BOOK OF JASHER
REFERRED TO IN
JOSHUA AND SECOND
SAMUEL.
FAITHFULLY
TRANSLATED
FROM THE ORIGINAL
HEBREW INTO ENGLISH
A Reprint of PHOTO LITHOGRAPHIC REPRINT
OF EXACT EDITION
Is not this written
in the Book of Jasher?"--Joshua, x. 13.
"Behold it is written in the Book of
Jasher."--II Samuel, i. 18
CONTENTS
THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF MAN WHOM GOD CREATED
UPON THE EARTH ON THE DAY WHEN THE LORD GOD
MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.
CHAPTER 1
1 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after
our likeness, and God created man in his own image.
2 And God formed man from the ground, and he blew
into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul endowed with
speech.
3 And the Lord said, It is not good for man to be
alone; I will make unto him a helpmeet.
4 And the Lord 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 Eve, for she was the mother of all living.
6 And God blessed them and called their names Adam
and Eve in the day that he created them, and the Lord God said, Be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth.
7 And the Lord God 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 God had blessed and commanded them, he
went from them, and Adam and his wife dwelt in the garden according to the
command which the Lord had commanded them.
9 And the serpent, which God had created with them
in the earth, came to them to incite them to transgress the command of God
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 God, 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 God which he commanded them, and God knew it, and his anger was kindled
against them and he cursed them.
12 And the Lord God 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 Eve and she
bore two sons and three daughters.
13 And she called the name of the first born Cain,
saying, I have obtained a man from the Lord, and the name of the other she
called Abel, 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 Cain was a tiller of the ground, and Abel a
keeper of sheep.
15 And it was at the expiration of a few years,
that they brought an approximating offering to the Lord, and Cain brought from
the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought from the firstlings of his flock from
the fat thereof, and God turned and inclined to Abel and his offering, and a
fire came down from the Lord from heaven and consumed it.
16 And unto Cain and his offering the Lord did not
turn, and he did not incline to it, for he had brought from the inferior fruit
of the ground before the Lord, and Cain was jealous against his brother Abel on
account of this, and he sought a pretext to slay him.
17 And in some time after, Cain and Abel his
brother, went one day into the field to do their work; and they were both in
the field, Cain tilling and ploughing his ground, and Abel feeding his flock;
and the flock passed that part which Cain had ploughed in the ground, and it
sorely grieved Cain on this account.
18 And Cain approached his brother Abel 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 Abel answered his brother Cain 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 Cain said
to his brother Abel, Surely if I slay thee this day, who will require thy blood
from me?
22 And Abel answered Cain, saying, Surely God 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 the Lord 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
God knoweth thy secret views, and will judge thee for the evil which thou didst
declare to do unto me this day.
24 And when Cain heard the words which Abel his
brother had spoken, behold the anger of Cain was kindled against his brother
Abel for declaring this thing.
25 And Cain 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 Cain spilt the blood of his brother Abel upon the earth, and
the blood of Abel streamed upon the earth before the flock.
26 And after this Cain repented having slain his
brother, and he was sadly grieved, and he wept over him and it vexed him
exceedingly.
27 And Cain 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 the Lord knew what Cain had done to his
brother, and the Lord appeared to Cain and said unto him, Where is Abel thy
brother that was with thee?
29 And Cain dissembled, and said, I do not know, am
I my brother's keeper? And the Lord 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 Cain went out from the presence
of the Lord, 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 Cain knew his wife in those days, and she
conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Enoch, saying, In that time
the Lord began to give him rest and quiet in the earth.
35 And at that time Cain also began to build a
city: and he built the city and he called the name of the city Enoch, according
to the name of his son; for in those days the Lord 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 Enoch, and Irad begat
Mechuyael and Mechuyael begat Methusael.
CHAPTER 2
1 And it was in the hundred and thirtieth year of
the life of Adam upon the earth, that he again knew Eve his wife, and she
conceived and bare a son in his likeness and in his image, and she called his
name Seth, saying, Because God has appointed me another seed in the place of
Abel, for Cain has slain him.
2 And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and he
begat a son; and Seth called the name of his son Enosh, saying, Because in that
time the sons of men began to multiply, and to afflict their souls and hearts
by transgressing and rebelling against God.
3 And it was in the days of Enosh that the sons of
men continued to rebel and transgress against God, to increase the anger of the
Lord against the sons of men.
4 And the sons of men went and they served other
gods, and they forgot the Lord 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 the Lord all the days of Enosh and his children; and the
anger of the Lord was kindled on account of their works and abominations which
they did in the earth.
6 And the Lord 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 the Lord.
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 God, which he cursed the
earth, on account of the sin which Adam sinned before the Lord.
9 And it was when men continued to rebel and
transgress against God, and to corrupt their ways, that the earth also became
corrupt.
10 And Enosh lived ninety years and he begat
Cainan;
11 And Cainan 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 Cainan was a very wise man and had understanding in all wisdom, and with
his wisdom he ruled over spirits and demons;
12 And Cainan knew by his wisdom that God would
destroy the sons of men for having sinned upon earth, and that the Lord would
in the latter days bring upon them the waters of the flood.
13 And in those days Cainan wrote upon tablets of
stone, what was to take place in time to come, and he put them in his
treasures.
14 And Cainan reigned over the whole earth, and he
turned some of the sons of men to the service of God.
15 And when Cainan was seventy years old, he begat
three sons and two daughters.
16 And these are the names of the children of
Cainan; 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
Cainan that were born to him.
17 And Lamech, the son of Methusael, became related
to Cainan by marriage, and he took his two daughters for his wives, and Adah
conceived and bare a son to Lamech, 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 God, 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, the Lord opened her womb.
24 And she conceived and bare a son and she called
his name Tubal Cain, saying, After I had withered away have I obtained him from
the Almighty God.
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 Lamech was old and advanced in years, and
his eyes were dim that he could not see, and Tubal Cain, his son, was leading
him and it was one day that Lamech went into the field and Tubal Cain his son
was with him, and whilst they were walking in the field, Cain the son of Adam
advanced towards them; for Lamech was very old and could not see much, and
Tubal Cain his son was very young.
27 And Tubal Cain told his father to draw his bow,
and with the arrows he smote Cain, who was yet far off, and he slew him, for he
appeared to them to be an animal.
28 And the arrows entered Cain's body although he
was distant from them, and he fell to the ground and died.
29 And the Lord requited Cain's evil according to
his wickedness, which he had done to his brother Abel, according to the word of
the Lord which he had spoken.
30 And it came to pass when Cain had died, that
Lamech and Tubal went to see the animal which they had slain, and they saw, and
behold Cain their grandfather was fallen dead upon the earth.
31 And Lamech 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 Lamech heard what Lamech had
done, and they sought to kill him.
33 And the wives of Lamech hated him from that day,
because he slew Cain and Tubal Cain, and the wives of Lamech separated from
him, and would not hearken to him in those days.
34 And Lamech 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 Lamech, 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 Lamech 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 God'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 Cainan lived sixty-five
years and he begat Jared; and Jared lived sixty-two years and he begat Enoch.
CHAPTER 3
1 And Enoch lived sixty-five years and he begat
Methuselah; and Enoch walked with God after having begot Methuselah, and he
served the Lord, and despised the evil ways of men.
2 And the soul of Enoch was wrapped up in the
instruction of the Lord, 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 the Lord, and praying before him in his house, that an
angel of the Lord 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 God.
5 And Enoch rose up according to the word of the
Lord, 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 the Lord, and at that time assembled the sons of men and acquainted them
with the instruction of the Lord.
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 the Lord and good works? let him come to Enoch.
7 And all the sons of men then assembled to him,
for all who desired this thing went to Enoch, and Enoch reigned over the sons
of men according to the word of the Lord, and they came and bowed to him and
they heard his word.
8 And the spirit of God was upon Enoch, and he
taught all his men the wisdom of God and his ways, and the sons of men served
the Lord all the days of Enoch, 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 Enoch when they heard
of his wisdom, and they bowed down to him, and they also required of Enoch to
reign over them, to which he consented.
10 And they assembled in all, one hundred and
thirty kings and princes, and they made Enoch king over them and they were all
under his power and command.
11 And Enoch taught them wisdom, knowledge, and the
ways of the Lord; and he made peace amongst them, and peace was throughout the
earth during the life of Enoch.
12 And Enoch 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 the Lord.
13 And these are the generations of Enoch,
Methuselah, Elisha, and Elimelech, three sons; and their sisters were Melca and
Nahmah, and Methuselah lived eighty-seven years and he begat Lamech.
14 And it was in the fifty-sixth year of the life
of Lamech when Adam died; nine hundred and thirty years old was he at his
death, and his two sons, with Enoch and Methuselah his son, buried him with
great pomp, as at the burial of kings, in the cave which God 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 the Lord God 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 Enoch, in that time Enoch
resolved to separate himself from the sons of men and to secret himself as at
first in order to serve the Lord.
18 And Enoch 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 the Lord his God, and the day on which he
went and appeared to his subjects he taught them the ways of the Lord, and all
they asked him about the Lord 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 Enoch, and to hear his word; but they could not, as all the sons of men
were greatly afraid of Enoch, 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 Enoch, 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 Enoch went forth and they
all assembled and came to him, and Enoch spoke to them the words of the Lord
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 Enoch, and Enoch was teaching them
the ways of God, behold an angel of the Lord then called unto Enoch from
heaven, and wished to bring him up to heaven to make him reign there over the
sons of God, as he had reigned over the sons of men upon earth.
24 When at that time Enoch 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
Enoch, and Enoch 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 Enoch what they had seen, and
Enoch 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 Enoch, and all the sons of men that were with Enoch saw him.
30 And Enoch then again ordered a voice to be
proclaimed, saying, Where is the man who delighteth to know the ways of the
Lord his God, let him come this day to Enoch before he is taken from us.
31 And all the sons of men assembled and came to
Enoch that day; and all the kings of the earth with their princes and
counsellors remained with him that day; and Enoch then taught the sons of men
wisdom and knowledge, and gave them divine instruction; and he bade them serve
the Lord 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 Enoch 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 the Lord 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 Enoch;
and it was upon the seventh day that Enoch 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 Enoch sent to bring back the number of men that were with Enoch, 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 Enoch 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
1 And all the days that Enoch lived upon earth,
were three hundred and sixty-five years.
2 And when Enoch had ascended into heaven, all the
kings of the earth rose and took Methuselah his son and anointed him, and they
caused him to reign over them in the place of his father.
3 And Methuselah acted uprightly in the sight of
God, as his father Enoch had taught him, and he likewise during the whole of
his life taught the sons of men wisdom, knowledge and the fear of God, and he
did not turn from the good way either to the right or to the left.
4 But in the latter days of Methuselah, the sons of
men turned from the Lord, they corrupted the earth, they robbed and plundered
each other, and they rebelled against God and they transgressed, and they
corrupted their ways, and would not hearken to the voice of Methuselah, but
rebelled against him.
5 And the Lord was exceedingly wroth against them,
and the Lord 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 God,
and they provoked the Lord with their evil ways, and the Lord 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 Lamech the son of Methuselah
was one hundred and sixty years old, Seth the son of Adam died.
10 And all the days that Seth lived, were nine
hundred and twelve years, and he died.
11 And Lamech was one hundred and eighty years old
when he took Ashmua, the daughter of Elishaa the son of Enoch 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 God.
13 And the wife of Lamech conceived and bare him a
son at that time, at the revolution of the year.
14 And Methuselah called his name Noah, saying, The
earth was in his days at rest and free from corruption, and Lamech his father
called his name Menachem, saying, This one shall comfort us in our works and
miserable toil in the earth, which God had cursed.
15 And the child grew up and was weaned, and he
went in the ways of his father Methuselah, perfect and upright with God.
16 And all the sons of men departed from the ways
of the Lord 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 the Lord.
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 the
Lord; and God saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had
corrupted its ways upon earth, all men and all animals.
19 And the Lord 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 the Lord,
died in those days, before the Lord brought the evil upon man which he had
declared, for this was from the Lord, that they should not see the evil which
the Lord spoke of concerning the sons of men.
21 And Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord,
and the Lord chose him and his children to raise up seed from them upon the
face of the whole earth.
CHAPTER 5
1 And it was in the eighty-fourth year of the life
of Noah, that Enoch the son of Seth 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 Noah, Cainan the son of Enosh died, and all the days of Cainan were
nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
3 And in the two hundred and thirty fourth year of
the life of Noah, Mahlallel the son of Cainan died, and the days of Mahlallel
were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
4 And Jared the son of Mahlallel died in those
days, in the three hundred and thirty-sixth year of the life of Noah; and all
the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
5 And all who followed the Lord died in those days,
before they saw the evil which God declared to do upon earth.
6 And after the lapse of many years, in the four
hundred and eightieth year of the life of Noah, when all those men, who
followed the Lord had died away from amongst the sons of men, and only
Methuselah was then left, God said unto Noah and Methuselah, saying,
7 Speak ye, and proclaim to the sons of men,
saying, Thus saith the Lord, return from your evil ways and forsake your works,
and the Lord will repent of the evil that he declared to do to you, so that it
shall not come to pass.
8 For thus saith the Lord, 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 the Lord.
9 And Noah and Methuselah spoke all the words of
the Lord 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 the Lord granted them a period of one
hundred and twenty years, saying, If they will return, then will God repent of
the evil, so as not to destroy the earth.
12 Noah the son of Lamech refrained from taking a
wife in those days, to beget children, for he said, Surely now God will destroy
the earth, wherefore then shall I beget children?
13 And Noah was a just man, he was perfect in his
generation, and the Lord chose him to raise up seed from his seed upon the face
of the earth.
14 And the Lord said unto Noah, 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 Noah went and took a wife, and he
chose Naamah the daughter of Enoch, and she was five hundred and eighty years
old.
