did not this thing unto thee.
40
Now therefore behold Binyamin my son cometh unto thee with my sons, take heed of him and put thy eyes upon him, and then will Elohim place his eyes over thee and throughout thy kingdom.
41
Now I have told thee all that is in my heart, and behold my sons are coming to thee with their brother, examine the face of the whole earth for their sake and send them back in peace with their brethren.
42
And Ya'akov gave the record to his sons into the care of Yahudah to give it unto the king of Mitzrayim.
Chapter 53 Ya'akov's Sons again go to Mitzrayim for Bread. Binyamin is presented before Yosef. Yosef's Cup. Yosef's conduct towards Binyamin by which he makes himself known to him. Resolves to prove his Brethren by taking away Binyamin from them, and puts his Cup in Binyamin's sack of corn and sends them Home to their Father. An Officer is sent after them who accuses them of purloining his Master's Cup. Brings them back to Yosef. Binyamin is taken from them by force, and they are told to go on their way
1
And the sons of Ya'akov rose up and took Binyamin and the whole of the presents, and they went and came to Mitzrayim and they stood before Yosef.
2
And Yosef beheld his brother Binyamin with them and he saluted them, and these men came to Yosef's house.
3
And Yosef commanded the superintendent of his house to give to his brethren to eat, and he did so unto them.
4
And at noon time Yosef sent for the men to come before him with Binyamin, and the men told the superintendent of Yosef's house concerning the silver that was returned in their sacks, and he said unto them, It will be well with you, fear not, and he brought their brother Shimon unto them.
5
And Shimon said unto his brethren, The lord of the Egyptians has acted very kindly unto me, he did not keep me bound, as you saw with your eyes, for when you went out from the city he let me free and dealt kindly with me in his house.
6
And Yahudah took Binyamin by the hand, and they came before Yosef, and they bowed down to him to the ground.
7
And the men gave the present unto Yosef and they all sat before him, and Yosef said unto them, Is it well with you, is it well with your children, is it well with your aged father? and they said, It is well, and Yahudah took the record which Ya'akov had sent and gave it into the hand of Yosef.
8
And Yosef read the letter and knew his father's writing, and he wished to weep and he went into an inner room and he wept a great weeping; and he went out.
9
And he lifted up his eyes and beheld his brother Binyamin, and he said, Is this your brother of whom you spoke unto me? And Binyamin approached Yosef, and Yosef placed his hand upon his head and he said unto him, May Elohim be gracious unto thee my son.
10
And when Yosef saw his brother, the son of his mother, he again wished to weep, and he entered the chamber, and he wept there, and he washed his face, and went out and refrained from weeping, and he said, Prepare food.
11
And Yosef had a cup from which he drank, and it was of silver beautifully inlaid with onyx stones and bdellium, and Yosef struck the cup in the sight of his brethren whilst they were sitting to eat with him.
12
And Yosef said unto the men, I know by this cup that Reuven the first born, Shimon and Levi and Yahudah, Yissachar and Zevulun are children from one mother, seat yourselves to eat according to your births.
13
And he also placed the others according to their births, and he said, I know that this your youngest brother has no brother, and I, like him, have no brother, he shall therefore sit down to eat with me.
14
And Binyamin went up before Yosef and sat upon the throne, and the men beheld the acts of Yosef, and they were astonished at them; and the men ate and drank at that time with Yosef, and he then gave presents unto them, and Yosef gave one gift unto Binyamin, and Menashe and Efrayim saw the acts of their father, and they also gave presents unto him, and Osnath gave him one present, and they were five presents in the hand of Binyamin.
15
And Yosef brought them out wine to drink, and they would not drink, and they said, From the day on which Yosef was lost we have not drunk wine, nor eaten any delicacies.
16
And Yosef swore unto them, and he pressed them hard, and they drank plentifully with him on that day, and Yosef afterward turned to his brother Binyamin to speak with him, and Binyamin was still sitting upon the throne before Yosef.
17
And Yosef said unto him, Hast thou begotten any children? and he said, Thy servant has ten sons, and these are their names, Bela, Becher, Ashbal, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord, and I called their names after my brother whom I have not seen.
18
And he ordered them to bring before him his map of the stars, whereby Yosef knew all the times, and Yosef said unto Binyamin, I have heard that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom, dost thou know anything of this?
19
And Binyamin said, Thy servant is knowing also in all the wisdom which my father taught me, and Yosef said unto Binyamin, Look now at this instrument and understand where thy brother Yosef is in Mitzrayim, who you said went down to Mitzrayim.
20
And Binyamin beheld that instrument with the map of the stars of heaven, and he was wise and looked therein to know where his brother was, and Binyamin divided the whole land of Mitzrayim into four divisions, and he found that he who was sitting upon the throne before him was his brother Yosef, and Binyamin wondered greatly, and when Yosef saw that his brother Binyamin was so much astonished, he said unto Binyamin, What hast thou seen, and why art thou astonished?
21
And Binyamin said unto Yosef, I can see by this that Yosef my brother sitteth here with me upon the throne, and Yosef said unto him, I am Yosef thy brother, reveal not this thing unto thy brethren; behold I will send thee with them when they go away, and I will command them to be brought back again into the city, and I will take thee away from them.
22
And if they dare their lives and fight for thee, then shall I know that they have repented of what they did unto me, and I will make myself known to them, and if they forsake thee when I take thee, then shalt thou remain with me, and I will wrangle with them, and they shall go away, and I will not become known to them.
23
At that time Yosef commanded his officer to fill their sacks with food, and to put each man's money into his sack, and to put the cup in the sack of Binyamin, and to give them provision for the road, and they did so unto them.
24
And on the next day the men rose up early in the morning, and they loaded their asses with their corn, and they went forth with Binyamin, and they went to the land of Kena’an with their brother Binyamin.
25
They had not gone far from Mitzrayim when Yosef commanded him that was set over his house, saying, Rise, pursue these men before they get too far from Mitzrayim, and say unto them, Why have you stolen my master's cup?
26
And Yosef's officer rose up and he reached them, and he spoke unto them all the words of Yosef; and when they heard this thing they became exceedingly wroth, and they said, He with whom thy master's cup shall be found shall die, and we will also become slaves.
27
And they hastened and each man brought down his sack from his ass, and they looked in their bags and the cup was found in Binyamin's bag, and they all tore their garments and they returned to the city, and they smote Binyamin in the road, continually smiting him until he came into the city, and they stood before Yosef.
28
And Yahudah's anger was kindled, and he said, This man has only brought me back to destroy Mitzrayim this day.
29
And the men came to Yosef's house, and they found Yosef sitting upon his throne, and all the mighty men standing at his right and left.
30
And Yosef said unto them, What is this act that you have done, that you took away my silver cup and went away? but I know that you took my cup in order to know thereby in what part of the land your brother was.
31
And Yahudah said, What shall we say to our lord, what shall we speak and how shall we justify ourselves, Elohim has this day found the iniquity of all thy servants, therefore has he done this thing to us this day.
32
And Yosef rose up and caught hold of Binyamin and took him from his brethren with violence, and he came to the house and locked the door at them, and Yosef commanded him that was set over his house that he should say unto them, Thus saith the king, Go in peace to your father, behold I have taken the man in whose hand my cup was found.
Chapter 54 Yahudah breaks through the Door to get to Yosef and Binyamin. He recounts the many Mighty Deeds of his Brethren and threatens to destroy all Mitzrayim if Binyamin be not released. Yosef wrangles with his Brethren and accuses them of Selling their Brother. They commence to war upon the Egyptians, and frighten the whole Land. After satisfying himself of their repentance for selling their Brother, Yosef makes himself known to them, and bestows presents upon them. They are presented before Pharaoh, who commands Yosef to bring all his Father's Household Down to Mitzrayim. He sends Chariots for this Purpose, laden with Presents, Luxuries and Clothing. Ya'akov's joy on Learning that Yosef is still Alive
1
And when Yahudah saw the dealings of Yosef with them, Yahudah approached him and broke open the door, and came with his brethren before Yosef.
2
And Yahudah said unto Yosef, Let it not seem grievous in the sight of my lord, may thy servant I pray thee speak a word before thee? and Yosef said unto him, Speak.
3
And Yahudah spoke before Yosef, and his brethren were there standing before them; and Yahudah said unto Yosef, Surely when we first came to our lord to buy food, thou didst consider us as spies of the land, and we brought Binyamin before thee, and thou still makest sport of us this day.
4
Now therefore let the king hear my words, and send I pray thee our brother that he may go along with us to our father, lest thy nefesh perish this day with all the nefashot of the inhabitants of Mitzrayim.
5
Dost thou not know what two of my brethren, Shimon and Levi, did unto the city of Shechem, and unto seven cities of the Amorites, on account of our sister Dinah, and also what they would do for the sake of their brother Binyamin?
6
And I with my strength, who am greater and mightier than both of them, come this day upon thee and thy land if thou art unwilling to send our brother.
7
Hast thou not heard what our Elohim who made choice of us did unto Pharaoh on account of Sarah our mother, whom he took away from our father, that he smote him and his household with heavy plagues, that even unto this day the Egyptians relate this wonder to each other? so will our Elohim do unto thee on account of Binyamin whom thou hast this day taken from his father, and on account of the evils which thou this day heapest over us in thy land; for our Elohim will remember his Beriyt with our father Avraham and bring evil upon thee, because thou hast grieved the nefesh of our father this day.
8
Now therefore hear my words that I have this day spoken unto thee, and send our brother that he may go away lest thou and the people of thy land die by the sword, for you cannot all prevail over me.
9
And Yosef answered Yahudah, saying, Why hast thou opened wide thy mouth and why dost thou boast over us, saying, Strength is with thee? as Pharaoh liveth, if I command all my valiant men to fight with you, surely thou and these thy brethren would sink in the mire.
10
And Yahudah said unto Yosef, Surely it becometh thee and thy people to fear me; as Yahuah liveth if I once draw my sword I shall not sheathe it again until I shall this day have slain all Mitzrayim, and I will commence with thee and finish with Pharaoh thy master.
11
And Yosef answered and said unto him, Surely strength belongeth not alone to thee; I am stronger and mightier than thou, surely if thou drawest thy sword I will put it to thy neck and the necks of all thy brethren.
12
And Yahudah said unto him, Surely if I this day open my mouth against thee I would swallow thee up that thou be destroyed from off the earth and perish this day from thy kingdom. And Yosef said, Surely if thou openest thy mouth I have power and might to close thy mouth with a stone until thou shalt not be able to utter a word; see how many stones are before us, truly I can take a stone, and force it into thy mouth and break thy jaws.
13
And Yahudah said, Elohim is witness between us, that we have not hitherto desired to battle with thee, only give us our brother and we will go from thee; and Yosef answered and said, As Pharaoh liveth, if all the kings of the land should assemble they will not be able to take your brother from my hand.
14
Now therefore go your way to your father, and your brother shall be unto me for a slave, for he has robbed the king's house. And Yahudah said, What is it to thee or to the character of the king, surely the king sendeth forth from his house, throughout the land, silver and gold either in gifts or expenses, and thou still talkest about thy cup which thou didst place in our brother's bag and sayest that he has stolen it from thee?
15
Elohim forbid that our brother Binyamin or any of the seed of Avraham should do this thing to steal from thee, or from any one else, whether king, prince, or any man.
16
Now therefore cease this accusation lest the whole earth hear thy words, saying, For a little silver the king of Mitzrayim wrangled with the men, and he accused them and took their brother for a slave.
17
And Yosef answered and said, Take unto you this cup and go from me and leave your brother for a slave, for it is the judgment of a thief to be a slave.
18
And Yahudah said, Why art thou not ashamed of thy words, to leave our brother and to take thy cup? Surely if thou givest us thy cup, or a thousand times as much, we will not leave our brother for the silver which is found in the hand of any man, that we will not die over him.
19
And Yosef answered, And why did you forsake your brother and sell him for twenty pieces of silver unto this day, and why then will you not do the same to this your brother?
20
And Yahudah said, Yahuah is witness between me and thee that we desire not thy battles; now therefore give us our brother and we will go from thee without quarreling.
21
And Yosef answered and said, If all the kings of the land should assemble they will not be able to take your brother from my hand; and Yahudah said, What shall we say unto our father, when he seeth that our brother cometh not with us, and will grieve over him?
22
And Yosef answered and said, This is the thing which you shall tell unto your father, saying, The rope has gone after the bucket.
23
And Yahudah said, Surely thou art a king, and why speakest thou these things, giving a false judgment? woe unto the king who is like unto thee.
24
And Yosef answered and said, There is no false judgment in the word that I spoke on account of your brother Yosef, for all of you sold him to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver, and you all denied it to your father and said unto him, An evil beast has devoured him, Yosef has been torn to pieces.
25
And Yahudah said, Behold the fire of Shem burneth in my heart, now I will burn all your land with fire; and Yosef answered and said, Surely thy sister-in-Torah Tamar, who killed your sons, extinguished the fire of Shechem.
26
And Yahudah said, If I pluck out a single hair from my flesh, I will fill all Mitzrayim with its blood.
27
And Yosef answered and said, Such is your custom to do as you did to your brother whom you sold, and you dipped his coat in blood and brought it to your father in order that he might say an evil beast devoured him and here is his blood.
28
And when Yahudah heard this thing he was exceedingly wroth and his anger burned within him, and there was before him in that place a stone, the weight of which was about four hundred shekels, and Yahudah's anger was kindled and he took the stone in one hand and cast it to the heavens and caught it with his left hand.
29
And he placed it afterward under his legs, and he sat upon it with all his strength and the stone was turned into dust from the force of Yahudah.
30
And Yosef saw the act of Yahudah and he was very much afraid, but he commanded Manassah his son and he also did with another stone like unto the act of Yahudah, and Yahudah said unto his brethren, Let not any of you say, this man is an Egyptian, but by his doing this thing he is of our father's family.
31
And Yosef said, Not to you only is strength given, for we are also powerful men, and why will you boast over us all? and Yahudah said unto Yosef, Send I pray thee our brother and ruin not thy country this day.
32
And Yosef answered and said unto them, Go and tell your father, an evil beast hath devoured him as you said concerning your brother Yosef.
33
And Yahudah spoke to his brother Naftali, and he said unto him, Make haste, go now and number all the streets of Mitzrayim and come and tell me; and Shimon said unto him, Let not this thing be a trouble to thee; now I will go to the mount and take up one large stone from the mount and level it at every one in Mitzrayim, and kill all that are in it.
34
And Yosef heard all these words that his brethren spoke before him, and they did not know that Yosef understood them, for they imagined that he knew not to speak Hebrew.
35
And Yosef was greatly afraid at the words of his brethren lest they should destroy Mitzrayim, and he commanded his son Menashe, saying, Go now make haste and gather unto me all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim, and all the valiant men together, and let them come to me now upon horseback and on foot and with all sorts of musical instruments, and Menashe went and did so.
36
And Naftali went as Yahudah had commanded him, for Naftali was lightfooted as one of the swift stags, and he would go upon the ears of corn and they would not break under him.
37
And he went and numbered all the streets of Mitzrayim, and found them to be twelve, and he came hastily and told Yahudah, and Yahudah said unto his brethren, Hasten you and put on every man his sword upon his loins and we will come over Mitzrayim, and smite them all, and let not a remnant remain.
38
And Yahudah said, Behold, I will destroy three of the streets with my strength, and you shall each destroy one street; and when Yahudah was speaking this thing, behold the inhabitants of Mitzrayim and all the mighty men came toward them with all sorts of musical instruments and with loud shouting.
39
And their number was five hundred cavalry and ten thousand infantry, and four hundred men who could fight without sword or spear, only with their hands and strength.
40
And all the mighty men came with great storming and shouting, and they all surrounded the sons of Ya'akov and terrified them, and the ground quaked at the sound of their shouting.
41
And when the sons of Ya'akov saw these troops they were greatly afraid of their lives, and Yosef did so in order to terrify the sons of Ya'akov to become tranquilized.
42
And Yahudah, seeing some of his brethren terrified, said unto them, Why are you afraid whilst the grace of Elohim is with us? and when Yahudah saw all the people of Mitzrayim surrounding them at the command of Yosef to terrify them, only Yosef commanded them, saying, Do not touch any of them.
43
Then Yahudah hastened and drew his sword, and uttered a loud and bitter scream, and he smote with his sword, and he sprang upon the ground and he still continued to shout against all the people.
44
And when he did this thing Yahuah caused the terror of Yahudah and his brethren to fall upon the valiant men and all the people that surrounded them.
45
And they all fled at the sound of the shouting, and they were terrified and fell one upon the other, and many of them died as they fell, and they all fled from before Yahudah and his brethren and from before Yosef.
46
And whilst they were fleeing, Yahudah and his brethren pursued them unto the house of Pharaoh, and they all escaped, and Yahudah again sat before Yosef and roared at him like a lion, and gave a great and tremendous shriek at him.
47
And the shriek was heard at a distance, and all the inhabitants of Succoth heard it, and all Mitzrayim quaked at the sound of the shriek, and also the walls of Mitzrayim and of the land of Goshen fell in from the shaking of the earth, and Pharaoh also fell from his throne upon the ground, and also all the pregnant women of Mitzrayim and Goshen miscarried when they heard the noise of the shaking, for they were terribly afraid.
48
And Pharaoh sent word, saying, What is this thing that has this day happened in the land of Mitzrayim? and they came and told him all the things from beginning to end, and Pharaoh was alarmed and he wondered and was greatly afraid.
49
And his fright increased when he heard all these things, and he sent unto Yosef, saying, Thou hast brought unto me the Hebrews to destroy all Mitzrayim; what wilt thou do with that thievish slave? send him away and let him go with his brethren, and let us not perish through their evil, even we, you and all Mitzrayim.
50
And if thou desirest not to do this thing, cast off from thee all my valuable things, and go with them to their land, if thou delightest in it, for they will this day destroy my whole country and slay all my people; even all the women of Mitzrayim have miscarried through their screams; see what they have done merely by their shouting and speaking, moreover if they fight with the sword, they will destroy the land; now therefore choose that which thou desirest, whether me or the Hebrews, whether Mitzrayim or the land of the Hebrews.
51
And they came and told Yosef all the words of Pharaoh that he had said concerning him, and Yosef was greatly afraid at the words of Pharaoh and Yahudah and his brethren were still standing before Yosef indignant and enraged, and all the sons of Ya'akov roared at Yosef, like the roaring of the sea and its waves.
52
And Yosef was greatly afraid of his brethren and on account of Pharaoh, and Yosef sought a pretext to make himself known unto his brethren, lest they should destroy all Mitzrayim.
53
And Yosef commanded his son Menashe, and Menashe went and approached Yahudah, and placed his hand upon his shoulder, and the anger of Yahudah was stilled.
54
And Yahudah said unto his brethren, Let no one of you say that this is the act of an Egyptian youth for this is the work of my father's house.
55
And Yosef seeing and knowing that Yahudah's anger was stilled, he approached to speak unto Yahudah in the language of mildness.
56
And Yosef said unto Yahudah, Surely you speak truth and have this day verified your assertions concerning your strength, and may your Elohim who delighteth in you, increase your welfare; but tell me truly why from amongst all thy brethren dost thou wrangle with me on account of the lad, as none of them have spoken one word to me concerning him.
57
And Yahudah answered Yosef, saying, Surely thou must know that I was security for the lad to his father, saying, If I brought him not unto him I should bear his blame forever.
58
Therefore have I approached thee from amongst all my brethren, for I saw that thou wast unwilling to suffer him to go from thee; now therefore may I find grace in thy sight that thou shalt send him to go with us, and behold I will remain as a substitute for him, to serve thee in whatever thou desirest, for wheresoever thou shalt send me I will go to serve thee with great energy.
59
Send me now to a mighty king who has rebelled against thee, and thou shalt know what I will do unto him and unto his land; although he may have cavalry and infantry or an exceeding mighty people, I will slay them all and bring the king's head before thee.
60
Dost thou not know or hast thou not heard that our father Avraham with his servant Eliezer smote all the kings of Elam with their hosts in one night, they left not one remaining? and ever since that day our father's strength was given unto us for an inheritance, for us and our seed forever.
61
And Yosef answered and said, You speak truth, and falsehood is not in your mouth, for it was also told unto us that the Hebrews have power and that Yahuah their Elohim delighteth much in them, and who then can stand before them?
62
However, on this condition will I send your brother, if you will bring before me his brother the son of his mother, of whom you said that he had gone from you down to Mitzrayim; and it shall come to pass when you bring unto me his brother I will take him in his stead, because not one of you was security for him to your father, and when he shall come unto me, I will then send with you his brother for whom you have been security.
63
And Yahudah's anger was kindled against Yosef when he spoke this thing, and his eyes dropped blood with anger, and he said unto his brethren, How doth this man this day seek his own destruction and that of all Mitzrayim!
64
And Shimon answered Yosef, saying, Did we not tell thee at first that we knew not the particular spot to which he went, and whether he be dead or alive, and wherefore speaketh my lord like unto these things?
65
And Yosef observing the countenance of Yahudah discerned that his anger began to kindle when he spoke unto him, saying, Bring unto me your other brother instead of this brother.
66
And Yosef said unto his brethren, Surely you said that your brother was either dead or lost, now if I should call him this day and he should come before you, would you give him unto me instead of his brother?
67
And Yosef began to speak and call out, Yosef, Yosef, come this day before me, and appear to thy brethren and sit before them.
68
And when Yosef spoke this thing before them, they looked each a different way to see from whence Yosef would come before them.
69
And Yosef observed all their acts, and said unto them, Why do you look here and there? I am Yosef whom you sold to Mitzrayim, now therefore let it not grieve you that you sold me, for as a support during the famine did Elohim send me before you.
70
And his brethren were terrified at him when they heard the words of Yosef, and Yahudah was exceedingly terrified at him.
71
And when Binyamin heard the words of Yosef he was before them in the inner part of the house, and Binyamin ran unto Yosef his brother, and embraced him and fell upon his neck, and they wept.
72
And when Yosef's brethren saw that Binyamin had fallen upon his brother's neck and wept with him, they also fell upon Yosef and embraced him, and they wept a great weeping with Yosef.
73
And the voice was heard in the house of Yosef that they were Yosef's brethren, and it pleased Pharaoh exceedingly, for he was afraid of them lest they should destroy Mitzrayim.
74
And Pharaoh sent his servants unto Yosef to congratulate him concerning his brethren who had come to him, and all the captains of the armies and troops that were in Mitzrayim came to rejoice with Yosef, and all Mitzrayim rejoiced greatly about Yosef's brethren.
75
And Pharaoh sent his servants to Yosef, saying, Tell thy brethren to fetch all belonging to them and let them come unto me, and I will place them in the best part of the land of Mitzrayim, and they did so.
76
And Yosef commanded him that was set over his house to bring out to his brethren gifts and garments, and he brought out to them many garments being robes of royalty and many gifts, and Yosef divided them amongst his brethren.
77
And he gave unto each of his brethren a change of garments of gold and silver, and three hundred pieces of silver, and Yosef commanded them all to be dressed in these garments, and to be brought before Pharaoh.
78
And Pharaoh seeing that all Yosef's brethren were valiant men, and of beautiful appearance, he greatly rejoiced.
79
And they afterward went out from the presence of Pharaoh to go to the land of Kena’an, to their father, and their brother Binyamin was with them.
80
And Yosef rose up and gave unto them eleven chariots from Pharaoh, and Yosef gave unto them his chariot, upon which he rode on the day of his being crowned in Mitzrayim, to fetch his father to Mitzrayim; and Yosef sent to all his brothers' children, garments according to their numbers, and a hundred pieces of silver to each of them, and he also sent garments to the wives of his brethren from the garments of the king's wives, and he sent them.
81
And he gave unto each of his brethren ten men to go with them to the land of Kena’an to serve them, to serve their children and all belonging to them in coming to Mitzrayim.
82
And Yosef sent by the hand of his brother Binyamin ten suits of garments for his ten sons, a portion above the rest of the children of the sons of Ya'akov.
83
And he sent to each fifty pieces of silver, and ten chariots on the account of Pharaoh, and he sent to his father ten asses laden with all the luxuries of Mitzrayim, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and nourishment for his father, and to all that were with him as provisions for the road.
84
And he sent to his sister Dinah garments of silver and gold, and frankincense and myrrh, and aloes and women's ornaments in great plenty, and he sent the same from the wives of Pharaoh to the wives of Binyamin.
85
And he gave unto all his brethren, also to their wives, all sorts of onyx stones and bdellium, and from all the valuable things amongst the great people of Mitzrayim, nothing of all the costly things was left but what Yosef sent of to his father's household.
86
And he sent his brethren away, and they went, and he sent his brother Binyamin with them.
87
And Yosef went out with them to accompany them on the road unto the borders of Mitzrayim, and he commanded them concerning his father and his household, to come to Mitzrayim.
88
And he said unto them, Do not quarrel on the road, for this thing was from Yahuah to keep a great people from starvation, for there will be yet five years of famine in the land.
89
And he commanded them, saying, When you come unto the land of Kena’an, do not come suddenly before my father in this affair, but act in your wisdom.
90
And Yosef ceased to command them, and he turned and went back to Mitzrayim, and the sons of Ya'akov went to the land of Kena’an with joy and cheerfulness to their father Ya'akov.
91
And they came unto the borders of the land, and they said to each other, What shall we do in this matter before our father, for if we come suddenly to him and tell him the matter, he will be greatly alarmed at our words and will not believe us.
92
And they went along until they came nigh unto their houses, and they found Serach, the daughter of Asher, going forth to meet them, and the damsel was very good and subtle, and knew how to play upon the harp.
93
And they called unto her and she came before them, and she kissed them, and they took her and gave unto her a harp, saying, Go now before our father, and sit before him, and strike upon the harp, and speak these words.
94
And they commanded her to go to their house, and she took the harp and hastened before them, and she came and sat near Ya'akov.
95
And she played well and sang, and uttered in the sweetness of her words, Yosef my uncle is living, and he ruleth throughout the land of Mitzrayim, and is not dead.
96
And she continued to repeat and utter these words, and Ya'akov heard her words and they were agreeable to him.
97
He listened whilst she repeated them twice and thrice, and joy entered the heart of Ya'akov at the sweetness of her words, and the spirit of Elohim was upon him, and he knew all her words to be true.
98
And Ya'akov blessed Serach when she spoke these words before him, and he said unto her, My daughter, may death never prevail over thee, for thou hast revived my spirit; only speak yet before me as thou hast spoken, for thou hast gladdened me with all thy words.
99
And she continued to sing these words, and Ya'akov listened and it pleased him, and he rejoiced, and the spirit of Elohim was upon him.
100
Whilst he was yet speaking with her, behold his sons came to him with horses and chariots and royal garments and servants running before them.
101
And Ya'akov rose up to meet them, and saw his sons dressed in royal garments and he saw all the treasures that Yosef had sent to them.
102
And they said unto him, Be informed that our brother Yosef is living, and it is he who ruleth throughout the land of Mitzrayim, and it is he who spoke unto us as we told thee.
103
And Ya'akov heard all the words of his sons, and his heart palpitated at their words, for he could not believe them until he saw all that Yosef had given them and what he had sent him, and all the signs which Yosef had spoken unto them.
104
And they opened out before him, and showed him all that Yosef had sent, they gave unto each what Yosef had sent him, and he knew that they had spoken the truth, and he rejoiced exceedingly an account of his son.
105
And Ya'akov said, It is enough for me that my son Yosef is still living, I will go and see him before I die.
106
And his sons told him all that had befallen them, and Ya'akov said, I will go down to Mitzrayim to see my son and his offspring.
107
And Ya'akov rose up and put on the garments which Yosef had sent him, and after he had washed, and shaved his hair, he put upon his head the turban which Yosef had sent him.
108
And all the people of Ya'akov's house and their wives put on the garments which Yosef had sent to them, and they greatly rejoiced at Yosef that he was still living and that he was ruling in Mitzrayim,
109
And all the inhabitants of Kena’an heard of this thing, and they came and rejoiced much with Ya'akov that he was still living.
110
And Ya'akov made a feast for them for three days, and all the kings of Kena’an and nobles of the land ate and drank and rejoiced in the house of Ya'akov.
Chapter 55 Yahuah commands Ya'akov to go down to Mitzrayim, where He will make him a Great Nation. Yosef and all Mitzrayim go to meet Ya'akov to do him Honor when he arrives. The Land of Goshen is given to him and his Children
1
And it came to pass after this that Ya'akov said, I will go and see my son in Mitzrayim and will then come back to the land of Kena’an of which Elohim had spoken unto Avraham, for I cannot leave the land of my birth-place.
2
Behold the word of Yahuah came unto him, saying, Go down to Mitzrayim with all thy household and remain there, fear not to go down to Mitzrayim for I will there make thee a great nation.
3
And Ya'akov said within himself, I will go and see my son whether the fear of his Elohim is yet in his heart amidst all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim.
4
And Yahuah said unto Ya'akov, Fear not about Yosef, for he still retaineth his integrity to serve me, as will seem good in thy sight, and Ya'akov rejoiced exceedingly concerning his son.
5
At that time Ya'akov commanded his sons and household to go to Mitzrayim according to the word of Yahuah unto him, and Ya'akov rose up with his sons and all his household, and he went out from the land of Kena’an from Beersheba, with joy and gladness of heart, and they went to the land of Mitzrayim.
6
And it came to pass when they came near Mitzrayim, Ya'akov sent Yahudah before him to Yosef that he might show him a situation in Mitzrayim, and Yahudah did according to the word of his father, and he hastened and ran and came to Yosef, and they assigned for them a place in the land of Goshen for all his household, and Yahudah returned and came along the road to his father.
7
And Yosef harnessed the chariot, and he assembled all his mighty men and his servants and all the officers of Mitzrayim in order to go and meet his father Ya'akov, and Yosef's mandate was proclaimed in Mitzrayim, saying, All that do not go to meet Ya'akov shall die.
8
And on the next day Yosef went forth with all Mitzrayim a great and mighty host, all dressed in garments of fine linen and purple and with instruments of silver and gold and with their instruments of war with them.
9
And they all went to meet Ya'akov with all sorts of musical instruments, with drums and timbrels, strewing myrrh and aloes all along the road, and they all went after this fashion, and the earth shook at their shouting.
10
And all the women of Mitzrayim went upon the roofs of Mitzrayim and upon the walls to meet Ya'akov, and upon the head of Yosef was Pharaoh's regal crown, for Pharaoh had sent it unto him to put on at the time of his going to meet his father.
11
And when Yosef came within fifty cubits of his father, he alighted from the chariot and he walked toward his father, and when all the officers of Mitzrayim and her nobles saw that Yosef had gone on foot toward his father, they also alighted and walked on foot toward Ya'akov.
12
And when Ya'akov approached the camp of Yosef, Ya'akov observed the camp that was coming toward him with Yosef, and it gratified him and Ya'akov was astonished at it.
13
And Ya'akov said unto Yahudah, Who is that man whom I see in the camp of Mitzrayim dressed in kingly robes with a very red garment upon him and a royal crown upon his head, who has alighted from his chariot and is coming toward us? and Yahudah answered his father, saying, He is thy son Yosef the king; and Ya'akov rejoiced in seeing the glory of his son.
14
And Yosef came nigh unto his father and he bowed to his father, and all the men of the camp bowed to the ground with him before Ya'akov.
15
And behold Ya'akov ran and hastened to his son Yosef and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept, and Yosef also embraced his father and kissed him, and they wept and all the people of Mitzrayim wept with them.
16
And Ya'akov said unto Yosef, Now I will die cheerfully after I have seen thy face, that thou art still living and with glory.
17
And the sons of Ya'akov and their wives and their children and their servants, and all the household of Ya'akov wept exceedingly with Yosef, and they kissed him and wept greatly with him.
18
And Yosef and all his people returned afterward home to Mitzrayim, and Ya'akov and his sons and all the children of his household came with Yosef to Mitzrayim, and Yosef placed them in the best part of Mitzrayim, in the land of Goshen.
19
And Yosef said unto his father and unto his brethren, I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying, My brethren and my father's household and all belonging to them have come unto me, and behold they are in the land of Goshen.
20
And Yosef did so and took from his brethren Reuven, Yissachar Zevulun and his brother Binyamin and he placed them before Pharaoh.
21
And Yosef spoke unto Pharaoh, saying, My brethren and my father's household and all belonging to them, together with their flocks and cattle have come unto me from the land of Kena’an, to sojourn in Mitzrayim; for the famine was sore upon them.