16 And Noah was four hundred and ninety-eight years
old, when he took Naamah for a wife.
17 And Naamah conceived and bare a son, and he
called his name Japheth, saying, God has enlarged me in the earth; and she
conceived again and bare a son, and he called his name Shem, saying, God has
made me a remnant, to raise up seed in the midst of the earth.
18 And Noah was five hundred and two years old when
Naamah bare Shem, and the boys grew up and went in the ways of the Lord, in all
that Methuselah and Noah their father taught them.
19 And Lamech the father of Noah, 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 Noah.
20 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred
and seventy years, and he died.
21 And all the sons of men who knew the Lord, died
in that year before the Lord brought evil upon them; for the Lord willed them
to die, so as not to behold the evil that God would bring upon their brothers
and relatives, as he had so declared to do.
22 In that time, the Lord said to Noah and
Methuselah, 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 Noah and Methuselah stood forth, and said in
the ears of the sons of men, all that God had spoken concerning them.
24 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 the Lord said to
Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me, on account of their evil deeds,
and behold I will destroy the earth.
26 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.
27 And thus shalt thou make it; three hundred
cubits its length, fifty cubits broad and thirty cubits high.
28 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.
29 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.
31 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 Noah rose up, and he made the ark, in the
place where God had commanded him, and Noah did as God had ordered him.
34 In his five hundred and ninety-fifth year Noah
commenced to make the ark, and he made the ark in five years, as the Lord had
commanded.
35 Then Noah took the three daughters of Eliakim,
son of Methuselah, for wives for his sons, as the Lord had commanded Noah.
36 And it was at that time Methuselah the son of
Enoch died, nine hundred and sixty years old was he, at his death.
CHAPTER 6
1 At that time, after the death of Methuselah, the
Lord said to Noah, 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 the Lord brought this about on the next day,
and animals, beasts and fowls came in great multitudes and surrounded the ark.
4 And Noah 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 Noah, 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 Noah.
6 And the lioness ran away, and stood in the place
of the lions.
7 And Noah saw this, and wondered greatly, and he
rose and took the two whelps, and brought them into the ark.
8 And Noah brought into the ark from all living
creatures that were upon earth, so that there was none left but which Noah
brought into the ark.
9 Two and two came to Noah into the ark, but from
the clean animals, and clean fowls, he brought seven couples, as God 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, the Lord 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 God 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 the Lord 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 Noah, 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 Noah 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 the Lord 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 Noah to the ark.
18 And they called to Noah, saying, Open for us
that we may come to thee in the ark--and wherefore shall we die?
19 And Noah, with a loud voice, answered them from
the ark, saying, Have you not all rebelled against the Lord, and said that he
does not exist? and therefore the Lord 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 the
Lord, and now do you desire to live upon earth?
21 And they said to Noah, We are ready to return to
the Lord; only open for us that we may live and not die.
22 And Noah answered them, saying, Behold now that
you see the trouble of your souls, you wish to return to the Lord; why did you
not return during these hundred and twenty years, which the Lord granted you as
the determined period?
23 But now you come and tell me this on account of
the troubles of your souls, now also the Lord 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 the Lord 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 Noah 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 Noah and his
sons cried and wept in their troubles; they were greatly afraid that they had
reached the gates of death.
31 And Noah prayed unto the Lord, and cried unto
him on account of this, and he said, O Lord 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 Lord, answer us, light up thy countenance toward
us and be gracious to us, redeem us and deliver us.
32 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Noah, and
the Lord 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 Noah then opened the windows of the ark, and
Noah still called out to the Lord at that time and he said, O Lord, who didst
form the earth and the heavens and all that are therein, bring forth our souls
from this confinement, and from the prison wherein thou hast placed us, for I
am much wearied with sighing.
37 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Noah, 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 Noah's dwelling in the ark, the waters were dried from
off the earth, and Noah 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 Noah and his sons, and those that were
with him, did not go out from the ark until the Lord told them.
40 And the day came that the Lord 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 Noah and his sons dwelt in the land that God had told
them, and they served the Lord all their days, and the Lord blessed Noah 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
1 And these are the names of the sons of Noah:
Japheth, 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 Japheth; 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.
5 And the children of Madai were Achon, Zeelo,
Chazoni and Lot.
6 And the sons of Javan were Elisha, Tarshish, Chittim
and Dudonim.
7 And the sons of Tubal were Ariphi, Kesed and
Taari.
8 And the sons of Meshech were Dedon, Zaron and
Shebashni.
9 And the sons of Tiras were Benib, Gera, Lupirion
and Gilak; these are the sons of Japheth according to their families, and their
numbers in those days were about four hundred and sixty men.
10 And these are the sons of Ham; Cush, Mitzraim,
Phut and Canaan, four sons; and the sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta,
Raama and Satecha, and the sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan.
11 And the sons of Mitzraim were Lud, Anom and
Pathros, Chasloth and Chaphtor.
12 And the sons of Phut were Gebul, Hadan, Benah
and Adan.
13 And the sons of Canaan 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.
15 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.
16 And the sons of Ashar were Mirus and Mokil, and
the sons of Arpachshad were Shelach, Anar and Ashcol.
17 And the sons of Lud were Pethor and Bizayon, and
the sons of Aram were Uz, Chul, Gather and Mash.
18 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 Nahor and Nahor begat Terah, and Terah was thirty-eight
years old, and he begat Haran and Nahor.
23 And Cush the son of Ham, the son of Noah, 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 God, 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 God made for Adam
and his wife, when they went out of the garden, were given to Cush.
25 For after the death of Adam and his wife, the
garments were given to Enoch, the son of Jared, and when Enoch was taken up to
God, he gave them to Methuselah, his son.
26 And at the death of Methuselah, Noah took them
and brought them to the ark, and they were with him until he went out of the
ark.
27 And in their going out, Ham stole those garments
from Noah his father, and he took them and hid them from his brothers.
28 And when Ham begat his first born Cush, he gave
him the garments in secret, and they were with Cush many days.
29 And Cush also concealed them from his sons and
brothers, and when Cush 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 God 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 altars, and he offered upon them the animals before the Lord.
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.
32 And the Lord delivered all the enemies of his
brethren in his hands, and God 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 God 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 God 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 Japheth, 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 Cush 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 Terah the son of Nahor 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 the Lord 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 Noah, 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 the Lord, and he was more wicked
than all the men that were before him, from the days of the flood until those
days.
47 And he made gods of wood and stone, and he bowed
down to them, and he rebelled against the Lord, 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 Terah the son of Nahor, 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 Terah took a wife and her name was Amthelo
the daughter of Cornebo; and the wife of Terah conceived and bare him a son in
those days.
51 Terah was seventy years old when he begat him,
and Terah called the name of his son that was born to him Abram, because the
king had raised him in those days, and dignified him above all his princes that
were with him.
CHAPTER 8
1 And it was in the night that Abram was born, that
all the servants of Terah, and all the wise men of Nimrod, and his conjurors
came and ate and drank in the house of Terah, and they rejoiced with him on
that night.
2 And when all the wise men and conjurors went out
from the house of Terah, 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 Terah 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 Terah the son of
Nahor, 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
Terah, 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 Terah, 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 Terah, and Terah came before the
king.
15 And the king said to Terah, 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 Terah answered the king and said to him: My
Lord 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 Terah 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 Terah, and his
anger was kindled and he considered him in the light of a fool.
23 And the king answered Terah, 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 Terah
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 Terah, 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 Terah 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 Terah, No, but I will
purchase thy younger son for a price.
30 And Terah 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 Terah 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 Terah, and he did so
and he gave him three days' time, and Terah 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 Terah, 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 Terah 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 Terah brought the child to the king and
received value for him.
34 And the Lord was with Terah in this matter, that
Nimrod might not cause Abram's death, and the king took the child from Terah
and with all his might dashed his head to the ground, for he thought it had
been Abram; 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 Abram's death.
35 And Terah took Abram 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 the Lord was with Abram in the cave and he
grew up, and Abram was in the cave ten years, and the king and his princes,
soothsayers and sages, thought that the king had killed Abram.
CHAPTER 9
1 And Haran, the son of Terah, Abram'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 Abram; and in those days
Abram and his mother and nurse went out from the cave, as the king and his
subjects had forgotten the affair of Abram.
5 And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to
Noah and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of
the Lord and his ways, and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah
and Shem his son for a long time.
6 And Abram was in Noah's house thirty-nine years,
and Abram knew the Lord from three years old, and he went in the ways of the
Lord until the day of his death, as Noah and his son Shem had taught him; and
all the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against the Lord,
and they rebelled against him and they served other gods, and they forgot the
Lord 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 Terah with
all his household were then the first of those that served gods of wood and
stone.
8 And Terah 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 Terah would bring his meat offering and drink offering
to his gods; thus did Terah all the days.
9 And all that generation were wicked in the sight
of the Lord, and they thus made every man his god, but they forsook the Lord
who had created them.
10 And there was not a man found in those days in
the whole earth, who knew the Lord (for they served each man his own God)
except Noah and his household, and all those who were under his counsel knew
the Lord in those days.
11 And Abram the son of Terah was waxing great in
those days in the house of Noah, and no man knew it, and the Lord was with him.
12 And the Lord gave Abram 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 Abram saw the sun shining upon the earth,
and Abram said unto himself Surely now this sun that shines upon the earth is
God, and him will I serve.
14 And Abram served the sun in that day and he
prayed to him, and when evening came the sun set as usual, and Abram said
within himself, Surely this cannot be God?
15 And Abram 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 Abram saw the stars and moon before him, and
he said, Surely this is the God who created the whole earth as well as man, and
behold these his servants are gods around him: and Abram 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, Abram saw all the things that the Lord God had
made upon earth.
19 And Abram said unto himself Surely these are not
gods that made the earth and all mankind, but these are the servants of God,
and Abram remained in the house of Noah and there knew the Lord and his ways'
and he served the Lord all the days of his life, and all that generation forgot
the Lord, 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, Cush and Canaan 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 the Lord God 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 God 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 the Lord 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 the Lord 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 God 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 the Lord 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, the Lord 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, the Lord 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 Babel, for there the Lord 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
1 And Peleg the son of Eber died in those days, in
the forty-eighth year of the life of Abram son of Terah, and all the days of
Peleg were two hundred and thirty-nine years.
2 And when the Lord 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 the Lord 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 Japheth the son of Noah 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 Japheth were divided
upon the face of the earth into many divisions and languages.
7 And these are the sons of Japheth according to
their families, Gomer, Magog, Medai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras; these are
the children of Japheth 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
Japheth 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 Cush, Mitzraim,
Phut and Canaan 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 Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan.
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 Egypt, 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 Canaan 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
Canaan, 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 Noah,
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 Noah 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 Noah forever.
CHAPTER 11
1 And Nimrod son of Cush 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 Babel, saying, Because
the Lord there confounded the language of the whole earth; and the name of the
second he called Erech, because from there God 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 the Lord, 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 Babel, 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 the Lord, 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 Nahor, son of Serug, in the
forty-ninth year of the life of Abram son of Terah.
13 And in the fiftieth year of the life of Abram
son of Terah, Abram came forth from the house of Noah, and went to his father's
house.
14 And Abram knew the Lord, and he went in his ways
and instructions, and the Lord his God was with him.
15 And Terah his father was in those days, still
captain of the host of king Nimrod, and he still followed strange gods.
16 And Abram came to his father's house and saw
twelve gods standing there in their temples, and the anger of Abram was kindled
when he saw these images in his father's house.
17 And Abram said, As the Lord liveth these images
shall not remain in my father's house; so shall the Lord who created me do unto
me if in three days' time I do not break them all.
18 And Abram went from them, and his anger burned
within him. And Abram 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 Abram came and sat before him.
19 And Abram asked his father, saying, Father, tell
me where is God who created heaven and earth, and all the sons of men upon
earth, and who created thee and me. And Terah answered his son Abram and said,
Behold those who created us are all with us in the house.
20 And Abram said to his father, My lord, shew them
to me I pray thee; and Terah brought Abram into the chamber of the inner court,
and Abram 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 Terah 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 Terah bowed down to his gods, and he then
went away from them, and Abram, his son, went away with him.
23 And when Abram 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 Abram, and Abram 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
Terah his father, did not know of it.
26 And Abram 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 Abram 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 Abram 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 Abram; and Terah his father
did not know of it.
29 And Abram 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 Abram sat before
them all day, thinking perhaps they might eat.
30 And Abram 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
Abram was clothed with the spirit of God.
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 Abram 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 Terah his father came home, for he had heard at the door
the sound of the striking of the hatchet; so Terah came into the house to know
what this was about.
35 And Terah, having heard the noise of the hatchet
in the room of images, ran to the room to the images, and he met Abram going
out.
36 And Terah 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 Abram his son had made was still
before them.
37 And when Terah saw this his anger was greatly
kindled, and he hastened and went from the room to Abram.
38 And he found Abram his son still sitting in the
house; and he said to him, What is this work thou hast done to my gods?
39 And Abram answered Terah 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 Terah's anger was kindled against his son
Abram, when he spoke this; and Terah said to Abram 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, soul 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 Abram 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 the Lord God who made heaven and
earth, and who created you in the earth, and thereby bring a great evil upon
your souls in this matter by serving stone and wood?
46 Did not our fathers in days of old sin in this
matter, and the Lord God 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 God of the universe upon
you?
48 Now therefore my father refrain from this, and
bring not evil upon thy soul and the souls of thy household.
49 And Abram hastened and sprang from before his
father, and took the hatchet from his father's largest idol, with which Abram
broke it and ran away.
50 And Terah, seeing all that Abram 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 law, that we may
be delivered from his evil.
52 And the king sent three men of his servants, and
they went and brought Abram before the king. And Nimrod and all his princes and
servants were that day sitting before him, and Terah sat also before them.
53 And the king said to Abram, What is this that
thou hast done to thy father and to his gods? And Abram 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 Abram, Had they power to
speak and eat and do as thou hast said? And Abram 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 God 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 God 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 the Lord God 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 God of the universe, as thy soul 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 God,
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 Abram had ceased speaking before the
king and princes, Abram lifted up his eyes to the heavens, and he said, The
Lord seeth all the wicked, and he will judge them.
CHAPTER 12
1 And when the king heard the words of Abram he
ordered him to be put into prison; and Abram 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 Abram was still in the
house of confinement.
3 And the king said to the princes and sages, Have
you heard what Abram, the son of Terah, 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 law 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 Abram 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 Abram.
8 And all the women and little ones crowded upon
the roofs and towers to see what was doing with Abram, 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 Abram was come, the conjurors of the
king and the sages saw Abram, 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 Terah 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, Terah 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 Terah 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 Terah 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 Abram was born, two and thirty years
old.
17 But Haran did not advise his father to anything,
for Terah said this to the king in order to deliver his soul from the king, for
he feared greatly; and the king said to Terah, Haran thy son who advised thee
to this shall die through fire with Abram; 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 Abram, but he kept it within himself.
19 And Haran said in his heart, Behold now the king
has seized Abram on account of these things which Abram did, and it shall come
to pass, that if Abram prevail over the king I will follow him, but if the king
prevail I will go after the king.
20 And when Terah had spoken this to the king
concerning Haran his son, the king ordered Haran to be seized with Abram.
21 And they brought them both, Abram 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 Abram 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 the Lord loved Abram and he had compassion
over him, and the Lord came down and delivered Abram from the fire and he was
not burned.
25 But all the cords with which they bound him were
burned, while Abram 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 the Lord;
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 Abram 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 Abram 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 Abram 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 Abram 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 Abram out of the fire that you
shall not die.
31 And the servants of the king again approached to
bring Abram 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 Abram, O
servant of the God who is in heaven, go forth from amidst the fire and come
hither before me; and Abram hearkened to the voice of the king, and he went
forth from the fire and came and stood before the king.
33 And when Abram came out the king and all his
servants saw Abram 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 Abram, How is it that thou
wast not burned in the fire?
35 And Abram said to the king, The God 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 Abram 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
Abram
was delivered from the fire, they came and bowed down to Abram.
38 And Abram said to them, Do not bow down to me,
but bow down to the God 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 souls 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 Abram was saved from the fire and that Haran was
burned; and the king gave Abram 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
Abram many gifts of silver and gold and pearl, and the king and his princes
sent him away, and he went in peace.
41 And Abram 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 Abram returned on that day and went to his
father's house, he and the men that followed him, and Abram served the Lord his
God all the days of his life, and he walked in his ways and followed his law.
43 And from that day forward Abram inclined the
hearts of the sons of men to serve the Lord.
44 And at that time Nahor and Abram took unto
themselves wives, the daughters of their brother Haran; the wife of Nahor was
Milca and the name of Abram's wife was Sarai. And Sarai, wife of Abram, was
barren; she had no offspring in those days.
45 And at the expiration of two years from Abram's
going out of the fire, that is in the fifty-second year of his life, behold
king Nimrod sat in Babel 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 Abram 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 Abram
and his seed which will spring up against my Lord
and
king in the latter days.
53 And behold the day will come when Abram 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 Abram 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 Abram, and
if my king will suffer Abram to live in the earth it will be to the injury of
my lord and king, for all the days that Abram 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 Abram, and bring him
before the king to suffer death.
59 And Eliezer, Abram'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 Abram's death.
60 And Eliezer said to Abram, Hasten, rise up and
save thy soul, 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 Abram hearkened to the voice of Eliezer, and
Abram hastened and ran for safety to the house of Noah and his son Shem, and he
concealed himself there and found a place of safety; and the king's servants
came to Abram'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
Abram they returned to the king, but the king's anger against Abram was
stilled, as they did not find him, and the king drove from his mind this matter
concerning Abram.
63 And Abram was concealed in Noah's house for one
month, until the king had forgotten this matter, but Abram was still afraid of
the king; and Terah came to see Abram his son secretly in the house of Noah, and
Terah was very great in the eyes of the king.
64 And Abram 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 Canaan, 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 Canaan, out of the reach of injury from Nimrod; and
serve thou the Lord 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 Abram ceased to speak, when Noah and his son
Shem answered Terah, saying, True is the word which Abram hath said unto thee.
70 And Terah hearkened to the voice of his son
Abram, and Terah did all that Abram said, for this was from the Lord, that the
king should not cause Abram's death.
CHAPTER 13
1 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson
Lot, the son of Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son
Abram, and all the souls of his household and went with them from Ur Casdim to
go to the land of Canaan. 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
Abram was good and upright with God and men, and that the Lord his God was with
him, and some of the people of the land of Haran came and joined Abram, and he
taught them the instruction of the Lord and his ways; and these men remained
with Abram in his house and they adhered to him.
3 And Abram remained in the land three years, and
at the expiration of three years the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him; I
am the Lord 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 laws, 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 Canaan and remain there, and I will there be unto
thee for a God, and I will bless thee. And Abram rose and took his wife and all
belonging to him, and he went to the land of Canaan as the Lord had told him;
and Abram was fifty years old when he went from Haran.
6 And Abram came to the land of Canaan and dwelt in
the midst of the city, and he there pitched his tent amongst the children of
Canaan, inhabitants of the land.
7 And the Lord appeared to Abram when he came to
the land of Canaan, 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 Abram built an altar in the place where God
had spoken to him, and Abram there called upon the name of the Lord.
9 At that time, at the end of three years of
Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, in that year Noah died, which was the
fifty-eighth year of the life of Abram; and all the days that Noah lived were
nine hundred and fifty years and he died.
10 And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, 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 Nahor, Abram's
brother, and Terah his father, and Lot the son of Haran and all belonging to
them dwelt in Haran.
11 In the fifth year of Abram's dwelling in the
land of Canaan 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 Abram's dwelling in the
land of Canaan 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 Babel 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 covenant with them, and they were all obedient to his commands.
17 And it was in the fifteenth year of Abram's
dwelling in the land of Canaan, which is the seventieth year of the life of
Abram, and the Lord appeared to Abram in that year and he said to him, I am the
Lord 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 Abram built an altar, and he called upon the name of the
Lord who appeared to him, and he brought up sacrifices upon the altar to the
Lord.
20 At that time Abram returned and went to
Haran
to see his father and mother, and his father's household, and Abram and his
wife and all belonging to him returned to Haran, and Abram dwelt in Haran five
years.
21 And many of the people of Haran, about
seventy-two men, followed Abram and Abram taught them the instruction of the
Lord and his ways, and he taught them to know the Lord.
22 In those days the Lord appeared to Abram 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 souls thou hast made in Haran, and bring them out with thee from here,
and rise to return to the land of Canaan.
25 And Abram arose and took his wife Sarai and all
belonging to him and all that were born to him in his house and the souls which
they had made in Haran, and they came out to go to the land of Canaan.
26 And Abram went and returned to the land of
Canaan, according to the word of the Lord. And Lot the son of his brother Haran
went with him, and Abram was seventy-five years old when he went forth from
Haran to return to the land of Canaan.
27 And he came to the land of Canaan according to
the word of the Lord to Abram, 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 the Lord again appeared to Abram and said,
To thy seed will I give this land; and he there built an altar to the Lord who
appeared to him, which is still to this day in the plains of Mamre.
CHAPTER 14
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 Egypt, to Oswiris the
son of Anom king of Egypt, 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 Egypt he asked the
inhabitants of Egypt concerning the king, and the inhabitants of Egypt told him
the custom of the king of Egypt, for it was then the custom of the king of
Egypt 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 Egypt 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 Egypt, and he abode there all night in bitterness of soul 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 soul,
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 Egypt 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 Egypt 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 Egypt 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 Egypt.
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
Egypt, 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 Egypt to make him
prefect under the king.
29 And all the inhabitants of Egypt and its wise
men did so, and it was made a law in Egypt.
30 And they made Rikayon Pharaoh prefect under
Oswiris king of Egypt, and Rikayon Pharaoh governed over Egypt, 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 Egypt, and he exacted a tax from all the inhabitants of Egypt.
32 And all the inhabitants of Egypt greatly loved
Rikayon Pharaoh, and they made a decree to call every king that should reign
over them and their seed in Egypt, Pharaoh.
33 Therefore all the kings that reigned in Egypt
from that time forward were called Pharaoh unto this day.
CHAPTER 15
1 And in that year there was a heavy famine
throughout the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants of the land could not remain
on account of the famine for it was very grievous.
2 And Abram and all belonging to him rose and went
down to Egypt 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 Abram and Sarai were walking at the border of
the brook Mitzraim, and Abram beheld his wife Sarai that she was very
beautiful.
4 And Abram said to his wife Sarai, Since God 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 God 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 Abram commanded the same to all those that
came with him to Egypt 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 Abram.
7 And yet with all these orders Abram did not put
confidence in them, but he took Sarai and placed her in a chest and concealed
it amongst their vessels, for Abram was greatly concerned about Sarai on
account of the wickedness of the Egyptians.
8 And Abram and all belonging to him rose up from
the brook Mitzraim and came to Egypt; 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 Abram and those
that were with him did so.
9 And Abram with the people that were with him came
to Egypt, 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 Abram,
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 Abram said, This chest I will not open, but
all you demand upon it I will give. And Pharaoh's officers answered Abram,
saying, It is a chest of precious stones, give us the tenth thereof.
12 Abram said, All that you desire I will give, but
you must not open the chest.
13 And the king's officers pressed Abram, 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 Abram grieved on account of his wife, and he prayed to the Lord to
deliver her from the hands of Pharaoh.
17 And Sarai also prayed at that time and said, O
Lord God thou didst tell my Lord Abram to go from his land and from his
father's house to the land of Canaan, 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 Lord God, deliver us
and save us from the hand of this oppressor, and do well with me for the sake
of thy mercy.
19 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of
Sarai,
and the Lord 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 the Lord was standing over them, and he appeared to Sarai
and said to her, Do not fear, for the Lord 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 Abram silver and gold and
precious stones in abundance, together with cattle, men servants and maid
servants; and the king ordered Abram to be brought, and he sat in the court of
the king's house, and the king greatly exalted Abram 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 the Lord 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 Abram 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 Abram, 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 Abram arose, and he and all belonging to him
went away from Egypt; and Pharaoh ordered some of his men to accompany him and
all that went with him.
34 And Abram returned to the land of Canaan, to the
place where he had made the altar, where he at first had pitched his tent.
35 And Lot the son of Haran, Abram's brother, had a
heavy stock of cattle, flocks and herds and tents, for the Lord was bountiful
to them on account of Abram.
36 And when Abram was dwelling in the land the
herdsmen of Lot quarrelled with the herdsmen of Abram, 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 Abram'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 Abram and quarrelled with him on account of Lot's
herdsmen.
39 And Abram 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 Canaan,
and why wilt thou do this unto me?
40 And Abram quarrelled daily with Lot on account
of this, but Lot would not listen to Abram, and he continued to do the same and
the inhabitants of the land came and told Abram.
41 And Abram 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 Abram 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 Abram to that place, and he
there pitched his tent and he dwelt in Sodom, and they were separated from each
other.
47 And Abram dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is
in Hebron, and he pitched his tent there, and Abram remained in that place many
years.
CHAPTER 16
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 covenant, 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, Abram's brother's son, and his property, and
they seized all the goods of the cities of Sodom, and they went away; and Unic,
Abram's servant, who was in the battle, saw this, and told Abram all that the
kings had done to the cities of Sodom, and that Lot was taken captive by them.
7 And Abram 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 Abram and his men, and
there was none remaining but the four kings who fled, and they went each his
own road.
8 And Abram 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 Abram and his men.
11 And Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, the same was
Shem, went out with his men to meet Abram and his people, with bread and wine,
and they remained together in the valley of Melech.
12 And Adonizedek blessed Abram, and Abram gave him
a tenth from all that he had brought from the spoil of his enemies, for
Adonizedek was a priest before God.
13 And all the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah who were
there, with their servants, approached Abram and begged of him to return them
their servants whom he had made captive, and to take unto himself all the
property.
14 And Abram answered the kings of Sodom, saying,
As the Lord liveth who created heaven and earth, and who redeemed my soul 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, Abram became rich from our property that he saved.
15 For the Lord my God 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 the Lord liveth I will not take from you from a
living soul 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 Abram 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 Abram and his people returned to their home to the plains of Mamre,
which is in Hebron.
20 At that time the Lord again appeared to Abram 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
Abram, 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, Abram's wife,
was still barren in those days; she did not bear to Abram 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 Abram
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 Abram, 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 Abram's dwelling
in the land of Canaan, which is the eighty-fifth year of Abram's life, Sarai
gave Hagar unto him.
28 And Abram hearkened to the voice of his wife
Sarai, and he took his handmaid Hagar and Abram 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 God than Sarai my
mistress, for all the days that my mistress has been with my lord, she did not
conceive, but me the Lord has caused in so short a time to conceive by him.
30 And when Sarai saw that Hagar had conceived by
Abram, 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 Abram, My wrong be upon
thee, for at the time when thou didst pray before the Lord for children why
didst thou not pray on my account, that the Lord 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 the
Lord judge between me and thee for what thou hast done to me.
33 And Abram 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 the Lord 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
Ishmael; 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 Abram, and Abram called his
name Ishmael; and Abram was eighty-six years old when he begat him.
CHAPTER 17
1 And in those days, in the ninety-first year of
the life of Abram, the children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal,
for when the Lord 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 Abram the son of Terah was then ninety-nine
years old.