22
And Pharaoh said unto Yosef, Place thy father and brethren in the best part of the land, withhold not from them all that is good, and cause them to eat of the fat of the land.
23
And Yosef answered, saying, Behold I have stationed them in the land of Goshen, for they are shepherds, therefore let them remain in Goshen to feed their flocks apart from the Egyptians.
24
And Pharaoh said unto Yosef, Do with thy brethren all that they shall say unto thee; and the sons of Ya'akov bowed down to Pharaoh, and they went forth from him in peace, and Yosef afterward brought his father before Pharaoh.
25
And Ya'akov came and bowed down to Pharaoh, and Ya'akov blessed Pharaoh, and he then went out; and Ya'akov and all his sons, and all his household dwelt in the land of Goshen.
26
In the second year, that is in the hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Ya'akov, Yosef maintained his father and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread according to their little ones, all the days of the famine; they lacked nothing.
27
And Yosef gave unto them the best part of the whole land; the best of Mitzrayim had they all the days of Yosef; and Yosef also gave unto them and unto the whole of his father's household, clothes and garments year by year; and the sons of Ya'akov remained securely in Mitzrayim all the days of their brother.
28
And Ya'akov always ate at Yosef's table, Ya'akov and his sons did not leave Yosef's table day or night, besides what Ya'akov's children consumed in their houses.
29
And all Mitzrayim ate bread during the days of the famine from the house of Yosef, for all the Egyptians sold all belonging to them on account of the famine.
30
And Yosef purchased all the lands and fields of Mitzrayim for bread on the account of Pharaoh, and Yosef supplied all Mitzrayim with bread all the days of the famine, and Yosef collected all the silver and gold that came unto him for the corn which they bought throughout the land, and he accumulated much gold and silver, besides an immense quantity of onyx stones, bdellium and valuable garments which they brought unto Yosef from every part of the land when their money was spent.
31
And Yosef took all the silver and gold that came into his hand, about seventy two talents of gold and silver, and also onyx stones and bdellium in great abundance, and Yosef went and concealed them in four parts, and he concealed one part in the wilderness near the Red sea, and one part by the river Perath, and the third and fourth part he concealed in the desert opposite to the wilderness of Persia and Media.
32
And he took part of the gold and silver that was left, and gave it unto all his brothers and unto all his father's household, and unto all the women of his father's household, and the rest he brought to the house of Pharaoh, about twenty talents of gold and silver.
33
And Yosef gave all the gold and silver that was left unto Pharaoh, and Pharaoh placed it in the treasury, and the days of the famine ceased after that in the land, and they sowed and reaped in the whole land, and they obtained their usual quantity year by year; they lacked nothing.
34
And Yosef dwelt securely in Mitzrayim, and the whole land was under his advice, and his father and all his brethren dwelt in the land of Goshen and took possession of it.
35
And Yosef was very aged, advanced in days, and his two sons, Efrayim and Menashe, remained constantly in the house of Ya'akov, together with the children of the sons of Ya'akov their brethren, to learn the ways of Yahuah and his Torah.
36
And Ya'akov and his sons dwelt in the land of Mitzrayim in the land of Goshen, and they took possession in it, and they were fruitful and multiplied in it.
Chapter 56 After Seventeen Years' Dwelling in Mitzrayim, Ya'akov dies, after Blessing his Children and commanding them to go in the Way of Yahuah. Yosef and his Brethren and all the Mighty Men of Mitzrayim go up to Kena’an to Bury Ya'akov. Esav, claiming the Land of Kena’an as his, will not Allow Yosef to Bury his Father. After Esav and many of his People are slain, Ya'akov is Buried by Force. All the Kings of Kena’an come up to do him Honor
1
And Ya'akov lived in the land of Mitzrayim seventeen years, and the days of Ya'akov, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty seven years.
2
At that time Ya'akov was attacked with that illness of which he died and he sent and called for his son Yosef from Mitzrayim, and Yosef his son came from Mitzrayim and Yosef came unto his father.
3
And Ya'akov said unto Yosef and unto his sons, Behold I die, and the Elohim of your ancestors will visit you, and bring you back to the land, which Yahuah sware to give unto you and unto your children after you, now therefore when I am dead, bury me in the cave which is in Machpelah in Hebron in the land of Kena’an, near my ancestors.
4
And Ya'akov made his sons swear to bury him in Machpelah, in Hebron, and his sons swore unto him concerning this thing.
5
And he commanded them, saying, Serve Yahuah your Elohim, for he who delivered your fathers will also deliver you from all trouble.
6
And Ya'akov said, Call all your children unto me, and all the children of Ya'akov's sons came and sat before him, and Ya'akov blessed them, and he said unto them, Yahuah Elohim of your fathers shall grant you a thousand times as much and bless you, and may he give you the blessing of your father Avraham; and all the children of Ya'akov's sons went forth on that day after he had blessed them.
7
And on the next day Ya'akov again called for his sons, and they all assembled and came to him and sat before him, and Ya'akov on that day blessed his sons before his death, each man did he bless according to his blessing; behold it is written in the book of the Torah of Yahuah appertaining to Yisrael.
8
And Ya'akov said unto Yahudah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.
9
Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies.
10
And Ya'akov again commanded his sons on that day, saying, Behold I shall be this day gathered unto my people; carry me up from Mitzrayim, and bury me in the cave of Machpelah as I have commanded you.
11
Howbeit take heed I pray you that none of your sons carry me, only yourselves, and this is the manner you shall do unto me, when you carry my body to go with it to the land of Kena’an to bury me,
12
Yahudah, Yissachar and Zevulun shall carry my bier at the eastern side; Reuven, Shimon and Gad at the south, Efrayim, Menashe and Binyamin at the west, Dan, Asher and Naftali at the north.
13
Let not Levi carry with you, for he and his sons will carry the ark of the Beriyt of Yahuah with the Israelites in the camp, neither let Yosef my son carry, for as a king so let his glory be; howbeit, Efrayim and Menashe shall be in their stead.
14
Thus shall you do unto me when you carry me away; do not neglect any thing of all that I command you; and it shall come to pass when you do this unto me, that Yahuah will remember you favorably and your children after you forever.
15
And you my sons, honor each his brother and his relative, and command your children and your children's children after you to serve Yahuah Elohim of your ancestors all the days.
16
In order that you may prolong your days in the land, you and your children and your children's children for ever, when you do what is good and upright in the sight of Yahuah your Elohim, to go in all his ways.
17
And thou, Yosef my son, forgive I pray thee the prongs of thy brethren and all their misdeeds in the injury that they heaped upon thee, for Elohim intended it for thine and thy children's benefit.
18
And O my son leave not thy brethren to the inhabitants of Mitzrayim, neither hurt their feelings, for behold I consign them to the hand of Elohim and in thy hand to guard them from the Egyptians; and the sons of Ya'akov answered their father saying, O, our father, all that thou hast commanded us, so will we do; may Elohim only be with us.
19
And Ya'akov said unto his sons, So may Elohim be with you when you keep all his ways; turn not from his ways either to the right or the left in performing what is good and upright in his sight.
20
For I know that many and grievous troubles will befall you in the latter days in the land, yea your children and children's children, only serve Yahuah and he will save you from all trouble.
21
And it shall come to pass when you shall go after Elohim to serve him and will teach your children after you, and your children's children, to know Yahuah, then will Yahuah raise up unto you and your children a servant from amongst your children, and Yahuah will deliver you through his hand from all affliction, and bring you out of Mitzrayim and bring you back to the land of your fathers to inherit it securely.
22
And Ya'akov ceased commanding his sons, and he drew his feet into the bed, he died and was gathered to his people.
23
And Yosef fell upon his father and he cried out and wept over him and he kissed him, and he called out in a bitter voice, and he said, O my father, my father.
24
And his son's wives and all his household came and fell upon Ya'akov, and they wept over him, and cried in a very loud voice concerning Ya'akov.
25
And all the sons of Ya'akov rose up together, and they tore their garments, and they all put sackcloth upon their loins, and they fell upon their faces, and they cast dust upon their heads toward the heavens.
26
And the thing was told unto Osnath Yosef's wife, and she rose up and put on a sack and she with all the Egyptian women with her came and mourned and wept for Ya'akov.
27
And also all the people of Mitzrayim who knew Ya'akov came all on that day when they heard this thing, and all Mitzrayim wept for many days.
28
And also from the land of Kena’an did the women come unto Mitzrayim when they heard that Ya'akov was dead, and they wept for him in Mitzrayim for seventy days.
29
And it came to pass after this that Yosef commanded his servants the doctors to embalm his father with myrrh and frankincense and all manner of incense and perfume, and the doctors embalmed Ya'akov as Yosef had commanded them.
30
And all the people of Mitzrayim and the elders and all the inhabitants of the land of Goshen wept and mourned over Ya'akov, and all his sons and the children of his household lamented and mourned over their father Ya'akov many days.
31
And after the days of his weeping had passed away, at the end of seventy days, Yosef said unto Pharaoh, I will go up and bury my father in the land of Kena’an as he made me swear, and then I will return.
32
And Pharaoh sent Yosef, saying, Go up and bury thy father as he said, and as he made thee swear; and Yosef rose up with all his brethren to go to the land of Kena’an to bury their father Ya'akov as he had commanded them.
33
And Pharaoh commanded that it should be proclaimed throughout Mitzrayim, saying, Whoever goeth not up with Yosef and his brethren to the land of Kena’an to bury Ya'akov, shall die.
34
And all Mitzrayim heard of Pharaoh's proclamation, and they all rose up together, and all the servants of Pharaoh, and the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Mitzrayim went up with Yosef, and all the officers and nobles of Pharaoh went up as the servants of Yosef, and they went to bury Ya'akov in the land of Kena’an.
35
And the sons of Ya'akov carried the bier upon which he lay; according to all that their father commanded them, so did his sons unto him.
36
And the bier was of pure gold, and it was inlaid round about with onyx stones and bdellium; and the covering of the bier was gold woven work, joined with threads, and over them were hooks of onyx stones and bdellium.
37
And Yosef placed upon the head of his father Ya'akov a large golden crown, and he put a golden scepter in his hand, and they surrounded the bier as was the custom of kings during their lives.
38
And all the troops of Mitzrayim went before him in this array, at first all the mighty men of Pharaoh, and the mighty men of Yosef, and after them the rest of the inhabitants of Mitzrayim, and they were all girded with swords and equipped with coats of mail, and the trappings of war were upon them.
39
And all the weepers and mourners went at a distance opposite to the bier, going and weeping and lamenting, and the rest of the people went after the bier.
40
And Yosef and his household went together near the bier barefooted and weeping, and the rest of Yosef's servants went around him; each man had his ornaments upon him, and they were all armed with their weapons of war.
41
And fifty of Ya'akov's servants went in front of the bier, and they strewed along the road myrrh and aloes, and all manner of perfume, and all the sons of Ya'akov that carried the bier walked upon the perfumery, and the servants of Ya'akov went before them strewing the perfume along the road.
42
And Yosef went up with a heavy camp, and they did after this manner every day until they reached the land of Kena’an, and they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which was on the other side of Jordan, and they mourned an exceeding great and heavy mourning in that place.
43
And all the kings of Kena’an heard of this thing and they all went forth, each man from his house, thirty-one kings of Kena’an, and they all came with their men to mourn and weep over Ya'akov.
44
And all these kings beheld Ya'akov's bier, and behold Yosef's crown was upon it, and they also put their crowns upon the bier, and encircled it with crowns.
45
And all these kings made in that place a great and heavy mourning with the sons of Ya'akov and Mitzrayim over Ya'akov, for all the kings of Kena’an knew the valor of Ya'akov and his sons.
46
And the report reached Esav, saying, Ya'akov died in Mitzrayim, and his sons and all Mitzrayim are conveying him to the land of Kena’an to bury him.
47
And Esav heard this thing, and he was dwelling in mount Seir, and he rose up with his sons and all his people and all his household, a people exceedingly great, and they came to mourn and weep over Ya'akov.
48
And it came to pass, when Esav came he mourned for his brother Ya'akov, and all Mitzrayim and all Kena’an again rose up and mourned a great mourning with Esav over Ya'akov in that place
49
And Yosef and his brethren brought their father Ya'akov from that place, and they went to Hebron to bury Ya'akov in the cave by his fathers.
50
And they came unto Kireath-arba, to the cave, and as they came Esav stood with his sons against Yosef and his brethren as a hindrance in the cave, saying, Ya'akov shall not be buried therein, for it belongeth to us and to our father.
51
And Yosef and his brethren heard the words of Esav's sons, and they were exceedingly wroth, and Yosef approached unto Esav, saying, What is this thing which they have spoken? surely my father Ya'akov bought it from thee for great riches after the death of Yitzchak, now five and twenty years ago, and also all the land of Kena’an he bought from thee and from thy sons, and thy seed after thee.
52
And Ya'akov bought it for his sons and his seed after him for an inheritance for ever, and why speakest thou these things this day?
53
And Esav answered, saying, Thou speakest falsely and utterest lies, for I sold not anything belonging to me in all this land, as thou sayest, neither did my brother Ya'akov buy aught belonging to me in this land.
54
And Esav spoke these things in order to deceive Yosef with his words, for Esav knew that Yosef was not present in those days when Esav sold all belonging to him in the land of Kena’an to Ya'akov.
55
And Yosef said unto Esav, Surely my father inserted these things with thee in the record of purchase, and testified the record with witnesses, and behold it is with us in Mitzrayim.
56
And Esav answered, saying unto him, Bring the record, all that thou wilt find in the record, so will we do.
57
And Yosef called unto Naftali his brother, and he said, Hasten quickly, stay not, and run I pray thee to Mitzrayim and bring all the records; the record of the purchase, the sealed record and the open record, and also all the first records in which all the transactions of the birth-right are written, fetch thou.
58
And thou shalt bring them unto us hither, that we may know from them all the words of Esav and his sons which they spoke this day.
59
And Naftali hearkened to the voice of Yosef and he hastened and ran to go down to Mitzrayim, and Naftali was lighter on foot than any of the stags that were upon the wilderness, for he would go upon ears of corn without crushing them.
60
And when Esav saw that Naftali had gone to fetch the records, he and his sons increased their resistance against the cave, and Esav and all his people rose up against Yosef and his brethren to battle.
61
And all the sons of Ya'akov and the people of Mitzrayim fought with Esav and his men, and the sons of Esav and his people were smitten before the sons of Ya'akov, and the sons of Ya'akov slew of Esav's people forty men.
62
And Chushim the son of Dan, the son of Ya'akov, was at that time with Ya'akov's sons, but he was about a hundred cubits distant from the place of battle, for he remained with the children of Ya'akov's sons by Ya'akov's bier to guard it.
63
And Chushim was dumb and deaf, still he understood the voice of consternation amongst men.
64
And he asked, saying, Why do you not bury the dead, and what is this great consternation? and they answered him the words of Esav and his sons; and he ran to Esav in the midst of the battle, and he slew Esav with a sword, and he cut off his head, and it sprang to a distance, and Esav fell amongst the people of the battle.
65
And when Chushim did this thing the sons of Ya'akov prevailed over the sons of Esav, and the sons of Ya'akov buried their father Ya'akov by force in the cave, and the sons of Esav beheld it.
66
And Ya'akov was buried in Hebron, in the cave of Machpelah which Avraham had bought from the sons of Heth for the possession of a burial place, and he was buried in very costly garments.
67
And no king had such honor paid him as Yosef paid unto his father at his death, for he buried him with great honor like unto the burial of kings.
68
And Yosef and his brethren made a mourning of seven days for their father.
Chapter 57 The Sons of Esav make war with the Sons of Ya'akov and are smitten. Some are taken captive to Mitzrayim. The Children of Esav enlist the People of Seir to Accompany them to Mitzrayim to Deliver their Brethren. Yosef and his Brethren and the Egyptians slay Six Hundred Thousand. Nearly all the Mighty Men of Seir being Slain, they make war with the Children of Esav to Drive them from their Land. Esav prevails and utterly annihilates the Children of Seir
1
And it was after this that the sons of Esav waged war with the sons of Ya'akov, and the sons of Esav fought with the sons of Ya'akov in Hebron, and Esav was still lying dead, and not buried.
2
And the battle was heavy between them, and the sons of Esav were smitten before the sons of Ya'akov, and the sons of Ya'akov slew of the sons of Esav eighty men, and not one died of the people of the sons of Ya'akov; and the hand of Yosef prevailed over all the people of the sons of Esav, and he took Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esav, and fifty of his men captive, and he bound them with chains of iron, and gave them into the hand of his servants to bring them to Mitzrayim.
3
And it came to pass when the sons of Ya'akov had taken Zepho and his people captive, all those that remained were greatly afraid of their lives from the house of Esav, lest they should also be taken captive, and they all fled with Eliphaz the son of Esav and his people, with Esav's body, and they went on their road to Mount Seir.
4
And they came unto Mount Seir and they buried Esav in Seir, but they had not brought his head with them to Seir, for it was buried in that place where the battle had been in Hebron.
5
And it came to pass when the sons of Esav had fled from before the sons of Ya'akov, the sons of Ya'akov pursued them unto the borders of Seir, but they did not slay a single man from amongst them when they pursued them, for Esav's body which they carried with them excited their confusion, so they fled and the sons of Ya'akov turned back from them and came up to the place where their brethren were in Hebron, and they remained there on that day, and on the next day until they rested from the battle.
6
And it came to pass on the third day they assembled all the sons of Seir the Horite, and they assembled all the children of the east, a multitude of people like the sand of the sea, and they went and came down to Mitzrayim to fight with Yosef and his brethren, in order to deliver their brethren.
7
And Yosef and all the sons of Ya'akov heard that the sons of Esav and the children of the east had come upon them to battle in order to deliver their brethren.
8
And Yosef and his brethren and the strong men of Mitzrayim went forth and fought in the city of Rameses, and Yosef and his brethren dealt out a tremendous blow amongst the sons of Esav and the children of the east.
9
And they slew of them six hundred thousand men, and they slew amongst them all the mighty men of the children of Seir the Horite; there were only a few of them left, and they slew also a great many of the children of the east, and of the children of Esav; and Eliphaz the son of Esav, and the children of the east all fled before Yosef and his brethren.
10
And Yosef and his brethren pursued them until they came unto Succoth, and they yet slew of them in Succoth thirty men, and the rest escaped and they fled each to his city.
11
And Yosef and his brethren and the mighty men of Mitzrayim turned back from them with joy and cheerfulness of heart, for they had smitten all their enemies.
12
And Zepho the son of Eliphaz and his men were still slaves in Mitzrayim to the sons of Ya'akov, and their pains increased.
13
And when the sons of Esav and the sons of Seir returned to their land, the sons of Seir saw that they had all fallen into the hands of the sons of Ya'akov, and the people of Mitzrayim, on account of the battle of the sons of Esav.
14
And the sons of Seir said unto the sons of Esav, You have seen andtherefore you know that this camp was on your account, and not one mighty man or an adept in war remaineth.
15
Now therefore go forth from our land, go from us to the land of Kena’an to the land of the dwelling of your fathers; wherefore shall your children inherit the effects of our children in latter days?
16
And the children of Esav would not listen to the children of Seir, and the children of Seir considered to make war with them.
17
And the children of Esav sent secretly to Angeas king of Africa, the same is Dinhabah, saying,
18
Send unto us some of thy men and let them come unto us, and we will fight together with the children of Seir the Horite, for they have resolved to fight with us to drive us away from the land.
19
And Angeas king of Dinhabah did so, for he was in those days friendly to the children of Esav, and Angeas sent five hundred valiant infantry to the children of Esav, and eight hundred cavalry.
20
And the children of Seir sent unto the children of the east and unto the children of Midian, saying, You have seen what the children of Esav have done unto us, upon whose account we are almost all destroyed, in their battle with their brethren the sons of Ya'akov.
21
Now therefore come unto us and assist us, and we will fight them together, and we will drive them from the land and be avenged of the cause of our brethren who died for their sakes in their battle with their brethren the sons of Ya'akov.
22
And all the children of the east listened to the children of Seir, and they came unto them about eight hundred men with drawn swords, and the children of Esav fought with the children of Seir at that time in the wilderness of Paran.
23
And the children of Seir prevailed then over the sons of Esav, and the children of Seir slew on that day of the children of Esav in that battle about two hundred men of the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah.
24
And on the second day the children of Esav came again to fight a second time with the children of Seir, and the battle was sore upon the children of Esav this second time, and it troubled them greatly on account of the children of Seir.
25
And when the children of Esav saw that the children of Seir were more powerful than they were, some men of the children of Esav turned and assisted the children of Seir their enemies.
26
And there fell yet of the people of the children of Esav in the second battle fifty- eight men of the people at Angeas king of Dinhabah.
27
And on the third day the children of Esav heard that some of their brethren had turned from them to fight against them in the second battle; and the children of Esav mourned when they heard this thing.
28
And they said, What shall we do unto our brethren who turned from us to assist the children of Seir our enemies? and the children of Esav again sent to Angeas king of Dinhabah, saying,
29
Send unto us again other men that with them we may fight with the children of Seir, for they have already twice been heavier than we were.
30
And Angeas again sent to the children of Esav about six hundred valiant men, and they came to assist the children of Esav.
31
And in ten days' time the children of Esav again waged war with the children of Seir in the wilderness of Paran, and the battle was very severe upon the children of Seir, and the children of Esav prevailed at this time over the children of Seir, and the children of Seir were smitten before the children of Esav, and the children of Esav slew from them about two thousand men.
32
And all the mighty men of the children of Seir died in this battle, and there only remained their young children that were left in their cities.
33
And all Midian and the children of the east betook themselves to flight from the battle, and they left the children of Seir and fled when they saw that the battle was severe upon them, and the children of Esav pursued all the children of the east until they reached their land.
34
And the children of Esav slew yet of them about two hundred and fifty men and from the people of the children of Esav there fell in that battle about thirty men, but this evil came upon them through their brethren turning from them to assist the children of Seir the Horite, and the children of Esav again heard of the evil doings of their brethren, and they again mourned on account of this thing.
35
And it came to pass after the battle, the children of Esav turned back and came home unto Seir, and the children of Esav slew those who had remained in the land of the children of Seir; they slew also their wives and little ones, they left not a nefesh alive except fifty young lads and damsels whom they suffered to live, and the children of Esav did not put them to death, and the lads became their slaves, and the damsels they took for wives.
36
And the children of Esav dwelt in Seir in the place of the children of Seir, and they inherited their land and took possession of it.
37
And the children of Esav took all belonging in the land to the children of Seir, also their flocks, their bullocks and their goods, and all belonging to the children of Seir, did the children of Esav take, and the children of Esav dwelt in Seir in the place of the children of Seir unto this day, and the children of Esav divided the land into divisions to the five sons of Esav, according to their families.
38
And it came to pass in those days, that the children of Esav resolved to crown a king over them in the land of which they became possessed. And they said to each other, Not so, for he shall reign over us in our land, and we shall be under his counsel and he shall fight our battles, against our enemies, and they did so.
39
And all the children of Esav swore, saying, That none of their brethren should ever reign over them, but a strange man who is not of their brethren, for the nefashot of all the children of Esav were embittered every man against his son, brother and friend, on account of the evil they sustained from their brethren when they fought with the children of Seir.
40
Therefore the sons of Esav swore, saying, From that day forward they would not choose a king from their brethren, but one from a strange land unto this day.
41
And there was a man there from the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah; his name was Bela the son of Beor, who was a very valiant man, beautiful and comely and wise in all wisdom, and a man of sense and counsel; and there was none of the people of Angeas like unto him.
42
And all the children of Esav took him and anointed him and they crowned him for a king, and they bowed down to him, and they said unto him, May the king live, may the king live.
43
And they spread out the sheet, and they brought him each man earrings of gold and silver or rings or bracelets, and they made him very rich in silver and in gold, in onyx stones and bdellium, and they made him a royal throne, and they placed a regal crown upon his head, and they built a palace for him and he dwelt therein, and he became king over all the children of Esav.
44
And the people of Angeas took their hire for their battle from the children of Esav, and they went and returned at that time to their master in Dinhabah.
45
And Bela reigned over the children of Esav thirty years, and the children of Esav dwelt in the land instead of the children of Seir, and they dwelt securely in their stead unto this day.
Chapter 58 Pharaoh dies and the whole Government of Mitzrayim devolves upon Yosef, Pharaoh the Younger being but a nominal Ruler. The Children of Esav again come Against the Israelites, and are again smitten
1
And it came to pass in the thirty-second year of the Israelites going down to Mitzrayim, that is in the seventy-first year of the life of Yosef, in that year died Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim, and Magron his son reigned in his stead.
2
And Pharaoh commanded Yosef before his death to be a father to his son, Magron, and that Magron should be under the care of Yosef and under his counsel.
3
And all Mitzrayim consented to this thing that Yosef should be king over them, for all the Egyptians loved Yosef as of heretofore, only Magron the son of Pharaoh sat upon, his father's throne, and he became king in those days in his father's stead.
4
Magron was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and forty years he reigned in Mitzrayim, and all Mitzrayim called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father, as it was their custom to do in Mitzrayim to every king that reigned over them.
5
And it came to pass when Pharaoh reigned in his father's stead, he placed the Torah of Mitzrayim and all the affairs of government in the hand of Yosef, as his father had commanded him.
6
And Yosef became king over Mitzrayim, for he superintended over all Mitzrayim, and all Mitzrayim was under his care and under his counsel, for all Mitzrayim inclined to Yosef after the death of Pharaoh, and they loved him exceedingly to reign over them.
7
But there were some people amongst them, who did not like him, saying, No stranger shall reign over us; still the whole government of Mitzrayim devolved in those days upon Yosef, after the death of Pharaoh, he being the regulator, doing as he liked throughout the land without any one interfering.
8
And all Mitzrayim was under the care of Yosef, and Yosef made war with all his surrounding enemies, and he subdued them; also all the land and all the Philistines, unto the borders of Kena’an, did Yosef subdue, and they were all under his power and they gave a yearly tax unto Yosef.
9
And Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim sat upon his throne in his father's stead, but he was under the control and counsel of Yosef, as he was at first under the control of his father.
10
Neither did he reign but in the land of Mitzrayim only, under the counsel of Yosef, but Yosef reigned over the whole country at that time, from Mitzrayim unto the great river Perath.
11
And Yosef was successful in all his ways, and Yahuah was with him, and Yahuah gave Yosef additional wisdom, and honor, and glory, and love toward him in the hearts of the Egyptians and throughout the land, and Yosef reigned over the whole country forty years.
12
And all the countries of the Philistines and Kena’an and Zidon, and on the other side of Jordan, brought presents unto Yosef all his days, and the whole country was in the hand of Yosef, and they brought unto him a yearly tribute as it was regulated, for Yosef had fought against all his surrounding enemies and subdued them, and the whole country was in the hand of Yosef, and Yosef sat securely upon his throne in Mitzrayim.
13
And also all his brethren the sons of Ya'akov dwelt securely in the land, all the days of Yosef, and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land, and they served Yahuah all their days, as their father Ya'akov had commanded them.
14
And it came to pass at the end of many days and years, when the children of Esav were dwelling quietly in their land with Bela their king, that the children of Esav were fruitful and multiplied in the land, and they resolved to go and fight with the sons of Ya'akov and all Mitzrayim, and to deliver their brother Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, and his men, for they were yet in those days slaves to Yosef.
15
And the children of Esav sent unto all the children of the east, and they made peace with them, and all the children of the east came unto them to go with the children of Esav to Mitzrayim to battle.
16
And there came also unto them of the people of Angeas, king of Dinhabah, and they also sent unto the children of Yishmael and they also came unto them.
17
And all this people assembled and came unto Seir to assist the children of Esav in their battle, and this camp was very large and heavy with people, numerous as the sand of the sea, about eight hundred thousand men, infantry and cavalry, and all these troops went down to Mitzrayim to fight with the sons of Ya'akov, and they encamped by Rameses.
18
And Yosef went forth with his brethren with the mighty men of Mitzrayim, about six hundred men, and they fought with them in the land of Rameses; and the sons of Ya'akov at that time again fought with the children of Esav, in the fiftieth year of the sons of Ya'akov going down to Mitzrayim, that is the thirtieth year of the reign of Bela over the children of Esav in Seir.
19
And Yahuah gave all the mighty men of Esav and the children of the east into the hand of Yosef and his brethren, and the people of the children of Esav and the children of the east were smitten before Yosef.
20
And of the people of Esav and the children of the east that were slain, there fell before the sons of Ya'akov about two hundred thousand men, and their king Bela the son of Beor fell with them in the battle, and when the children of Esav saw that their king had fallen in battle and was dead, their hands became weak in the combat.
21
And Yosef and his brethren and all Mitzrayim were still smiting the people of the house of Esav, and all Esav's people were afraid of the sons of Ya'akov and fled from before them.
22
And Yosef and his brethren and all Mitzrayim pursued them a day's journey, and they slew yet from them about three hundred men, continuing to smite them in the road; and they afterward turned back from them.
23
And Yosef and all his brethren returned to Mitzrayim, not one man was missing from them, but of the Egyptians there fell twelve men.
24
And when Yosef returned to Mitzrayim he ordered Zepho and his men to be additionally bound, and they bound them in irons and they increased their grief.
25
And all the people of the children of Esav, and the children of the east, returned in shame each unto his city, for all the mighty men that were with them had fallen in battle.
26
And when the children of Esav saw that their king had died in battle they hastened and took a man from the people of the children of the east; his name was Jobab the son of Zarach, from the land of Botzrah, and they caused him to reign over them instead of Bela their king.
27
And Jobab sat upon the throne of Bela as king in his stead, and Jobab reigned in Edom over all the children of Esav ten years, and the children of Esav went no more to fight with the sons of Ya'akov from that day forward, for the sons of Esav knew the valor of the sons of Ya'akov, and they were greatly afraid of them.
28
But from that day forward the children of Esav hated the sons of Ya'akov, and the hatred and enmity were very strong between them all the days, unto this day.
29
And it came to pass after this, at the end of ten years, Jobab, the son of Zarach, from Botzrah, died, and the children of Esav took a man whose name was Chusham, from the land of Teman, and they made him king over them instead of Jobab, and Chusham reigned in Edom over all the children of Esav for twenty years.
30
And Yosef, king of Mitzrayim, and his brethren, and all the children of Yisrael dwelt securely in Mitzrayim in those days, together with all the children of Yosef and his brethren, having no hindrance or evil accident and the land of Mitzrayim was at that time at rest from war in the days of Yosef and his brethren.
Chapter 59 Ya'akov's Posterity in Mitzrayim. After Prophesying that Yahuah would Deliver his Brethren from Mitzrayim, Yosef dies and is buried, and the Israelites are ruled over by the Egyptians
1
And these are the names of the sons of Yisrael who dwelt in Mitzrayim, who had come with Ya'akov, all the sons of Ya'akov came unto Mitzrayim, every man with his household.
2
The children of Leah were Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yahudah, Yissachar and Zevulun, and their sister Dinah.
3
And the sons of Rachel were Yosef and Binyamin.
4
And the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, were Gad and Asher.
5
And the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, were Dan and Naftali.
6
And these were their offspring that were born unto them in the land of Kena’an, before they came unto Mitzrayim with their father Ya'akov.
7
The sons of Reuven were Chanoch, Pallu, Chetzron and Carmi.
8
And the sons of Shimon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zochar and Saul, the son of the Canaanitish woman.
9
And the children of Levi were Gershon, Kehath and Merari, and their sister Jochebed, who was born unto them in their going down to Mitzrayim.
10
And the sons of Yahudah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zarach.
11
And Er and Onan died in the land of Kena’an; and the sons of Perez were Chezron and Chamul.
12
And the sons of Yissachar were Tola, Puvah, Job and Shomron.
13
And the sons of Zevulun were Sered, Elon and Jachleel, and the son of Dan was Chushim.
14
And the sons of Naftali were Jachzeel, Guni, Jetzer and Shilam.
15
And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, Chaggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
16
And the children of Asher were Jimnah, Jishvah, Jishvi, Beriah and their sister Serach; and the sons of Beriah were Cheber and Malchiel.
17
And the sons of Binyamin were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim and Ord.
18
And the sons of Yosef, that were born unto him in Mitzrayim, were Menashe and Efrayim.
19
And all the nefashot that went forth from the loins of Ya'akov, were seventy nefashot; these are they who came with Ya'akov their father unto Mitzrayim to dwell there: and Yosef and all his brethren dwelt securely in Mitzrayim, and they ate of the best of Mitzrayim all the days of the life of Yosef.
20
And Yosef lived in the land of Mitzrayim ninety-three years, and Yosef reigned over all Mitzrayim eighty years.