17 At that time the Lord appeared to him and he
said to him, I will make my covenant between me and thee, and I will greatly
multiply thy seed, and this is the covenant 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 covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
19 And now therefore thy name shall no more be
called Abram but Abraham, 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
1 And Abraham rose and did all that God had ordered
him, and he took the men of his household and those bought with his money, and
he circumcised them as the Lord had commanded him.
2 And there was not one left whom he did not
circumcise, and Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised in the flesh of
their foreskin; thirteen years old was Ishmael when he was circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin.
3 And in the third day Abraham 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 the Lord 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 Abraham 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 Abraham 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 Abraham 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 the Lord and they provoked the Lord with their abominations, and they
strengthened in aging abominably and scornfully before the Lord, and their
wickedness and crimes were in those days great before the Lord.
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 soul, 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 Lord, 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 soul, 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
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 Abraham'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 law 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 Abraham 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 God 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 soul was filled with pity on account of
the man, and she fed him secretly with bread for many days, and the soul 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 law.
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 law, 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 the Lord 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 the Lord.
45 And the Lord sent for two of the angels that had
come to Abraham's house, to destroy Sodom and its cities.
46 And the angels rose up from the door of
Abraham'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 the Lord 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 the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon
Gomorrah and upon all these cities brimstone and fire from the Lord 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 Abraham 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 Canaan, and they begat children and they were
fruitful and multiplied.
CHAPTER 20
1 And at that time Abraham 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 Abraham's being in the land of Canaan, and the
hundredth year of the life of Abraham, 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 Abraham 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 Abraham 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 Canaan 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 Canaan 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 Abraham, and Abraham came
to Abimelech.
10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold I have
given orders that thou shalt be honored as thou desirest on account of thy
sister Sarah.
11 And Abraham 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 the Lord 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 Abraham 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 the Lord 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 the Lord was upon them on account of Sarah, wife of Abraham,
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 Egypt when
this man came to Egypt.
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 the Lord 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 Egypt 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 Abraham 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 Abraham 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 Abraham, and he returned Sarah to him.
26 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold the whole
land is before thee, dwell in it wherever thou shalt choose.
27 And Abraham 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 Abraham, saying, Pray now
for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that he may put away this mortality from
amongst us.
30 And Abraham prayed on account of Abimelech and
his subjects, and the Lord heard the prayer of Abraham, and he healed Abimelech
and all his subjects.
CHAPTER 21
1 And it was at that time at the end of a year and
four months of Abraham's dwelling in the land of the Philistines in Gerar, that
God visited Sarah, and the Lord remembered her, and she conceived and bare a
son to Abraham.
2 And Abraham called the name of the son which was
born to him, which Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
3 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac at eight
days old, as God had commanded Abraham to do unto his seed after him; and
Abraham was one hundred, and Sarah ninety years old, when Isaac was born to
them.
4 And the child grew up and he was weaned, and
Abraham made a great feast upon the day that Isaac 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
Abraham made upon the day of his son Isaac's being weaned.
6 Also Terah, the father of Abraham, and Nahor 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 Abraham, and they ate and drank
at the feast which Abraham made upon the day of Isaac's being weaned.
8 And Terah and Nahor rejoiced with Abraham, 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 Isaac son of Abraham.
10 And all the days of Serug were two hundred and
thirty-nine years, and he died.
11 And Ishmael the son of Abraham was grown up in
those days; he was fourteen years old when Sarah bare Isaac to Abraham.
12 And God was with Ishmael the son of Abraham, and
he grew up, and he learned to use the bow and became an archer.
13 And when Isaac was five years old he was sitting
with Ishmael at the door of the tent.
14 And Ishmael came to Isaac and seated himself
opposite to him, and he took the bow and drew it and put the arrow in it, and
intended to slay Isaac.
15 And Sarah saw the act which Ishmael desired to
do to her son Isaac, and it grieved her exceedingly on account of her son, and
she sent for Abraham, 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 Abraham 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 Ishmael was an archer, and he dwelt in
the wilderness a long time.
17 And he and his mother afterward went to the land
of Egypt, and they dwelt there, and Hagar took a wife for her son from Egypt,
and her name was Meribah.
18 And the wife of Ishmael conceived and bare four
sons and two daughters, and Ishmael 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 God gave Ishmael flocks and herds and tents
on account of Abraham his father, and the man increased in cattle.
21 And Ishmael 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, Abraham said to Sarah
his wife, I will go and see my son Ishmael, for I have a desire to see him, for
I have not seen him for a long time.
23 And Abraham rode upon one of his camels to the
wilderness to seek his son Ishmael, for he heard that he was dwelling in a tent
in the wilderness with all belonging to him.
24 And Abraham went to the wilderness, and he
reached the tent of Ishmael about noon, and he asked after Ishmael, and he
found the wife of Ishmael sitting in the tent with her children, and Ishmael
her husband and his mother were not with them.
25 And Abraham asked the wife of Ishmael, saying,
Where has Ishmael gone? and she said, He has gone to the field to hunt, and
Abraham 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 Abraham said to Ishmael's wife, My daughter,
give me a little water that I may drink, for I am fatigued from the journey.
27 And Ishmael's wife answered and said to Abraham,
We have neither water nor bread, and she continued sitting in the tent and did
not notice Abraham, 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 Ishmael and
reproached him, and Abraham heard the words of Ishmael's wife to her children,
and he was very angry and displeased.
29 And Abraham called to the woman to come out to
him from the tent, and the woman came and stood opposite to Abraham, for Abraham
was still mounted upon the camel.
30 And Abraham said to Ishmael's wife, When thy
husband Ishmael 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
Ishmael 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 Abraham finished his instructions to the
woman, and he turned and went off on the camel homeward.
33 And after that Ishmael 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 Ishmael heard the words of his wife, and he
knew that it was his father, and that his wife did not honor him.
36 And Ishmael understood his father's words that
he had spoken to his wife, and Ishmael hearkened to the voice of his father,
and Ishmael cast off that woman and she went away.
37 And Ishmael afterward went to the land of
Canaan, 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 Abraham said, I
will go again and see Ishmael 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 Ishmael about noon.
40 And he asked after Ishmael, 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 Abraham, Turn in
my lord into the tent, and eat a morsel of bread, for thy soul must be wearied
on account of the journey.
41 And Abraham 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 Abraham, 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 Ishmael.
42 And he finished his meal and he blessed the
Lord, and he said to Ishmael's wife, When Ishmael 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 Ishmael 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 Abraham finished commanding the woman, and
he rode off to his home to the land of the Philistines; and when Ishmael 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 Ishmael 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 Ishmael knew that it was his father, and
that his wife had honored him, and the Lord blessed Ishmael.
CHAPTER 22
1 And Ishmael 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 Abraham related to Ishmael his son the
transaction with the first wife that Ishmael took, according to what she did.
3 And Ishmael and his children dwelt with Abraham
many days in that land, and Abraham dwelt in the land of the Philistines a long
time.
4 And the days increased and reached twenty six
years, and after that Abraham 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 Abraham dug wells
of water, and Abraham and all belonging to him dwelt by the water, and the
servants of Abimelech king of the Philistines heard the report that Abraham's
servants had dug wells of water in the borders of the land.
5 And they came and quarreled with the servants of
Abraham, 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 Abraham, and Abimelech spoke to Abraham concerning his servants, and
Abraham rebuked Abimelech concerning the well of which his servants had robbed
him.
7 And Abimelech said to Abraham, As the Lord 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 Abraham 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
Abraham had given to him, for he had also given him cattle and herds in
abundance, and Abimelech swore to Abraham concerning the well, therefore he
called that well Beersheba, for there they both swore concerning it.
10 And they both made a covenant 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 Abraham and all belonging to him
dwelt in Beersheba and he was in that land a long time.
11 And Abraham 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 Abraham 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 Abraham was always open to the
sons of men that passed and repassed, who came daily to eat and drink in the
house of Abraham.
13 And any man who had hunger and came to Abraham's
house, Abraham 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
the Lord who had created him in the earth; this did Abraham all his life.
14 And Abraham and his children and all belonging
to him dwelt in Beersheba, and he pitched his tent as far as Hebron.
15 And Abraham's brother Nahor and his father and
all belonging to them dwelt in Haran, for they did not come with Abraham to the
land of Canaan.
16 And children were born to Nahor which Milca the
daughter of Haran, and sister to Sarah, Abraham'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 Nahor, Abraham's brother.
18 And Nahor had a concubine and her name was
Reumah, and she also bare to Nahor, Zebach, Gachash, Tachash and Maacha, being
four sons.
19 And the children that were born to Nahor 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 Nahor
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, Laban
and their sister Rebecca.
27 These are the families of the children of Nahor,
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 Terah, father of Nahor and Abraham, 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 Terah lived twenty-five years after he begat
Zoba.
33 And Terah died in that year, that is in the
thirty-fifth year of the birth of Isaac son of Abraham.
34 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five
years, and he was buried in Haran.
35 And Zoba the son of Terah lived thirty years and
he begat Aram, Achlis and Merik.
36 And Aram son of Zoba son of Terah, had three
wives and he begat twelve sons and three daughters; and the Lord 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 Nahor.
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 Isaac the son of Abraham was growing up in
those days, and
Abraham
his father taught him the way of the Lord to know the Lord, and the Lord was
with him.
41 And when Isaac was thirty-seven years old,
Ishmael his brother was going about with him in the tent.
42 And Ishmael boasted of himself to Isaac, saying,
I was thirteen years old when the Lord spoke to my father to circumcise us, and
I did according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to my father, and I gave
my soul unto the Lord, and I did not transgress his word which he commanded my
father.
43 And Isaac answered Ishmael, 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 the Lord commanded thee?
44 As the Lord liveth, the God of my father
Abraham, if the Lord should say unto my father, Take now thy son Isaac and
bring him up an offering before me, I would not refrain but I would joyfully
accede to it.
45 And the Lord heard the word that Isaac spoke to
Ishmael, and it seemed good in the sight of the Lord, and he thought to try
Abraham in this matter.
46 And the day arrived when the sons of God came
and placed themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with the sons of God
before the Lord.
47 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest
thou? and Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro in the earth,
and from walking up and down in it.
48 And the Lord said to Satan, What is thy word to
me concerning all the children of the earth? and Satan answered the Lord 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 Abraham the son of Terah, who at
first had no children, and he served thee and erected altars 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 Isaac is born to him, he
has forsaken thee, he has made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the
land, and the Lord 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 altar 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 the Lord said to Satan, Hast thou thus
considered my servant Abraham? for there is none like him upon earth, a perfect
and an upright man before me, one that feareth God and avoideth evil; as I
live, were I to say unto him, Bring up Isaac 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 the Lord and said, Speak then
now unto Abraham as thou hast said, and thou wilt see whether he will not this
day transgress and cast aside thy words.
CHAPTER 23
1 At that time the word of the Lord came to
Abraham, and he said unto him, Abraham, and he said, Here I am.
2 And he said to him, Take now thy son, thine only
son whom thou lovest, even Isaac, 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 the Lord.
3 And Abraham said within himself, How shall I
separate my son Isaac from Sarah his mother, in order to bring him up for a
burnt offering before the Lord?
4 And Abraham came into the tent, and he sat before
Sarah his wife, and he spoke these words to her,
5 My son Isaac is grown up and he has not for some
time studied the service of his God, now tomorrow I will go and bring him to
Shem, and Eber his son, and there he will learn the ways of the Lord, for they
will teach him to know the Lord as well as to know that when he prayeth
continually before the Lord, he will answer him, therefore there he will know
the way of serving the Lord his God.
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 soul is bound within his
soul.
7 And Abraham said unto Sarah, My daughter, let us
pray to the Lord our God that he may do good with us.
8 And Sarah took her son Isaac 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 soul
separate itself from thee? And she still kissed him and embraced him, and she
gave Abraham instructions concerning him.
10 And Sarah said to Abraham, 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 Isaac, 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 Isaac 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
Isaac went with his father Abraham, 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 Isaac
she wept bitterly, and Abraham 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 Isaac, 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, Abraham, Sarah and
Isaac, 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 Abraham went with Isaac his son to bring him
up as an offering before the Lord, as He had commanded him.
21 And Abraham took two of his young men with him,
Ishmael 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 Ishmael said to Eliezer, Now my father
Abraham is going with Isaac to bring him up for a burnt offering to the Lord,
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 Ishmael and said, Surely
Abraham 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 Abraham was proceeding with his son
Isaac along the road, Satan came and appeared to Abraham in the figure of a
very aged man, humble and of contrite spirit, and he approached Abraham and
said to him, Art thou silly or brutish, that thou goest to do this thing this
day to thine only son?
26 For God 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 soul of thine only son to perish from the
earth?
27 Dost thou not know and understand that this
thing cannot be from the Lord? for the Lord cannot do unto man such evil upon
earth to say to him, Go slaughter thy child.
28 And Abraham heard this and knew that it was the
word of Satan who endeavored to draw him aside from the way of the Lord, but
Abraham would not hearken to the voice of Satan, and Abraham rebuked him so
that he went away.
29 And Satan returned and came to Isaac; and he
appeared unto Isaac in the figure of a young man comely and well favored.
30 And he approached Isaac 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 soul and beautiful
figure be lost from the earth.
32 And Isaac heard this, and said unto Abraham,
Hast thou heard, my father, that which this man has spoken? even thus has he
spoken.
33 And Abraham answered his son Isaac 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 God.
34 And Abraham 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 Abraham and Isaac 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 Abraham recognized that place, and he
knew that there was no water there before.
37 And Abraham said to his son Isaac, 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 God.
38 And Abraham rebuked him and said unto him, The
Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, begone from us for we go by the commands of God.
39 And Satan was terrified at the voice of Abraham,
and he went away from them, and the place again became dry land as it was at
first.
40 And Abraham went with Isaac toward the place
that God had told him.
41 And on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes
and saw the place at a distance which God 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 the Lord was seen in the cloud.
43 And Abraham said to Isaac, My son, dost thou see
in that mountain, which we perceive at a distance, that which I see upon it?
44 And Isaac answered and said unto his father, I
see and lo a pillar of fire and a cloud, and the glory of the Lord is seen upon
the cloud.
45 And Abraham knew that his son Isaac was accepted
before the Lord for a burnt offering.
46 And Abraham said unto Eliezer and unto Ishmael
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 Abraham knew that they were not
accepted before the Lord to go with them, and Abraham said to them, Abide ye
here with the ass whilst I and Isaac my son will go to yonder mount and worship
there before the Lord and then return to you.
48 And Eliezer and Ishmael remained in that place,
as Abraham had commanded.
49 And Abraham took wood for a burnt offering and
placed it upon his son Isaac, and he took the fire and the knife, and they both
went to that place.
50 And when they were going along Isaac 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 the Lord?
51 And Abraham answered his son Isaac, saying, The
Lord has made choice of thee my son, to be a perfect burnt offering instead of
the lamb.
52 And Isaac said unto his father, I will do all
that the Lord spoke to thee with joy and cheerfulness of heart.
53 And Abraham again said unto Isaac 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 Isaac answered his father Abraham and said
unto him, O my father, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul 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 the Lord who has this day chosen me to be a burnt
offering before Him.
57 And Abraham greatly rejoiced at the words of
Isaac, and they went on and came together to that place that the Lord had
spoken of.
58 And Abraham approached to build the altar in
that place, and Abraham was weeping, and Isaac took stones and mortar until
they had finished building the altar.
59 And Abraham took the wood and placed it in order
upon the altar which he had built.
60 And he took his son Isaac and bound him in order
to place him upon the wood which was upon the altar, to slay him for a burnt
offering before the Lord.
61 And Isaac said to his father, Bind me securely
and then place me upon the altar 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 Abraham did so.
62 And Isaac 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 Isaac; but do not tell her this if she
should sit near a well or upon any high place, lest she should cast her soul
after me and die.
63 And Abraham heard the words of Isaac, and he
lifted up his voice and wept when Isaac spake these words; and Abraham's tears
gushed down upon Isaac his son, and Isaac wept bitterly, and he said to his
father, Hasten thou, O my father, and do with me the will of the Lord our God
as He has commanded thee.
64 And the hearts of Abraham and Isaac rejoiced at
this thing which the Lord had commanded them; but the eye wept bitterly whilst
the heart rejoiced.
65 And Abraham bound his son Isaac, and placed him
on the altar upon the wood, and Isaac stretched forth his neck upon the altar
before his father, and Abraham stretched forth his hand to take the knife to
slay his son as a burnt offering before the Lord.
66 At that time the angels of mercy came before the
Lord and spake to him concerning Isaac, saying,
67 0 Lord, 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 Isaac, and pity and have compassion upon Abraham and Isaac his son, who
are this day performing thy commands.
68 Hast thou seen, O Lord, how Isaac the son of
Abraham thy servant is bound down to the slaughter like an animal? now
therefore let thy pity be roused for them, O Lord.
69 At that time the Lord appeared unto Abraham, 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 God in
performing this act, and in not withholding thy son, thine only son, from me.
70 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and
behold, a ram was caught in a thicket by his horns; that was the ram which the
Lord God had created in the earth in the day that he made earth and heaven.
71 For the Lord had prepared this ram from that
day, to be a burnt offering instead of Isaac.
72 And this ram was advancing to Abraham when Satan
caught hold of him and entangled his horns in the thicket, that he might not
advance to Abraham, in order that Abraham might slay his son.
73 And Abraham, seeing the ram advancing to him and
Satan withholding him, fetched him and brought him before the altar, and he
loosened his son Isaac from his binding, and he put the ram in his stead, and
Abraham killed the ram upon the altar, and brought it up as an offering in the
place of his son Isaac.
74 And Abraham sprinkled some of the blood of the
ram upon the altar, 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 the Lord.
75 And all that Abraham did on this occasion by the
altar, he would exclaim and say, This is in the room of my son, and may it this
day be considered before the Lord in the place of my son; and Abraham finished
the whole of the service by the altar, and the service was accepted before the
Lord, and was accounted as if it had been Isaac; and the Lord blessed Abraham
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 Abraham was yet engaged
in the burnt offering before the Lord.
77 And he said unto her, Dost thou not know all the
work that Abraham has made with thine only son this day? for he took Isaac and
built an altar, and killed him, and brought him up as a sacrifice upon the
altar, and Isaac 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, Isaac 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 Isaac, 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 God 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 the Lord, for thou didst perform the
command
of thy God; for who can transgress the word of our God, in whose hands is the
soul of every living creature?
82 Thou art just, O Lord our God, 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
Abraham had gone with Isaac; 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 Abraham 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 soul went out through joy; she died and was gathered to her
people.
87 And when Abraham had finished his service he
returned with his son Isaac to his young men, and they rose up and went
together to Beersheba, and they came home.
88 And Abraham 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 Abraham and Isaac went to her to Hebron, and
when they found that she was dead they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly
over her; and Isaac 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 Abraham and Isaac 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
1 And the life of Sarah was one hundred and
twenty-seven years, and Sarah died; and Abraham 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 Abraham,
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 Abraham 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 Abraham, and Ephron said unto
Abraham, Behold all thou requirest thy servant will do; and Abraham 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 Abraham 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
Abraham weighed to Ephron four hundred shekels of silver in the hands of Ephron
and in the hands of all his brethren; and Abraham 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 Abraham took the book of the purchase, and
placed it in his treasures, and these are the words that Abraham wrote in the
book, namely:
10 That the cave and the field Abraham 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 Abraham 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 Abraham and unto his seed after him, from
the children of Heth; behold it is before Mamre in Hebron, which is in the land
of Canaan.
12 And after this Abraham buried his wife Sarah
there, and that place and all its boundary became to Abraham and unto his seed
for a possession of a burial place.
13 And Abraham 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 Abraham 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
Abraham and Isaac his son on account of Sarah.
17 And when the days of their mourning passed by
Abraham sent away his son Isaac, and he went to the house of Shem and Eber, to
learn the ways of the Lord and his instructions, and Abraham remained there
three years.
18 At that time Abraham rose up with all his
servants, and they went and returned homeward to Beersheba, and Abraham 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 Abraham 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 Isaac, 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 Canaan, 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 Nahor the son of Terah, brother to Abraham,
died in those days in the fortieth year of the life of Isaac, and all the days
of Nahor were one hundred and seventy-two years and he died and was buried in
Haran.
28 And when Abraham heard that his brother was dead
he grieved sadly, and he mourned over his brother many days.
29 And Abraham called for Eliezer his head servant,
to give him orders concerning his house, and he came and stood before him.
30 And Abraham 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 the Lord God 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 Abraham 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 Abraham said unto him, Take heed that thou
bring not my son hither again, for the Lord before whom I have walked he will
send his angel before thee and prosper thy way.
34 And Eliezer did as Abraham ordered him, and
Eliezer swore unto Abraham 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 Abraham and
Nahor, in order to fetch a wife for Isaac the son of Abraham; and whilst they
were gone Abraham sent to the house of Shem and Eber, and they brought from
thence his son Isaac.
35 And Isaac 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, Abraham's servant, prayed and said,
O God of Abraham 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 the Lord hearkened to the voice of Eliezer,
for the sake of his servant Abraham, and he happened to meet with the daughter
of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, brother to Abraham, and
Eliezer came to her house.
38 And Eliezer related to them all his concerns,
and that he was Abraham's servant, and they greatly rejoiced at him.
39 And they all blessed the Lord who brought this
thing about, and they gave him Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, for a wife for
Isaac.
40 And the young woman was of very comely
appearance, she was a virgin, and Rebecca was ten years old in those days.
41 And Bethuel and Laban 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 Rebecca
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 Rebecca, and he went and returned to his master to the land of
Canaan.
44 And Isaac took Rebecca and she became his wife,
and he brought her into the tent.
45 And Isaac was forty years old when he took
Rebecca, the daughter of his uncle Bethuel, for a wife.
CHAPTER 25
1 And it was at that time that Abraham again took a
wife in his old age, and her name was Keturah, from the land of Canaan.
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 Abraham the
Hebrew.
6 And Abraham sent all these away, and he gave them
gifts, and they went away from his son Isaac 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 Abraham, went
to the east of the land of Cush, 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 Ishmael the son
Abraham, whom Hagar, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham.
15 And Ishmael took a wife from the land of Egypt,
and her name was Ribah, the same is Meribah.
16 And Ribah bare unto Ishmael Nebayoth, Kedar,
Adbeel, Mibsam and their sister Bosmath.
17 And Ishmael cast away his wife Ribah, and she
went from him and returned to Egypt to the house of her father, and she dwelt
there, for she had been very bad in the sight of Ishmael, and in the sight of
his father Abraham.
18 And Ishmael afterward took a wife from the land
of Canaan, 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 Ishmael, and these are
their names, being twelve princes according to their nations; and the families
of Ishmael afterward spread forth, and Ishmael took his children and all the
property that he had gained, together with the souls 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 Egypt as
thou comest toward Assyria.
21 And Ishmael 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 Ishmael; 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 Ishmael.
24 And the sons of Mishma the son of Ishmael 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 Ishmael according to their families.
27 All these are the families of Ishmael according
to their generations, and they dwelt in those lands wherein they had built
themselves cities unto this day.
28 And Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel, the wife of
Abraham's son Isaac, was barren in those days, she had no offspring; and Isaac
dwelt with his father in the land of Canaan; and the Lord was with Isaac; and
Arpachshad the son of Shem the son of Noah died in those days, in the
forty-eighth year of the life of Isaac, and all the days that Arpachshad lived
were four hundred and thirty-eight years, and he died.
CHAPTER 26
1 And in the fifty-ninth year of the life of Isaac
the son of Abraham, Rebecca his wife was still barren in those days.
2 And Rebecca said unto Isaac, Truly I have heard,
my lord, that thy mother Sarah was barren in her days until my Lord Abraham,
thy father, prayed for her and she conceived by him.
3 Now therefore stand up, pray thou also to God and
he will hear thy prayer and remember us through his mercies.
4 And Isaac answered his wife Rebecca, saying,
Abraham has already prayed for me to God to multiply his seed, now therefore
this barrenness must proceed to us from thee.
5 And Rebecca said unto him, But arise now thou
also and pray, that the Lord may hear thy prayer and grant me children, and
Isaac hearkened to the words of his wife, and Isaac and his wife rose up and
went to the land of Moriah to pray there and to seek the Lord, and when they
had reached that place Isaac stood up and prayed to the Lord on account of his
wife because she was barren.
6 And Isaac said, O Lord God 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 the Lord our God, our eyes are
toward thee to give us seed of men, as thou didst promise us, for thou art the
Lord our God and our eyes are directed toward thee only.
8 And the Lord heard the prayer of Isaac the son of
Abraham, and the Lord was entreated of him and Rebecca 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 the Lord 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 the Lord in
this thing respecting her.
11 And she also asked Abraham to seek and inquire
of the Lord about all that had befallen her.
12 And they all inquired of the Lord concerning
this matter, and they brought her word from the Lord 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 the Lord
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 Esau, saying, That this
one was made complete from the womb.
15 And after that came his brother, and his hand
took hold of Esau's heel, therefore they called his name Jacob.
16 And Isaac, the son of Abraham, 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. Esau was a designing and deceitful
man, and an expert hunter in the field, and Jacob was a man perfect and wise,
dwelling in tents, feeding flocks and learning the instructions of the Lord and
the commands of his father and mother.
18 And Isaac and the children of his household
dwelt with his father Abraham in the land of Canaan, as God had commanded them.
19 And Ishmael the son of Abraham 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 Abraham's concubines
went to dwell in the land of the east, for Abraham had sent them away from his
son, and had given them presents, and they went away.
21 And Abraham gave all that he had to his son
Isaac, and he also gave him all his treasures.
22 And he commanded him saying, Dost thou not know
and understand the Lord is God 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 the Lord thy God, 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 the Lord,
and his kindness that he has shown toward us, in having delivered us from the
hands of our enemies, and the Lord our God 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 God, 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 the Lord 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 Isaac answered his father and said unto him,
That which my Lord has commanded that will I do, and I will not depart from the
commands of the Lord my God, I will keep all that he commanded me; and Abraham
blessed his son Isaac, and also his children; and Abraham taught Jacob the
instruction of the Lord and his ways.
29 And it was at that time that Abraham died, in
the fifteenth year of the life of Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac, and all
the days of Abraham 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
Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him.
30 And when the inhabitants of Canaan heard that
Abraham was dead, they all came with their kings and princes and all their men
to bury Abraham.
31 And all the inhabitants of the land of Haran,
and all the families of the house of Abraham, and all the princes and grandees,
and the sons of Abraham by the concubines, all came when they heard of
Abraham's death, and they requited Abraham's kindness, and comforted Isaac his
son, and they buried Abraham 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 Canaan, and all those
who had known Abraham, wept for Abraham 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 Abraham, for Abraham had been good
to them all, and because he had been upright with God and men.
34 And there arose not a man who feared God like
unto Abraham, for he had feared his God from his youth, and had served the
Lord, and had gone in all his ways during his life, from his childhood to the
day of his death.
35 And the Lord 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 God, and he taught them the ways of the Lord, and caused them to
know the Lord.
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 the Lord God delivered the whole earth on
account of Abraham.
39 And it was after the death of Abraham that God
blessed his son Isaac and his children, and the Lord was with Isaac as he had
been with his father Abraham, for Isaac kept all the commandments of the Lord
as Abraham 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
1 And Esau at that time, after the death of
Abraham, frequently went in the field to hunt.