21
And when the days of Yosef drew nigh that he should die, he sent and called for his brethren and all his father's household, and they all came together and sat before him.
22
And Yosef said unto his brethren and unto the whole of his father's household, Behold I die, and Elohim will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land which he swore to your fathers to give unto them.
23
And it shall be when Elohim shall visit you to bring you up from here to the land of your fathers, then bring up my bones with you from here.
24
And Yosef made the sons of Yisrael to swear for their seed after them, saying, Elohim will surely visit you and you shall bring up my bones with you from here.
25
And it came to pass after this that Yosef died in that year, the seventy-first year of the Israelites going down to Mitzrayim.
26
And Yosef was one hundred and ten years old when he died in the land of Mitzrayim, and all his brethren and all his servants rose up and they embalmed Yosef, as was their custom, and his brethren and all Mitzrayim mourned over him for seventy days.
27
And they put Yosef in a coffin filled with spices and all sorts of perfume, and they buried him by the side of the river, that is Sihor, and his sons and all his brethren, and the whole of his father's household made a seven day's mourning for him.
28
And it came to pass after the death of Yosef, all the Egyptians began in those days to rule over the children of Yisrael, and Pharaoh, king of Mitzrayim, who reigned in his father's stead, took all the Torah of Mitzrayim and conducted the whole government of Mitzrayim under his counsel, and he reigned securely over his people.
Chapter 60 Zepho, the Son of Eliphaz, the Son of Esav, who was taken Captive by Yosef where he Buried his Father, Escapes from Mitzrayim with all his Men. CHAPTERS 61, 62, and 63--Petty Wars and contentions of the Nations of Africa with Zepho
1
And when the year came round, being the seventy-second year from the Israelites going down to Mitzrayim, after the death of Yosef, Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esav, fled from Mitzrayim, he and his men, and they went away.
2
And he came to Africa, which is Dinhabah, to Angeas king of Africa, and Angeas received them with great honor, and he made Zepho the captain of his host.
3
And Zepho found favor in the sight of Angeas and in the sight of his people, and Zepho was captain of the host to Angeas king of Africa for many days.
4
And Zepho enticed Angeas king of Africa to collect all his army to go and fight with the Egyptians, and with the sons of Ya'akov, and to avenge of them the cause of his brethren.
5
But Angeas would not listen to Zepho to do this thing, for Angeas knew the strength of the sons of Ya'akov, and what they had done to his army in their warfare with the children of Esav.
6
And Zepho was in those days very great in the sight of Angeas and in the sight of all his people, and he continually enticed them to make war against Mitzrayim, but they would not.
7
And it came to pass in those days there was in the land of Chittim a man in the city of Puzimna, whose name was Uzu, and he became degenerately deified by the children of Chittim, and the man died and had no son, only one daughter whose name was Jania.
8
And the damsel was exceedingly beautiful, comely and intelligent, there was none seen like unto her for beauty and wisdom throughout the land.
9
And the people of Angeas king of Africa saw her and they came and praised her unto him, and Angeas sent to the children of Chittim, and he requested to take her unto himself for a wife, and the people of Chittim consented to give her unto him for a wife.
10
And when the messengers of Angeas were going forth from the land of Chittim to take their journey, behold the messengers of Turnus king of Bibentu came unto Chittim, for Turnus king of Bibentu also sent his messengers to request Jania for him, to take unto himself for a wife, for all his men had also praised her to him, therefore he sent all his servants unto her.
11
And the servants of Turnus came to Chittim, and they asked for Jania, to be taken unto Turnus their king for a wife.
12
And the people of Chittim said unto them, We cannot give her, because Angeas king of Africa desired her to take her unto him for a wife before you came, and that we should give her unto him, and now therefore we cannot do this thing to deprive Angeas of the damsel in order to give her unto Turnus.
13
For we are greatly afraid of Angeas lest he come in battle against us and destroy us, and Turnus your master will not be able to deliver us from his hand.
14
And when the messengers of Turnus heard all the words of the children of Chittim, they turned back to their master and told him all the words of the children of Chittim.
15
And the children of Chittim sent a memorial to Angeas, saying, Behold Turnus has sent for Jania to take her unto him for a wife, and thus have we answered him; and we heard that he has collected his whole army to go to war against thee, and he intends to pass by the road of Sardunia to fight against thy brother Lucus, and after that he will come to fight against thee.
16
And Angeas heard the words of the children of Chittim which they sent to him in the record, and his anger was kindled and he rose up and assembled his whole army and came through the islands of the sea, the road to Sardunia, unto his brother Lucus king of Sardunia.
17
And Niblos, the son of Lucus, heard that his uncle Angeas was coming, and he went out to meet him with a heavy army, and he kissed him and embraced him, and Niblos said unto Angeas, When thou askest my father after his welfare, when I shall go with thee to fight with Turnus, ask of him to make me captain of his host, and Angeas did so, and he came unto his brother and his brother came to meet him, and he asked him after his welfare.
18
And Angeas asked his brother Lucus after his welfare, and to make his son Niblos captain of his host, and Lucus did so, and Angeas and his brother Lucus rose up and they went toward Turnus to battle, and there was with them a great army and a heavy people.
19
And he came in ships, and they came into the province of Ashtorash, and behold Turnus came toward them, for he went forth to Sardunia, and intended to destroy it and afterward to pass on from there to Angeas to fight with him.
20
And Angeas and Lucus his brother met Turnus in the valley of Canopia, and the battle was strong and mighty between them in that place.
21
And the battle was severe upon Lucus king of Sardunia, and all his army fell, and Niblos his son fell also in that battle.
22
And his uncle Angeas commanded his servants and they made a golden coffin for Niblos and they put him into it, and Angeas again waged battle toward Turnus, and Angeas was stronger than he, and he slew him, and he smote all his people with the edge of the sword, and Angeas avenged the cause of Niblos his brother's son and the cause of the army of his brother Lucus.
23
And when Turnus died, the hands of those that survived the battle became weak, and they fled from before Angeas and Lucus his brother.
24
And Angeas and his brother Lucus pursued them unto the highroad, which is between Alphanu and Romah, and they slew the whole army of Turnus with the edge of the sword.
25
And Lucus king of Sardunia commanded his servants that they should make a coffin of brass, and that they should place therein the body of his son Niblos, and they buried him in that place.
26
And they built upon it a high tower there upon the highroad, and they called its name after the name of Niblos unto this day, and they also buried Turnus king of Bibentu there in that place with Niblos.
27
And behold upon the highroad between Alphanu and Romah the grave of Niblos is on one side and the grave of Turnus on the other, and a pavement between them unto this day.
28
And when Niblos was buried, Lucus his father returned with his army to his land Sardunia, and Angeas his brother king of Africa went with his people unto the city of Bibentu, that is the city of Turnus.
29
And the inhabitants of Bibentu heard of his fame and they were greatly afraid of him, and they went forth to meet him with weeping and supplication, and the inhabitants of Bibentu entreated of Angeas not to slay them nor destroy their city; and he did so, for Bibentu was in those days reckoned as one of the cities of the children of Chittim; therefore he did not destroy the city.
30
But from that day forward the troops of the king of Africa would go to Chittim to spoil and plunder it, and whenever they went, Zepho the captain of the host of Angeas would go with them.
31
And it was after this that Angeas turned with his army and they came to the city of Puzimna, and Angeas took thence Jania the daughter of Uzu for a wife and brought her unto his city unto Africa.
Chapter 61
1
And it came to pass at that time Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim commanded all his people to make for him a strong palace in Mitzrayim.
2
And he also commanded the sons of Ya'akov to assist the Egyptians in the building, and the Egyptians made a beautiful and elegant palace for a royal habitation, and he dwelt therein and he renewed his government and he reigned securely.
3
And Zevulun the son of Ya'akov died in that year, that is the seventy-second year of the going down of the Israelites to Mitzrayim, and Zevulun died a hundred and fourteen years old, and was put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.
4
And in the seventy-fifth year died his brother Shimon, he was a hundred and twenty years old at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.
5
And Zepho the son of Eliphaz the son of Esav, captain of the host to Angeas king of Dinhabah, was still daily enticing Angeas to prepare for battle to fight with the sons of Ya'akov in Mitzrayim, and Angeas was unwilling to do this thing, for his servants had related to him all the might of the sons of Ya'akov, what they had done unto them in their battle with the children of Esav.
6
And Zepho was in those days daily enticing Angeas to fight with the sons of Ya'akov in those days.
7
And after some time Angeas hearkened to the words of Zepho and consented to him to fight with the sons of Ya'akov in Mitzrayim, and Angeas got all his people in order, a people numerous as the sand which is upon the sea shore, and he formed his resolution to go to Mitzrayim to battle.
8
And amongst the servants of Angeas was a youth fifteen years old, Bilam the son of Beor was his name and the youth was very wise and understood the art of witchcraft.
9
And Angeas said unto Bilam, Conjure for us, I pray thee, with the witchcraft, that we may know who will prevail in this battle to which we are now proceeding.
10
And Bilam ordered that they should bring him wax, and he made thereof the likeness of chariots and horsemen representing the army of Angeas and the army of Mitzrayim, and he put them in the cunningly prepared waters that he had for that purpose, and he took in his hand the boughs of myrtle trees, and he exercised his cunning, and he joined them over the water, and there appeared unto him in the water the resembling images of the hosts of Angeas falling before the resembling images of the Egyptians and the sons of Ya'akov.
11
And Bilam told this thing to Angeas, and Angeas despaired and did not arm himself to go down to Mitzrayim to battle, and he remained in his city.
12
And when Zepho the son of Eliphaz saw that Angeas despaired of going forth to battle with the Egyptians, Zepho fled from Angeas from Africa, and he went and came unto Chittim.
13
And all the people of Chittim received him with great honor, and they hired him to fight their battles all the days, and Zepho became exceedingly rich in those days, and the troops of the king of Africa still spread themselves in those days, and the children of Chittim assembled and went to Mount Cuptizia on account of the troops of Angeas king of Africa, who were advancing upon them.
14
And it was one day that Zepho lost a young heifer, and he went to seek it, and he heard it lowing round about the mountain.
15
And Zepho went and he saw and behold there was a large cave at the bottom of the mountain, and there was a great stone there at the entrance of the cave, and Zepho split the stone and he came into the cave and he looked and behold, a large animal was devouring the ox; from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled an animal, and Zepho rose up against the animal and slew it with his swords.
16
And the inhabitants of Chittim heard of this thing, and they rejoiced exceedingly, and they said, What shall we do unto this man who has slain this animal that devoured our cattle?
17
And they all assembled to consecrate one day in the year to him, and they called the name thereof Zepho after his name, and they brought unto him drink offerings year after year on that day, and they brought unto him gifts.
18
At that time Jania the daughter of Uzu wife of king Angeas became ill, and her illness was heavily felt by Angeas and his officers, and Angeas said unto his wise men, What shall I do to Jania and how shall I heal her from her illness? And his wise men said unto him, Because the air of our country is not like the air of the land of Chittim, and our water is not like their water, therefore from this has the queen became ill.
19
For through the change of air and water she became ill, and also because in her country she drank only the water which came from Purmah, which her ancestors had brought up with bridges.
20
And Angeas commanded his servants, and they brought unto him in vessels of the waters of Purmah belonging to Chittim, and they weighed those waters with all the waters of the land of Africa, and they found those waters lighter than the waters of Africa.
21
And Angeas saw this thing, and he commanded all his officers to assemble the hewers of stone in thousands and tens of thousands, and they hewed stone without number, and the builders came and they built an exceedingly strong bridge, and they conveyed the spring of water from the land of Chittim unto Africa, and those waters were for Jania the queen and for all her concerns, to drink from and to bake, wash and bathe therewith, and also to water therewith all seed from which food can be obtained, and all fruit of the ground.
22
And the king commanded that they should bring of the soil of Chittim in large ships, and they also brought stones to build therewith, and the builders built palaces for Jania the queen, and the queen became healed of her illness.
23
And at the revolution of the year the troops of Africa continued coming to the land of Chittim to plunder as usual, and Zepho son of Eliphaz heard their report, and he gave orders concerning them and he fought with them, and they fled before him, and he delivered the land of Chittim from them.
24
And the children of Chittim saw the valor of Zepho, and the children of Chittim resolved and they made Zepho king over them, and he became king over them, and whilst he reigned they went to subdue the children of Tubal, and all the surrounding islands.
25
And their king Zepho went at their head and they made war with Tubal and the islands, and they subdued them, and when they returned from the battle they renewed his government for him, and they built for him a very large palace for his royal habitation and seat, and they made a large throne for him, and Zepho reigned over the whole land of Chittim and over the land of Italia fifty years.
Chapter 62 Reuven, Dan, Yissachar, Asher, and Gad Die in Mitzrayim. Hadad King of Edom wars against Moab and Midian
1
And in that year, being the seventy-ninth year of the Israelites going down to Mitzrayim, died Reuven the son of Ya'akov, in the land of Mitzrayim; Reuven was a hundred and twenty-five years old when he died, and they put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children.
2
And in the eightieth year died his brother Dan; he was a hundred and twenty years at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.
3
And in that year died Chusham king of Edom, and after him reigned Hadad the son of Bedad, for thirty-five years; and in the eighty-first year died Yissachar the son of Ya'akov, in Mitzrayim, and Yissachar was a hundred and twenty-two years old at his death, and he was put into a coffin in Mitzrayim, and given into the hands of his children.
4
And in the eighty-second year died Asher his brother, he was a hundred and twenty- three years old at his death, and he was placed in a coffin in Mitzrayim, and given into the hands of his children.
5
And in the eighty-third year died Gad, he was a hundred and twenty-five years old at his death, and he was put into a coffin in Mitzrayim, and given into the hands of his children.
6
And it came to pass in the eighty-fourth year, that is the fiftieth year of the reign of Hadad, son of Bedad, king of Edom, that Hadad assembled all the children of Esav, and he got his whole army in readiness, about four hundred thousand men, and he directed his way to the land of Moab, and he went to fight with Moab and to make them tributary to him.
7
And the children of Moab heard this thing, and they were very much afraid, and they sent to the children of Midian to assist them in fighting with Hadad, son of Bedad, king of Edom.
8
And Hadad came unto the land of Moab, and Moab and the children of Midian went out to meet him, and they placed themselves in battle array against him in the field of Moab.
9
And Hadad fought with Moab, and there fell of the children of Moab and the children of Midian many slain ones, about two hundred thousand men.
10
And the battle was very severe upon Moab, and when the children of Moab saw that the battle was sore upon them, they weakened their hands and turned their backs, and left the children of Midian to carry on the battle.
11
And the children of Midian knew not the intentions of Moab, but they strengthened themselves in battle and fought with Hadad and all his host, and all Midian fell before him.
12
And Hadad smote all Midian with a heavy smiting, and he slew them with the edge of the sword, he left none remaining of those who came to assist Moab.
13
And when all the children of Midian had perished in battle, and the children at Moab had escaped, Hadad made all Moab at that time tributary to him, and they became under his hand, and they gave a yearly tax as it was ordered, and Hadad turned and went back to his land.
14
And at the revolution of the year, when the rest of the people of Midian that were in the land heard that all their brethren had fallen in battle with Hadad for the sake of Moab, because the children of Moab had turned their backs in battle and left Midian to fight, then five of the princes of Midian resolved with the rest of their brethren who remained in their land, to fight with Moab to avenge the cause of their brethren.
15
And the children of Midian sent to all their brethren the children of the east, and all their brethren, all the children of Keturah came to assist Midian to fight with Moab.
16
And the children of Moab heard this thing, and they were greatly afraid that all the children of the east had assembled together against them for battle, and they the children of Moab sent a memorial to the land of Edom to Hadad the son of Bedad, saying,
17
Come now unto us and assist us and we will smite Midian, for they all assembled together and have come against us with all their brethren the children of the east to battle, to avenge the cause of Midian that fell in battle.
18
And Hadad, son of Bedad, king of Edom, went forth with his whole army and went to the land of Moab to fight with Midian, and Midian and the children of the east fought with Moab in the field of Moab, and the battle was very fierce between them.
19
And Hadad smote all the children of Midian and the children of the east with the edge of the sword, and Hadad at that time delivered Moab from the hand of Midian, and those that remained of Midian and of the children of the east fled before Hadad and his army, and Hadad pursued them to their land, and smote them with a very heavy slaughter, and the slain fell in the road.
20
And Hadad delivered Moab from the hand of Midian, for all the children of Midian had fallen by the edge of the sword, and Hadad turned and went back to his land.
21
And from that day forth, the children of Midian hated the children of Moab, because they had fallen in battle for their sake, and there was a great and mighty enmity between them all the days.
22
And all that were found of Midian in the road of the land of Moab perished by the sword of Moab, and all that were found of Moab in the road of the land of Mitzrayim, perished by the sword of Mitzrayim; thus did Mitzrayim unto Moab and Moab unto Mitzrayim for many days.
23
And it came to pass at that time that Yahudah the son of Ya'akov died in Mitzrayim, in the eighty- sixth year of Ya'akov's going down to Mitzrayim, and Yahudah was a hundred and twenty-nine years old at his death, and they embalmed him and put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children.
24
And in the eighty-ninth year died Naftali, he was a hundred and thirty-two years old, and he was put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.
25
And it came to pass in the ninety-first year of the Israelites going down to Mitzrayim, that is in the thirtieth year of the reign of Zepho the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esav, over the children of Chittim, the children of Africa came upon the children of Chittim to plunder them as usual, but they had not come upon them for these thirteen years.
26
And they came to them in that year, and Zepho the son of Eliphaz went out to them with some of his men and smote them desperately, and the troops of Africa fled from before Zepho and the slain fell before him, and Zepho and his men pursued them, going on and smiting them until they were near unto Africa.
27
And Angeas king of Africa heard the thing which Zepho had done, and it vexed him exceedingly, and Angeas was afraid of Zepho all the days.
Chapter 63 Levi Dies. Egyptians embitter Israel's lives. Melol Reigns. Zepho smites African troops. Zepho seeks Yahuah
1
And in the ninety-third year died Levi, the son of Ya'akov, in Mitzrayim, and Levi was a hundred and thirty-seven years old when he died, and they put him into a coffin and he was given into the hands of his children.
2
And it came to pass after the death of Levi, when all Mitzrayim saw that the sons of Ya'akov the brethren of Yosef were dead, all the Egyptians began to afflict the children of Ya'akov, and to embitter their lives from that day unto the day of their going forth from Mitzrayim, and they took from their hands all the vineyards and fields which Yosef had given unto them, and all the elegant houses in which the people of Yisrael lived, and all the fat of Mitzrayim, the Egyptians took all from the sons of Ya'akov in those days.
3
And the hand of all Mitzrayim became more grievous in those days against the children of Yisrael, and the Egyptians injured the Israelites until the children of Yisrael were wearied of their lives on account of the Egyptians.
4
And it came to pass in those days, in the hundred and second year of Yisrael's going down to Mitzrayim, that Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim died, and Melol his son reigned in his stead, and all the mighty men of Mitzrayim and all that generation which knew Yosef and his brethren died in those days.
5
And another generation rose up in their stead, which had not known the sons of Ya'akov and all the good which they had done to them, and all their might in Mitzrayim.
6
Therefore all Mitzrayim began from that day forth to embitter the lives of the sons of Ya'akov, and to afflict them with all manner of hard labor, because they had not known their ancestors who had delivered them in the days of the famine.
7
And this was also from Yahuah, for the children of Yisrael, to benefit them in their latter days, in order that all the children of Yisrael might know Yahuah their Elohim.
8
And in order to know the signs and mighty wonders which Yahuah would do in Mitzrayim on account of his people Yisrael, in order that the children of Yisrael might fear Yahuah Elohim of their ancestors, and walk in all his ways, they and their seed after them all the days.
9
Melol was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned ninety-four years, and all Mitzrayim called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father, as it was their custom to do to every king who reigned over them in Mitzrayim.
10
At that time all the troops of Angeas king of Africa went forth to spread along the land of Chittim as usual for plunder.
11
And Zepho the son of Eliphaz the son of Esav heard their report, and he went forth to meet them with his army, and he fought them there in the road.
12
And Zepho smote the troops of the king of Africa with the edge of the sword, and left none remaining of them, and not even one returned to his master in Africa.
13
And Angeas heard of this which Zepho the son of Eliphaz had done to all his troops, that he had destroyed them, and Angeas assembled all his troops, all the men of the land of Africa, a people numerous like the sand by the sea shore.
14
And Angeas sent to Lucus his brother, saying, Come to me with all thy men and help me to smite Zepho and all the children of Chittim who have destroyed my men, and Lucus came with his whole army, a very great force, to assist Angeas his brother to fight with Zepho and the children of Chittim.
15
And Zepho and the children of Chittim heard this thing, and they were greatly afraid and a great terror fell upon their hearts.
16
And Zepho also sent a letter to the land of Edom to Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom and to all the children of Esav, saying,
17
I have heard that Angeas king of Africa is coming to us with his brother for battle against us, and we are greatly afraid of him, for his army is very great, particularly as he comes against us with his brother and his army likewise.
18
Now therefore come you also up with me and help me, and we will fight together against Angeas and his brother Lucus, and you will save us out of their hands, but if not, know ye that we shall all die.
19
And the children of Esav sent a letter to the children of Chittim and to Zepho their king, saying, We cannot fight against Angeas and his people for a Beriyt of peace has been between us these many years, from the days of Bela the first king, and from the days of Yosef the son of Ya'akov king of Mitzrayim, with whom we fought on the other side of Jordan when he buried his father.
20
And when Zepho heard the words of his brethren the children of Esav he refrained from them, and Zepho was greatly afraid of Angeas.
21
And Angeas and Lucus his brother arrayed all their forces, about eight hundred thousand men, against the children of Chittim.
22
And all the children of Chittim said unto Zepho, Pray for us to the Elohim of thy ancestors, peradventure he may deliver us from the hand of Angeas and his army, for we have heard that he is a great Elohim and that he delivers all who trust in him.
23
And Zepho heard their words, and Zepho sought Yahuah and he said,
24
0 Yahuah Elohim of Avraham and Yitzchak my ancestors, this day I know that thou art a true Elohim, and all the gods of the nations are vain and useless.
25
Remember now this day unto me thy Beriyt with Avraham our father, which our ancestors related unto us, and do graciously with me this day for the sake of Avraham and Yitzchak our fathers, and save me and the children of Chittim from the hand of the king of Africa who comes against us for battle.
26
And Yahuah hearkened to the voice of Zepho, and he had regard for him on account of Avraham and Yitzchak, and Yahuah delivered Zepho and the children of Chittim from the hand of Angeas and his people.
27
And Zepho fought Angeas king of Africa and all his people on that day, and Yahuah gave all the people of Angeas into the hands of the children of Chittim.
28
And the battle was severe upon Angeas, and Zepho smote all the men of Angeas and Lucus his brother, with the edge of the sword, and there fell from them unto the evening of that day about four hundred thousand men.
29
And when Angeas saw that all his men perished, he sent a letter to all the inhabitants of Africa to come to him, to assist him in the battle, and he wrote in the letter, saying, All who are found in Africa let them come unto me from ten years old and upward; let them all come unto me, and behold if he comes not he shall die, and all that he has, with his whole household, the king will take.
30
And all the rest of the inhabitants of Africa were terrified at the words of Angeas, and there went out of the city about three hundred thousand men and boys, from ten years upward, and they came to Angeas.
31
And at the end of ten days Angeas renewed the battle against Zepho and the children of Chittim, and the battle was very great and strong between them.
32
And from the army of Angeas and Lucus, Zepho sent many of the wounded unto his hand, about two thousand men, and Sosiphtar the captain of the host of Angeas fell in that battle.
33
And when Sosiphtar had fallen, the African troops turned their backs to flee, and they fled, and Angeas and Lucus his brother were with them.
34
And Zepho and the children of Chittim pursued them, and they smote them still heavily on the road, about two hundred men, and they pursued Azdrubal the son of Angeas who had fled with his father, and they smote twenty of his men in the road, and Azdrubal escaped from the children of Chittim, and they did not slay him.
35
And Angeas and Lucus his brother fled with the rest of their men, and they escaped and came into Africa with terror and consternation, and Angeas feared all the days lest Zepho the son of Eliphaz should go to war with him.
Chapter 64 Zepho leads army against Mitzrayim. 150 men of Yisrael prevail against the forces
1
And when Zepho the son of Eliphaz the son of Esav, captain of the host to Angeas king of Dinhabah, was still daily enticing Angeas to prepare for battle to fight with the sons of Ya'akov in Mitzrayim, and Angeas was unwilling to do this thing, for his servants had related to him all the might of the sons of Ya'akov, what they had done unto them in their battle with the children of Esav.
2
And Zepho was in those days daily enticing Angeas to fight with the sons of Ya'akov in those days.
3
And after some time Angeas hearkened to the words of Zepho and consented to him to fight with the sons of Ya'akov in Mitzrayim, and Angeas got all his people in order, a people numerous as the sand which is upon the sea shore, and he formed his resolution to go to Mitzrayim to battle.
4
And amongst the servants of Angeas was a youth fifteen years old, Bilam the son of Beor was his name and the youth was very wise and understood the art of witchcraft.
5
And Angeas said unto Bilam, Conjure for us, I pray thee, with the witchcraft, that we may know who will prevail in this battle to which we are now proceeding.
6
And Bilam ordered that they should bring him wax, and he made thereof the likeness of chariots and horsemen representing the army of Angeas and the army of Mitzrayim, and he put them in the cunningly prepared waters that he had for that purpose, and he took in his hand the boughs of myrtle trees, and he exercised his cunning, and he joined them over the water, and there appeared unto him in the water the resembling images of the hosts of Angeas falling before the resembling images of the Egyptians and the sons of Ya'akov.
7
And Bilam told this thing to Angeas, and Angeas despaired and did not arm himself to go down to Mitzrayim to battle, and he remained in his city.
8
And when Zepho the son of Eliphaz saw that Angeas despaired of going forth to battle with the Egyptians, Zepho fled from Angeas from Africa, and he went and came unto Chittim.
9
And all the people of Chittim received him with great honor, and they hired him to fight their battles all the days, and Zepho became exceedingly rich in those days, and the troops of the king of Africa still spread themselves in those days, and the children of Chittim assembled and went to Mount Cuptizia on account of the troops of Angeas king of Africa, who were advancing upon them.
10
And it was one day that Zepho lost a young heifer, and he went to seek it, and he heard it lowing round about the mountain.
11
And Zepho went and he saw and behold there was a large cave at the bottom of the mountain, and there was a great stone there at the entrance of the cave, and Zepho split the stone and he came into the cave and he looked and behold, a large animal was devouring the ox; from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled an animal, and Zepho rose up against the animal and slew it with his swords.
12
And the inhabitants of Chittim heard of this thing, and they rejoiced exceedingly, and they said, What shall we do unto this man who has slain this animal that devoured our cattle?
13
And they all assembled to consecrate one day in the year to him, and they called the name thereof Zepho after his name, and they brought unto him drink offerings year after year on that day, and they brought unto him gifts.
14
At that time Jania the daughter of Uzu wife of king Angeas became ill, and her illness was heavily felt by Angeas and his officers, and Angeas said unto his wise men, What shall I do to Jania and how shall I heal her from her illness? And his wise men said unto him, Because the air of our country is not like the air of the land of Chittim, and our water is not like their water, therefore from this has the queen became ill.
15
For through the change of air and water she became ill, and also because in her country she drank only the water which came from Purmah, which her ancestors had brought up with bridges.
16
And Angeas commanded his servants, and they brought unto him in vessels of the waters of Purmah belonging to Chittim, and they weighed those waters with all the waters of the land of Africa, and they found those waters lighter than the waters of Africa.
17
And Angeas saw this thing, and he commanded all his officers to assemble the hewers of stone in thousands and tens of thousands, and they hewed stone without number, and the builders came and they built an exceedingly strong bridge, and they conveyed the spring of water from the land of Chittim unto Africa, and those waters were for Jania the queen and for all her concerns, to drink from and to bake, wash and bathe therewith, and also to water therewith all seed from which food can be obtained, and all fruit of the ground.
18
And the king commanded that they should bring of the soil of Chittim in large ships, and they also brought stones to build therewith, and the builders built palaces for Jania the queen, and the queen became healed of her illness.
19
And at the revolution of the year the troops of Africa continued coming to the land of Chittim to plunder as usual, and Zepho son of Eliphaz heard their report, and he gave orders concerning them and he fought with them, and they fled before him, and he delivered the land of Chittim from them.
20
And the children of Chittim saw the valor of Zepho, and the children of Chittim resolved and they made Zepho king over them, and he became king over them, and whilst he reigned they went to subdue the children of Tubal, and all the surrounding islands.
21
And their king Zepho went at their head and they made war with Tubal and the islands, and they subdued them, and when they returned from the battle they renewed his government for him, and they built for him a very large palace for his royal habitation and seat, and they made a large throne for him, and Zepho reigned over the whole land of Chittim and over the land of Italia fifty years.
22
And it came to pass in those days, that the children of Esav resolved to crown a king over them in the land of which they became possessed. And they said to each other, Not so, for he shall reign over us in our land, and we shall be under his counsel and he shall fight our battles, against our enemies, and they did so.
23
And all the children of Esav swore, saying, That none of their brethren should ever reign over them, but a strange man who is not of their brethren, for the nefashot of all the children of Esav were embittered every man against his son, brother and friend, on account of the evil they sustained from their brethren when they fought with the children of Seir.
24
Therefore the sons of Esav swore, saying, From that day forward they would not choose a king from their brethren, but one from a strange land unto this day.
25
And there was a man there from the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah; his name was Bela the son of Beor, who was a very valiant man, beautiful and comely and wise in all wisdom, and a man of sense and counsel; and there was none of the people of Angeas like unto him.
26
And all the children of Esav took him and anointed him and they crowned him for a king, and they bowed down to him, and they said unto him, May the king live, may the king live.
27
And they spread out the sheet, and they brought him each man earrings of gold and silver or rings or bracelets, and they made him very rich in silver and in gold, in onyx stones and bdellium, and they made him a royal throne, and they placed a regal crown upon his head, and they built a palace for him and he dwelt therein, and he became king over all the children of Esav.
28
And the people of Angeas took their hire for their battle from the children of Esav, and they went and returned at that time to their master in Dinhabah.
29
And Bela reigned over the children of Esav thirty years, and the children of Esav dwelt in the land instead of the children of Seir, and they dwelt securely in their stead unto this day.
30
And it came to pass in the thirty-second year of the Israelites going down to Mitzrayim, that is in the seventy-first year of the life of Yosef, in that year died Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim, and Magron his son reigned in his stead.
31
And Pharaoh commanded Yosef before his death to be a father to his son, Magron, and that Magron should be under the care of Yosef and under his counsel.
32
And all Mitzrayim consented to this thing that Yosef should be king over them, for all the Egyptians loved Yosef as of heretofore, only Magron the son of Pharaoh sat upon, his father's throne, and he became king in those days in his father's stead.
33
Magron was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and forty years he reigned in Mitzrayim, and all Mitzrayim called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father, as it was their custom to do in Mitzrayim to every king that reigned over them.
34
And it came to pass when Pharaoh reigned in his father's stead, he placed the Torah of Mitzrayim and all the affairs of government in the hand of Yosef, as his father had commanded him.
35
And Yosef became king over Mitzrayim, for he superintended over all Mitzrayim, and all Mitzrayim was under his care and under his counsel, for all Mitzrayim inclined to Yosef after the death of Pharaoh, and they loved him exceedingly to reign over them.
36
But there were some people amongst them, who did not like him, saying, No stranger shall reign over us; still the whole government of Mitzrayim devolved in those days upon Yosef, after the death of Pharaoh, he being the regulator, doing as he liked throughout the land without any one interfering.
37
And all Mitzrayim was under the care of Yosef, and Yosef made war with all his surrounding enemies, and he subdued them; also all the land and all the Philistines, unto the borders of Kena’an, did Yosef subdue, and they were all under his power and they gave a yearly tax unto Yosef.
38
And Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim sat upon his throne in his father's stead, but he was under the control and counsel of Yosef, as he was at first under the control of his father.
39
Neither did he reign but in the land of Mitzrayim only, under the counsel of Yosef, but Yosef reigned over the whole country at that time, from Mitzrayim unto the great river Perath.
40
And Yosef was successful in all his ways, and Yahuah was with him, and Yahuah gave Yosef additional wisdom, and honor, and glory, and love toward him in the hearts of the Egyptians and throughout the land, and Yosef reigned over the whole country forty years.
41
And all the countries of the Philistines and Kena’an and Zidon, and on the other side of Jordan, brought presents unto Yosef all his days, and the whole country was in the hand of Yosef, and they brought unto him a yearly tribute as it was regulated, for Yosef had fought against all his surrounding enemies and subdued them, and the whole country was in the hand of Yosef, and Yosef sat securely upon his throne in Mitzrayim.
42
And also all his brethren the sons of Ya'akov dwelt securely in the land, all the days of Yosef, and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land, and they served Yahuah all their days, as their father Ya'akov had commanded them.
43
And it came to pass at the end of many days and years, when the children of Esav were dwelling quietly in their land with Bela their king, that the children of Esav were fruitful and multiplied in the land, and they resolved to go and fight with the sons of Ya'akov and all Mitzrayim, and to deliver their brother Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, and his men, for they were yet in those days slaves to Yosef.
44
And the children of Esav sent unto all the children of the east, and they made peace with them, and all the children of the east came unto them to go with the children of Esav to Mitzrayim to battle.
45
And there came also unto them of the people of Angeas, king of Dinhabah, and they also sent unto the children of Yishmael and they also came unto them.
46
And all this people assembled and came unto Seir to assist the children of Esav in their battle, and this camp was very large and heavy with people, numerous as the sand of the sea, about eight hundred thousand men, infantry and cavalry, and all these troops went down to Mitzrayim to fight with the sons of Ya'akov, and they encamped by Rameses.
47
And Yosef went forth with his brethren with the mighty men of Mitzrayim, about six hundred men, and they fought with them in the land of Rameses; and the sons of Ya'akov at that time again fought with the children of Esav, in the fiftieth year of the sons of Ya'akov going down to Mitzrayim, that is the thirtieth year of the reign of Bela over the children of Esav in Seir.
48
And Yahuah gave all the mighty men of Esav and the children of the east into the hand of Yosef and his brethren, and the people of the children of Esav and the children of the east were smitten before Yosef.
49
And of the people of Esav and the children of the east that were slain, there fell before the sons of Ya'akov about two hundred thousand men, and their king Bela the son of Beor fell with them in the battle, and when the children of Esav saw that their king had fallen in battle and was dead, their hands became weak in the combat.
50
And Yosef and his brethren and all Mitzrayim were still smiting the people of the house of Esav, and all Esav's people were afraid of the sons of Ya'akov and fled from before them.
51
And Yosef and his brethren and all Mitzrayim pursued them a day's journey, and they slew yet from them about three hundred men, continuing to smite them in the road; and they afterward turned back from them.
52
And Yosef and all his brethren returned to Mitzrayim, not one man was missing from them, but of the Egyptians there fell twelve men.
53
And when Yosef returned to Mitzrayim he ordered Zepho and his men to be additionally bound, and they bound them in irons and they increased their grief.
54
And all the people of the children of Esav, and the children of the east, returned in shame each unto his city, for all the mighty men that were with them had fallen in battle.
55
And when the children of Esav saw that their king had died in battle they hastened and took a man from the people of the children of the east; his name was Jobab the son of Zarach, from the land of Botzrah, and they caused him to reign over them instead of Bela their king.
56
And Jobab sat upon the throne of Bela as king in his stead, and Jobab reigned in Edom over all the children of Esav ten years, and the children of Esav went no more to fight with the sons of Ya'akov from that day forward, for the sons of Esav knew the valor of the sons of Ya'akov, and they were greatly afraid of them.
57
And from that day forward the children of Esav hated the sons of Ya'akov, and the hatred and enmity were very strong between them all the days, unto this day.
58
And it came to pass after this, at the end of ten years, Jobab, the son of Zarach, from Botzrah, died, and the children of Esav took a man whose name was Chusham, from the land of Teman, and they made him king over them instead of Jobab, and Chusham reigned in Edom over all the children of Esav for twenty years.
59
And Yosef, king of Mitzrayim, and his brethren, and all the children of Yisrael dwelt securely in Mitzrayim in those days, together with all the children of Yosef and his brethren, having no hindrance or evil accident and the land of Mitzrayim was at that time at rest from war in the days of Yosef and his brethren.
60
And these are the names of the sons of Yisrael who dwelt in Mitzrayim, who had come with Ya'akov, all the sons of Ya'akov came unto Mitzrayim, every man with his household.
61
The children of Leah were Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yahudah, Yissachar and Zevulun, and their sister Dinah.
62
And the sons of Rachel were Yosef and Binyamin.
63
And the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, were Gad and Asher.
64
And the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, were Dan and Naftali.
65
And these were their offspring that were born unto them in the land of Kena’an, before they came unto Mitzrayim with their father Ya'akov.
66
The sons of Reuven were Chanoch, Pallu, Chetzron and Carmi.
67
And the sons of Shimon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zochar and Saul, the son of the Canaanitish woman.
68
And the children of Levi were Gershon, Kehath and Merari, and their sister Jochebed, who was born unto them in their going down to Mitzrayim.
69
And the sons of Yahudah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zarach.
70
And Er and Onan died in the land of Kena’an; and the sons of Perez were Chezron and Chamul.
71
And the sons of Yissachar were Tola, Puvah, Job and Shomron.
72
And the sons of Zevulun were Sered, Elon and Jachleel, and the son of Dan was Chushim.
73
And the sons of Naftali were Jachzeel, Guni, Jetzer and Shilam.
74
And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, Chaggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
75
And the children of Asher were Jimnah, Jishvah, Jishvi, Beriah and their sister Serach; and the sons of Beriah were Cheber and Malchiel.
76
And the sons of Binyamin were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim and Ord.
77
And the sons of Yosef, that were born unto him in Mitzrayim, were Menashe and Efrayim.
78
And all the nefashot that went forth from the loins of Ya'akov, were seventy nefashot; these are they who came with Ya'akov their father unto Mitzrayim to dwell there: and Yosef and all his brethren dwelt securely in Mitzrayim, and they ate of the best of Mitzrayim all the days of the life of Yosef.
79
And Yosef lived in the land of Mitzrayim ninety-three years, and Yosef reigned over all Mitzrayim eighty years.
80
And when the days of Yosef drew nigh that he should die, he sent and called for his brethren and all his father's household, and they all came together and sat before him.
81
And Yosef said unto his brethren and unto the whole of his father's household, Behold I die, and Elohim will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land which he swore to your fathers to give unto them.
82
And it shall be when Elohim shall visit you to bring you up from here to the land of your fathers, then bring up my bones with you from here.
83
And Yosef made the sons of Yisrael to swear for their seed after them, saying, Elohim will surely visit you and you shall bring up my bones with you from here.
84
And it came to pass after this that Yosef died in that year, the seventy-first year of the Israelites going down to Mitzrayim.
85
And Yosef was one hundred and ten years old when he died in the land of Mitzrayim, and all his brethren and all his servants rose up and they embalmed Yosef, as was their custom, and his brethren and all Mitzrayim mourned over him for seventy days.
86
And they put Yosef in a coffin filled with spices and all sorts of perfume, and they buried him by the side of the river, that is Sihor, and his sons and all his brethren, and the whole of his father's household made a seven day's mourning for him.
87
And it came to pass after the death of Yosef, all the Egyptians began in those days to rule over the children of Yisrael, and Pharaoh, king of Mitzrayim, who reigned in his father's stead, took all the Torah of Mitzrayim and conducted the whole government of Mitzrayim under his counsel, and he reigned securely over his people.
Chapter 65 The Elders of Mitzrayim conspire with Pharaoh and cunningly bring Yisrael into Bondage to them. Being afraid of their power, they afflict them in order to lessen the Number of the Children of Yisrael
1
And it came to pass after these things, that all the counsellors of Pharaoh, king of Mitzrayim, and all the elders of Mitzrayim assembled and came before the king and bowed down to the ground, and they sat before him.
2
And the counsellors and elders of Mitzrayim spoke unto the king, saying,
3
Behold the people of the children of Yisrael is greater and mightier than we are, and thou knowest all the evil which they did to us in the road when we returned from battle.
4
And thou hast also seen their strong power, for this power is unto them from their fathers, for but a few men stood up against a people numerous as the sand, and smote them at the edge of the sword, and of themselves not one has fallen, so that if they had been numerous they would then have utterly destroyed them.
5
Now therefore give us counsel what to do with them, until we gradually destroy them from amongst us, lest they become too numerous for us in the land.
6
For if the children of Yisrael should increase in the land, they will become an obstacle to us, and if any war should happen to take place, they with their great strength will join our enemy against us, and fight against us, destroy us from the land and go away from it.
7
So the king answered the elders of Mitzrayim and said unto them, This is the plan advised against Yisrael, from which we will not depart,
8
Behold in the land are Pithom and Rameses, cities unfortified against battle, it behooves you and us to build them, and to fortify them.
9
Now therefore go you also and act cunningly toward them, and proclaim a voice in Mitzrayim and in Goshen at the command of the king, saying,
10
All ye men of Mitzrayim, Goshen, Pathros and all their inhabitants! the king has commanded us to build Pithom and Rameses, and to fortify them for battle; who amongst you of all Mitzrayim, of the children of Yisrael and of all the inhabitants of the cities, are willing to build with us, shall each have his wages given to him daily at the king's order; so go you first and do cunningly, and gather yourselves and come to Pithom and Rameses to build.
11
And whilst you are building, cause a proclamation of this kind to be made throughout Mitzrayim every day at the command of the king.
12
And when some of the children of Yisrael shall come to build with you, you shall give them their wages daily for a few days.
13
And after they shall have built with you for their daily hire, drag yourselves away from them daily one by one in secret, and then you shall rise up and become their task-masters and officers, and you shall leave them afterward to build without wages, and should they refuse, then force them with all your might to build.
14
And if you do this it will be well with us to strengthen our land against the children of Yisrael, for on account of the fatigue of the building and the work, the children of Yisrael will decrease, because you will deprive them from their wives day by day.
15
And all the elders of Mitzrayim heard the counsel of the king, and the counsel seemed good in their eyes and in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all Mitzrayim, and they did according to the word of the king.
16
And all the servants went away from the king, and they caused a proclamation to be made in all Mitzrayim, in Tachpanches and in Goshen, and in all the cities which surrounded Mitzrayim, saying,
17
You have seen what the children of Esav and Yishmael did to us, who came to war against us and wished to destroy us.
18
Now therefore the king commanded us to fortify the land, to build the cities Pithom and Rameses, and to fortify them for battle, if they should again come against us.
19
Whosoever of you from all Mitzrayim and from the children of Yisrael will come to build with us, he shall have his daily wages given by the king, as his command is unto us.
20
And when Mitzrayim and all the children of Yisrael heard all that the servants of Pharaoh had spoken, there came from the Egyptians, and the children of Yisrael to build with the servants of Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses, but none of the children of Levi came with their brethren to build.
21
And all the servants of Pharaoh and his princes came at first with deceit to build with all Yisrael as daily hired laborers, and they gave to Yisrael their daily hire at the beginning.
22
And the servants of Pharaoh built with all Yisrael, and were employed in that work with Yisrael for a month.
23
And at the end of the month, all the servants of Pharaoh began to withdraw secretly from the people of Yisrael daily.
24
And Yisrael went on with the work at that time, but they then received their daily hire, because some of the men of Mitzrayim were yet carrying on the work with Yisrael at that time; therefore the Egyptians gave Yisrael their hire in those days, in order that they, the Egyptians their fellow-workmen, might also take the pay for their labor.
25
And at the end of a year and four months all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the children of Yisrael, so that the children of Yisrael were left alone engaged in the work.
26
And after all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the children of Yisrael they returned and became oppressors and officers over them, and some of them stood over the children of Yisrael as task masters, to receive from them all that they gave them for the pay of their labor.
27
And the Egyptians did in this manner to the children of Yisrael day by day, in order to afflict in their work.
28
And all the children of Yisrael were alone engaged in the labor, and the Egyptians refrained from giving any pay to the children of Yisrael from that time forward.
29
And when some of the men of Yisrael refused to work on account of the wages not being given to them, then the exactors and the servants of Pharaoh oppressed them and smote them with heavy blows, and made them return by force, to labor with their brethren; thus did all the Egyptians unto the children of Yisrael all the days.
30
And all the children of Yisrael were greatly afraid of the Egyptians in this matter, and all the children of Yisrael returned and worked alone without pay.
31
And the children of Yisrael built Pithom and Rameses, and all the children of Yisrael did the work, some making bricks, and some building, and the children of Yisrael built and fortified all the land of Mitzrayim and its walls, and the children of Yisrael were engaged in work for many years, until the time came when Yahuah remembered them and brought them out of Mitzrayim.
32
But the children of Levi were not employed in the work with their brethren of Yisrael, from the beginning unto the day of their going forth from Mitzrayim.
33
For all the children of Levi knew that the Egyptians had spoken all these words with deceit to the Israelites, therefore the children of Levi refrained from approaching to the work with their brethren.
34
And the Egyptians did not direct their attention to make the children of Levi work afterward, since they had not been with their brethren at the beginning, therefore the Egyptians left them alone.
35
And the hands of the men of Mitzrayim were directed with continued severity against the children of Yisrael in that work, and the Egyptians made the children of Yisrael work with rigor.
36
And the Egyptians embittered the lives of the children of Yisrael with hard work, in mortar and bricks, and also in all manner of work in the field.
37
And the children of Yisrael called Melol the king of Mitzrayim 'Meror, king of Mitzrayim,' because in his days the Egyptians had embittered their lives with all manner of work.
38
And all the work wherein the Egyptians made the children of Yisrael labor, they exacted with rigor, in order to afflict the children of Yisrael, but the more they afflicted them, the more they increased and grew, and the Egyptians were grieved because of the children of Yisrael.
Chapter 66 Pharaoh Decrees that every Male Child born in Yisrael shall be Killed, and still they increase
1
At that time died Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom, and Samlah from Mesrekah, from the country of the children of the east, reigned in his place.
2
In the thirteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim, which was the hundred and twenty-fifth year of the Israelites going down into Mitzrayim, Samlah had reigned over Edom eighteen years.
3
And when he reigned, he drew forth his hosts to go and fight against Zepho the son of Eliphaz and the children of Chittim, because they had made war against Angeas king of Africa, and they destroyed his whole army.
4
But he did not engage with him, for the children of Esav prevented him, saying, He was their brother, so Samlah listened to the voice of the children of Esav, and turned back with all his forces to the land of Edom, and did not proceed to fight against Zepho the son of Eliphaz.
5
And Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim heard this thing, saying, Samlah king of Edom has resolved to fight the children of Chittim, and afterward he will come to fight against Mitzrayim.
6
And when the Egyptians heard this matter, they increased the labor upon the children of Yisrael, lest the Israelites should do unto them as they did unto them in their war with the children of Esav in the days of Hadad.
7
And the Egyptians said unto the children of Yisrael, Hasten and do your work, and finish your task, and strengthen the land, lest the children of Esav your brethren should come to fight against us, for on your account will they come against us.
8
And the children of Yisrael did the work of the men of Mitzrayim day by day, and the Egyptians afflicted the children of Yisrael in order to lessen them in the land.
9
But as the Egyptians increased the labor upon the children of Yisrael, so did the children of Yisrael increase and multiply, and all Mitzrayim was filled with the children of Yisrael.
10
And in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of Yisrael's going down into Mitzrayim, all the Egyptians saw that their counsel did not succeed against Yisrael, but that they increased and grew, and the land of Mitzrayim and the land of Goshen were filled with the children of Yisrael.
11
So all the elders of Mitzrayim and its wise men came before the king and bowed down to him and sat before him.
12
And all the elders of Mitzrayim and the wise men thereof said unto the king, May the king live forever; thou didst counsel us the counsel against the children of Yisrael, and we did unto them according to the word of the king.
13
But in proportion to the increase of the labor so do they increase and grow in the land, and behold the whole country is filled with them.
14
Now therefore our lord and king, the eyes of all Mitzrayim are upon thee to give them advice with thy wisdom, by which they may prevail over Yisrael to destroy them, or to diminish them from the land; and the king answered them saying, Give you counsel in this matter that we may know what to do unto them.
15
And an officer, one of the king's counsellors, whose name was Job, from Mesopotamia, in the land of Uz, answered the king, saying,
16
If it please the king, let him hear the counsel of his servant; and the king said unto him, Speak.
17
And Job spoke before the king, the princes, and before all the elders of Mitzrayim, saying,
18
Behold the counsel of the king which he advised formerly respecting the labor of the children of Yisrael is very good, and you must not remove from them that labor forever.
19
But this is the advice counselled by which you may lessen them, if it seems good to the king to afflict them.
20
Behold we have feared war for a long time, and we said, When Yisrael becomes fruitful in the land, they will drive us from the land if a war should take place.
21
If it please the king, let a royal decree go forth, and let it be written in the Torah of Mitzrayim which shall not be revoked, that every male child born to the Israelites, his blood shall be spilled upon the ground.
22
And by your doing this, when all the male children of Yisrael shall have died, the evil of their wars will cease; let the king do so and send for all the Hebrew midwives and order them in this matter to execute it; so the thing pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Job.
23
And the king sent for the Hebrew midwives to be called, of which the name of one was Shephrah, and the name of the other Puah.
24
And the midwives came before the king, and stood in his presence.
25
And the king said unto them, When you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then you shall kill him, but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
26
But if you will not do this thing, then will I burn you up and all your houses with fire.
27
But the midwives feared Elohim and did not hearken to the king of Mitzrayim nor to his words, and when the Hebrew women brought forth to the midwife son or daughter, then did the midwife do all that was necessary to the child and let it live; thus did the midwives all the days.
28
And this thing was told to the king, and he sent and called for the midwives and he said to them, Why have you done this thing and have saved the children alive?
29
And the midwives answered and spoke together before the king, saying,
30
Let not the king think that the Hebrew women are as the Egyptian women, for all the children of Yisrael are hale, and before the midwife comes to them they are delivered, and as for us thy handmaids, for many days no Hebrew woman has brought forth upon us, for all the Hebrew women are their own midwives, because they are hale.
31
And Pharaoh heard their words and believed them in this matter, and the midwives went away from the king, and Elohim dealt well with them, and the people multiplied and waxed exceedingly.
Chapter 67 Aharon is Born. On Account of Pharaoh's decree, many of the Sons of Yisrael live apart from their Wives. The King's counsellors devise another plan to lessen the number of Yisrael by drowning them. Yahuah finds a means of preserving the Male Children
1
There was a man in the land of Mitzrayim of the seed of Levi, whose name was Amram, the son of Kehath, the son of Levi, the son of Yisrael.
2
And this man went and took a wife, namely Jochebed the daughter of Levi his father's sister, and she was one hundred and twenty-six years old, and he came unto her.
3
And the woman conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Miriam, because in those days the Egyptians had embittered the lives of the children of Yisrael.
4
And she conceived again and bare a son and she called his name Aharon, for in the days of her conception, Pharaoh began to spill the blood of the male children of Yisrael.
5
In those days died Zepho the son of Eliphaz, son of Esav, king of Chittim, and Janeas reigned in his stead.
6
And the time that Zepho reigned over the children of Chittim was fifty years, and he died and was buried in the city of Nabna in the land of Chittim.
7
And Janeas, one of the mighty men of the children of Chittim, reigned after him and he reigned fifty years.
8
And it was after the death of the king of Chittim that Bilam the son of Beor fled from the land of Chittim, and he went and came to Mitzrayim to Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim.
9
And Pharaoh received him with great honor, for he had heard of his wisdom, and he gave him presents and made him for a counsellor, and aggrandized him.
10
And Bilam dwelt in Mitzrayim, in honor with all the nobles of the king, and the nobles exalted him, because they all coveted to learn his wisdom.
11
And in the hundred and thirtieth year of Yisrael's going down to Mitzrayim, Pharaoh dreamed that he was sitting upon his kingly throne, and lifted up his eyes and saw an old man standing before him, and there were scales in the hands of the old man, such scales as are used by merchants.
12
And the old man took the scales and hung them before Pharaoh.
13
And the old man took all the elders of Mitzrayim and all its nobles and great men, and he tied them together and put them in one scale.
14
And he took a milk kid and put it into the other scale, and the kid preponderated over all.
15
And Pharaoh was astonished at this dreadful vision, why the kid should preponderate over all, and Pharaoh awoke and behold it was a dream.
16
And Pharaoh rose up early in the morning and called all his servants and related to them the dream, and the men were greatly afraid.
17
And the king said to all his wise men, Interpret I pray you the dream which I dreamed, that I may know it.
18
And Bilam the son of Beor answered the king and said unto him, This means nothing else but a great evil that will spring up against Mitzrayim in the latter days.
19
For a son will be born to Yisrael who will destroy all Mitzrayim and its inhabitants, and bring forth the Israelites from Mitzrayim with a mighty hand.
20
Now therefore, O king, take counsel upon this matter, that you may destroy the hope of the children of Yisrael and their expectation, before this evil arise against Mitzrayim.
21
And the king said unto Bilam, And what shall we do unto Yisrael? surely after a certain manner did we at first counsel against them and could not prevail over them.
22
Now therefore give you also advice against them by which we may prevail over them.
23
And Bilam answered the king, saying, Send now and call thy two counsellors, and we will see what their advice is upon this matter and afterward thy servant will speak.
24
And the king sent and called his two counsellors Reuel the Midianite and Job the Uzite, and they came and sat before the king.
25
And the king said to them, Behold you have both heard the dream which I have dreamed, and the interpretation thereof; now therefore give counsel and know and see what is to be done to the children of Yisrael, whereby we may prevail over them, before their evil shall spring up against us.
26
And Reuel the Midianite answered the king and said, May the king live, may the king live forever.
27
If it seem good to the king, let him desist from the Hebrews and leave them, and let him not stretch forth his hand against them.
28
For these are they whom Yahuah chose in days of old, and took as the lot of his inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth and the kings of the earth; and who is there that stretched his hand against them with impunity, of whom their Elohim was not avenged?
29
Surely thou knowest that when Avraham went down to Mitzrayim, Pharaoh, the former king of Mitzrayim, saw Sarah his wife, and took her for a wife, because Avraham said, She is my sister, for he was afraid, lest the men of Mitzrayim should slay him on account of his wife.
30
And when the king of Mitzrayim had taken Sarah then Elohim smote him and his household with heavy plagues, until he restored unto Avraham his wife Sarah, then was he healed.
31
And Abimelech the Gerarite, king of the Philistines, Elohim punished on account of Sarah wife of Avraham, in stopping up every womb from man to beast.
32
When their Elohim came to Abimelech in the dream of night and terrified him in order that he might restore to Avraham Sarah whom he had taken, and afterward all the people of Gerar were punished on account of Sarah, and Avraham prayed to his Elohim for them, and he was entreated of him, and he healed them.
33
And Abimelech feared all this evil that came upon him and his people, and he returned to Avraham his wife Sarah, and gave him with her many gifts.
34
He did so also to Yitzchak when he had driven him from Gerar, and Elohim had done wonderful things to him, that all the water courses of Gerar were dried up, and their productive trees did not bring forth.
35
Until Abimelech of Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Pichol the captain of his host, went to him and they bent and bowed down before him to the ground.
36
And they requested of him to supplicate for them, and he prayed to Yahuah for them, and Yahuah was entreated of him and he healed them.
37
Ya'akov also, the plain man, was delivered through his integrity from the hand of his brother Esav, and the hand of Lavan the Syrian his mother's brother, who had sought his life; likewise from the hand of all the kings of Kena’an who had come together against him and his children to destroy them, and Yahuah delivered them out of their hands, that they turned upon them and smote them, for who had ever stretched forth his hand against them with impunity?
38
Surely Pharaoh the former, thy father's father, raised Yosef the son of Ya'akov above all the princes of the land of Mitzrayim, when he saw his wisdom, for through his wisdom he rescued all the inhabitants of the land from the famine.
39
After which he ordered Ya'akov and his children to come down to Mitzrayim, in order that through their virtue, the land of Mitzrayim and the land of Goshen might be delivered from the famine.
40
Now therefore if it seem good in thine eyes, cease from destroying the children of Yisrael, but if it be not thy will that they shall dwell in Mitzrayim, send them forth from here, that they may go to the land of Kena’an, the land where their ancestors sojourned.
41
And when Pharaoh heard the words of Yitro he was very angry with him, so that he rose with shame from the king's presence, and went to Midian, his land, and took Yosef's stick with him.
42
And the king said to Job the Uzite, What sayest thou Job, and what is thy advice respecting the Hebrews?
43
And the king said unto Bilam, What dost thou say, Bilam, speak thy word that we may hear it.
44
And Bilam said to the king, Of all that the king has counselled against the Hebrews will they be delivered, and the king will not be able to prevail over them with any counsel.
45
For if thou thinkest to lessen them by the flaming fire, thou canst not prevail over them, for surely their Elohim delivered Avraham their father from Ur of the Chaldeans; and if thou thinkest to destroy them with a sword, surely Yitzchak their father was delivered from it, and a ram was placed in his stead.
46
And if with hard and rigorous labor thou thinkest to lessen them, thou wilt not prevail even in this, for their father Ya'akov served Lavan in all manner of hard work, and prospered.
47
Now therefore, O King, hear my words, for this is the counsel which is counselled against them, by which thou wilt prevail over them, and from which thou shouldst not depart.
48
If it please the king let him order all their children which shall be born from this day forward, to be thrown into the water, for by this canst thou wipe away their name, for none of them, nor of their fathers, were tried in this manner.
49
And the king heard the words of Bilam, and the thing pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Bilam.
50
And the king ordered a proclamation to be issued and a Torah to be made throughout the land of Mitzrayim, saying, Every male child born to the Hebrews from this day forward shall be thrown into the water.
51
And Pharaoh called unto all his servants, saying, Go now and seek throughout the land of Goshen where the children of Yisrael are, and see that every son born to the Hebrews shall be cast into the river, but every daughter you shall let live.
52
And when the children of Yisrael heard this thing which Pharaoh had commanded, to cast their male children into the river, some of the people separated from their wives and others adhered to them.
53
And from that day forward, when the time of delivery arrived to those women of Yisrael who had remained with their husbands, they went to the field to bring forth there, and they brought forth in the field, and left their children upon the field and returned home.
54
And Yahuah who had sworn to their ancestors to multiply them, sent one of his ministering angels which are in heaven to wash each child in water, to anoint and swathe it and to put into its hands two smooth stones from one of which it sucked milk and from the other honey, and he caused its hair to grow to its knees, by which it might cover itself; to comfort it and to cleave to it, through his compassion for it.
55
And when Elohim had compassion over them and had desired to multiply them upon the face of the land, he ordered his earth to receive them to be preserved therein till the time of their growing up, after which the earth opened its mouth and vomited them forth and they sprouted forth from the city like the herb of the earth, and the grass of the forest, and they returned each to his family and to his father's house, and they remained with them.
56
And the babes of the children of Yisrael were upon the earth like the herb of the field, through Elohim's grace to them.
57
And when all the Egyptians saw this thing, they went forth, each to his field with his yoke of oxen and his ploughshare, and they ploughed it up as one ploughs the earth at seed time.
58
And when they ploughed they were unable to hurt the infants of the children of Yisrael, so the people increased and waxed exceedingly.
59
And Pharaoh ordered his officers daily to go to Goshen to seek for the babes of the children of Yisrael.
60
And when they had sought and found one, they took it from its mother's bosom by force, and threw it into the river, but the female child they left with its mother; thus did the Egyptians do to the Israelites all the days.
Chapter 68 Moshe, a Child of Promise, is born. The Egyptian Women acting as Spies. Moshe is discovered, and placed by his Mother in an Ark of Bulrushes. Is Found and Adopted by the Daughter of Pharaoh, and grows up among the King's Children
1
And it was at that time the spirit of Elohim was upon Miriam the daughter of Amram the sister of Aharon, and she went forth and prophesied about the house, saying, Behold a son will be born unto us from my father and mother this time, and he will save Yisrael from the hands of Mitzrayim.
2
And when Amram heard the words of his daughter, he went and took his wife back to the house, after he had driven her away at the time when Pharaoh ordered every male child of the house of Ya'akov to be thrown into the water.
3
So Amram took Jochebed his wife, three years after he had driven her away, and he came to her and she conceived.
4
And at the end of seven months from her conception she brought forth a son, and the whole house was filled with great light as of the light of the sun and moon at the time of their shining.
5
And when the woman saw the child that it was good and pleasing to the sight, she hid it for three months in an inner room.
6
In those days the Egyptians conspired to destroy all the Hebrews there.
7
And the Egyptian women went to Goshen where the children of Yisrael were, and they carried their young ones upon their shoulders, their babes who could not yet speak.
8
And in those days, when the women of the children of Yisrael brought forth, each woman had hidden her son from before the Egyptians, that the Egyptians might not know of their bringing forth, and might not destroy them from the land.
9
And the Egyptian women came to Goshen and their children who could not speak were upon their shoulders, and when an Egyptian woman came into the house of a Hebrew woman her babe began to cry.
10
And when it cried the child that was in the inner room answered it, so the Egyptian women went and told it at the house of Pharaoh.
11
And Pharaoh sent his officers to take the children and slay them; thus did the Egyptians to the Hebrew women all the days.
12
And it was at that time, about three months from Jochebed's concealment of her son, that the thing was known in Pharaoh's house.
13
And the woman hastened to take away her son before the officers came, and she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein, and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
14
And his sister Miriam stood afar off to know what would be done to him, and what would become of her words.
15
And Elohim sent forth at that time a terrible heat in the land of Mitzrayim, which burned up the flesh of man like the sun in his circuit, and it greatly oppressed the Egyptians.
16
And all the Egyptians went down to bathe in the river, on account of the consuming heat which burned up their flesh.
17
And Bathia, the daughter of Pharaoh, went also to bathe in the river, owing to the consuming heat, and her maidens walked at the river side, and all the women of Mitzrayim as well.
18
And Bathia lifted up her eyes to the river, and she saw the ark upon the water, and sent her maid to fetch it.
19
And she opened it and saw the child, and behold the babe wept, and she had compassion on him, and she said, This is one of the Hebrew children.
20
And all the women of Mitzrayim walking on the river side desired to give him suck, but he would not suck, for this thing was from Yahuah, in order to restore him to his mother's breast.
21
And Miriam his sister was at that time amongst the Egyptian women at the river side, and she saw this thing and she said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and fetch a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
22
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go, and the young woman went and called the child's mother.
23
And Pharaoh's daughter said to Jochebed, Take this child away and suckle it for me, and I will pay thee thy wages, two bits of silver daily; and the woman took the child and nursed it.
24
And at the end of two years, when the child grew up, she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he was unto her as a son, and she called his name Moshe, for she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
25
And Amram his father called his name Chabar, for he said, It was for him that he associated with his wife whom he had turned away.
26
And Jochebed his mother called his name Jekuthiel, Because, she said, I have hoped for him to the Almighty, and Elohim restored him unto me.
27
And Miriam his sister called him Jered, for she descended after him to the river to know what his end would be.
28
And Aharon his brother called his name Abi Zanuch, saying, My father left my mother and returned to her on his account.
29
And Kehath the father of Amram called his name Abigdor, because on his account did Elohim repair the breach of the house of Ya'akov, that they could no longer throw their male children into the water.
30
And their nurse called him Abi Socho, saying, In his tabernacle was he hidden for three months, on account of the children of Ham.
31
And all Yisrael called his name Shemaiah, son of Nethanel, for they said, In his days has Elohim heard their cries and rescued them from their oppressors.
32
And Moshe was in Pharaoh's house, and was unto Bathia, Pharaoh's daughter, as a son, and Moshe grew up amongst the king's children.
Chapter 69 Pharaoh Proclaims, that if any of the Israelites are short in their Labor, either in Bricks or Mortar, his Youngest Son shall be put in their Place
1
And the king of Edom died in those days, in the eighteenth year of his reign, and was buried in his temple which he had built for himself as his royal residence in the land of Edom.
2
And the children of Esav sent to Pethor, which is upon the river, and they fetched from there a young man of beautiful eyes and comely aspect, whose name was Saul, and they made him king over them in the place of Samlah.
3
And Saul reigned over all the children of Esav in the land of Edom for forty years.
4
And when Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim saw that the counsel which Bilam had advised respecting the children of Yisrael did not succeed, but that still they were fruitful, multiplied and increased throughout the land of Mitzrayim,
5
Then Pharaoh commanded in those days that a proclamation should be issued throughout Mitzrayim to the children of Yisrael, saying, No man shall diminish any thing of his daily labor.
6
And the man who shall be found deficient in his labor which he performs daily, whether in mortar or in bricks, then his youngest son shall be put in their place.