2 And Nimrod king of Babel, 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 Esau all the days, for a
jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days.
4 And on a certain day Esau 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 Esau 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 Esau started suddenly from his lurking
place, and drew his sword, and hastened and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head.
8 And Esau fought a desperate fight with the two
men that were with Nimrod, and when they called out to him, Esau 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 Esau saw the mighty men of Nimrod
coming at a distance, he fled, and thereby escaped; and Esau 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 Esau 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 Jacob and sat before him.
12 And he said unto his brother Jacob, Behold I
shall die this day, and wherefore then do I want the birthright? And Jacob
acted wisely with Esau in this matter, and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob,
for it was so brought about by the Lord.
13 And Esau's portion in the cave of the field of
Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth for the
possession of a burial ground, Esau also sold to Jacob, and Jacob bought all
this from his brother Esau for value given.
14 And Jacob 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 Jacob.
15 And when Nimrod the son of Cush 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 Esau in shame and contempt, and the seed of Abraham 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
1 And in those days, after the death of Abraham, in
that year the Lord brought a heavy famine in the land, and whilst the famine
was raging in the land of Canaan, Isaac rose up to go down to Egypt on account
of the famine, as his father Abraham had done.
2 And the Lord appeared that night to Isaac and he
said to him, Do not go down to Egypt but rise and go to Gerar, to Abimelech
king of the Philistines, and remain there till the famine shall cease.
3 And Isaac rose up and went to Gerar, as the Lord
commanded him, and he remained there a full year.
4 And when Isaac came to Gerar, the people of the
land saw that Rebecca his wife was of a beautiful appearance, and the people of
Gerar asked Isaac 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 Isaac declared her to
be his sister, so the king reserved this within himself.
7 And when Isaac had remained three months in the
land, Abimelech looked out at the window, and he saw, and behold Isaac was
sporting with Rebecca his wife, for Isaac dwelt in the outer house belonging to
the king, so that the house of Isaac was opposite the house of the king.
8 And the king said unto Isaac, 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 Isaac 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 Isaac and Rebecca 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 Isaac
returned with his wife to the king's house, and the Lord was with Isaac and he
continued to wax great and lacked nothing.
12 And the Lord caused Isaac to find favor in the
sight of Abimelech, and in the sight of all his subjects, and Abimelech acted
well with Isaac, for Abimelech remembered the oath and the covenant that
existed between his father and Abraham.
13 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, 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 Isaac 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 Isaac sowed in that land, and received a
hundred-fold in the same year, and the Lord 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
the Lord appeared to Isaac and said unto him, Rise up, go forth from this place
and return to thy land, to the land of Canaan; and Isaac rose up and returned
to Hebron which is in the land of Canaan, he and all belonging to him as the
Lord commanded him.
17 And after this Shelach the son at Arpachshad
died in that year, which is the eighteenth year of the lives of Jacob and Esau;
and all the days that Shelach lived were four hundred and thirty-three years
and he died.
18 At that time Isaac sent his younger son Jacob to
the house of Shem and Eber, and he learned the instructions of the Lord, and
Jacob remained in the house of Shem and Eber for thirty-two years, and Esau his
brother did not go, for he was not willing to go, and he remained in his
father's house in the land of Canaan.
19 And Esau was continually hunting in the fields
to bring home what he could get, so did Esau all the days.
20 And Esau was a designing and deceitful man, one
who hunted after the hearts of men and inveigled them, and Esau 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 Esau there saw in the land of Seir the
daughter of a man of Canaan, and her name was Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri,
son of Epher, from the families of Heth the son of Canaan.
23 And Esau took her for a wife, and he came unto
her; forty years old was Esau 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 Isaac, that is in the fiftieth year of
the life of Jacob, in that year died Shem the son of Noah; Shem was six hundred
years old at his death.
25 And when Shem died Jacob returned to his father
to Hebron which is in the land of Canaan.
26 And in the fifty-sixth year of the life of
Jacob, people came from Haran, and Rebecca was told concerning her brother
Laban the son of Bethuel.
27 For the wife of Laban was barren in those days,
and bare no children, and also all his handmaids bare none to him.
28 And the Lord afterward remembered Adinah the
wife of Laban, and she conceived and bare twin daughters, and Laban 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
Rebecca, and Rebecca rejoiced greatly that the Lord had visited her brother and
that he had got children.
CHAPTER 29
1 And Isaac the son of Abraham became old and
advanced in days, and his eyes became heavy through age; they were dim and
could not see.
2 At that time Isaac called unto Esau 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 Esau 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 Rebecca heard all the words that Isaac had
spoken unto Esau, and she hastened and called her son Jacob, saying, Thus did
thy father speak unto thy brother Esau, 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 Jacob hastened and did as his mother had
commanded him, and he made the savory meat and brought it before his father
before Esau had come from his chase.
7 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Who art thou, my son?
And he said, I am thy first born Esau, I have done as thou didst order me, now
therefore rise up I pray thee, and eat of my hunt, in order that thy soul may
bless me as thou didst speak unto me.
8 And Isaac rose up and he ate and he drank, and
his heart was comforted, and he blessed Jacob and Jacob went away from his
father; and as soon as Isaac had blessed Jacob and he had gone away from him,
behold Esau 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 Isaac said unto Esau, And who was he that has
taken venison and brought it me before thou camest and whom I did bless? And
Esau knew that his brother Jacob had done this, and the anger of Esau was
kindled against his brother Jacob that he had acted thus toward him.
10 And Esau said, Is he not rightly called Jacob?
for he has supplanted me twice, he took away my birthright and now he has taken
away my blessing; and Esau wept greatly; and when Isaac heard the voice of his
son Esau weeping, Isaac said unto Esau, What can I do, my son, thy brother came
with subtlety and took away thy blessing; and Esau hated his brother Jacob on
account of the blessing that his father had given him, and his anger was
greatly roused against him.
11 And Jacob was very much afraid of his brother
Esau, 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 Jacob was sixty-three
years old when he went forth from the land of Canaan from Hebron, and Jacob was
concealed in Eber's house fourteen years on account of his brother Esau, and he
there continued to learn the ways of the Lord and his commandments.
12 And when Esau saw that Jacob had fled and
escaped from him, and that Jacob had cunningly obtained the blessing, then Esau
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 Esau 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 Esau called her name Adah,
saying the blessing had in that time passed from him.
13 And Esau dwelt in the land of Seir six months
without seeing his father and mother, and afterward Esau took his wives and
rose up and returned to the land of Canaan, and Esau placed his two wives in
his father's house in Hebron.
14 And the wives of Esau vexed and provoked Isaac
and Rebecca with their works, for they walked not in the ways of the Lord, 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 Isaac
and Rebecca became weary of them.
16 And Rebecca said, I am weary of my life because
of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob 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 Esau
conceived and bare him a son, and Esau called the name of the son that was born
unto him Eliphaz, and Esau was sixty-five years old when she bare him.
18 And Ishmael the son of Abraham died in those
days, in the sixty-forth year of the life of Jacob, and all the days that
Ishmael lived were one hundred and thirty-seven years and he died.
19 And when Isaac heard that Ishmael was dead he
mourned for him, and Isaac lamented over him many days.
20 And at the end of fourteen years of Jacob's
residing in the house of Eber, Jacob desired to see his father and mother, and
Jacob came to the house of his father and mother to Hebron, and Esau had in
those days forgotten what Jacob had done to him in having taken the blessing
from him in those days.
21 And when Esau saw Jacob coming to his father and
mother he remembered what Jacob had done to him, and he was greatly incensed
against him and he sought to slay him.
22 And Isaac the son of Abraham was old and
advanced in days, and Esau said, Now my father's time is drawing nigh that he
must die, and when he shall die I will slay my brother Jacob.
23 And this was told to Rebecca, and she hastened
and sent and called for Jacob her son, and she said unto him, Arise, go and
flee to Haran to my brother Laban, and remain there for some time, until thy
brother's anger be turned from thee and then shalt thou come back.
24 And Isaac called unto Jacob and said unto him,
Take not a wife from the daughters of Canaan, for thus did our father Abraham
command us according to the word of the Lord which he had commanded him,
saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; if thy children keep my covenant
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 Canaan; 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 Laban thy
mother's brother.
26 Therefore take heed lest thou shouldst forget
the Lord thy God 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 the
Lord thy God.
27 But when thou comest to the land serve there the
Lord, 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 God 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 the Lord.
29 And may God give unto thee and thy seed the blessing
of thy father Abraham, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, and mayest
thou become a multitude of people in the land whither thou goest, and may God
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 Isaac finished commanding Jacob and blessing
him, and he gave him many gifts, together with silver and gold, and he sent him
away; and Jacob hearkened to his father and mother; he kissed them and arose
and went to Padan-aram; and Jacob was seventy-seven years old when he went out
from the land of Canaan from Beersheba.
31 And when Jacob went away to go to Haran Esau
called unto his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke unto him, saying, Now hasten,
take thy sword in thy hand and pursue Jacob 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 Esau 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 Jacob.
34 And he closely followed Jacob, and he lurked for
him in the border of the land of Canaan opposite to the city of Shechem.
35 And Jacob saw Eliphaz and his men pursuing him,
and Jacob 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 Jacob; and Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob saw that Esau
had spoken to Eliphaz to employ force, Jacob 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 the Lord caused Jacob to find favor in the
sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and his men, and they hearkened to the voice
of Jacob, and they did not put him to death, and Eliphaz and his men took all
belonging to Jacob 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 Esau to Beersheba, and they told him all that had occurred to
them with Jacob, and they gave him all that they had taken from Jacob.
40 And Esau was indignant at Eliphaz his son, and
at his men that were with him, because they had not put Jacob to death.
41 And they answered and said unto Esau, Because
Jacob 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 Esau
took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Jacob and he put them
by in his house.
42 At that time when Esau saw that Isaac had
blessed Jacob, and had commanded him, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife from
amongst the daughters of Canaan, and that the daughters of Canaan were bad in
the sight of Isaac and Rebecca,
43 Then he went to the house of Ishmael his uncle,
and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Ishmael,
the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.
CHAPTER 30
1 And Jacob 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 the Lord appeared there unto Jacob on that night, and he
said unto him, I am the Lord God of Abraham and the God of Isaac 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob made inquiries of them, and they said, We are from
Haran.
6 And he said unto them, Do you know Laban, the son
of Nahor? 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 Laban came to feed her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
8 And when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban,
his mother's brother, he ran and kissed her, and lifted up his voice and wept.
9 And Jacob told Rachel that he was the son of
Rebecca, her father's sister, and Rachel ran and told her father, and Jacob
continued to cry because he had nothing with him to bring to the house of
Laban.
10 And when Laban heard that his sister's son Jacob
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 Jacob related to Laban what his brother Esau
had done to him, and what his son Eliphaz had done to him in the road.
12 And Jacob resided in Laban's house for one
month, and Jacob ate and drank in the house of Laban, and afterward Laban said
unto Jacob, Tell me what shall be thy wages, for how canst thou serve me for
nought?
13 And Laban had no sons but only daughters, and
his other wives and handmaids were still barren in those days; and these are
the names of Laban'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 Jacob loved her.
14 And Jacob said unto Laban, I will serve thee
seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter; and Laban consented to this and
Jacob served Laban seven years for his daughter Rachel.
15 And in the second year of Jacob's dwelling in
Haran, that is in the seventy ninth year of the life of Jacob, in that year
died Eber the son of Shem, he was four hundred and sixty-four years old at his
death.
16 And when Jacob heard that Eber was dead he
grieved exceedingly, and he lamented and mourned over him many days.
17 And in the third year of Jacob's dwelling in
Haran, Bosmath, the daughter of Ishmael, the wife of Esau, bare unto him a son,
and Esau called his name Reuel.
18 And in the fourth year of Jacob's residence in
the house of Laban, the Lord visited Laban and remembered him on account of
Jacob, and sons were born unto him, and his first born was Beor, his second was
Alib, and the third was Chorash.
19 And the Lord gave Laban riches and honor, sons
and daughters, and the man increased greatly on account of Jacob.
20 And Jacob in those days served Laban in all
manner of work, in the house and in the field, and the blessing of the Lord was
in all that belonged to Laban in the house and in the field.
21 And in the fifth year died Jehudith, the
daughter of Beeri, the wife of Esau, in the land of Canaan, and she had no sons
but daughters only.
22 And these are the names of her daughters which
she bare to Esau, the name of the elder was Marzith, and the name of the
younger was Puith.
23 And when Jehudith died, Esau rose up and went to
Seir to hunt in the field, as usual, and Esau dwelt in the land of Seir for a
long time.
24 And in the sixth year Esau took for a wife, in
addition to his other wives, Ahlibamah, the daughter of Zebeon the Hivite, and
Esau brought her to the land of Canaan.
25 And Ahlibamah conceived and bare unto Esau three
sons, Yeush, Yaalan, and Korah.
26 And in those days, in the land of Canaan, there
was a quarrel between
the
herdsmen of Esau and the herdsmen of the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, for
Esau's cattle and goods were too abundant for him to remain in the land of
Canaan, in his father's house, and the land of Canaan could not bear him on
account of his cattle.
27 And when Esau saw that his quarreling increased
with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, 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 Canaan, and
he went away from the inhabitants of the land to the land of Seir, and Esau and
all belonging to him dwelt in the land of Seir.
28 But from time to time Esau would go and see his
father and mother in the land of Canaan, and Esau 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 Esau dwelt in the mountain, he and his children, and
they were fruitful and multiplied.
CHAPTER 31
1 And in the seventh year, Jacob's service which he
served Laban was completed, and Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for the
days of my service are fulfilled; and Laban did so, and Laban and Jacob
assembled all the people of that place and they made a feast.