7
And the labor of Mitzrayim strengthened upon the children of Yisrael in those days, and behold if one brick was deficient in any man's daily labor, the Egyptians took his youngest boy by force from his mother, and put him into the building in the place of the brick which his father had left wanting.
8
And the men of Mitzrayim did so to all the children of Yisrael day by day, all the days for a long period.
9
But the tribe of Levi did not at that time work with the Israelites their brethren, from the beginning, for the children of Levi knew the cunning of the Egyptians which they exercised at first toward the Israelites.
Chapter 70 Moshe puts the King's crown upon his own head. Baalam and the Wise Men make this a Pretext against him. When grown up, Moshe visits his Brethren, and learns of their Grievances. Moshe obtains a day's rest on the Sabbath for all Yisrael
1
And in the third year from the birth of Moshe, Pharaoh was sitting at a banquet, when Alparanith the queen was sitting at his right and Bathia at his left, and the lad Moshe was lying upon her bosom, and Bilam the son of Beor with his two sons, and all the princes of the kingdom were sitting at table in the king's presence.
2
And the lad stretched forth his hand upon the king's head, and took the crown from the king's head and placed it on his own head.
3
And when the king and princes saw the work which the boy had done, the king and princes were terrified, and one man to his neighbor expressed astonishment.
4
And the king said unto the princes who were before him at table, What speak you and what say you, O ye princes, in this matter, and what is to be the judgment against the boy on account of this act?
5
And Bilam the son of Beor the magician answered before the king and princes, and he said, Remember now, O my lord and king, the dream which thou didst dream many days since, and that which thy servant interpreted unto thee.
6
Now therefore this is a child from the Hebrew children, in whom is the spirit of Elohim, and let not my lord the king imagine that this youngster did this thing without knowledge.
7
For he is a Hebrew boy, and wisdom and understanding are with him, although he is yet a child, and with wisdom has he done this and chosen unto himself the kingdom of Mitzrayim.
8
For this is the manner of all the Hebrews to deceive kings and their nobles, to do all these things cunningly, in order to make the kings of the earth and their men tremble.
9
Surely thou knowest that Avraham their father acted thus, who deceived the army of Nimrod king of Bavel, and Abimelech king of Gerar, and that he possessed himself of the land of the children of Heth and all the kingdoms of Kena’an.
10
And that he descended into Mitzrayim and said of Sarah his wife, she is my sister, in order to mislead Mitzrayim and her king.
11
His son Yitzchak also did so when he went to Gerar and dwelt there, and his strength prevailed over the army of Abimelech king of the Philistines.
12
He also thought of making the kingdom of the Philistines stumble, in saying that Rivkah his wife was his sister.
13
Ya'akov also dealt treacherously with his brother, and took from his hand his birthright and his blessing.
14
He went then to Padan-aram to the house of Lavan his mother's brother, and cunningly obtained from him his daughter, his cattle, and all belonging to him, and fled away and returned to the land of Kena’an to his father.
15
His sons sold their brother Yosef, who went down into Mitzrayim and became a slave, and was placed in the prison house for twelve years.
16
Until the former Pharaoh dreamed dreams, and withdrew him from the prison house, and magnified him above all the princes in Mitzrayim on account of his interpreting his dreams to him.
17
And when Elohim caused a famine throughout the land he sent for and brought his father and all his brothers, and the whole of his father's household, and supported them without price or reward, and bought the Egyptians for slaves.
18
Now therefore my lord king behold this child has risen up in their stead in Mitzrayim, to do according to their deeds and to trifle with every king, prince and judge.
19
If it please the king, let us now spill his blood upon the ground, lest he grow up and take away the government from thy hand, and the hope of Mitzrayim perish after he shall have reigned.
20
And Bilam said to the king, Let us moreover call for all the judges of Mitzrayim and the wise men thereof, and let us know if the judgment of death is due to this boy as thou didst say, and then we will slay him.
21
And Pharaoh sent and called for all the wise men of Mitzrayim and they came before the king, and an angel of Yahuah came amongst them, and he was like one of the wise men of Mitzrayim.
22
And the king said to the wise men, Surely you have heard what this Hebrew boy who is in the house has done, and thus has Bilam judged in the matter.
23
Now judge you also and see what is due to the boy for the act he has committed.
24
And the angel, who seemed like one of the wise men of Pharaoh, answered and said as follows, before all the wise men of Mitzrayim and before the king and the princes:
25
If it please the king let the king send for men who shall bring before him an onyx stone and a coal of fire, and place them before the child, and if the child shall stretch forth his hand and take the onyx stone, then shall we know that with wisdom has the youth done all that he has done, and we must slay him.
26
But if he stretch forth his hand upon the coal, then shall we know that it was not with knowledge that he did this thing, and he shall live.
27
And the thing seemed good in the eyes of the king and the princes, so the king did according to the word of the angel of Yahuah.
28
And the king ordered the onyx stone and coal to be brought and placed before Moshe.
29
And they placed the boy before them, and the lad endeavored to stretch forth his hand to the onyx stone, but the angel of Yahuah took his hand and placed it upon the coal, and the coal became extinguished in his hand, and he lifted it up and put it into his mouth, and burned part of his lips and part of his tongue, and he became heavy in mouth and tongue.
30
And when the king and princes saw this, they knew that Moshe had not acted with wisdom in taking off the crown from the king's head.
31
So the king and princes refrained from slaying the child, so Moshe remained in Pharaoh's house, growing up, and Yahuah was with him.
32
And whilst the boy was in the king's house, he was robed in purple and he grew amongst the children of the king.
33
And when Moshe grew up in the king's house, Bathia the daughter of Pharaoh considered him as a son, and all the household of Pharaoh honored him, and all the men of Mitzrayim were afraid of him.
34
And he daily went forth and came into the land of Goshen, where his brethren the children of Yisrael were, and Moshe saw them daily in shortness of breath and hard labor.
35
And Moshe asked them, saying, Wherefore is this labor meted out unto you day by day?
36
And they told him all that had befallen them, and all the injunctions which Pharaoh had put upon them before his birth.
37
And they told him all the counsels which Bilam the son of Beor had counselled against them, and what he had also counselled against him in order to slay him when he had taken the king's crown from off his head.
38
And when Moshe heard these things his anger was kindled against Bilam, and he sought to kill him, and he was in ambush for him day by day.
39
And Bilam was afraid of Moshe, and he and his two sons rose up and went forth from Mitzrayim, and they fled and delivered their nefashot and betook themselves to the land of Kush to Kikianus, king of Kush.
40
And Moshe was in the king's house going out and coming in, Yahuah gave him favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants, and in the eyes of all the people of Mitzrayim, and they loved Moshe exceedingly.
41
And the day arrived when Moshe went to Goshen to see his brethren, that he saw the children of Yisrael in their burdens and hard labor, and Moshe was grieved on their account.
42
And Moshe returned to Mitzrayim and came to the house of Pharaoh, and came before the king, and Moshe bowed down before the king.
43
And Moshe said unto Pharaoh, I pray thee my lord, I have come to seek a small request from thee, turn not away my face empty; and Pharaoh said unto him, Speak.
44
And Moshe said unto Pharaoh, Let there be given unto thy servants the children of Yisrael who are in Goshen, one day to rest therein from their labor.
45
And the king answered Moshe and said, Behold I have lifted up thy face in this thing to grant thy request.
46
And Pharaoh ordered a proclamation to be issued throughout Mitzrayim and Goshen, saying,
47
To you, all the children of Yisrael, thus says the king, for six days you shall do your work and labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest, and shall not preform any work, thus shall you do all the days, as the king and Moshe the son of Bathia have commanded.
48
And Moshe rejoiced at this thing which the king had granted to him, and all the children of Yisrael did as Moshe ordered them.
49
For this thing was from Yahuah to the children of Yisrael, for Yahuah had begun to remember the children of Yisrael to save them for the sake of their fathers.
50
And Yahuah was with Moshe and his fame went throughout Mitzrayim.
51
And Moshe became great in the eyes of all the Egyptians, and in the eyes of all the children of Yisrael, seeking good for his people Yisrael and speaking words of peace regarding them to the king.
Chapter 71 Moshe slays an Egyptian and being Discovered flees from Mitzrayim. Aharon Prophecies
1
And when Moshe was eighteen years old, he desired to see his father and mother and he went to them to Goshen, and when Moshe had come near Goshen, he came to the place where the children of Yisrael were engaged in work, and he observed their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian smiting one of his Hebrew brethren.
2
And when the man who was beaten saw Moshe he ran to him for help, for the man Moshe was greatly respected in the house of Pharaoh, and he said to him, My lord attend to me, this Egyptian came to my house in the night, bound me, and came to my wife in my presence, and now he seeks to take my life away.
3
And when Moshe heard this wicked thing, his anger was kindled against the Egyptian, and he turned this way and the other, and when he saw there was no man there he smote the Egyptian and hid him in the sand, and delivered the Hebrew from the hand of him that smote him.
4
And the Hebrew went to his house, and Moshe returned to his home, and went forth and came back to the king's house.
5
And when the man had returned home, he thought of repudiating his wife, for it was not right in the house of Ya'akov, for any man to come to his wife after she had been defiled.
6
And the woman went and told her brothers, and the woman's brothers sought to slay him, and he fled to his house and escaped.
7
And on the second day Moshe went forth to his brethren, and saw, and behold two men were quarreling, and he said to the wicked one, Why dost thou smite thy neighbor?
8
And he answered him and said to him, Who has set thee for a prince and judge over us? dost thou think to slay me as thou didst slay the Egyptian? and Moshe was afraid and he said, Surely the thing is known?
9
And Pharaoh heard of this affair, and he ordered Moshe to be slain, so Elohim sent his angel, and he appeared unto Pharaoh in the likeness of a captain of the guard.
10
And the angel of Yahuah took the sword from the hand of the captain of the guard, and took his head off with it, for the likeness of the captain of the guard was turned into the likeness of Moshe.
11
And the angel of Yahuah took hold of the right hand of Moshe, and brought him forth from Mitzrayim, and placed him from without the borders of Mitzrayim, a distance of forty days' journey.
12
And Aharon his brother alone remained in the land of Mitzrayim, and he prophesied to the children of Yisrael, saying,
13
Thus says Yahuah Elohim of your ancestors, Throw away, each man, the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Mitzrayim.
14
And the children of Yisrael rebelled and would not hearken to Aharon at that time.
15
And Yahuah thought to destroy them, were it not that Yahuah remembered the Beriyt which he had made with Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov.
16
In those days the hand of Pharaoh continued to be severe against the children of Yisrael, and he crushed and oppressed them until the time when Elohim sent forth his word and took notice of them.
Chapter 72 Moshe flees to Kush. At the Death of the king, he is chosen in his Stead. He Reigns Forty Years in Kush
1
And it was in those days that there was a great war between the children of Kush and the children of the east and Aram, and they rebelled against the king of Kush in whose hands they were.
2
So Kikianus king of Kush went forth with all the children of Kush, a people numerous as the sand, and he went to fight against Aram and the children of the east, to bring them under subjection.
3
And when Kikianus went out, he left Bilam the magician, with his two sons, to guard the city, and the lowest sort of the people of the land.
4
So Kikianus went forth to Aram and the children of the east, and he fought against them and smote them, and they all fell down wounded before Kikianus and his people.
5
And he took many of them captives and he brought them under subjection as at first, and he encamped upon their land to take tribute from them as usual.
6
And Bilam the son of Beor, when the king of Kush had left him to guard the city and the poor of the city, he rose up and advised with the people of the land to rebel against king Kikianus, not to let him enter the city when he should come home.
7
And the people of the land hearkened to him, and they swore to him and made him king over them, and his two sons for captains of the army.
8
So they rose up and raised the walls of the city at the two corners, and they built an exceeding strong building.
9
And at the third corner they dug ditches without number, between the city and the river which surrounded the whole land of Kush, and they made the waters of the river burst forth there.
10
At the fourth corner they collected numerous serpents by their incantations and enchantments, and they fortified the city and dwelt therein, and no one went out or in before them.
11
And Kikianus fought against Aram and the children of the east and he subdued them as before, and they gave him their usual tribute, and he went and returned to his land.
12
And when Kikianus the king of Kush approached his city and all the captains of the forces with him, they lifted up their eyes and saw that the walls of the city were built up and greatly elevated, so the men were astonished at this.
13
And they said one to the other, It is because they saw that we were delayed, in battle, and were greatly afraid of us, therefore have they done this thing and raised the city walls and fortified them so that the kings of Kena’an might not come in battle against them.
14
So the king and the troops approached the city door and they looked up and behold, all the gates of the city were closed, and they called out to the sentinels, saying, Open unto us, that we may enter the city.
15
But the sentinels refused to open to them by the order of Bilam the magician, their king, they suffered them not to enter their city.
16
So they raised a battle with them opposite the city gate, and one hundred and thirty men of the army at Kikianus fell on that day.
17
And on the next day they continued to fight and they fought at the side of the river; they endeavored to pass but were not able, so some of them sank in the pits and died.
18
So the king ordered them to cut down trees to make rafts, upon which they might pass to them, and they did so.
19
And when they came to the place of the ditches, the waters revolved by mills, and two hundred men upon ten rafts were drowned.
20
And on the third day they came to fight at the side where the serpents were, but they could not approach there, for the serpents slew of them one hundred and seventy men, and they ceased fighting against Kush, and they besieged Kush for nine years, no person came out or in.
21
At that time that the war and the siege were against Kush, Moshe fled from Mitzrayim from Pharaoh who sought to kill him for having slain the Egyptian.
22
And Moshe was eighteen years old when he fled from Mitzrayim from the presence of Pharaoh, and he fled and escaped to the camp of Kikianus, which at that time was besieging Kush.
23
And Moshe was nine years in the camp of Kikianus king of Kush, all the time that they were besieging Kush, and Moshe went out and came in with them.
24
And the king and princes and all the fighting men loved Moshe, for he was great and worthy, his stature was like a noble lion, his face was like the sun, and his strength was like that of a lion, and he was counsellor to the king.
25
And at the end of nine years, Kikianus was seized with a mortal disease, and his illness prevailed over him, and he died on the seventh day.
26
So his servants embalmed him and carried him and buried him opposite the city gate to the north of the land of Mitzrayim.
27
And they built over him an elegant strong and high building, and they placed great stones below.
28
And the king's scribes engraved upon those stones all the might of their king Kikianus, and all his battles which he had fought, behold they are written there at this day.
29
Now after the death of Kikianus king of Kush it grieved his men and troops greatly on account of the war.
30
So they said one to the other, Give us counsel what we are to do at this time, as we have resided in the wilderness nine years away from our homes.
31
If we say we will fight against the city many of us will fall wounded or killed, and if we remain here in the siege we shall also die.
32
For now all the kings of Aram and of the children of the east will hear that our king is dead, and they will attack us suddenly in a hostile manner, and they will fight against us and leave no remnant of us.
33
Now therefore let us go and make a king over us, and let us remain in the siege until the city is delivered up to us.
34
And they wished to choose on that day a man for king from the army of Kikianus, and they found no object of their choice like Moshe to reign over them.
35
And they hastened and stripped off each man his garments and cast them upon the ground, and they made a great heap and placed Moshe thereon.
36
And they rose up and blew with trumpets and called out before him, and said, May the king live, may the king live!
37
And all the people and nobles swore unto him to give him for a wife Adoniah the queen, the Cushite, wife of Kikianus, and they made Moshe king over them on that day.
38
And all the people of Kush issued a proclamation on that day, saying, Every man must give something to Moshe of what is in his possession.
39
And they spread out a sheet upon the heap, and every man cast into it something of what he had, one a gold earring and the other a coin.
40
Also of onyx stones, bdellium, pearls and marble did the children of Kush cast unto Moshe upon the heap, also silver and gold in great abundance.
41
And Moshe took all the silver and gold, all the vessels, and the bdellium and onyx stones, which all the children of Kush had given to him, and he placed them amongst his treasures.
42
And Moshe reigned over the children of Kush on that day, in the place of Kikianus king of Kush.
Chapter 73 The Reign of Moshe, and his Strategic Warfare
1
In the fifty-fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim, that is in the hundred and fifty-seventh year of the Israelites going down into Mitzrayim, reigned Moshe in Kush.
2
Moshe was twenty-seven years old when he began to reign over Kush, and forty years did he reign.
3
And Yahuah granted Moshe favor and grace in the eyes of all the children of Kush, and the children of Kush loved him exceedingly, so Moshe was favored by Yahuah and by men.
4
And in the seventh day of his reign, all the children of Kush assembled and came before Moshe and bowed down to him to the ground.
5
And all the children spoke together in the presence of the king, saying, Give us counsel that we may see what is to be done to this city.
6
For it is now nine years that we have been besieging round about the city, and have not seen our children and our wives.
7
So the king answered them, saying, If you will hearken to my voice in all that I shall command you, then will Yahuah give the city into our hands and we shall subdue it.
8
For if we fight with them as in the former battle which we had with them before the death of Kikianus, many of us will fall down wounded as before.
9
Now therefore behold here is counsel for you in this matter; if you will hearken to my voice, then will the city be delivered into our hands.
10
So all the forces answered the king, saying, All that our lord shall command that will we do.
11
And Moshe said unto them, Pass through and proclaim a voice in the whole camp unto all the people, saying,
12
Thus says the king, Go into the forest and bring with you of the young ones of the stork, each man a young one in his hand.
13
And any person transgressing the word of the king, who shall not bring his young one, he shall die, and the king will take all belonging to him.
14
And when you shall bring them they shall be in your keeping, you shall rear them until they grow up, and you shall teach them to dart upon, as is the way of the young ones of the hawk.
15
So all the children of Kush heard the words of Moshe, and they rose up and caused a proclamation to be issued throughout the camp, saying,
16
Unto you, all the children of Kush, the king's order is, that you go all together to the wood, and catch there the young storks each man his young one in his hand, and you shall bring them home.
17
And any person violating the order of the king shall die, and the king will take all that belongs to him.
18
And all the people did so, and they went out to the wood and they climbed the fir trees and caught, each man a young one in his hand, all the young of the storks, and they brought them into the desert and reared them by order of the king, and they taught them to dart upon, similar to the young hawks.
19
And after the young storks were reared, the king ordered them to be hungered for three days, and all the people did so.
20
And on the third day, the king said unto them, strengthen yourselves and become valiant men, and put on each man his armor and gird on his sword upon him, and ride each man his horse and take each his young stork in his hand.
21
And we will rise up and fight against the city at the place where the serpents are; and all the people did as the king had ordered.
22
And they took each man his young one in his hand, and they went away, and when they came to the place of the serpents the king said to them, Send forth each man his young stork upon the serpents.
23
And they sent forth each man his young stork at the king's order, and the young storks ran upon the serpents and they devoured them all and destroyed them out of that place.
24
And when the king and people had seen that all the serpents were destroyed in that place, all the people set up a great shout.
25
And they approached and fought against the city and took it and subdued it, and they entered the city.
26
And there died on that day one thousand and one hundred men of the people of the city, all that inhabited the city, but of the people besieging not one died.
27
So all the children of Kush went each to his home, to his wife and children and to all belonging to him.
28
And Bilam the magician, when he saw that the city was taken, he opened the gate and he and his two sons and eight brothers fled and returned to Mitzrayim to Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim.
29
They are the sorcerers and magicians who are mentioned in the book of the Torah, standing against Moshe when Yahuah brought the plagues upon Mitzrayim.
30
So Moshe took the city by his wisdom, and the children of Kush placed him on the throne instead of Kikianus king of Kush.
31
And they placed the royal crown upon his head, and they gave him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus.
32
And Moshe feared Yahuah Elohim of his fathers, so that he came not to her, nor did he turn his eyes to her.
33
For Moshe remembered how Avraham had made his servant Eliezer swear, saying unto him, Thou shalt not take a woman from the daughters of Kena’an for my son Yitzchak.
34
Also what Yitzchak did when Ya'akov had fled from his brother, when he commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife from the daughters of Kena’an, nor make alliance with any of the children of Ham.
35
For Yahuah our Elohim gave Ham the son of Noach, and his children and all his seed, as slaves to the children of Shem and to the children of Yefet, and unto their seed after them for slaves, forever.
36
Therefore Moshe turned not his heart nor his eyes to the wife of Kikianus all the days that he reigned over Kush.
37
And Moshe feared Yahuah his Elohim all his life, and Moshe walked before Yahuah in truth, with all his heart and nefesh, he turned not from the right way all the days of his life; he declined not from the way either to the right or to the left, in which Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov had walked.
38
And Moshe strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children of Kush, and he guided the children of Kush with his usual wisdom, and Moshe prospered in his kingdom.
39
And at that time Aram and the children of the east heard that Kikianus king of Kush had died, so Aram and the children of the east rebelled against Kush in those days.
40
And Moshe gathered all the children of Kush, a people very mighty, about thirty thousand men, and he went forth to fight with Aram and the children of the east.
41
And they went at first to the children of the east, and when the children of the east heard their report, they went to meet them, and engaged in battle with them.
42
And the war was severe against the children of the east, so Yahuah gave all the children of the east into the hand of Moshe, and about three hundred men fell down slain.
43
And all the children of the east turned back and retreated, so Moshe and the children of Kush followed them and subdued them, and put a tax upon them, as was their custom.
44
So Moshe and all the people with him passed from there to the land of Aram for battle.
45
And the people of Aram also went to meet them, and they fought against them, and Yahuah delivered them into the hand of Moshe, and many of the men of Aram fell down wounded.
46
And Aram also were subdued by Moshe and the people of Kush, and also gave their usual tax.
47
And Moshe brought Aram and the children of the east under subjection to the children of Kush, and Moshe and all the people who were with him, turned to the land of Kush.
48
And Moshe strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children of Kush, and Yahuah was with him, and all the children of Kush were afraid of him.
Chapter 74 War in Africa
1
In the end of years died Saul king of Edom, and Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
2
In the sixteenth year of the reign of Moshe over Kush, Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned in the land of Edom over all the children of Edom for thirty-eight years.
3
In his days Moab rebelled against the power of Edom, having been under Edom since the days of Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote them and Midian, and brought Moab under subjection to Edom.
4
And when Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned over Edom, all the children of Moab withdrew their allegiance from Edom.
5
And Angeas king of Africa died in those days, and Azdrubal his son reigned in his stead.
6
And in those days died Janeas king of the children of Chittim, and they buried him in his temple which he had built for himself in the plain of Canopia for a residence, and Latinus reigned in his stead.
7
In the twenty-second year of the reign of Moshe over the children of Kush, Latinus reigned over the children of Chittim forty-five years.
8
And he also built for himself a great and mighty tower, and he built therein an elegant temple for his residence, to conduct his government, as was the custom.
9
In the third year of his reign he caused a proclamation to be made to all his skilful men, who made many ships for him.
10
And Latinus assembled all his forces, and they came in ships, and went therein to fight with Azdrubal son of Angeas king of Africa, and they came to Africa and engaged in battle with Azdrubal and his army.
11
And Latinus prevailed over Azdrubal, and Latinus took from Azdrubal the aqueduct which his father had brought from the children of Chittim, when he took Janiah the daughter of Uzi for a wife, so Latinus overthrew the bridge of the aqueduct, and smote the whole army of Azdrubal a severe blow.
12
And the remaining strong men of Azdrubal strengthened themselves, and their hearts were filled with envy, and they courted death, and again engaged in battle with Latinus king of Chittim.
13
And the battle was severe upon all the men of Africa, and they all fell wounded before Latinus and his people, and Azdrubal the king also fell in that battle.
14
And the king Azdrubal had a very beautiful daughter, whose name was Ushpezena, and all the men of Africa embroidered her likeness on their garments, on account of her great beauty and comely appearance.
15
And the men of Latinus saw Ushpezena, the daughter of Azdrubal, and praised her unto Latinus their king.
16
And Latinus ordered her to be brought to him, and Latinus took Ushpezena for a wife, and he turned back on his way to Chittim.
17
And it was after the death of Azdrubal son of Angeas, when Latinus had turned back to his land from the battle, that all the inhabitants of Africa rose up and took Anibal the son of Angeas, the younger brother of Azdrubal, and made him king instead at his brother over the whole land at Africa.
18
And when he reigned, he resolved to go to Chittim to fight with the children of Chittim, to avenge the cause of Azdrubal his brother, and the cause of the inhabitants of Africa, and he did so.
19
And he made many ships, and he came therein with his whole army, and he went to Chittim.
20
So Anibal fought with the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim fell wounded before Anibal and his army, and Anibal avenged his brother's cause.
21
And Anibal continued the war for eighteen years with the children of Chittim, and Anibal dwelt in the land of Chittim and encamped there for a long time.
22
And Anibal smote the children of Chittim very severely, and he slew their great men and princes, and of the rest of the people he smote about eighty thousand men.
23
And at the end of days and years, Anibal returned to his land of Africa, and he reigned securely in the place of Azdrubal his brother.
Chapter 75 Thirty Thousand Ephraimites think it Time to get out of Mitzrayim, Rise up to go to Kena’an, but are Slain by the Philistines
1
At that time, in the hundred and eightieth year of the Israelites going down into Mitzrayim, there went forth from Mitzrayim valiant men, thirty thousand on foot, from the children of Yisrael, who were all of the tribe of Yosef, of the children of Efrayim the son of Yosef.
2
For they said the period was completed which Yahuah had appointed to the children of Yisrael in the times of old, which he had spoken to Avraham.
3
And these men girded themselves, and they put each man his sword at his side, and every man his armor upon him, and they trusted to their strength, and they went out together from Mitzrayim with a mighty hand.
4
But they brought no provision for the road, only silver and gold, not even bread for that day did they bring in their hands, for they thought of getting their provision for pay from the Philistines, and if not they would take it by force.
5
And these men were very mighty and valiant men, one man could pursue a thousand and two could rout ten thousand, so they trusted to their strength and went together as they were.
6
And they directed their course toward the land of Gath, and they went down and found the shepherds of Gath feeding the cattle of the children of Gath.
7
And they said to the shepherds, Give us some of the sheep for pay, that we may eat, for we are hungry, for we have eaten no bread this day.
8
And the shepherds said, Are they our sheep or cattle that we should give them to you even for pay? so the children of Efrayim approached to take them by force.
9
And the shepherds of Gath shouted over them that their cry was heard at a distance, so all the children of Gath went out to them.
10
And when the children of Gath saw the evil doings of the children of Efrayim, they returned and assembled the men of Gath, and they put on each man his armor, and came forth to the children of Efrayim for battle.
11
And they engaged with them in the valley of Gath, and the battle was severe, and they smote from each other a great many on that day.
12
And on the second day the children of Gath sent to all the cities of the Philistines that they should come to their help, saying,
13
Come up unto us and help us, that we may smite the children of Efrayim who have come forth from Mitzrayim to take our cattle, and to fight against us without cause.
14
Now the nefashot of the children of Efrayim were exhausted with hunger and thirst, for they had eaten no bread for three days. And forty thousand men went forth from the cities of the Philistines to the assistance of the men of Gath.
15
And these men were engaged in battle with the children of Efrayim, and Yahuah delivered the children of Efrayim into the hands of the Philistines.
16
And they smote all the children of Efrayim, all who had gone forth from Mitzrayim, none were remaining but ten men who had run away from the engagement.
17
For this evil was from Yahuah against the children of Efrayim, for they transgressed the word of Yahuah in going forth from Mitzrayim, before the period had arrived which Yahuah in the days of old had appointed to Yisrael.
18
And of the Philistines also there fell a great many, about twenty thousand men, and their brethren carried them and buried them in their cities.
19
And the slain of the children of Efrayim remained forsaken in the valley of Gath for many days and years, and were not brought to burial, and the valley was filled with men's bones.
20
And the men who had escaped from the battle came to Mitzrayim, and told all the children of Yisrael all that had befallen them.
21
And their father Efrayim mourned over them for many days, and his brethren came to console him.
22
And he came unto his wife and she bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, for she was unfortunate in his house.
Chapter 76 Moshe leaves Kush and goes to the Land of Midian. Reuel, taking him for a Refugee, keeps him in prison for Ten Years. Is fed by Tzipporah, the Daughter of Reuel. Pharaoh smitten of the Plague. Slays a child of the Israelites every day. He dies of the Rot, and his Son, Adikam, Reigns in his Stead
1
And Moshe the son of Amram was still king in the land of Kush in those days, and he prospered in his kingdom, and he conducted the government of the children of Kush in justice, in righteousness, and integrity.
2
And all the children of Kush loved Moshe all the days that he reigned over them, and all the inhabitants of the land of Kush were greatly afraid of him.
3
And in the fortieth year of the reign of Moshe over Kush, Moshe was sitting on the royal throne whilst Adoniah the queen was before him, and all the nobles were sitting around him.
4
And Adoniah the queen said before the king and the princes, What is this thing which you, the children of Kush, have done for this long time?
5
Surely you know that for forty years that this man has reigned over Kush he has not approached me, nor has he served the gods of the children of Kush.
6
Now therefore hear, O ye children of Kush, and let this man no more reign over you as he is not of our flesh.
7
Behold Menacrus my son is grown up, let him reign over you, for it is better for you to serve the son of your lord, than to serve a stranger, slave of the king of Mitzrayim.
8
And all the people and nobles of the children of Kush heard the words which Adoniah the queen had spoken in their ears.
9
And all the people were preparing until the evening, and in the morning they rose up early and made Menacrus, son of Kikianus, king over them.
10
And all the children of Kush were afraid to stretch forth their hand against Moshe, for Yahuah was with Moshe, and the children of Kush remembered the oath which they swore unto Moshe, therefore they did no harm to him.
11
But the children of Kush gave many presents to Moshe, and sent him from them with great honor.
12
So Moshe went forth from the land of Kush, and went home and ceased to reign over Kush, and Moshe was sixty-six years old when he went out of the land of Kush, for the thing was from Yahuah, for the period had arrived which he had appointed in the days of old, to bring forth Yisrael from the affliction of the children of Ham.
13
So Moshe went to Midian, for he was afraid to return to Mitzrayim on account of Pharaoh, and he went and sat at a well of water in Midian.
14
And the seven daughters of Reuel the Midianite went out to feed their father's flock.
15
And they came to the well and drew water to water their father's flock.
16
So the shepherds of Midian came and drove them away, and Moshe rose up and helped them and watered the flock.
17
And they came home to their father Reuel, and told him what Moshe did for them.
18
And they said, An Egyptian man has delivered us from the hands of the shepherds, he drew up water for us and watered the flock.
19
And Reuel said to his daughters, And where is he? wherefore have you left the man?
20
And Reuel sent for him and fetched him and brought him home, and he ate bread with him.
21
And Moshe related to Reuel that he had fled from Mitzrayim and that he reigned forty years over Kush, and that they afterward had taken the government from him, and had sent him away in peace with honor and with presents.
22
And when Reuel had heard the words of Moshe, Reuel said within himself, I will put this man into the prison house, whereby I shall conciliate the children of Kush, for he has fled from them.
23
And they took and put him into the prison house, and Moshe was in prison ten years, and whilst Moshe was in the prison house, Tzipporah the daughter of Reuel took pity over him, and supported him with bread and water all the time.
24
And all the children of Yisrael were yet in the land of Mitzrayim serving the Egyptians in all manner of hard work, and the hand of Mitzrayim continued in severity over the children of Yisrael in those days.
25
At that time Yahuah smote Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim, and he afflicted with the plague of leprosy from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head; owing to the cruel treatment of the children of Yisrael was this plague at that time from Yahuah upon Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim.
26
For Yahuah had hearkened to the prayer of his people the children of Yisrael, and their cry reached him on account of their hard work.
27
Still his anger did not turn from them, and the hand of Pharaoh was still stretched out against the children of Yisrael, and Pharaoh hardened his neck before Yahuah, and he increased his yoke over the children of Yisrael, and embittered their lives with all manner of hard work.
28
And when Yahuah had inflicted the plague upon Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim, he asked his wise men and sorcerers to cure him.
29
And his wise men and sorcerers said unto him, That if the blood of little children were put into the wounds he would be healed.
30
And Pharaoh hearkened to them, and sent his ministers to Goshen to the children of Yisrael to take their little children.
31
And Pharaoh's ministers went and took the infants of the children of Yisrael from the bosoms of their mothers by force, and they brought them to Pharaoh daily, a child each day, and the physicians killed them and applied them to the plague; thus did they all the days.
32
And the number of the children which Pharaoh slew was three hundred and seventy-five.
33
But Yahuah hearkened not to the physicians of the king of Mitzrayim, and the plague went on increasing mightily.
34
And Pharaoh was ten years afflicted with that plague, still the heart of Pharaoh was more hardened against the children of Yisrael.
35
And at the end of ten years Yahuah continued to afflict Pharaoh with destructive plagues.
36
And Yahuah smote him with a bad tumor and sickness at the stomach, and that plague turned to a severe boil.
37
At that time the two ministers of Pharaoh came from the land of Goshen where all the children of Yisrael were, and went to the house of Pharaoh and said to him, We have seen the children of Yisrael slacken in their work and negligent in their labor.
38
And when Pharaoh heard the words of his ministers, his anger was kindled against the children of Yisrael exceedingly, for he was greatly grieved at his bodily pain.
39
And he answered and said, Now that the children of Yisrael know that I am ill, they turn and scoff at us, now therefore harness my chariot for me, and I will betake myself to Goshen and will see the scoff of the children of Yisrael with which they are deriding me; so his servants harnessed the chariot for him.
40
And they took and made him ride upon a horse, for he was not able to ride of himself;
41
And he took with him ten horsemen and ten footmen, and went to the children of Yisrael to Goshen.
42
And when they had come to the border of Mitzrayim, the king's horse passed into a narrow place, elevated in the hollow part of the vineyard, fenced on both sides, the low, plain country being on the other side.
43
And the horses ran rapidly in that place and pressed each other, and the other horses pressed the king's horse.
44
And the king's horse fell into the low plain whilst the king was riding upon it, and when he fell the chariot turned over the king's face and the horse lay upon the king, and the king cried out, for his flesh was very sore.
45
And the flesh of the king was torn from him, and his bones were broken and he could not ride, for this thing was from Yahuah to him, for Yahuah had heard the cries of his people the children of Yisrael and their affliction.
46
And his servants carried him upon their shoulders, a little at a time, and they brought him back to Mitzrayim, and the horsemen who were with him came also back to Mitzrayim.
47
And they placed him in his bed, and the king knew that his end was come to die, so Aparanith the queen his wife came and cried before the king, and the king wept a great weeping with her.
48
And all his nobles and servants came on that day and saw the king in that affliction, and wept a great weeping with him.
49
And the princes of the king and all his counselors advised the king to cause one to reign in his stead in the land, whomsoever he should choose from his sons.
50
And the king had three sons and two daughters which Aparanith the queen his wife had borne to him, besides the king's children of concubines.
51
And these were their names, the firstborn Othri, the second Adikam, and the third Morion, and their sisters, the name of the elder Bathia and of the other Acuzi.
52
And Othri the first born of the king was an idiot, precipitate and hurried in his words.
53
But Adikam was a cunning and wise man and knowing in all the wisdom of Mitzrayim, but of unseemly aspect, thick in flesh, and very short in stature; his height was one cubit.
54
And when the king saw Adikam his son intelligent and wise in all things, the king resolved that he should be king in his stead after his death.
55
And he took for him a wife Gedudah daughter of Abilot, and he was ten years old, and she bare unto him four sons.
56
And he afterward went and took three wives and begat eight sons and three daughters.
57
And the disorder greatly prevailed over the king, and his flesh stank like the flesh of a carcass cast upon the field in summer time, during the heat of the sun.
58
And when the king saw that his sickness had greatly strengthened itself over him, he ordered his son Adikam to be brought to him, and they made him king over the land in his place.
59
And at the end of three years, the king died, in shame, disgrace, and disgust, and his servants carried him and buried him in the sepulcher of the kings of Mitzrayim in Zoan Mizraim.
60
But they embalmed him not as was usual with kings, for his flesh was putrid, and they could not approach to embalm him on account of the stench, so they buried him in haste.
61
For this evil was from Yahuah to him, for Yahuah had requited him evil for the evil which in his days he had done to Yisrael.
62
And he died with terror and with shame, and his son Adikam reigned in his place.
Chapter 77 Adikam Pharaoh Afflicts Yisrael more than ever. Moshe is Released by Reuel, and Marries his Daughter Tzipporah. Moshe obtains possession of the Stick Jehovah
1
Adikam was twenty years old when he reigned over Mitzrayim, he reigned four years.
2
In the two hundred and sixth year of Yisrael's going down to Mitzrayim did Adikam reign over Mitzrayim, but he continued not so long in his reign over Mitzrayim as his fathers had continued their reigns.
3
For Melol his father reigned ninety-four years in Mitzrayim, but he was ten years sick and died, for he had been wicked before Yahuah.
4
And all the Egyptians called the name of Adikam Pharaoh like the name of his fathers, as was their custom to do in Mitzrayim.
5
And all the wise men of Pharaoh called the name of Adikam Ahuz, for short is called Ahuz in the Egyptian language.
6
And Adikam was exceedingly ugly, and he was a cubit and a span and he had a great beard which reached to the soles of his feet.
7
And Pharaoh sat upon his father's throne to reign over Mitzrayim, and he conducted the government of Mitzrayim in his wisdom.
8
And whilst he reigned he exceeded his father and all the preceding kings in wickedness, and he increased his yoke over the children of Yisrael.
9
And he went with his servants to Goshen to the children of Yisrael, and he strengthened the labor over them and he said unto them, Complete your work, each day's task, and let not your hands slacken from our work from this day forward as you did in the days of my father.
10
And he placed officers over them from amongst the children of Yisrael, and over these officers he placed taskmasters from amongst his servants.
11
And he placed over them a measure of bricks for them to do according to that number, day by day, and he turned back and went to Mitzrayim.
12
At that time the task-masters of Pharaoh ordered the officers of the children of Yisrael according to the command of Pharaoh, saying,
13
Thus says Pharaoh, Do your work each day, and finish your task, and observe the daily measure of bricks; diminish not anything.
14
And it shall come to pass that if you are deficient in your daily bricks, I will put your young children in their stead.
15
And the task-masters of Mitzrayim did so in those days as Pharaoh had ordered them.
16
And whenever any deficiency was found in the children of Yisrael's measure of their daily bricks, the task-masters of Pharaoh would go to the wives of the children of Yisrael and take infants of the children of Yisrael to the number of bricks deficient, they would take them by force from their mother's laps, and put them in the building instead of the bricks;
17
Whilst their fathers and mothers were crying over them and weeping when they heard the weeping voices of their infants in the wall of the building.
18
And the task-masters prevailed over Yisrael, that the Israelites should place their children in the building, so that a man placed his son in the wall and put mortar over him, whilst his eyes wept over him, and his tears ran down upon his child.
19
And the task-masters of Mitzrayim did so to the babes of Yisrael for many days, and no one pitied or had compassion over the babes of the children of Yisrael.
20
And the number of all the children killed in the building was two hundred and seventy, some whom they had built upon instead of the bricks which had been left deficient by their fathers, and some whom they had drawn out dead from the building.
21
And the labor imposed upon the children of Yisrael in the days of Adikam exceeded in hardship that which they performed in the days of his father.
22
And the children of Yisrael sighed every day on account of their heavy work, for they had said to themselves, Behold when Pharaoh shall die, his son will rise up and lighten our work!
23
But they increased the latter work more than the former, and the children of Yisrael sighed at this and their cry ascended to Elohim on account of their labor.
24
And Elohim heard the voice of the children of Yisrael and their cry, in those days, and Elohim remembered to them his Beriyt which he had made with Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov.
25
And Elohim saw the burden of the children of Yisrael, and their heavy work in those days, and he determined to deliver them.
26
And Moshe the son of Amram was still confined in the dungeon in those days, in the house of Reuel the Midianite, and Tzipporah the daughter of Reuel did support him with food secretly day by day.
27
And Moshe was confined in the dungeon in the house of Reuel for ten years.
28
And at the end of ten years which was the first year of the reign of Pharaoh over Mitzrayim, in the place of his father,
29
Tzipporah said to her father Reuel, No person inquires or seeks after the Hebrew man, whom thou didst bind in prison now ten years.
30
Now therefore, if it seem good in thy sight, let us send and see whether he is living or dead, but her father knew not that she had supported him.
31
And Reuel her father answered and said to her, Has ever such a thing happened that a man should be shut up in a prison without food for ten years, and that he should live?
32
And Tzipporah answered her father, saying, Surely thou hast heard that the Elohim of the Hebrews is great and awful, and does wonders for them at all times.
33
He it was who delivered Avraham from Ur of the Chaldeans, and Yitzchak from the sword of his father, and Ya'akov from the angel of Yahuah who wrestled with him at the ford of Jabbuk.
34
Also with this man has he done many things, he delivered him from the river in Mitzrayim and from the sword of Pharaoh, and from the children of Kush, so also can he deliver him from famine and make him live.
35
And the thing seemed good in the sight of Reuel, and he did according to the word of his daughter, and sent to the dungeon to ascertain what became of Moshe.
36
And he saw, and behold the man Moshe was living in the dungeon, standing upon his feet, praising and praying to the Elohim of his ancestors.
37
And Reuel commanded Moshe to be brought out of the dungeon, so they shaved him and he changed his prison garments and ate bread.
38
And afterward Moshe went into the garden of Reuel which was behind the house, and he there prayed to Yahuah his Elohim, who had done mighty wonders for him.
39
And it was that whilst he prayed he looked opposite to him, and behold a sapphire stick was placed in the ground, which was planted in the midst of the garden.
40
And he approached the stick and he looked, and behold the name of Yahuah Elohim of hosts was engraved thereon, written and developed upon the stick.
41
And he read it and stretched forth his hand and he plucked it like a forest tree from the thicket, and the stick was in his hand.
42
And this is the stick with which all the works of our Elohim were performed, after he had created heaven and earth, and all the host of them, seas, rivers and all their fishes.
43
And when Elohim had driven Adam from the garden of Eden, he took the stick in his hand and went and tilled the ground from which he was taken.
44
And the stick came down to Noach and was given to Shem and his descendants, until it came into the hand of Avraham the Hebrew.
45
And when Avraham had given all he had to his son Yitzchak, he also gave to him this stick.
46
And when Ya'akov had fled to Padan-aram, he took it into his hand, and when he returned to his father he had not left it behind him.
47
Also when he went down to Mitzrayim he took it into his hand and gave it to Yosef, one portion above his brethren, for Ya'akov had taken it by force from his brother Esav.
48
And after the death of Yosef, the nobles of Mitzrayim came into the house of Yosef, and the stick came into the hand of Reuel the Midianite, and when he went out of Mitzrayim, he took it in his hand and planted it in his garden.
49
And all the mighty men of the Kinites tried to pluck it when they endeavored to get Tzipporah his daughter, but they were unsuccessful.
50
So that stick remained planted in the garden of Reuel, until he came who had a right to it and took it.
51
And when Reuel saw the stick in the hand of Moshe, he wondered at it, and he gave him his daughter Tzipporah for a wife.
Chapter 78 Moshe has Two Sons. Pharaoh withholds Straw from the Israelites
1
At that time died Baal Channan son of Achbor, king of Edom, and was buried in his house in the land of Edom.
2
And after his death the children of Esav sent to the land of Edom, and took from there a man who was in Edom, whose name was Hadad, and they made him king over them in the place of Baal Channan, their king.
3
And Hadad reigned over the children of Edom forty-eight years.
4
And when he reigned he resolved to fight against the children of Moab, to bring them under the power of the children of Esav as they were before, but he was not able, because the children of Moab heard this thing, and they rose up and hastened to elect a king over them from amongst their brethren.
5
And they afterward gathered together a great people, and sent to the children of Ammon their brethren for help to fight against Hadad king of Edom.
6
And Hadad heard the thing which the children of Moab had done, and was greatly afraid of them, and refrained from fighting against them.
7
In those days Moshe, the son of Amram, in Midian, took Tzipporah, the daughter of Reuel the Midianite, for a wife.
8
And Tzipporah walked in the ways of the daughters of Ya'akov, she was nothing short of the righteousness of Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah.
9
And Tzipporah conceived and bare a son and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I was a stranger in a foreign land; but he circumcised not his foreskin, at the command of Reuel his father-in-Torah.
10
And she conceived again and bare a son, but circumcised his foreskin, and called his name Eliezer, for Moshe said, Because the Elohim of my fathers was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.
11
And Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim greatly increased the labor of the children of Yisrael in those days, and continued to make his yoke heavier upon the children of Yisrael.
12
And he ordered a proclamation to be made in Mitzrayim, saying, Give no more straw to the people to make bricks with, let them go and gather themselves straw as they can find it.
13
Also the tale of bricks which they shall make let them give each day, and diminish nothing from them, for they are idle in their work.
14
And the children of Yisrael heard this, and they mourned and sighed, and they cried unto Yahuah on account of the bitterness of their nefashot.
15
And Yahuah heard the cries of the children of Yisrael, and saw the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them.
16
And Yahuah was jealous of his people and his inheritance, and heard their voice, and he resolved to take them out of the affliction of Mitzrayim, to give them the land of Kena’an for a possession.
Chapter 79 Yahuah appears to Moshe and commands him to go down to Mitzrayim to Deliver Yisrael. Aharon meets him. Yisrael on hearing of his Mission greatly rejoices. Moshe and Aharon go to Pharaoh, who calls all the Magicians to meet Moshe. They Perform Miracles as well as Moshe, and thus Deceive the King. Pharaoh, not finding the Name of Yahuah on any of the Books of Records, says he does not know who He is, and will not let his People go. Moshe and Aharon teach Pharaoh, but he will not hearken, but causes the labor of the Children of Yisrael to be increased. Moshe being discouraged is told by Yahuah that with an outstretched hand and heavy Plagues, Yisrael shall be Delivered
1
And in those days Moshe was feeding the flock of Reuel the Midianite his father-in-Torah, beyond the wilderness of Sin, and the stick which he took from his father-in-Torah was in his hand.
2
And it came to pass one day that a kid of goats strayed from the flock, and Moshe pursued it and it came to the mountain of Elohim to Horeb.
3
And when he came to Horeb, Yahuah appeared there unto him in the bush, and he found the bush burning with fire, but the fire had no power over the bush to consume it.
4
And Moshe was greatly astonished at this sight, wherefore the bush was not consumed, and he approached to see this mighty thing, and Yahuah called unto Moshe out of the fire and commanded him to go down to Mitzrayim, to Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim, to send the children of Yisrael from his service.
5
And Yahuah said unto Moshe, Go, return to Mitzrayim, for all those men who sought thy life are dead, and thou shalt speak unto Pharaoh to send forth the children of Yisrael from his land.
6
And Yahuah showed him to do signs and wonders in Mitzrayim before the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes of his subjects, in order that they might believe that Yahuah had sent him.
7
And Moshe hearkened to all that Yahuah had commanded him, and he returned to his father-in-Torah and told him the thing, and Reuel said to him, Go in peace.
8
And Moshe rose up to go to Mitzrayim, and he took his wife and sons with him, and he was at an inn in the road, and an angel of Elohim came down, and sought an occasion against him.
9
And he wished to kill him on account of his first born son, because he had not circumcised him, and had transgressed the Beriyt which Yahuah had made with Avraham.
10
For Moshe had hearkened to the words of his father-in-Torah which he had spoken to him, not to circumcise his first born son, therefore he circumcised him not.
11
And Tzipporah saw the angel of Yahuah seeking an occasion against Moshe, and she knew that this thing was owing to his not having circumcised her son Gershom.
12
And Tzipporah hastened and took of the sharp rock stones that were there, and she circumcised her son, and delivered her husband and her son from the hand of the angel of Yahuah.
13
And Aharon the son of Amram, the brother of Moshe, was in Mitzrayim walking at the river side on that day.
14
And Yahuah appeared to him in that place, and he said to him, Go now toward Moshe in the wilderness, and he went and met him in the mountain of Elohim, and he kissed him.
15
And Aharon lifted up his eyes, and saw Tzipporah the wife of Moshe and her children, and he said unto Moshe, Who are these unto thee?
16
And Moshe said unto him, They are my wife and sons, which Elohim gave to me in Midian; and the thing grieved Aharon on account of the woman and her children.
17
And Aharon said to Moshe, Send away the woman and her children that they may go to her father's house, and Moshe hearkened to the words of Aharon, and did so.
18
And Tzipporah returned with her children, and they went to the house of Reuel, and remained there until the time arrived when Yahuah had visited his people, and brought them forth from Mitzrayim from the hand at Pharaoh.
19
And Moshe and Aharon came to Mitzrayim to the community of the children of Yisrael, and they spoke to them all the words of Yahuah, and the people rejoiced an exceeding great rejoicing.
20
And Moshe and Aharon rose up early on the next day, and they went to the house of Pharaoh, and they took in their hands the stick of Elohim.
21
And when they came to the king's gate, two young lions were confined there with iron instruments, and no person went out or came in from before them, unless those whom the king ordered to come, when the conjurors came and withdrew the lions by their incantations, and this brought them to the king.
22
And Moshe hastened and lifted up the stick upon the lions, and he loosed them, and Moshe and Aharon came into the king's house.
23
The lions also came with them in joy, and they followed them and rejoiced as a dog rejoices over his master when he comes from the field.
24
And when Pharaoh saw this thing he was astonished at it, and he was greatly terrified at the report, for their appearance was like the appearance of the children of Elohim.
25
And Pharaoh said to Moshe, What do you require? and they answered him, saying, Yahuah Elohim of the Hebrews has sent us to thee, to say, Send forth my people that they may serve me.
26
And when Pharaoh heard their words he was greatly terrified before them, and he said to them, Go today and come back to me tomorrow, and they did according to the word of the king.
27
And when they had gone Pharaoh sent for Bilam the magician and to Jannes and Jambres his sons, and to all the magicians and conjurors and counsellors which belonged to the king, and they all came and sat before the king.
28
And the king told them all the words which Moshe and his brother Aharon had spoken to him, and the magicians said to the king, But how came the men to thee, on account of the lions which were confined at the gate?
29
And the king said, Because they lifted up their rod against the lions and loosed them, and came to me, and the lions also rejoiced at them as a dog rejoices to meet his master.
30
And Bilam the son of Beor the magician answered the king, saying, These are none else than magicians like ourselves.
31
Now therefore send for them, and let them come and we will try them, and the king did so.
32
And in the morning Pharaoh sent for Moshe and Aharon to come before the king, and they took the rod of Elohim, and came to the king and spoke to him, saying,
33
Thus said Yahuah Elohim of the Hebrews, Send my people that they may serve me.
34
And the king said to them, But who will believe you that you are the messengers of Elohim and that you come to me by his order?
35
Now therefore give a wonder or sign in this matter, and then the words which you speak will be believed.
36
And Aharon hastened and threw the rod out of his hand before Pharaoh and before his servants, and the rod turned into a serpent.
37
And the sorcerers saw this and they cast each man his rod upon the ground and they became serpents.
38
And the serpent of Aharon's rod lifted up its head and opened its mouth to swallow the rods of the magicians.
39
And Bilam the magician answered and said, This thing has been from the days of old, that a serpent should swallow its fellow, and that living things devour each other.
40
Now therefore restore it to a rod as it was at first, and we will also restore our rods as they were at first, and if thy rod shall swallow our rods, then shall we know that the spirit of Elohim is in thee, and if not, thou art only an artificer like unto ourselves.
41
And Aharon hastened and stretched forth his hand and caught hold of the serpent's tail and it became a rod in his hand, and the sorcerers did the like with their rods, and they got hold, each man of the tail of his serpent, and they became rods as at first.
42
And when they were restored to rods, the rod of Aharon swallowed up their rods.
43
And when the king saw this thing, he ordered the book of records that related to the kings of Mitzrayim, to be brought, and they brought the book of records, the chronicles of the kings of Mitzrayim, in which all the idols of Mitzrayim were inscribed, for they thought of finding therein the name of Jehovah, but they found it not.
44
And Pharaoh said to Moshe and Aharon, Behold I have not found the name of your Elohim written in this book, and his name I know not.
45
And the counsellors and wise men answered the king, We have heard that the Elohim of the Hebrews is a son of the wise, the son of ancient kings.
46
And Pharaoh turned to Moshe and Aharon and said to them, I know not Yahuah whom you have declared, neither will I send his people.
47
And they answered and said to the king, Yahuah Elohim of Gods is his name, and he proclaimed his name over us from the days of our ancestors, and sent us, saying, Go to Pharaoh and say unto him, Send my people that they may serve me.
48
Now therefore send us, that we may take a journey for three days in the wilderness, and there may sacrifice to him, for from the days of our going down to Mitzrayim, he has not taken from our hands either burnt offering, oblation or sacrifice, and if thou wilt not send us, his anger will be kindled against thee, and he will smite Mitzrayim either with the plague or with the sword.
49
And Pharaoh said to them, Tell me now his power and his might; and they said to him, He created the heaven and the earth, the seas and all their fishes, he formed the light, created the darkness, caused rain upon the earth and watered it, and made the herbage and grass to sprout, he created man and beast and the animals of the forest, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, and by his mouth they live and die.
50
Surely he created thee in thy mother's womb, and put into thee the breath of life, and reared thee and placed thee upon the royal throne of Mitzrayim, and he will take thy breath and nefesh from thee, and return thee to the ground whence thou wast taken.
51
And the anger of the king was kindled at their words, and he said to them, But who amongst all the Gods of nations can do this? my river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
52
And he drove them from him, and he ordered the labor upon Yisrael to be more severe than it was yesterday and before.
53
And Moshe and Aharon went out from the king's presence, and they saw the children of Yisrael in an evil condition for the task-masters had made their labor exceedingly heavy.
54
And Moshe returned to Yahuah and said, Why hast thou ill treated thy people? for since I came to speak to Pharaoh what thou didst send me for, he has exceedingly ill used the children of Yisrael.
55
And Yahuah said to Moshe, Behold thou wilt see that with an outstretched hand and heavy plagues, Pharaoh will send the children of Yisrael from his land.
56
And Moshe and Aharon dwelt amongst their brethren the children of Yisrael in Mitzrayim.
57
And as for the children of Yisrael the Egyptians embittered their lives, with the heavy work which they imposed upon them.
Chapter 80 After Two Years, Moshe and Aharon again go to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh will not Hearken. Yahuah afflicts Mitzrayim with all manner of Plagues and Afflictions. The First-born of all the Egyptians is Slain. Pharaoh sends the Children of Yisrael away, and all the Egyptians rise up to urge their Departure, but they will not go in the Night
1
And at the end of two years, Yahuah again sent Moshe to Pharaoh to bring forth the children of Yisrael, and to send them out of the land of Mitzrayim.
2
And Moshe went and came to the house of Pharaoh, and he spoke to him the words of Yahuah who had sent him, but Pharaoh would not hearken to the voice of Yahuah, and Elohim roused his might in Mitzrayim upon Pharaoh and his subjects, and Elohim smote Pharaoh and his people with very great and sore plagues.
3
And Yahuah sent by the hand of Aharon and turned all the waters of Mitzrayim into blood, with all their streams and rivers.
4
And when an Egyptian came to drink and draw water, he looked into his pitcher, and behold all the water was turned into blood; and when he came to drink from his cup the water in the cup became blood.
5
And when a woman kneaded her dough and cooked her victuals, their appearance was turned to that of blood.
6
And Yahuah sent again and caused all their waters to bring forth frogs, and all the frogs came into the houses of the Egyptians.
7
And when the Egyptians drank, their bellies were filled with frogs and they danced in their bellies as they dance when in the river.
8
And all their drinking water and cooking water turned to frogs, also when they lay in their beds their perspiration bred frogs.
9
Notwithstanding all this the anger of Yahuah did not turn from them, and his hand was stretched out against all the Egyptians to smite them with every heavy plague.
10
And he sent and smote their dust to lice, and the lice became in Mitzrayim to the height of two cubits upon the earth.
11
The lice were also very numerous, in the flesh of man and beast, in all the inhabitants of Mitzrayim, also upon the king and queen Yahuah sent the lice, and it grieved Mitzrayim exceedingly on account of the lice.
12
Notwithstanding this, the anger of Yahuah did not turn away, and his hand was still stretched out over Mitzrayim.
13
And Yahuah sent all kinds of beasts of the field into Mitzrayim, and they came and destroyed all Mitzrayim, man and beast, and trees, and all things that were in Mitzrayim.
14
And Yahuah sent fiery serpents, scorpions, mice, weasels, toads, together with others creeping in dust.
15
Flies, hornets, fleas, bugs and gnats, each swarm according to its kind.
16
And all reptiles and winged animals according to their kind came to Mitzrayim and grieved the Egyptians exceedingly.
17
And the fleas and flies came into the eyes and ears of the Egyptians.
18
And the hornet came upon them and drove them away, and they removed from it into their inner rooms, and it pursued them.
19
And when the Egyptians hid themselves on account of the swarm of animals, they locked their doors after them, and Elohim ordered the Sulanuth which was in the sea, to come up and go into Mitzrayim.
20
And she had long arms, ten cubits in length of the cubit of a man.
21
And she went upon the roofs and uncovered the raftering and flooring and cut them, and stretched forth her arm into the house and removed the lock and the bolt, and opened the houses of Mitzrayim.
22
Afterward came the swarm of animals into the houses of Mitzrayim, and the swarm of animals destroyed the Egyptians, and it grieved them exceedingly.
23
Notwithstanding this the anger of Yahuah did not turn away from the Egyptians, and his hand was yet stretched forth against them.
24
And Elohim sent the pestilence, and the pestilence pervaded Mitzrayim, in the horses and asses, and in the camels, in herds of oxen and sheep and in man.
25
And when the Egyptians rose up early in the morning to take their cattle to pasture they found all their cattle dead.
26
And there remained of the cattle of the Egyptians only one in ten, and of the cattle belonging to Yisrael in Goshen not one died.
27
And Elohim sent a burning inflammation in the flesh of the Egyptians, which burst their skins, and it became a severe itch in all the Egyptians from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads.
28
And many boils were in their flesh, that their flesh wasted away until they became rotten and putrid.
29
Notwithstanding this the anger of Yahuah did not turn away, and his hand was still stretched out over all Mitzrayim.
30
And Yahuah sent a very heavy hail, which smote their vines and broke their fruit trees and dried them up that they fell upon them.
31
Also every green herb became dry and perished, for a mingling fire descended amidst the hail, therefore the hail and the fire consumed all things.
32
Also men and beasts that were found abroad perished of the flames of fire and of the hail, and all the young lions were exhausted.
33
And Yahuah sent and brought numerous locusts into Mitzrayim, the Chasel, Salom, Chargol, and Chagole, locusts each of its kind, which devoured all that the hail had left remaining.
34
Then the Egyptians rejoiced at the locusts, although they consumed the produce of the field, and they caught them in abundance and salted them for food.
35
And Yahuah turned a mighty wind of the sea which took away all the locusts, even those that were salted, and thrust them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the boundaries of Mitzrayim.
36
And Elohim sent darkness upon Mitzrayim, that the whole land of Mitzrayim and Pathros became dark for three days, so that a man could not see his hand when he lifted it to his mouth.
37
At that time died many of the people of Yisrael who had rebelled against Yahuah and who would not hearken to Moshe and Aharon, and believed not in them that Elohim had sent them.
38
And who had said, We will not go forth from Mitzrayim lest we perish with hunger in a desolate wilderness, and who would not hearken to the voice of Moshe.
39
And Yahuah plagued them in the three days of darkness, and the Israelites buried them in those days, without the Egyptians knowing of them or rejoicing over them.
40
And the darkness was very great in Mitzrayim for three days, and any person who was standing when the darkness came, remained standing in his place, and he that was sitting remained sitting, and he that was lying continued lying in the same state, and he that was walking remained sitting upon the ground in the same spot; and this thing happened to all the Egyptians, until the darkness had passed away.
41
And the days of darkness passed away, and Yahuah sent Moshe and Aharon to the children of Yisrael, saying, Celebrate your feast and make your Passover, for behold I come in the midst of the night amongst all the Egyptians, and I will smite all their first born, from the first born of a man to the first born of a beast, and when I see your Passover, I will pass over you.
42
And the children of Yisrael did according to all that Yahuah had commanded Moshe and Aharon, thus did they in that night.
43
And it came to pass in the middle of the night, that Yahuah went forth in the midst of Mitzrayim, and smote all the first born of the Egyptians, from the first born of man to the first born of beast.
44
And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry throughout Mitzrayim in that night, for there was not a house in which there was not a corpse.
45
Also the likenesses of the first born of Mitzrayim, which were carved in the walls at their houses, were destroyed and fell to the ground.
46
Even the bones of their first born who had died before this and whom they had buried in their houses, were raked up by the dogs of Mitzrayim on that night and dragged before the Egyptians and cast before them.
47
And all the Egyptians saw this evil which had suddenly come upon them, and all the Egyptians cried out with a loud voice.
48
And all the families of Mitzrayim wept upon that night, each man for his son and each man for his daughter, being the first born, and the tumult of Mitzrayim was heard at a distance on that night.
49
And Bathia the daughter of Pharaoh went forth with the king on that night to seek Moshe and Aharon in their houses, and they found them in their houses, eating and drinking and rejoicing with all Yisrael.
50
And Bathia said to Moshe, Is this the reward for the good which I have done to thee, who have reared thee and stretched thee out, and thou hast brought this evil upon me and my father's house?
51
And Moshe said to her, Surely ten plagues did Yahuah bring upon Mitzrayim; did any evil accrue to thee from any of them? did one of them affect thee? and she said, No.
52
And Moshe said to her, Although thou art the first born to thy mother, thou shalt not die, and no evil shall reach thee in the midst of Mitzrayim.
53
And she said, What advantage is it to me, when I see the king, my brother, and all his household and subjects in this evil, whose first born perish with all the first born of Mitzrayim?
54
And Moshe said to her, Surely thy brother and his household, and subjects, the families of Mitzrayim, would not hearken to the words of Yahuah, therefore did this evil come upon them.
55
And Pharaoh king of Mitzrayim approached Moshe and Aharon, and some of the children of Yisrael who were with them in that place, and he prayed to them, saying,
56
Rise up and take your brethren, all the children of Yisrael who are in the land, with their sheep and oxen, and all belonging to them, they shall leave nothing remaining, only pray for me to Yahuah your Elohim.
57
And Moshe said to Pharaoh, Behold though thou art thy mother's first born, yet fear not, for thou wilt not die, for Yahuah has commanded that thou shalt live, in order to show thee his great might and strong stretched out arm.
58
And Pharaoh ordered the children of Yisrael to be sent away, and all the Egyptians strengthened themselves to send them, for they said, We are all perishing.
59
And all the Egyptians sent the Israelites forth, with great riches, sheep and oxen and precious things, according to the oath of Yahuah between him and our Father Avraham.
60
And the children of Yisrael delayed going forth at night, and when the Egyptians came to them to bring them out, they said to them, Are we thieves, that we should go forth at night?
61
And the children of Yisrael asked of the Egyptians, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and the children of Yisrael stripped the Egyptians.
62
And Moshe hastened and rose up and went to the river of Mitzrayim, and brought up from thence the coffin of Yosef and took it with him.
63
The children of Yisrael also brought up, each man his father's coffin with him, and each man the coffins of his tribe.
Chapter 81 The Departure of the Israelites from Mitzrayim with Great Riches and Flocks and Herds. After the Egyptians bury their First-born, many of them go after the Israelites to induce them to return. But they refuse to return, and fight the Nobles of Mitzrayim and drive them home. Pharaoh resolves with the Egyptians to pursue Yisrael and compel them to Return. The Children of Yisrael are divided--some wanting to go back. Moshe prays for deliverance. Yahuah tells him not to cry to him, but proceed. The waters of the Red Sea are Divided. The Israelites pass Through in Safety, but the Egyptians are utterly Destroyed. The Israelites proceed on their Journey, and are fed with Manna. The Children of Esav fight Yisrael, but the Latter Prevail
1
And the children of Yisrael journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides the little ones and their wives.
2
Also a mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and herds, even much cattle.
3
And the sojourning of the children of Yisrael, who dwelt in the land of Mitzrayim in hard labor, was two hundred and ten years.
4
And at the end of two hundred and ten years, Yahuah brought forth the children of Yisrael from Mitzrayim with a strong hand.
5
And the children of Yisrael traveled from Mitzrayim and from Goshen and from Rameses, and encamped in Succoth on the fifteenth day of the first month.
6
And the Egyptians buried all their first born whom Yahuah had smitten, and all the Egyptians buried their slain for three days.
7
And the children of Yisrael traveled from Succoth and encamped in Ethom, at the end of the wilderness.
8
And on the third day after the Egyptians had buried their first born, many men rose up from Mitzrayim and went after Yisrael to make them return to Mitzrayim, for they repented that they had sent the Israelites away from their servitude.