2 And in the evening Laban came to the house, and
afterward Jacob came there with the people of the feast, and Laban extinguished
all the lights that were there in the house.
3 And Jacob said unto Laban, Wherefore dost thou do
this thing unto us? and Laban answered, Such is our custom to act in this land.
4 And afterward Laban took his daughter Leah, and
he brought her to Jacob, and he came to her and Jacob did not know that she was
Leah.
5 And Laban gave his daughter Leah his maid Zilpah
for a handmaid.
6 And all the people at the feast knew what Laban
had done to Jacob, but they did not tell the thing to Jacob.
7 And all the neighbors came that night to Jacob's
house, and they ate and drank and rejoiced, and played before Leah upon
timbrels, and with dances, and they responded before Jacob, Heleah, Heleah.
8 And Jacob 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 Jacob
during the night, and all the lights that were in the house Laban had that
night extinguished.
10 And in the morning, when daylight appeared,
Jacob turned to his wife and he saw, and behold it was Leah that had been lying
in his bosom, and Jacob said, Behold now I know what the neighbors said last
night, Heleah, they said, and I knew it not.
11 And Jacob called unto Laban, 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 Laban answered Jacob, 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 Jacob did so, and he also took Rachel for a
wife, and he served Laban seven years more, and Jacob also came to Rachel, and
he loved Rachel more than Leah, and Laban gave her his maid Bilhah for a
handmaid.
14 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, the
Lord opened her womb, and she conceived and bare Jacob four sons in those days.
15 And these are their names, Reuben Simeon, Levi,
and Judah, 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 Jacob, she took her handmaid Bilhah, and she bare Jacob two
sons, Dan and Naphtali.
17 And when Leah saw that she had left bearing, she
also took her handmaid Zilpah, and she gave herto Jacob for a wife, and Jacob
also came to Zilpah, and she also bare Jacob two sons, Gad and Asher.
18 And Leah again conceived and bare Jacob in those
days two sons and one daughter, and these are their names, Issachar, Zebulon,
and their sister Dinah.
19 And Rachel was still barren in those days, and
Rachel prayed unto the Lord at that time, and she said, O Lord God 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 Lord God, 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 God heard her and opened her womb, and
Rachel conceived and bare a son, and she said, The Lord has taken away my
reproach, and she called his name Joseph, saying, May the Lord add to me
another son; and Jacob was ninety-one years old when she bare him.
22 At that time Jacob's mother, Rebecca, sent her
nurse Deborah the daughter of Uz, and two of Isaac's servants unto Jacob.
23 And they came to Jacob to Haran and they said
unto him, Rebecca has sent us to thee that thou shalt return to thy father's
house to the land of Canaan; and Jacob hearkened unto them in this which his
mother had spoken.
24 At that time, the other seven years which Jacob
served Laban for Rachel were completed, and it was at the end of fourteen years
that he had dwelt in Haran that Jacob said unto Laban, 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 Canaan that I should return to my father's house.
25 And Laban 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 Jacob 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 Laban did so, and Laban removed from his
flock all that Jacob had said and gave them to him.
28 And Jacob placed all that he had removed from
Laban's flock in the hands of his sons, and Jacob was feeding the remainder of
Laban's flock.
29 And when the servants of Isaac which he had sent
unto Jacob saw that Jacob would not then return with them to the land of Canaan
to his father, they then went away from him, and they returned home to the land
of Canaan.
30 And Deborah remained with Jacob in Haran, and
she did not return with the servants of Isaac to the land of Canaan, and
Deborah resided with Jacob's wives and children in Haran.
31 And Jacob served Laban six years longer, and
when the sheep brought forth, Jacob removed from them such as were speckled and
spotted, as he had determined with Laban, and Jacob did so at Laban's for six
years, and the man increased abundantly and he had cattle and maid servants and
men servants, camels, and asses.
32 And Jacob 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 Jacob, for they were exceedingly prosperous.
33 And many of the sons of men came to procure some
of Jacob's flock, and Jacob gave them a sheep for a man servant or a maid
servant or for an ass or a camel, or whatever Jacob desired from them they gave
him.
34 And Jacob obtained riches and honor and
possessions by means of these transactions with the sons of men, and the
children of Laban envied him of this honor.
35 And in the course of time he heard the words of
Laban's sons, saying, Jacob 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 Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban and of
his children, and behold it was not toward him in those days as it had been
before.
37 And the Lord appeared to Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Canaan to his father Isaac.
39 And Laban did not know that Jacob had gone from
him, for Laban 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 Laban might not know through them where Jacob had gone.
45 And Laban came home and he asked concerning
Jacob and his household, and he was not to be found, and Laban sought his
images to know where Jacob had gone, and could not find them, and he went to
some other images, and he inquired of them and they told him that Jacob had
fled from him to his father's, to the land of Canaan.
46 And Laban then rose up and he took his brothers
and all his servants, and he went forth and pursued Jacob, and he overtook him
in mount Gilead.
47 And Laban said unto Jacob, 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 Jacob answered Laban, 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 Laban searched for the images and he
examined in all Jacob's tents and furniture, but could not find them.
51 And Laban said unto Jacob, We will make a
covenant 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 God shall be a witness between me and thee in this matter.
52 And they took stones and made a heap, and Laban
said, This heap is a witness between me and thee, therefore he called the name
thereof Gilead.
53 And Jacob and Laban offered sacrifice upon the
mount, and they ate there by the heap, and they tarried in the mount all night,
and Laban 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 Nahor, and
with them were ten men.
55 And they hastened and went and passed on the
road before Jacob, and they came by another road to the land of Seir.
56 And they came unto Esau and said unto him, Thus
saith thy brother and relative, thy mother's brother Laban, the son of Bethuel,
saying,
57 Hast thou heard what Jacob 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 God 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 Isaac, to the land of Canaan.
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 soul desireth; and
Laban's messengers came and told Esau all these things.
64 And Esau heard all the words of Laban's
messengers, and his anger was greatly kindled against Jacob, and he remembered his
hatred, and his anger burned within him.
65 And Esau hastened and took his children and
servants and the souls 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 Jacob to smite him.
66 And Esau divided this number into several parts,
and he took the sixty men of his children and servants and the souls 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
Esau went amongst them toward Jacob, and he conducted them with speed.
69 And Laban's messengers departed from Esau and
went to the land of Canaan, and they came to the house of Rebecca the mother of
Jacob and Esau.
70 And they told her saying, Behold thy son Esau has
gone against his brother Jacob 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 Rebecca hastened and sent seventy two men
from the servants of Isaac to meet Jacob on the road; for she said,
Peradventure, Esau may make war in the road when he meets him.
72 And these messengers went on the road to meet
Jacob, and they met him in the road of the brook on the opposite side of the
brook Jabuk, and Jacob said when he saw them, This camp is destined to me from
God, and Jacob called the name of that place Machnayim.
73 And Jacob knew all his father's people, and he
kissed them and embraced them and came with them, and Jacob asked them
concerning his father and mother, and they said, They were well.
74 And these messengers said unto Jacob, Rebecca
thy mother has sent us to thee, saying, I have heard, my son, that thy brother
Esau 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 God 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 soul, thou and all belonging to thee, for it is thy
duty to honor him, for he is thy elder brother.
77 And when Jacob heard the words of his mother
which the messengers had spoken to him, Jacob lifted up his voice and wept
bitterly, and did as his mother then commanded him.
CHAPTER 32
1 And at that time Jacob sent messengers to his
brother Esau 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 Esau, Thus saith thy servant Jacob, 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 Laban,
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 God 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 God'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 Canaan; 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 Esau, and found him
on the borders of the land of Edom going toward Jacob, and four hundred men of
the children of Seir the Horite were standing with drawn swords.
8 And the messengers of Jacob told Esau all the
words that Jacob had spoken to them concerning Esau.
9 And Esau answered them with pride and contempt,
and said unto them, Surely I have heard and truly it has been told unto me what
Jacob has done to Laban, 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 Laban'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 Laban's house, and he
led Laban'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 Laban has Jacob 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 Jacob
and said unto him, We came to thy brother, to Esau, 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 God to deliver thee from him.
15 And when he heard the words of his brother which
he had spoken to the messengers of Jacob, Jacob was greatly afraid and he was
distressed.
16 And Jacob prayed to the Lord his God, and he
said, O Lord God of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, thou didst say unto me when
I went away from my father's house, saying,
17 I am the Lord God of thy father Abraham and the
God of Isaac, 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 Laban, I shall fall in the hands of Esau who will slay me, yea,
together with the mothers of my children.
21 Now therefore, O Lord God, deliver me, I pray
thee, also from the hands of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid of him.
22 And if there is no righteousness in me, do it
for the sake of Abraham and my father Isaac.
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 Jacob ceased praying to the Lord, 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,
Abraham'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 Esau
come to one camp and slay it, the other camp at a distance from it will escape
him.
26 And Jacob tarried there that night, and during
the whole night he gave his servants instructions concerning the forces and his
children.
27 And the Lord heard the prayer of Jacob on that
day, and the Lord then delivered Jacob from the hands of his brother Esau.
28 And the Lord sent three angels of the angels of
heaven, and they went before Esau and came to him.
29 And these angels appeared unto Esau and his
people as two thousand men, riding upon horses furnished with all sorts of war
instruments, and they appeared in the sight of Esau and all his men to be
divided into four camps, with four chiefs to them.
30 And one camp went on and they found Esau coming
with four hundred men toward his brother Jacob, and this camp ran toward Esau
and his people and terrified them, and Esau 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 Esau, and all the warlike men answered, saying,
32 Surely we are the servants of Jacob, who is the
servant of God, and who then can stand against us? And Esau said unto them, O
then, my lord and brother Jacob 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 the Lord
liveth, were not Jacob of whom thou speaketh thy brother, we had not let one
remaining from thee and thy people, but only on account of Jacob we will do
nothing to them.
34 And this camp passed from Esau and his men and
it went away, and Esau 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
Esau 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 Esau fell off the
horse, and the whole camp cried out, and said, Surely we are the servants of
Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who can stand against us?
36 And Esau again answered them saying, O then,
Jacob 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 the
Lord liveth, were not Jacob thy brother as thou didst say, we had not left a
remnant from thee and thy men, but on account of Jacob 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 Jacob, when the fourth camp came
toward him, and they also did unto him and his men as the others had done.
39 And when Esau beheld the evil which the four
angels had done to him and to his men, he became greatly afraid of his brother
Jacob, and he went to meet him in peace.
40 And Esau concealed his hatred against Jacob,
because he was afraid of his life on account of his brother Jacob, and because
he imagined that the four camps that he had lighted upon were Jacob's servants.
41 And Jacob tarried that night with his servants
in their camps, and he resolved with his servants to give unto Esau a present
from all that he had with him, and from all his property; and Jacob rose up in
the morning, he and his men, and they chose from amongst the cattle a present
for Esau.
42 And this is the amount of the present which
Jacob chose from his flock to give unto his brother Esau: 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 Esau 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 Jacob, and we
come to
meet Esau in peace, and behold Jacob cometh behind us.
45 And that which is before us is a present sent
from Jacob to his brother Esau.
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, Jacob 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 Jacob's thigh was
out of joint through wrestling with him.
49 And at the break of day the man left Jacob
there, and he blessed him and went away, and Jacob 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 Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and
behold Esau was at a distance, coming along with many men, about four hundred,
and Jacob was greatly afraid of his brother.
53 And Jacob 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 God caused Jacob to find grace and
favor in the sight of Esau and his men, for God had heard the prayer of Jacob.
55 And the fear of Jacob and his terror fell upon
his brother Esau, for Esau was greatly afraid of Jacob for what the angels of
God had done to Esau, and Esau's anger against Jacob was turned into kindness.
56 And when Esau saw Jacob 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 God put fear and kindness toward Jacob in
the hearts of the men that came with Esau, and they also kissed Jacob and
embraced him.
58 And also Eliphaz, the son of Esau, with his four
brothers, sons of Esau, wept with Jacob, and they kissed him and embraced him,
for the fear of Jacob had fallen upon them all.
59 And Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women
with their offspring, the children of Jacob, walking behind Jacob and bowing
along the road to Esau.
60 And Esau said unto Jacob, Who are these with
thee, my brother? are they thy children or thy servants? and Jacob answered
Esau and said, They are my children which God hath graciously given to thy servant.
61 And whilst Jacob was speaking to Esau and his
men, Esau beheld the whole camp, and he said unto Jacob, Whence didst thou get
the whole of the camp that I met yesternight? and Jacob said, To find favor in
the sight of my lord, it is that which God graciously gave to thy servant.
62 And the present came before Esau, and Jacob
pressed Esau, saying, Take I pray thee the present that I have brought to my
lord, and Esau said, Wherefore is this my purpose? keep that which thou hast
unto thyself.
63 And Jacob said, It is incumbent upon me to give
all this, since I have seen thy face, that thou still livest in peace.
64 And Esau refused to take the present, and Jacob
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 Esau took the present, and Jacob also gave
unto Esau silver and gold and bdellium, for he pressed him so much that he took
them.
66 And Esau 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 Esau said unto Jacob, 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 Jacob 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 Esau said unto Jacob, 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 Jacob said this to Esau in order to remove
Esau and his men from him, so that Jacob might afterward go to his father's
house to the land of Canaan.
73 And Esau hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and
Esau returned with the four hundred men that were with him on their road to
Seir, and Jacob and all belonging to him went that day as far as the extremity
of the land of Canaan in its borders, and he remained there some time.
CHAPTER 33
1 And in some time after Jacob 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 Canaan, 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob with their families also went to behold the rejoicing of the
daughters of the city.
6 And Dinah the daughter of Jacob 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 Jacob
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 Jacob the son of Isaac 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 Jacob,
and when he looked at her his soul 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 Jacob, and
when Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob knew moreover that Shechem had defiled
his daughter, but he said nothing, and his sons were feeding his cattle in the
field, and Jacob remained silent till their return.