9
And one man said to his neighbor, Surely Moshe and Aharon spoke to Pharaoh, saying, We will go a three days' journey in the wilderness and sacrifice to Yahuah our Elohim.
10
Now therefore let us rise up early in the morning and cause them to return, and it shall be that if they return with us to Mitzrayim to their masters, then shall we know that there is faith in them, but if they will not return, then will we fight with them, and make them come back with great power and a strong hand.
11
And all the nobles of Pharaoh rose up in the morning, and with them about seven hundred thousand men, and they went forth from Mitzrayim on that day, and came to the place where the children of Yisrael were.
12
And all the Egyptians saw and behold Moshe and Aharon and all the children of Yisrael were sitting before Pi-hahiroth, eating and drinking and celebrating the feast of Yahuah.
13
And all the Egyptians said to the children of Yisrael, Surely you said, We will go a journey for three days in the wilderness and sacrifice to our Elohim and return.
14
Now therefore this day makes five days since you went, why do you not return to your masters?
15
And Moshe and Aharon answered them, saying, Because Yahuah our Elohim has testified in us, saying, You shall no more return to Mitzrayim, but we will betake ourselves to a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahuah our Elohim had sworn to our ancestors to give to us.
16
And when the nobles of Mitzrayim saw that the children of Yisrael did not hearken to them, to return to Mitzrayim, they girded themselves to fight with Yisrael.
17
And Yahuah strengthened the hearts of the children of Yisrael over the Egyptians, that they gave them a severe beating, and the battle was sore upon the Egyptians, and all the Egyptians fled from before the children of Yisrael, for many of them perished by the hand of Yisrael.
18
And the nobles of Pharaoh went to Mitzrayim and told Pharaoh, saying, The children of Yisrael have fled, and will no more return to Mitzrayim, and in this manner did Moshe and Aharon speak to us.
19
And Pharaoh heard this thing, and his heart and the hearts of all his subjects were turned against Yisrael, and they repented that they had sent Yisrael; and all the Egyptians advised Pharaoh to pursue the children of Yisrael to make them come back to their burdens.
20
And they said each man to his brother, What is this which we have done, that we have sent Yisrael from our servitude?
21
And Yahuah strengthened the hearts of all the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites, for Yahuah desired to overthrow the Egyptians in the Red Sea.
22
And Pharaoh rose up and harnessed his chariot, and he ordered all the Egyptians to assemble, not one man was left excepting the little ones and the women.
23
And all the Egyptians went forth with Pharaoh to pursue the children of Yisrael, and the camp of Mitzrayim was an exceedingly large and heavy camp, about ten hundred thousand men.
24
And the whole of this camp went and pursued the children of Yisrael to bring them back to Mitzrayim, and they reached them encamping by the Red Sea.
25
And the children of Yisrael lifted up their eyes, and beheld all the Egyptians pursuing them, and the children of Yisrael were greatly terrified at them, and the children of Yisrael cried to Yahuah.
26
And on account of the Egyptians, the children of Yisrael divided themselves into four divisions, and they were divided in their opinions, for they were afraid of the Egyptians, and Moshe spoke to each of them.
27
The first division was of the children of Reuven, Shimon, and Yissachar, and they resolved to cast themselves into the sea, for they were exceedingly afraid of the Egyptians.
28
And Moshe said to them, Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of Yahuah which He will effect this day for you.
29
The second division was of the children of Zevulun, Binyamin and Naftali, and they resolved to go back to Mitzrayim with the Egyptians.
30
And Moshe said to them, Fear not, for as you have seen the Egyptians this day, so shall you see them no more for ever.
31
The third division was of the children of Yahudah and Yosef, and they resolved to go to meet the Egyptians to fight with them.
32
And Moshe said to them, Stand in your places, for Yahuah will fight for you, and you shall remain silent.
33
And the fourth division was of the children of Levi, Gad, and Asher, and they resolved to go into the midst of the Egyptians to confound them, and Moshe said to them, Remain in your stations and fear not, only call unto Yahuah that he may save you out of their hands.
34
After this Moshe rose up from amidst the people, and he prayed to Yahuah and said,
35
O Yahuah Elohim of the whole earth, save now thy people whom thou didst bring forth from Mitzrayim, and let not the Egyptians boast that power and might are theirs.
36
So Yahuah said to Moshe, Why dost thou cry unto me? speak to the children of Yisrael that they shall proceed, and do thou stretch out thy rod upon the sea and divide it, and the children of Yisrael shall pass through it.
37
And Moshe did so, and he lifted up his rod upon the sea and divided it.
38
And the waters of the sea were divided into twelve parts, and the children of Yisrael passed through on foot, with shoes, as a man would pass through a prepared road.
39
And Yahuah manifested to the children of Yisrael his wonders in Mitzrayim and in the sea by the hand of Moshe and Aharon.
40
And when the children of Yisrael had entered the sea, the Egyptians came after them, and the waters of the sea resumed upon them, and they all sank in the water, and not one man was left excepting Pharaoh, who gave thanks to Yahuah and believed in him, therefore Yahuah did not cause him to perish at that time with the Egyptians.
41
And Yahuah ordered an angel to take him from amongst the Egyptians, who cast him upon the land of Ninevah and he reigned over it for a long time.
42
And on that day Yahuah saved Yisrael from the hand of Mitzrayim, and all the children of Yisrael saw that the Egyptians had perished, and they beheld the great hand of Yahuah, in what he had performed in Mitzrayim and in the sea.
43
Then sang Moshe and the children of Yisrael this song unto Yahuah, on the day when Yahuah caused the Egyptians to fall before them.
44
And all Yisrael sang in concert, saying, I will sing to Yahuah for He is greatly exalted, the horse and his rider has he cast into the sea; behold it is written in the book of the Torah of Elohim.
45
After this the children of Yisrael proceeded on their journey, and encamped in Marah, and Yahuah gave to the children of Yisrael statutes and judgments in that place in Marah, and Yahuah commanded the children of Yisrael to walk in all his ways and to serve him.
46
And they journeyed from Marah and came to Elim, and in Elim were twelve springs of water and seventy date trees, and the children encamped there by the waters.
47
And they journeyed from Elim and came to the wilderness of Sin, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from Mitzrayim.
48
At that time Yahuah gave the manna to the children of Yisrael to eat, and Yahuah caused food to rain from heaven for the children of Yisrael day by day.
49
And the children of Yisrael ate the manna for forty years, all the days that they were in the wilderness, until they came to the land of Kena’an to possess it.
50
And they proceeded from the wilderness of Sin and encamped in Alush.
51
And they proceeded from Alush and encamped in Rephidim.
52
And when the children of Yisrael were in Rephidim, Amalek the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esav, the brother of Zepho, came to fight with Yisrael.
53
And he brought with him eight hundred and one thousand men, magicians and conjurers, and he prepared for battle with Yisrael in Rephidim.
54
And they carried on a great and severe battle against Yisrael, and Yahuah delivered Amalek and his people into the hands of Moshe and the children of Yisrael, and into the hand of Yehoshua, the son of Nun, the Ephrathite, the servant of Moshe.
55
And the children of Yisrael smote Amalek and his people at the edge of the sword, but the battle was very sore upon the children of Yisrael.
56
And Yahuah said to Moshe, Write this thing as a memorial for thee in a book, and place it in the hand of Yehoshua, the son of Nun, thy servant, and thou shalt command the children of Yisrael, saying, When thou shalt come to the land of Kena’an, thou shalt utterly efface the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
57
And Moshe did so, and he took the book and wrote upon it these words, saying,
58
Remember what Amalek has done to thee in the road when thou wentest forth from Mitzrayim.
59
Who met thee in the road and smote thy rear, even those that were feeble behind thee when thou wast faint and weary.
60
Therefore it shall be when Yahuah thy Elohim shall have given thee rest from all thine enemies round about in the land which Yahuah thy Elohim giveth thee for an inheritance, to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, thou shalt not forget it.
61
And the king who shall have pity on Amalek, or upon his memory or upon his seed, behold I will require it of him, and I will cut him off from amongst his people.
62
And Moshe wrote all these things in a book, and he enjoined the children of Yisrael respecting all these matters.
Chapter 82 The Ten Commandments are Given. While Moshe is in the Mount, Aharon makes a Golden Calf, and Yisrael Worships it. Civil War. Yahuah has a Sanctuary Built for His Worship in the Wilderness
1
And the children of Yisrael proceeded from Rephidim and they encamped in the wilderness of Sinai, in the third month from their going forth from Mitzrayim.
2
At that time came Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-Torah of Moshe, with Tzipporah his daughter and her two sons, for he had heard of the wonders of Yahuah which he had done to Yisrael, that he had delivered them from the hand of Mitzrayim.
3
And Reuel came to Moshe to the wilderness where he was encamped, where was the mountain of Elohim.
4
And Moshe went forth to meet his father-in-Torah with great honor, and all Yisrael was with him.
5
And Reuel and his children remained amongst the Israelites for many days, and Reuel knew Yahuah from that day forward.
6
And in the third month from the children of Yisrael's departure from Mitzrayim, on the sixth day thereof, Yahuah gave to Yisrael the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.
7
And all Yisrael heard all these commandments, and all Yisrael rejoiced exceedingly in Yahuah on that day.
8
And the glory of Yahuah rested upon Mount Sinai, and he called to Moshe, and Moshe came in the midst of a cloud and ascended the mountain.
9
And Moshe was upon the mount forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water, and Yahuah instructed him in the statutes and judgments in order to teach the children of Yisrael.
10
And Yahuah wrote the ten commandments which he had commanded the children of Yisrael upon two tablets of stone, which he gave to Moshe to command the children of Yisrael.
11
And at the end of forty days and forty nights, when Yahuah had finished speaking to Moshe on Mount Sinai, then Yahuah gave to Moshe the tablets of stone, written with the finger of Elohim.
12
And when the children of Yisrael saw that Moshe tarried to come down from the mount, they gathered round Aharon, and said, As for this man Moshe we know not what has become of him.
13
Now therefore rise up, make unto us a god who shall go before us, so that thou shalt not die.
14
And Aharon was greatly afraid of the people, and he ordered them to bring him gold and he made it into a molten calf for the people.
15
And Yahuah said to Moshe, before he had come down from the mount, Get thee down, for thy people whom thou didst bring forth from Mitzrayim have corrupted themselves.
16
They have made to themselves a molten calf, and have bowed down to it, now therefore leave me, that I may consume them from off the earth, for they are a stiffnecked people.
17
And Moshe besought the countenance of Yahuah, and he prayed to Yahuah for the people on account of the calf which they had made, and he afterward descended from the mount and in his hands were the two tablets of stone, which Elohim had given him to command the Israelites.
18
And when Moshe approached the camp and saw the calf which the people had made, the anger of Moshe was kindled and he broke the tablets under the mount.
19
And Moshe came to the camp and he took the calf and burned it with fire, and ground it till it became fine dust, and strewed it upon the water and gave it to the Israelites to drink.
20
And there died of the people by the swords of each other about three thousand men who had made the calf.
21
And on the morrow Moshe said to the people, I will go up to Yahuah, peradventure I may make atonement for your sins which you have sinned to Yahuah.
22
And Moshe again went up to Yahuah, and he remained with Yahuah forty days and forty nights.
23
And during the forty days did Moshe entreat Yahuah in behalf of the children of Yisrael, and Yahuah hearkened to the prayer of Moshe, and Yahuah was entreated of him in behalf of Yisrael.
24
Then spake Yahuah to Moshe to hew two stone tablets and to bring them up to Yahuah, who would write upon them the ten commandments.
25
Now Moshe did so, and he came down and hewed the two tablets and went up to Mount Sinai to Yahuah, and Yahuah wrote the ten commandments upon the tablets.
26
And Moshe remained yet with Yahuah forty days and forty nights, and Yahuah instructed him in statutes and judgments to impart to Yisrael.
27
And Yahuah commanded him respecting the children of Yisrael that they should make a sanctuary for Yahuah, that his name might rest therein, and Yahuah showed him the likeness of the sanctuary and the likeness of all its vessels.
28
And at the end of the forty days, Moshe came down from the mount and the two tablets were in his hand.
29
And Moshe came to the children of Yisrael and spoke to them all the words of Yahuah, and he taught them Torah, statutes and judgments which Yahuah had taught him.
30
And Moshe told the children of Yisrael the word of Yahuah, that a sanctuary should be made for him, to dwell amongst the children of Yisrael.
31
And the people rejoiced greatly at all the good which Yahuah had spoken to them, through Moshe, and they said, We will do all that Yahuah has spoken to thee.
32
And the people rose up like one man and they made generous offerings to the sanctuary of Yahuah, and each man brought the offering of Yahuah for the work of the sanctuary, and for all its service.
33
And all the children of Yisrael brought each man of all that was found in his possession for the work of the sanctuary of Yahuah, gold, silver and brass, and every thing that was serviceable for the sanctuary.
34
And all the wise men who were practiced in work came and made the sanctuary of Yahuah, according to all that Yahuah had commanded, every man in the work in which he had been practiced; and all the wise men in heart made the sanctuary, and its furniture and all the vessels for the holy service, as Yahuah had commanded Moshe.
35
And the work of the sanctuary of the tabernacle was completed at the end of five months, and the children of Yisrael did all that Yahuah had commanded Moshe.
36
And they brought the sanctuary and all its furniture to Moshe; like unto the representation which Yahuah had shown to Moshe, so did the children of Yisrael.
37
And Moshe saw the work, and behold they did it as Yahuah had commanded him, so Moshe blessed them.
Chapter 83 Aharon and his Sons are Placed in charge of Yahuah's Service. The Sacrifices and Offerings. The Passover is Celebrated. The People lust for Flesh to eat. Their punishment. Moshe sends Twelve Men to explore the Land of Kena’an. Ten of them bring an Evil Report, and the People want to Return to Mitzrayim. For their Lack of Faith that Generation shall not Live to obtain their Possessions
1
And in the twelfth month, in the twenty-third day of the month, Moshe took Aharon and his sons, and he dressed them in their garments, and anointed them and did unto them as Yahuah had commanded him, and Moshe brought up all the offerings which Yahuah had on that day commanded him.
2
Moshe afterward took Aharon and his sons and said to them, For seven days shall you remain at the door of the tabernacle, for thus am I commanded.
3
And Aharon and his sons did all that Yahuah had commanded them through Moshe, and they remained for seven days at the door of the tabernacle.
4
And on the eighth day, being the first day of the first month, in the second year from the Israelites' departure from Mitzrayim, Moshe erected the sanctuary, and Moshe put up all the furniture of the tabernacle and all the furniture of the sanctuary, and he did all that Yahuah had commanded him.
5
And Moshe called to Aharon and his sons, and they brought the burnt offering and the sin offering for themselves and the children of Yisrael, as Yahuah had commanded Moshe.
6
On that day the two sons of Aharon, Nadab and Abihu, took strange fire and brought it before Yahuah who had not commanded them, and a fire went forth from before Yahuah, and consumed them, and they died before Yahuah on that day.
7
Then on the day when Moshe had completed to erect the sanctuary, the princes of the children of Yisrael began to bring their offerings before Yahuah for the dedication of the mizbeach.
8
And they brought up their offerings each prince for one day, a prince each day for twelve days.
9
And all the offerings which they brought, each man in his day, one silver charger weighing one hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour, mingled with oil for a meat offering.
10
One spoon, weighing ten shekels of gold, full of incense.
11
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt offering.
12
And one kid of the goats for a sin offering.
13
And for a sacrifice of peace offering, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of a year old.
14
Thus did the twelve princes of Yisrael day by day, each man in his day.
15
And it was after this, in the thirteenth day of the month, that Moshe commanded the children of Yisrael to observe the Passover.
16
And the children of Yisrael kept the Passover in its season in the fourteenth day of the month, as Yahuah had commanded Moshe, so did the children of Yisrael.
17
And in the second month, on the first day thereof, Yahuah spoke unto Moshe, saying,
18
Number the heads of all the males of the children of Yisrael from twenty years old and upward, thou and thy brother Aharon and the twelve princes of Yisrael.
19
And Moshe did so, and Aharon came with the twelve princes of Yisrael, and they numbered the children of Yisrael in the wilderness of Sinai.
20
And the numbers of the children of Yisrael by the houses of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.
21
But the children of Levi were not numbered amongst their brethren the children of Yisrael.
22
And the number of all the males of the children of Yisrael from one month old and upward, was twenty-two thousand, two hundred and seventy-three.
23
And the number of the children of Levi from one month old and above, was twenty-two thousand.
24
And Moshe placed the priests and the Levites each man to his service and to his burden to serve the sanctuary of the tabernacle, as Yahuah had commanded Moshe.
25
And on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was taken away from the tabernacle of testimony.
26
At that time the children of Yisrael continued their journey from the wilderness of Sinai, and they took a journey of three days, and the cloud rested upon the wilderness of Paran; there the anger of Yahuah was kindled against Yisrael, for they had provoked Yahuah in asking him for meat, that they might eat.
27
And Yahuah hearkened to their voice, and gave them meat which they ate for one month.
28
But after this the anger of Yahuah was kindled against them, and he smote them with a great slaughter, and they were buried there in that place.
29
And the children of Yisrael called that place Kebroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted flesh.
30
And they departed from Kebroth Hattaavah and pitched in Hazeroth, which is in the wilderness of Paran.
31
And whilst the children of Yisrael were in Hazeroth, the anger of Yahuah was kindled against Miriam on account of Moshe, and she became leprous, white as snow.
32
And she was confined without the camp for seven days, until she had been received again after her leprosy.
33
The children of Yisrael afterward departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the end of the wilderness of Paran.
34
At that time, Yahuah spoke to Moshe to send twelve men from the children of Yisrael, one man to a tribe, to go and explore the land of Kena’an.
35
And Moshe sent the twelve men, and they came to the land of Kena’an to search and examine it, and they explored the whole land from the wilderness of Sin to Rechob as thou comest to Chamoth.
36
And at the end of forty days they came to Moshe and Aharon, and they brought him word as it was in their hearts, and ten of the men brought up an evil report to the children of Yisrael, of the land which they had explored, saying, It is better for us to return to Mitzrayim than to go to this land, a land that consumes its inhabitants.
37
But Yehoshua the son of Nun, and Kalev the son of Jephuneh, who were of those that explored the land, said, The land is exceedingly good.
38
If Yahuah delight in us, then he will bring us to this land and give it to us, for it is a land flowing with milk and honey.
39
But the children of Yisrael would not hearken to them, and they hearkened to the words of the ten men who had brought up an evil report of the land.
40
And Yahuah heard the murmurings of the children of Yisrael and he was angry and swore, saying,
41
Surely not one man of this wicked generation shall see the land from twenty years old and upward excepting Kalev the son of Jephuneh and Yehoshua the son of Nun.
42
But surely this wicked generation shall perish in this wilderness, and their children shall come to the land and they shall possess it; so the anger of Yahuah was kindled against Yisrael, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the end of that wicked generation, because they did not follow Yahuah.
43
And the people dwelt in the wilderness of Paran a long time, and they afterward proceeded to the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
Chapter 84 The Earth Swallows up the Rebellious. The Children of Yisrael commanded not to War with the Children of Esav, or Moab. The Edomites will not let Yisrael pass through their Land
1
At that time Korah the son of Jetzer the son of Kehath the son of Levi, took many men of the children of Yisrael, and they rose up and quarreled with Moshe and Aharon and the whole congregation.
2
And Yahuah was angry with them, and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, with their houses and all belonging to them, and all the men belonging to Korah.
3
And after this Elohim made the people go round by the way of Mount Seir for a long time.
4
At that time Yahuah said unto Moshe, Provoke not a war against the children of Esav, for I will not give to you of any thing belonging to them, as much as the sole of the foot could tread upon, for I have given Mount Seir for an inheritance to Esav.
5
Therefore did the children of Esav fight against the children of Seir in former times, and Yahuah had delivered the children of Seir into the hands of the children of Esav, and destroyed them from before them, and the children of Esav dwelt in their stead unto this day.
6
Therefore Yahuah said to the children of Yisrael, Fight not against the children of Esav your brethren, for nothing in their land belongs to you, but you may buy food of them for money and eat it, and you may buy water of them for money and drink it.
7
And the children of Yisrael did according to the word of Yahuah.
8
And the children of Yisrael went about the wilderness, going round by the way of Mount Sinai for a long time, and touched not the children of Esav, and they continued in that district for nineteen years.
9
At that time died Latinus king of the children of Chittim, in the forty-fifth year of his reign, which is the fourteenth year of the children of Yisrael's departure from Mitzrayim.
10
And they buried him in his place which he had built for himself in the land of Chittim, and Abimnas reigned in his place for thirty-eight years.
11
And the children of Yisrael passed the boundary of the children of Esav in those days, at the end of nineteen years, and they came and passed the road of the wilderness of Moab.
12
And Yahuah said to Moshe, besiege not Moab, and do not fight against them, for I will give you nothing of their land.
13
And the children of Yisrael passed the road of the wilderness of Moab for nineteen years, and they did not fight against them.
14
And in the thirty-sixth year of the children of Yisrael's departing from Mitzrayim Yahuah smote the heart of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and he waged war, and went forth to fight against the children of Moab.
15
And Sihon sent messengers to Beor the son of Janeas, the son of Bilam, counsellor to the king of Mitzrayim, and to Bilam his son, to curse Moab, in order that it might be delivered into the hand of Sihon.
16
And the messengers went and brought Beor the son of Janeas, and Bilam his son, from Pethor in Mesopotamia, so Beor and Bilam his son came to the city of Sihon and they cursed Moab and their king in the presence of Sihon king of the Amorites.
17
So Sihon went out with his whole army, and he went to Moab and fought against them, and he subdued them, and Yahuah delivered them into his hands, and Sihon slew the king of Moab.
18
And Sihon took all the cities of Moab in the battle; he also took Heshbon from them, for Heshbon was one of the cities of Moab, and Sihon placed his princes and his nobles in Heshbon, and Heshbon belonged to Sihon in those days.
19
Therefore the parable speakers Beor and Bilam his son uttered these words, saying, Come unto Heshbon, the city of Sihon will be built and established.
20
Woe unto thee Moab! thou art lost, O people of Kemosh! behold it is written upon the book of the Torah of Elohim.
21
And when Sihon had conquered Moab, he placed guards in the cities which he had taken from Moab, and a considerable number of the children of Moab fell in battle into the hand of Sihon, and he made a great capture of them, sons and daughters, and he slew their king; so Sihon turned back to his own land.
22
And Sihon gave numerous presents of silver and gold to Beor and Bilam his son, and he dismissed them, and they went to Mesopotamia to their home and country.
23
At that time all the children of Yisrael passed from the road of the wilderness of Moab, and returned and surrounded the wilderness of Edom.
24
So the whole congregation came to the wilderness of Sin in the first month of the fortieth year from their departure from Mitzrayim, and the children of Yisrael dwelt there in Kadesh, of the wilderness of Sin, and Miriam died there and she was buried there.
25
At that time Moshe sent messengers to Hadad king of Edom, saying, Thus says thy brother Yisrael, Let me pass I pray thee through thy land, we will not pass through field or vineyard, we will not drink the water of the well; we will walk in the king's road.
26
And Edom said to him, Thou shalt not pass through my country, and Edom went forth to meet the children of Yisrael with a mighty people.
27
And the children of Esav refused to let the children of Yisrael pass through their land, so the Israelites removed from them and fought not against them.
28
For before this Yahuah had commanded the children of Yisrael, saying, You shall not fight against the children of Esav, therefore the Israelites removed from them and did not fight against them.
29
So the children of Yisrael departed from Kadesh, and all the people came to Mount Hor.
30
At that time Yahuah said to Moshe, Tell thy brother Aharon that he shall die there, for he shall not come to the land which I have given to the children of Yisrael.
31
And Aharon went up, at the command of Yahuah, to Mount Hor, in the fortieth year, in the fifth month, in the first day of the month.
32
And Aharon was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died in Mount Hor
Chapter 85 Some of the Canaanites rise up to fight Yisrael, who are frightened and run away. But the Sons of Levi compel them to Return. They prevail over their Enemies. They must not touch Ammon. Og, King of Bashan. Bilam is called upon to curse Yisrael, but will not. Yisrael commits Whoredom with the Moabites, and they are Smitten with Pestilence
1
And king Arad the Canaanite, who dwelt in the south, heard that the Israelites had come by the way of the spies, and he arranged his forces to fight against the Israelites.
2
And the children of Yisrael were greatly afraid of him, for he had a great and heavy army, so the children of Yisrael resolved to return to Mitzrayim.
3
And the children of Yisrael turned back about the distance of three days' journey unto Maserath Beni Jaakon, for they were greatly afraid on account of the king Arad.
4
And the children of Yisrael would not get back to their places, so they remained in Beni Jaakon for thirty days.
5
And when the children of Levi saw that the children of Yisrael would not turn back, they were jealous for the sake of Yahuah, and they rose up and fought against the Israelites their brethren, and slew of them a great body, and forced them to turn back to their place, Mount Hor.
6
And when they returned, king Arad was still arranging his host for battle against the Israelites.
7
And Yisrael vowed a vow, saying, If thou wilt deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.
8
And Yahuah hearkened to the voice of Yisrael, and he delivered the Canaanites into their hand, and he utterly destroyed them and their cities, and he called the name of the place Hormah.
9
And the children of Yisrael journeyed from Mount Hor and pitched in Oboth, and they journeyed from Oboth and they pitched at Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab.
10
And the children of Yisrael sent to Moab, saying, Let us pass now through thy land into our place, but the children of Moab would not suffer the children of Yisrael to pass through their land, for the children of Moab were greatly afraid lest the children of Yisrael should do unto them as Sihon king of the Amorites had done to them, who had taken their land and had slain many of them.
11
Therefore Moab would not suffer the Israelites to pass through his land, and Yahuah commanded the children of Yisrael, saying, That they should not fight against Moab, so the Israelites removed from Moab.
12
And the children of Yisrael journeyed from the border of Moab, and they came to the other side of Arnon, the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites, and they pitched in the border of Sihon, king of the Amorites, in the wilderness of Kedemoth.
13
And the children of Yisrael sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,
14
Let us pass through thy land, we will not turn into the fields or into the vineyards, we will go along by the king's highway until we shall have passed thy border, but Sihon would not suffer the Israelites to pass.
15
So Sihon collected all the people of the Amorites and went forth into the wilderness to meet the children of Yisrael, and he fought against Yisrael in Jahaz.
16
And Yahuah delivered Sihon king of the Amorites into the hand of the children of Yisrael, and Yisrael smote all the people of Sihon with the edge of the sword and avenged the cause of Moab.
17
And the children of Yisrael took possession of the land of Sihon from Aram unto Jabuk, unto the children of Ammon, and they took all the spoil of the cities.
18
And Yisrael took all these cities, and Yisrael dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites.
19
And all the children of Yisrael resolved to fight against the children of Ammon, to take their land also.
20
So Yahuah said to the children of Yisrael, Do not besiege the children of Ammon, neither stir up battle against them, for I will give nothing to you of their land, and the children of Yisrael hearkened to the word of Yahuah, and did not fight against the children of Ammon.
21
And the children of Yisrael turned and went up by the way of Bashan to the land of Og, king of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out to meet the Israelites in battle, and he had with him many valiant men, and a very strong force from the people of the Amorites.
22
And Og king of Bashan was a very powerful man, but Naaron his son was exceedingly powerful, even stronger than he was.
23
And Og said in his heart, Behold now the camp of Yisrael takes up a space of three parsa, now will I smite them at once without sword or spear.
24
And Og went up Mount Jahaz, and took therefrom one large stone, the length of which was three parsa, and he placed it on his head, and resolved to throw it upon the camp of the children of Yisrael, to smite all the Israelites with that stone.
25
And the angel of Yahuah came and pierced the stone upon the head of Og, and the stone fell upon the neck of Og that Og fell to the earth on account of the weight of the stone upon his neck.
26
At that time Yahuah said to the children of Yisrael, Be not afraid of him, for I have given him and all his people and all his land into your hand, and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon.
27
And Moshe went down to him with a small number of the children of Yisrael, and Moshe smote Og with a stick at the ankles of his feet and slew him.
28
The children of Yisrael afterward pursued the children of Og and all his people, and they beat and destroyed them till there was no remnant left of them.
29
Moshe afterward sent some of the children of Yisrael to spy out Jaazer, for Jaazer was a very famous city.
30
And the spies went to Jaazer and explored it, and the spies trusted in Yahuah, and they fought against the men of Jaazer.
31
And these men took Jaazer and its villages, and Yahuah delivered them into their hand, and they drove out the Amorites who had been there.
32
And the children of Yisrael took the land of the two kings of the Amorites, sixty cities which were on the other side of Jordan, from the brook of Arnon unto Mount Herman.
33
And the children of Yisrael journeyed and came into the plain of Moab which is on this side of Jordan, by Jericho.
34
And the children of Moab heard all the evil which the children of Yisrael had done to the two kings of the Amorites, to Sihon and Og, so all the men of Moab were greatly afraid of the Israelites.
35
And the elders of Moab said, Behold the two kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og, who were more powerful than all the kings of the earth, could not stand against the children of Yisrael, how then can we stand before them?
36
Surely they sent us a message before now to pass through our land on their way, and we would not suffer them, now they will turn upon us with their heavy swords and destroy us; and Moab was distressed on account of the children of Yisrael, and they were greatly afraid of them, and they counselled together what was to be done to the children of Yisrael.
37
And the elders of Moab resolved and took one of their men, Balak the son of Zippor the Moabite, and made him king over them at that time, and Balak was a very wise man.
38
And the elders of Moab rose up and sent to the children of Midian to make peace with them, for a great battle and enmity had been in those days between Moab and Midian, from the days of Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, unto these days.
39
And the children of Moab sent to the children of Midian, and they made peace with them, and the elders of Midian came to the land of Moab to make peace in behalf of the children of Midian.
40
And the elders of Moab counselled with the elders of Midian what to do in order to save their lives from Yisrael.
41
And all the children of Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now therefore the children of Yisrael lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field, for thus did they do to the two kings of the Amorites who are stronger than we are.
42
And the elders of Midian said to Moab, We have heard that at the time when Sihon king of the Amorites fought against you, when he prevailed over you and took your land, he had sent to Beor the son of Janeas and to Bilam his son from Mesopotamia, and they came and cursed you; therefore did the hand of Sihon prevail over you, that he took your land.
43
Now therefore send you also to Bilam his son, for he still remains in his land, and give him his hire, that he may come and curse all the people of whom you are afraid; so the elders of Moab heard this thing, and it pleased them to send to Bilam the son of Beor.
44
So Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab sent messengers to Bilam, saying,
45
Behold there is a people come out from Mitzrayim, behold they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.
46
Now therefore come and curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me, peradventure I shall prevail to fight against them, and drive them out, for I heard that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and whom thou cursest is cursed.
47
So the messengers of Balak went to Bilam and brought Bilam to curse the people to fight against Moab.
48
And Bilam came to Balak to curse Yisrael, and Yahuah said to Bilam, Curse not this people for it is blessed.
49
And Balak urged Bilam day by day to curse Yisrael, but Bilam hearkened not to Balak on account of the word of Yahuah which he had spoken to Bilam.
50
And when Balak saw that Bilam would not accede to his wish, he rose up and went home, and Bilam also returned to his land and he went from there to Midian.
51
And the children of Yisrael journeyed from the plain of Moab, and pitched by Jordan from Beth-jesimoth even unto Hevel-shittim, at the end of the plains of Moab.
52
And when the children of Yisrael abode in the plain of Shittim, they began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
53
And the children of Yisrael approached Moab, and the children of Moab pitched their tents opposite to the camp of the children of Yisrael.
54
And the children of Moab were afraid of the children of Yisrael, and the children of Moab took all their daughters and their wives of beautiful aspect and comely appearance, and dressed them in gold and silver and costly garments.
55
And the children of Moab seated those women at the door of their tents, in order that the children of Yisrael might see them and turn to them, and not fight against Moab.
56
And all the children of Moab did this thing to the children of Yisrael, and every man placed his wife and daughter at the door of his tent, and all the children of Yisrael saw the act of the children of Moab, and the children of Yisrael turned to the daughters of Moab and coveted them, and they went to them.
57
And it came to pass that when a Hebrew came to the door of the tent of Moab, and saw a daughter of Moab and desired her in his heart, and spoke with her at the door of the tent that which he desired, whilst they were speaking together the men of the tent would come out and speak to the Hebrew like unto these words:
58
Surely you know that we are brethren, we are all the descendants of Lot and the descendants of Avraham his brother, wherefore then will you not remain with us, and wherefore will you not eat our bread and our sacrifice?
59
And when the children of Moab had thus overwhelmed him with their speeches, and enticed him by their flattering words, they seated him in the tent and cooked and sacrificed for him, and he ate of their sacrifice and of their bread.
60
They then gave him wine and he drank and became intoxicated, and they placed before him a beautiful damsel, and he did with her as he liked, for he knew not what he was doing, as he had drunk plentifully of wine.
61
Thus did the children of Moab to Yisrael in that place, in the plain of Shittim, and the anger of Yahuah was kindled against Yisrael on account of this matter, and he sent a pestilence amongst them, and there died of the Israelites twenty-four thousand men.
62
Now there was a man of the children of Shimon whose name was Zimri, the son of Salu, who connected himself with the Midianite Cosbi, the daughter of Zur, king of Midian, in the sight of all the children of Yisrael.
63
And Phineas the son of Elazer, the son of Aharon the priest, saw this wicked thing which Zimri had done, and he took a spear and rose up and went after them, and pierced them both and slew them, and the pestilence ceased from the children of Yisrael.
Chapter 86 All over twenty years of age at the time of Leaving Mitzrayim die at the Expiration of Forty Years. Yisrael is Numbered. The Midianites are destroyed, and their Spoil is Divided among the People
1
At that time after the pestilence, Yahuah said to Moshe, and to Elazer the son of Aharon the priest, saying,
2
Number the heads of the whole community of the children of Yisrael, from twenty years old and upward, all that went forth in the army.
3
And Moshe and Elazer numbered the children of Yisrael after their families, and the number of all Yisrael was seven hundred thousand, seven hundred and thirty.
4
And the number of the children of Levi, from one month old and upward, was twenty-three thousand, and amongst these there was not a man of those numbered by Moshe and Aharon in the wilderness of Sinai.
5
For Yahuah had told them that they would die in the wilderness, so they all died, and not one had been left of them excepting Kalev the son of Jephuneh, and Yehoshua the son of Nun.
6
And it was after this that Yahuah said to Moshe, Say unto the children of Yisrael to avenge upon Midian the cause of their brethren the children of Yisrael.
7
And Moshe did so, and the children of Yisrael chose from amongst them twelve thousand men, being one thousand to a tribe, and they went to Midian.
8
And the children of Yisrael warred against Midian, and they slew every male, also the five princes of Midian, and Bilam the son of Beor did they slay with the sword.
9
And the children of Yisrael took the wives of Midian captive, with their little ones and their cattle, and all belonging to them.
10
And they took all the spoil and all the prey, and they brought it to Moshe and to Elazer to the plains of Moab.
11
And Moshe and Elazer and all the princes of the congregation went forth to meet them with joy.
12
And they divided all the spoil of Midian, and the children of Yisrael had been revenged upon Midian for the cause of their brethren the children of Yisrael.
Chapter 87 Moshe appoints Yehoshua his successor. Yahuah encourages Yehoshua. Moshe teaches the children of Yisrael to Walk in the Way of Yahuah. He goes up to Mount Abarim and dies there
1
At that time Yahuah said to Moshe, Behold thy days are approaching to an end, take now Yehoshua the son of Nun thy servant and place him in the tabernacle, and I will command him, and Moshe did so.
2
And Yahuah appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tabernacle.
3
And Yahuah commanded Yehoshua the son of Nun and said unto him, Be strong and courageous, for thou shalt bring the children of Yisrael to the land which I swore to give them, and I will be with thee.
4
And Moshe said to Yehoshua, Be strong and courageous, for thou wilt make the children of Yisrael inherit the land, and Yahuah will be with thee, he will not leave thee nor forsake thee, be not afraid nor disheartened.
5
And Moshe called to all the children of Yisrael and said to them, You have seen all the good which Yahuah your Elohim has done for you in the wilderness.
6
Now therefore observe all the words of this Torah, and walk in the way of Yahuah your Elohim, turn not from the way which Yahuah has commanded you, either to the right or to тера (to the left).
7
And Moshe taught the children of Yisrael statutes and judgments and Torah to do in the land as Yahuah had commanded him.
8
And he taught them the way of Yahuah and his Torah; behold they are written upon the book of the Torah of Elohim which he gave to the children of Yisrael by the hand of Moshe.
9
And Moshe finished commanding the children of Yisrael, and Yahuah said to him, saying, Go up to the Mount Abarim and die there, and be gathered unto thy people as Aharon thy brother was gathered.
10
And Moshe went up as Yahuah had commanded him, and he died there in the land of Moab by the order of Yahuah, in the fortieth year from the Israelites going forth from the land of Mitzrayim.
11
And the children of Yisrael wept for Moshe in the plains of Moab for thirty days, and the days of weeping and mourning for Moshe were completed.
Chapter 88 Yahuah commands Yehoshua to prepare the People to pass over Jordan to possess the Land. Jericho is Besieged, Taken, and Destroyed. Achan brings evil upon the camp by Purloining the cursed thing, and Brings Destruction upon Himself. All is taken and Destroyed. The Gibeonites cunningly save themselves. Five Kings rise up against Yisrael and are destroyed. The Sun and Moon stand still at Yehoshua's Command
1
And it was after the death of Moshe that Yahuah said to Yehoshua the son of Nun, saying,
2
Rise up and pass the Jordan to the land which I have given to the children of Yisrael, and thou shalt make the children of Yisrael inherit the land.
3
Every place upon which the sole of your feet shall tread shall belong to you, from the wilderness of Lebanon unto the great river the river of Perath shall be your boundary.
4
No man shall stand up against thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moshe, so will I be with thee, only be strong and of good courage to observe all the Torah which Moshe commanded thee, turn not from the way either to the right or to the left, in order that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest.
5
And Yehoshua commanded the officers of Yisrael, saying, Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, Prepare for yourselves provisions, for in three days more you will pass the Jordan to possess the land.
6
And the officers of the children of Yisrael did so, and they commanded the people and they did all that Yehoshua had commanded.
7
And Yehoshua sent two men to spy out the land of Jericho, and the men went and spied out Jericho.
8
And at the end of seven days they came to Yehoshua in the camp and said to him, Yahuah has delivered the whole land into our hand, and the inhabitants thereof are melted with fear because of us.
9
And it came to pass after that, that Yehoshua rose up in the morning and all Yisrael with him, and they journeyed from Shittim, and Yehoshua and all Yisrael with him passed the Jordan; and Yehoshua was eighty-two years old when he passed the Jordan with Yisrael.
10
And the people went up from Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped in Gilgal at the eastern corner of Jericho.
11
And the children of Yisrael kept the Passover in Gilgal, in the plains of Jericho, on the fourteenth day at the month, as it is written in the Torah of Moshe.
12
And the manna ceased at that time on the morrow of the Passover, and there was no more manna for the children of Yisrael, and they ate of the produce of the land of Kena’an.
13
And Jericho was entirely closed against the children of Yisrael, no one came out or went in.
14
And it was in the second month, on the first day of the month, that Yahuah said to Yehoshua, Rise up, behold I have given Jericho into thy hand with all the people thereof; and all your fighting men shall go round the city, once each day, thus shall you do for six days.
15
And the priests shall blow upon trumpets, and when you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall give a great shouting, that the walls of the city shall fall down; all the people shall go up every man against his opponent.
16
And Yehoshua did so according to all that Yahuah had commanded him.
17
And on the seventh day they went round the city seven times, and the priests blew upon trumpets.
18
And at the seventh round, Yehoshua said to the people, Shout, for Yahuah has delivered the whole city into our hands.
19
Only the city and all that it contains shall be accursed to Yahuah, and keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make the camp of Yisrael accursed and trouble it.
20
But all the silver and gold and brass and iron shall be consecrated to Yahuah, they shall come into the treasury of Yahuah.
21
And the people blew upon trumpets and made a great shouting, and the walls of Jericho fell down, and all the people went up, every man straight before him, and they took the city and utterly destroyed all that was in it, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.
22
And they burned the whole city with fire; only the vessels of silver and gold, and brass and iron, they put into the treasury of Yahuah.
23
And Yehoshua swore at that time, saying, Cursed be the man who builds Jericho; he shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates thereof.
24
And Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, son of Yahudah, dealt treacherously in the accursed thing, and he took of the accursed thing and hid it in the tent, and the anger of Yahuah was kindled against Yisrael.
25
And it was after this when the children of Yisrael had returned from burning Jericho, Yehoshua sent men to spy out also Ai, and to fight against it.
26
And the men went up and spied out Ai, and they returned and said, Let not all the people go up with thee to Ai, only let about three thousand men go up and smite the city, for the men thereof are but few.
27
And Yehoshua did so, and there went up with him of the children of Yisrael about three thousand men, and they fought against the men of Ai.
28
And the battle was severe against Yisrael, and the men of Ai smote thirty-six men of Yisrael, and the children of Yisrael fled from before the men of Ai.
29
And when Yehoshua saw this thing, he tore his garments and fell upon his face to the ground before Yahuah, he, with the elders of Yisrael, and they put dust upon their heads.
30
And Yehoshua said, Why O Yahuah didst thou bring this people over the Jordan? what shall I say after the Israelites have turned their backs against their enemies?
31
Now therefore all the Canaanites, inhabitants of the land, will hear this thing, and surround us and cut off our name.
32
And Yahuah said to Yehoshua, Why dost thou fall upon thy face? rise, get thee off, for the Israelites have sinned, and taken of the accursed thing; I will no more be with them unless they destroy the accursed thing from amongst them.
33
And Yehoshua rose up and assembled the people, and brought the Urim by the order of Yahuah, and the tribe of Yahudah was taken, and Achan the son of Carmi was taken.
34
And Yehoshua said to Achan, Tell me my son, what hast thou done, and Achan said, I saw amongst the spoil a goodly garment of Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight; I coveted them and took them, and behold they are all hid in the earth in the midst of the tent.
35
And Yehoshua sent men who went and took them from the tent of Achan, and they brought them to Yehoshua.
36
And Yehoshua took Achan and these utensils, and his sons and daughters and all belonging to him, and they brought them into the valley of Achor.
37
And Yehoshua burned them there with fire, and all the Israelites stoned Achan with stones, and they raised over him a heap of stones, therefore did he call that place the valley of Achor, so Yahuah's anger was appeased, and Yehoshua afterward came to the city and fought against it.
38
And Yahuah said to Yehoshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed, behold I have given into thy hand Ai, her king and her people, and thou shalt do unto them as thou didst to Jericho and her king, only the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof shall you take for a prey for yourselves; lay an ambush for the city behind it.
39
So Yehoshua did according to the word of Yahuah, and he chose from amongst the sons of war thirty thousand valiant men, and he sent them, and they lay in ambush for the city.
40
And he commanded them, saying, When you shall see us we will flee before them with cunning, and they will pursue us, you shall then rise out of the ambush and take the city, and they did so.
41
And Yehoshua fought, and the men of the city went out toward Yisrael, not knowing that they were lying in ambush for them behind the city.
42
And Yehoshua and all the Israelites feigned themselves wearied out before them, and they fled by the way of the wilderness with cunning.
43
And the men of Ai gathered all the people who were in the city to pursue the Israelites, and they went out and were drawn away from the city, not one remained, and they left the city open and pursued the Israelites.
44
And those who were lying in ambush rose up out of their places, and hastened to come to the city and took it and set it on fire, and the men of Ai turned back, and behold the smoke of the city ascended to the skies, and they had no means of retreating either one way or the other.
45
And all the men of Ai were in the midst of Yisrael, some on this side and some on that side, and they smote them so that not one of them remained.
46
And the children of Yisrael took Melosh king of Ai alive, and they brought him to Yehoshua, and Yehoshua hanged him on a tree and he died.
47
And the children of Yisrael returned to the city after having burned it, and they smote all those that were in it with the edge of the sword.
48
And the number of those that had fallen of the men of Ai, both man and woman, was twelve thousand; only the cattle and the spoil of the city they took to themselves, according to the word of Yahuah to Yehoshua.
49
And all the kings on this side Jordan, all the kings of Kena’an, heard of the evil which the children of Yisrael had done to Jericho and to Ai, and they gathered themselves together to fight against Yisrael.
50
Only the inhabitants of Gibeon were greatly afraid of fighting against the Israelites lest they should perish, so they acted cunningly, and they came to Yehoshua and to all Yisrael, and said unto them, We have come from a distant land, now therefore make a Beriyt with us.
51
And the inhabitants of Gibeon over-reached the children of Yisrael, and the children of Yisrael made a Beriyt with them, and they made peace with them, and the princes of the congregation swore unto them, but afterward the children of Yisrael knew that they were neighbors to them and were dwelling amongst them.
52
But the children of Yisrael slew them not; for they had sworn to them by Yahuah, and they became hewers of wood and drawers of water.
53
And Yehoshua said to them, Why did you deceive me, to do this thing to us? and they answered him, saying, Because it was told to thy servants all that you had done to all the kings of the Amorites, and we were greatly afraid of our lives, and we did this thing.
54
And Yehoshua appointed them on that day to hew wood and to draw water, and he divided them for slaves to all the tribes of Yisrael.
55
And when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem heard all that the children of Yisrael had done to Jericho and to Ai, he sent to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king at Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Deber king of Eglon, saying,
56
Come up to me and help me, that we may smite the children of Yisrael and the inhabitants of Gibeon who have made peace with the children of Yisrael.
57
And they gathered themselves together and the five kings of the Amorites went up with all their camps, a mighty people numerous as the sand of the sea.
58
And all these kings came and encamped before Gibeon, and they began to fight against the inhabitants of Gibeon, and all the men of Gibeon sent to Yehoshua, saying, Come up quickly to us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites have gathered together to fight against us.
59
And Yehoshua and all the fighting people went up from Gilgal, and Yehoshua came suddenly to them, and smote these five kings with a great slaughter.
60
And Yahuah confounded them before the children at Yisrael, who smote them with a terrible slaughter in Gibeon, and pursued them along the way that goes up to Beth Horon unto Makkedah, and they fled from before the children of Yisrael.
61
And whilst they were fleeing, Yahuah sent upon them hailstones from heaven, and more of them died by the hailstones, than by the slaughter of the children of Yisrael.
62
And the children of Yisrael pursued them, and they still smote them in the road, going on and smiting them.
63
And when they were smiting, the day was declining toward evening, and Yehoshua said in the sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall have revenged itself upon its enemies.
64
And Yahuah hearkened to the voice of Yehoshua, and the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens, and it stood still six and thirty moments, and the moon also stood still and hastened not to go down a whole day.
65
And there was no day like that, before it or after it, that Yahuah hearkened to the voice of a man, for Yahuah fought for Yisrael.
Chapter 89 Yehoshua's Song of Praise. The Wars of Yisrael
1
Then spoke Yehoshua this song, on the day that Yahuah had given the Amorites into the hand of Yehoshua and the children of Yisrael, and he said in the sight of all Yisrael,
2
Thou hast done mighty things, O Yahuah, thou hast performed great deeds; who is like unto thee? my lips shall sing to thy name.
3
My goodness and my fortress, my high tower, I will sing a new song unto thee, with thanksgiving will I sing to thee, thou art the strength of my salvation.
4
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, the princes of the world shall sing to thee, the children of Yisrael shall rejoice in thy salvation, they shall sing and praise thy power.
5
To thee, O Yahuah, did we confide; we said thou art our Elohim, for thou wast our shelter and strong tower against our enemies.
6
To thee we cried and were not ashamed, in thee we trusted and were delivered; when we cried unto thee, thou didst hear our voice, thou didst deliver our nefashot from the sword, thou didst show unto us thy grace, thou didst give unto us thy salvation, thou didst rejoice our hearts with thy strength.
7
Thou didst go forth for our salvation, with thine arm thou didst redeem thy people; thou didst answer us from the heavens of thy holiness, thou didst save us from ten thousands of people.
8
The sun and moon stood still in heaven, and thou didst stand in thy wrath against our oppressors and didst command thy judgments over them.
9
All the princes of the earth stood up, the kings of the nations had gathered themselves together, they were not moved at thy presence, they desired thy battles.
10
Thou didst rise against them in thine anger, and didst bring down thy wrath upon them; thou didst destroy them in thine anger, and cut them off in thine heart.
11
Nations have been consumed with thy fury, kingdoms have declined because of thy wrath, thou didst wound kings in the day of thine anger.
12
Thou didst pour out thy fury upon them, thy wrathful anger took hold of them; thou didst turn their iniquity upon them, and didst cut them off in their wickedness.
13
They did spread a trap, they fell therein, in the net they hid, their foot was caught.
14
Thine hand was ready for all thine enemies who said, Through their sword they possessed the land, through their arm they dwelt in the city; thou didst fill their faces with shame, thou didst bring their horns down to the ground, thou didst terrify them in thy wrath, and didst destroy them in thine anger.
15
The earth trembled and shook at the sound of thy storm over them, thou didst not withhold their nefashot from death, and didst bring down their lives to the grave.
16
Thou didst pursue them in thy storm, thou didst consume them in thy whirlwind, thou didst turn their rain into hail, they fell in deep pits so that they could not rise.
17
Their carcasses were like rubbish cast out in the middle of the streets.
18
They were consumed and destroyed in thine anger, thou didst save thy people with thy might.
19
Therefore our hearts rejoice in thee, our nefashot exalt in thy salvation.
20
Our tongues shall relate thy might, we will sing and praise thy wondrous works.
21
For thou didst save us from our enemies, thou didst deliver us from those who rose up against us, thou didst destroy them from before us and depress them beneath our feet.
22
Thus shall all thine enemies perish O Yahuah, and the wicked shall be like chaff driven by the wind, and thy beloved shall be like trees planted by the waters.
23
So Yehoshua and all Yisrael with him returned to the camp in Gilgal, after having smitten all the kings, so that not a remnant was left of them.
24
And the five kings fled alone on foot from battle, and hid themselves in a cave, and Yehoshua sought for them in the field of battle, and did not find them.
25
And it was afterward told to Yehoshua, saying, The kings are found and behold they are hidden in a cave.
26
And Yehoshua said, Appoint men to be at the mouth of the cave, to guard them, lest they take themselves away; and the children of Yisrael did so.
27
And Yehoshua called to all Yisrael and said to the officers of battle, Place your feet upon the necks of these kings, and Yehoshua said, So shall Yahuah do to all your enemies.
28
And Yehoshua commanded afterward that they should slay the kings and cast them into the cave, and to put great stones at the mouth of the cave.
29
And Yehoshua went afterward with all the people that were with him on that day to Makkedah, and he smote it with the edge of the sword.
30
And he utterly destroyed the nefashot and all belonging to the city, and he did to the king and people thereof as he had done to Jericho.
31
And he passed from there to Libnah and he fought against it, and Yahuah delivered it into his hand, and Yehoshua smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the nefashot thereof, and he did to it and to the king thereof as he had done to Jericho.
32
And from there he passed on to Lachish to fight against it, and Horam king of Gaza went up to assist the men of Lachish, and Yehoshua smote him and his people until there was none left to him.
33
And Yehoshua took Lachish and all the people thereof, and he did to it as he had done to Libnah.
34
And Yehoshua passed from there to Eglon, and he took that also, and he smote it and all the people thereof with the edge of the sword.
35
And from there he passed to Hebron and fought against it and took it and utterly destroyed it, and he returned from there with all Yisrael to Debir and fought against it and smote it with the edge of the sword.
36
And he destroyed every nefesh in it, he left none remaining, and he did to it and the king thereof as he had done to Jericho.
37
And Yehoshua smote all the kings of the Amorites from Kadesh-barnea to Azah, and he took their country at once, for Yahuah had fought for Yisrael.
38
And Yehoshua with all Yisrael came to the camp to Gilgal.
39
When at that time Jabin king of Chazor heard all that Yehoshua had done to the kings of the Amorites, Jabin sent to Jobat king of Midian, and to Lavan king of Shimron, to Jephal king of Achshaph, and to all the kings of the Amorites, saying,
40
Come quickly to us and help us, that we may smite the children of Yisrael, before they come upon us and do unto us as they have done to the other kings of the Amorites.
41
And all these kings hearkened to the words of Jabin, king of Chazor, and they went forth with all their camps, seventeen kings, and their people were as numerous as the sand on the sea shore, together with horses and chariots innumerable, and they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, and they were met together to fight against Yisrael.
42
And Yahuah said to Yehoshua, Fear them not, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver them up all slain before you, thou shalt hough their horses and burn their chariots with fire.
43
And Yehoshua with all the men of war came suddenly upon them and smote them, and they fell into their hands, for Yahuah had delivered them into the hands of the children of Yisrael.
44
So the children of Yisrael pursued all these kings with their camps, and smote them until there was none left of them, and Yehoshua did to them as Yahuah had spoken to him.
45
And Yehoshua returned at that time to Chazor and smote it with the sword and destroyed every nefesh in it and burned it with fire, and from Chazor, Yehoshua passed to Shimron and smote it and utterly destroyed it.
46
From there he passed to Achshaph and he did to it as he had done to Shimron.
47
From there he passed to Adulam and he smote all the people in it, and he did to Adulam as he had done to Achshaph and to Shimron.
48
And he passed from them to all the cities of the kings which he had smitten, and he smote all the people that were left of them and he utterly destroyed them.
49
Only their booty and cattle the Israelites took to themselves as a prey, but every human being they smote, they suffered not a nefesh to live.
50
As Yahuah had commanded Moshe so did Yehoshua and all Yisrael, they failed not in anything.
51
So Yehoshua and all the children of Yisrael smote the whole land of Kena’an as Yahuah had commanded them, and smote all their kings, being thirty and one kings, and the children of Yisrael took their whole country.
52
Besides the kingdoms of Sihon and Og which are on the other side Jordan, of which Moshe had smitten many cities, and Moshe gave them to the Reubenites and the Gadites and to half the tribe of Menashe.
53
And Yehoshua smote all the kings that were on this side Jordan to the west, and gave them for an inheritance to the nine tribes and to the half tribe of Yisrael.
54
For five years did Yehoshua carry on the war with these kings, and he gave their cities to the Israelites, and the land became tranquil from battle throughout the cities of the Amorites and the Canaanites.
Chapter 90 The Edomites are Smitten by Chittim. The Land is Divided, and the people have Rest. Yehoshua being Advanced in Years Exhorts the people to Observe all the Laws of Moshe, and then Dies
1
And it came to pass in the fifth year after the children of Yisrael had passed over Jordan, after the children of Yisrael had rested from their war with the Canaanites, at that time great and severe battles arose between Edom and the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim fought against Edom.
2
And Abianus king of Chittim went forth in that year, that is in the thirty-first year of his reign, and a great force with him of the mighty men of the children of Chittim, and he went to Seir to fight against the children of Esav.
3
And Hadad the king of Edom heard of his report, and he went forth to meet him with a heavy people and strong force, and engaged in battle with him in the field of Edom.
4
And the hand of Chittim prevailed over the children of Esav, and the children of Chittim slew of the children of Esav, two and twenty thousand men, and all the children of Esav fled from before them.
5
And the children of Chittim pursued them and they reached Hadad king of Edom, who was running before them and they caught him alive, and brought him to Abianus king of Chittim.
6
And Abianus ordered him to be slain, and Hadad king of Edom died in the forty-eighth year of his reign.
7
And the children of Chittim continued their pursuit of Edom, and they smote them with a great slaughter and Edom became subject to the children of Chittim.
8
And the children of Chittim ruled over Edom, and Edom became under the hand of the children of Chittim and became one kingdom from that day.
9
And from that time they could no more lift up their heads, and their kingdom became one with the children of Chittim.
10
And Abianus placed officers in Edom and all the children of Edom became subject and tributary to Abianus, and Abianus turned back to his own land, Chittim.
11
And when he returned he renewed his government and built for himself a spacious and fortified palace for a royal residence, and reigned securely over the children of Chittim and over Edom.
12
In those days, after the children of Yisrael had driven away all the Canaanites and the Amorites, Yehoshua was old and advanced in years.
13
And Yahuah said to Yehoshua, Thou art old, advanced in life, and a great part of the land remains to be possessed.
14
Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and to the half tribe of Menashe, and Yehoshua rose up and did as Yahuah had spoken to him.
15
And he divided the whole land to the tribes of Yisrael as an inheritance according to their divisions.
16
But to the tribe at Levi he gave no inheritance, the offerings of Yahuah are their inheritance as Yahuah had spoken of them by the hand of Moshe.
17
And Yehoshua gave Mount Hebron to Kalev the son of Jephuneh, one portion above his brethren, as Yahuah had spoken through Moshe.
18
Therefore Hebron became an inheritance to Kalev and his children unto this day.
19
And Yehoshua divided the whole land by lots to all Yisrael for an inheritance, as Yahuah had commanded him.
20
And the children of Yisrael gave cities to the Levites from their own inheritance, and suburbs for their cattle, and property, as Yahuah had commanded Moshe so did the children of Yisrael, and they divided the land by lot whether great or small.
21
And they went to inherit the land according to their boundaries, and the children of Yisrael gave to Yehoshua the son of Nun an inheritance amongst them.
22
By the word of Yahuah did they give to him the city which he required, Timnath- serach in Mount Efrayim, and he built the city and dwelt therein.
23
These are the inheritances which Elazer the priest and Yehoshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers of the tribes portioned out to the children of Yisrael by lot in Shiloh, before Yahuah, at the door of the tabernacle, and they left off dividing the land.
24
And Yahuah gave the land to the Israelites, and they possessed it as Yahuah had spoken to them, and as Yahuah had sworn to their ancestors.
25
And Yahuah gave to the Israelites rest from all their enemies around them, and no man stood up against them, and Yahuah delivered all their enemies into their hands, and not one thing failed of all the good which Yahuah had spoken to the children of Yisrael, yea Yahuah performed every thing.
26
And Yehoshua called to all the children of Yisrael and he blessed them, and commanded them to serve Yahuah, and he afterward sent them away, and they went each man to his city, and each man to his inheritance.
27
And the children of Yisrael served Yahuah all the days of Yehoshua, and Yahuah gave them rest from all around them, and they dwelt securely in their cities.
28
And it came to pass in those days, that Abianus king of Chittim died, in the thirty-eighth year of his reign, that is the seventh year of his reign over Edom, and they buried him in his place which he had built for himself, and Latinus reigned in his stead fifty years.
29
And during his reign he brought forth an army, and he went and fought against the inhabitants of Britannia and Kernania, the children of Elisha son of Javan, and he prevailed over them and made them tributary.
30
He then heard that Edom had revolted from under the hand of Chittim, and Latinus went to them and smote them and subdued them, and placed them under the hand of the children of Chittim, and Edom became one kingdom with the children of Chittim all the days.
31
And for many years there was no king in Edom, and their government was with the children of Chittim and their king.
32
And it was in the twenty-sixth year after the children of Yisrael had passed the Jordan, that is the sixty-sixth year after the children of Yisrael had departed from Mitzrayim, that Yehoshua was old, advanced in years, being one hundred and eight years old in those days.
33
And Yehoshua called to all Yisrael, to their elders, their judges and officers, after Yahuah had given to all the Israelites rest from all their enemies round about, and Yehoshua said to the elders of Yisrael, and to their judges, Behold I am old, advanced in years, and you have seen what Yahuah has done to all the nations whom he has driven away from before you, for it is Yahuah who has fought for you.
34
Now therefore strengthen yourselves to keep and to do all the words of the Torah of Moshe, not to deviate from it to the right or to the left, and not to come amongst those nations who are left in the land; neither shall you make mention of the name of their gods, but you shall cleave to Yahuah your Elohim, as you have done to this day.
35
And Yehoshua greatly exhorted the children of Yisrael to serve Yahuah all their days.
36
And all the Israelites said, We will serve Yahuah our Elohim all our days, we and our children, and our children's children, and our seed for ever.
37
And Yehoshua made a Beriyt with the people on that day, and he sent away the children of Yisrael, and they went each man to his inheritance and to his city.
38
And it was in those days, when the children of Yisrael were dwelling securely in their cities, that they buried the coffins of the tribes of their ancestors, which they had brought up from Mitzrayim, each man in the inheritance of his children, the twelve sons of Ya'akov did the children of Yisrael bury, each man in the possession of his children.
39
And these are the names of the cities wherein they buried the twelve sons of Ya'akov, whom the children of Yisrael had brought up from Mitzrayim.
40
And they buried Reuven and Gad on this side Jordan, in Romia, which Moshe had given to their children.
41
And Shimon and Levi they buried in the city Mauda, which he had given to the children of Shimon, and the suburb of the city was for the children of Levi.
42
And Yahudah they buried in the city of Binyamin opposite Bethlehem.
43
And the bones of Yissachar and Zevulun they buried in Zidon, in the portion which fell to their children.
44
And Dan was buried in the city of his children in Eshtael, and Naftali and Asher they buried in Kadesh-naphtali, each man in his place which he had given to his children.
45
And the bones of Yosef they buried in Shechem, in the part of the field which Ya'akov had purchased from Hamor, and which became to Yosef for an inheritance.
46
And they buried Binyamin in Jerusalem opposite the Jebusite, which was given to the children of Binyamin; the children of Yisrael buried their fathers each man in the city of his children.
47
And at the end of two years, Yehoshua the son of Nun died, one hundred and ten years old, and the time which Yehoshua judged Yisrael was twenty-eight years, and Yisrael served Yahuah all the days of his life.
48
And the other affairs of Yehoshua and his battles and his reproofs with which he reproved Yisrael, and all which he had commanded them, and the names of the cities which the children of Yisrael possessed in his days, behold they are written in the book of the words of Yehoshua to the children of Yisrael, and in the book of the wars of Yahuah, which Moshe and Yehoshua and the children of Yisrael had written.
49
And the children of Yisrael buried Yehoshua in the border of his inheritance, in Timnath-serach, which was given to him in Mount Efrayim.
50
And Elazer the son of Aharon died in those days, and they buried him in a hill belonging to Phineas his son, which was given him in Mount Efrayim.
Chapter 91 The Elders Judge Yisrael. They drive out all the Canaanites and Inherit the Promised Land
1
At that time, after the death of Yehoshua, the children of the Canaanites were still in the land, and the Yisraelites resolved to drive them out.
2
And the children of Yisrael asked of Yahuah, saying, Who shall first go up for us to the Canaanites to fight against them? and Yahuah said, Yahudah shall go up.
3
And the children of Yahudah said to Shimon, Go up with us into our lot, and we will fight against the Canaanites and we likewise will go up with you, in your lot, so the children of Shimon went with the children of Yahudah.
4
And the children of Yahudah went up and fought against the canisters... against the Canaanites, so Yahuah delivered the Canaanites into the hands of the children of Yahudah, and they smote them in Bezek, ten thousand men.
5
And they fought with Adonibezek in Bezek, and he fled from before them, and they pursued him and caught him, and they took hold of him and cut off his thumbs and great toes.
6
And Adonibezek said, Three score and ten kings having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table, as I have done, so Elohim has requited me, and they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.
7
And the children of Shimon went with the children of Yahudah, and they smote the Canaanites with the edge of the sword.
8
And Yahuah was with the children of Yahudah, and they possessed the mountain, and the children of Yosef went up to Bethel, the same is Luz, and Yahuah was with them.
9
And the children of Yosef spied out Bethel, and the watchmen saw a man going forth from the city, and they caught him and said unto him, Show us now the entrance of the city and we will show kindness to thee.
10
And that man showed them the entrance of the city, and the children of Yosef came and smote the City with the edge of the sword.
11
And the man with his family they sent away, and he went to the Hittites and he built a city, and he called the name thereof Luz, so all the Israelites dwelt in their cities, and the children at Yisrael dwelt in their cities, and the children of Yisrael served Yahuah all the days of Yehoshua, and all the days of the elders, who had lengthened their days after Yehoshua, and saw the great work of Yahuah, which he had performed for Yisrael.
12
And the elders judged Yisrael after the death of Yehoshua for seventeen years.
13
And all the elders also fought the battles of Yisrael against the Canaanites and Yahuah drove the Canaanites from before the children of Yisrael, in order to place the Israelites in their land.
14
And he accomplished all the words which he had spoken to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov, and the oath which he had sworn, to give to them and to their children, the land of the Canaanites.
15
And Yahuah gave to the children of Yisrael the whole land of Kena’an, as he had sworn to their ancestors, and Yahuah gave them rest from those around them, and the children of Yisrael dwelt securely in their cities.
16
Blessed be Yahuah for ever, amen, and amen.
17
Strengthen yourselves, and let the hearts of all you that trust in Yahuah be of good courage.