16 And before his sons came home Jacob 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 Jacob to commune with
him concerning this matter, and when he had gone from the house of his son
Shechem, before he came to Jacob to speak unto him, behold the sons of Jacob
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 the Lord God of the whole earth commanded Noah
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
Jacob the words of his son concerning Dinah, and he sat before Jacob and before
his sons.
24 And Hamor spoke unto them, saying, The soul 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 Jacob and his
sons, and behold Shechem his son had come after him, and he sat before them.
27 And Shechem spoke before Jacob 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 Simeon 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 Isaac concerning this matter, for we
can do nothing without his consent.
31 For he knoweth the ways of our father Abraham,
and whatever he sayeth unto us we will tell you, we will conceal nothing from
you.
32 And Simeon 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 Simeon 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 Jacob 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 God had commanded
unto Noah 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 Simeon 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 Simeon's advice pleased them, and Simeon 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 Jacob and his sons, to speak concerning Dinah, and to
hear what answer the sons of Jacob would give to their words.
41 And the sons of Jacob spoke deceitfully to them,
saying, We told our father Isaac all your words, and your words pleased him.
42 But he spoke unto us, saying, Thus did Abraham
his father command him from God the Lord 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 Jacob, and the thing pleased them exceedingly, and Shechem and
his father Hamor hastened to do the wishes of the sons of Jacob, for Shechem
was very fond of Dinah, and his soul 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 Jacob, saying,
48 We came to these men, the sons of Jacob, 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 God 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 Jacob, 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 the Lord against the city of Shechem, and from
the Lord was Simeon's counsel in this matter, in order that the Lord might
deliver the city of Shechem into the hands of Jacob's two sons.
CHAPTER 34
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 Jacob 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 Canaan?
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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob heard these words he was filled
with wrath, and he was indignant at them, and his anger was kindled against
them.
23 And Simeon and Levi swore and said, As the Lord
liveth, the God 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 Simeon and Levi,
and Simeon and Levi killed eighteen of them, and two fled from them and escaped
to some lime pits that were in the city, and Simeon and Levi sought for them,
but could not find them.
25 And Simeon 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 Simeon 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 Jacob 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
Simeon turned to them and he slew them all with the edge of the sword, and
Simeon 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 Jacob with vigor.
32 And when Jacob saw all that they had done to the
city, and saw the spoil that they took from them, Jacob was very angry at them,
and Jacob 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 Simeon and Levi and all their brothers with
them answered their father Jacob 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 Simeon 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 Simeon 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 Simeon and
Levi had taken captives from the city of Shechem, were servants to the sons of
Jacob and to their children after them, until the day of the sons of Jacob
going forth from the land of Egypt.
38 And when Simeon 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 Jacob 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 Canaan.
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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob; 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
Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob; and Jacob heard that the kings of the
Amorites had assembled to fight against his sons, and Jacob was greatly afraid,
and it distressed him.
51 And Jacob exclaimed against Simeon and Levi,
saying, What is this act that you did? why have you injured me, to bring against
me all the children of Canaan 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 Judah answered his father, saying, Was it
for naught my brothers Simeon and Levi killed all the inhabitants of Shechem?
Surely it was because Shechem had humbled our sister, and transgressed the
command of our God to Noah 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 the Lord delivered it
into their hands, because its inhabitants had transgressed the commands of our
God. 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 God 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 the Lord our God, and pray unto him to assist us and
deliver us, and deliver our enemies into our hands.
57 And Judah 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 Judah 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 Judah said unto Simeon and Levi, and unto
all his brothers, Strengthen yourselves and be sons of valor, for the Lord our
God 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; the Lord is our God, He will save us.
61 And they rose up, and each girt on his weapons
of war, great and small, eleven sons of Jacob, and all the servants of Jacob
with them.
62 And all the servants of Isaac who were with
Isaac in Hebron, all came to them equipped in all sorts of war instruments, and
the sons of Jacob and their servants, being one hundred and twelve men, went
towards these kings, and Jacob also went with them.
63 And the sons of Jacob sent unto their father
Isaac the son of Abraham to Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, saying,
64 Pray we beseech thee for us unto the Lord our
God, to protect us from the hands of the Canaanites who are coming against us,
and to deliver them into our hands.
65 And Isaac the son of Abraham prayed unto the
Lord for his sons, and he said, O Lord God, 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 Canaan are
coming together, to make war with my children because they committed no
violence.
66 Now therefore, O Lord God, God 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 Jacob and their servants went
toward these kings, and they trusted in the Lord their God, and whilst they
were going, Jacob their father also prayed unto the Lord and said, O Lord God,
powerful and exalted God, 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
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 Jacob, for they were still afraid of them, saying, Behold, two
of them slew the whole of the city of Shechem.
2 And the Lord heard the prayers of Isaac and
Jacob, 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 God 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 Abraham, 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 God delivered him from it.
8 And who else can do the like? surely it was
Abraham 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 God 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 God,
Abraham took his only and precious son and intended to bring him up as a burnt
offering to his God, and had it not been for God who prevented him from doing
this, he would then have done it through his love to his God.
12 And God 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 God stifled his compassion for his child.
13 And have you not heard what their God did to
Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to Abimelech king of Gerar, through taking Abraham'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 God did unto them and their people
all that you heard of.
14 And behold, we ourselves saw with our eyes that
Esau, the brother of Jacob, 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 God 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 God 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
God 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 God 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 God
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 Jacob 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 Jacob, 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 the Lord to them, for he
heard the prayers of his servants Isaac and Jacob, 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 Jacob.
25 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob returned home.
CHAPTER 36
1 At that time the Lord appeared unto Jacob saying,
Arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who
appeareth unto thee, who delivered thee and thy sons from affliction.
2 And Jacob rose up with his sons and all belonging
to him, and they went and came to Bethel according to the word of the Lord.
3 And Jacob was ninety-nine years old when he went
up to Bethel, and Jacob and his sons and all the people that were with him,
remained in Bethel in Luz, and he there built an altar to the Lord who appeared
unto him, and Jacob and his sons remained in Bethel six months.
4 At that time died Deborah the daughter of Uz, the
nurse of Rebecca, who had been with Jacob; and Jacob buried her beneath Bethel
under an oak that was there.
5 And Rebecca the daughter of Bethuel, the mother
of Jacob, also died at that time in Hebron, the same is Kireath-arba, and she
was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the children
of Heth.
6 And the life of Rebecca was one hundred and
thirty-three years, and she died and when Jacob heard that his mother Rebecca
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 Laban the Syrian died in those days, for God
smote him because he transgressed the covenant that existed between him and
Jacob.
8 And Jacob was a hundred years old when the Lord
appeared unto him, and blessed him and called his name Israel, and Rachel the
wife of Jacob conceived in those days.
9 And at that time Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob called the name of his son that was
born to him, which Rachel bare unto him, Benjamin, for he was born to him in
the land on the right hand.
13 And it was after the death of Rachel, that Jacob
pitched his tent in the tent of her handmaid Bilhah.
14 And Reuben 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 Reuben, for
he had profaned his father's bed, and the birthright was given unto Joseph, the
kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood unto Levi, because Reuben had
defiled his father's bed.
16 And these are the generations of Jacob who were
born to him in Padan-aram, and the sons of Jacob were twelve.
17 The sons of Leah were Reuben the first born, and
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and their sister Dinah; and the sons of
Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
18 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, were Gad
and Asher, and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, were Dan and Naphtali;
these are the sons of Jacob which were born to him in Padan-aram.
19 And Jacob and his sons and all belonging to him
journeyed and came to Mamre, which is Kireath-arba, that is in Hebron, where
Abraham and Isaac sojourned, and Jacob with his sons and all belonging to him,
dwelt with his father in Hebron.
20 And his brother Esau 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 Esau were fruitful and multiplied
exceedingly in the land of Seir.
21 And these are the generations of Esau that were
born to him in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Esau were five.
22 And Adah bare to Esau 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 Esau who were born to
him in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Eliphaz the son of Esau 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 Esau 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 Jacob and his sons, and they
would not give ear to her, and she went and became a concubine to Eliphaz the
son of Esau, 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 Esau 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 Jacob and his children and all
belonging to them, dwelt with their father Isaac in the land of Canaan, as the
Lord had commanded Abraham their father.
CHAPTER 37
1 And in the one hundred and fifth year of the life
of Jacob, that is the ninth year of Jacob's dwelling with his children in the
land of Canaan, he came from Padan-aram.
2 And in those days Jacob 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 Jacob
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 Jacob and his children and all belonging to
him dwelt in the part of the field which Jacob had bought from Hamor the father
of Shechem, when he came from Padan-aram before Simeon 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 Jacob had
again come to Shechem and dwelt there.
5 And they said, Shall the sons of Jacob 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 Canaan again assembled, and
they came together to make war with Jacob 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 Laban king of
Bethchoran, and to Shabir king of Othnay-mah, saying,
8 Come up to me and assist me, and let us smite
Jacob 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 Jacob.
11 And they sent a declaration to Jacob 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 Jacob heard this and their anger
was kindled exceedingly at the words of the kings of Canaan, and ten of the
sons of Jacob 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 Jacob with their
servants, went toward these kings, and Jacob their father was with them, and
they all stood upon the heap of Shechem.
14 And Jacob prayed to the Lord for his sons, and
he spread forth his hands to the Lord, and he said, O God, thou art an Almighty
God, 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 Canaan.
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 Jacob ceased praying to the Lord the
earth shook from its place, and the sun darkened, and all these kings were
terrified and a great consternation seized them.
18 And the Lord hearkened to the prayer of Jacob,
and the Lord impressed the hearts of all the kings and their hosts with the
terror and awe of the sons of Jacob.
19 For the Lord caused them to hear the voice of
chariots, and the voice of mighty horses from the sons of Jacob, and the voice
of a great army accompanying them.
20 And these kings were seized with great terror at
the sons of Jacob, and whilst they were standing in their quarters, behold the
sons of Jacob advanced upon them, with one hundred and twelve men, with a great
and tremendous shouting.
21 And when the kings saw the sons of Jacob
advancing toward them, they were still more panic struck, and they were
inclined to retreat from before the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob called unto the Lord and
said, Help us O Lord, 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 Jacob 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 Judah, the son of Jacob, 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 Judah, and Judah saw Jashub and his army coming
toward him, and Judah's wrath was kindled, and his anger burned within him, and
he approached to battle in which Judah ventured his life.
28 And Jashub and all his army were advancing
toward Judah, 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 Judah, and
was darting many arrows against Judah, the Lord 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 Judah, to challenge him with the arrows, but the distance between them
was about thirty cubits, and when Judah saw Jashub darting forth his arrows against
him, he ran to him with his wrath-excited might.
32 And Judah took up a large stone from the ground,
and its weight was sixty shekels, and Judah 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 Judah, the son of Jacob, and what he had done to
Jashub, and they were terribly afraid of Judah.
35 And they assembled near Jashub's camp, seeing
his confusion, and Judah drew his sword and smote forty-two men of the camp of
Jashub, and the whole of Jashub's camp fled before Judah, 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 Judah, and stood
upon his legs opposite Judah.
37 And Jashub had a single combat with Judah,
placing shield toward shield, and Jashub's men all fled, for they were greatly
afraid of Judah.
38 And Jashub took his spear in his hand to strike
Judah upon his head, but Judah had quickly placed his shield to his head
against Jashub's spear, so that the shield of Judah received the blow from
Jashub's spear, and the shield was split in too.
39 And when Judah 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 Judah 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 Jacob saw what Judah had
done to Jashub, they all ran into the ranks of the other kings, and the sons of
Jacob fought with the army of Jashub, and the armies of all the kings that were
there.
42 And the sons of Jacob 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 Judah was still standing by the body of
Jashub, and stripped Jashub of his coat of mail.
44 And Judah 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 Judah.
45 And Judah 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 Judah, were greatly afraid and they fled, and Judah with his ten
men pursued them, and they overtook them and slew them.
47 And the sons of Jacob 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
Jacob, but none would listen to them, for they were afraid of their lives lest
they should die.
48 And all the sons of Jacob, after having smitten
the armies of the kings, returned and came before Judah, and Judah 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 Jacob, when Jacob 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 Jacob saw that the remaining
kings had removed from their station, they pursued them, and Jacob 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 Jacob approached them, were afraid of
their lives and fled till they reached the city of Chazar.
5 And the sons of Jacob 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, Jacob 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 Laban
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 Jacob 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 Jacob fell in
that battle, and when Judah 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 Jacob 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 Jacob, and would not suffer them to enter the city.
12 And Naphtali 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 Jacob 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 Judah sprang upon the top of the wall, and
Simeon and Levi followed him, and they all three descended from the wall into
the city.
15 And Simeon 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 Naphtali sprang upon the wall to see
what caused the noise of lamentation, for the sons of Jacob 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 Judah, Simeon, and Levi had ceased
smiting the inhabitants of the city, they ascended the wall and called to Dan
and Naphtali, who were upon the wall, and to the rest of their brothers, and
Simeon and Levi informed them of the entrance into the city,
and all
the sons of Jacob came to fetch the spoil.
18 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob
came, and they brought it into the city.
25 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob were seeking an
entrance into the city.
26 And the inhabitants of the city reproached the
sons of Jacob from the top of the wall, and they cursed them, and the sons of
Jacob heard the reproaches, and they were greatly incensed, and their anger
burned within them.
27 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Judah 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 Simeon and Levi to the north, and Dan and Reuben to the
south.
108
32 And the men who were on the top of the wall, the
inhabitants of the city, seeing that the sons of Jacob 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 Issachar and Naphtali 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 Jacob 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 Judah
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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob smote a great smiting
amongst those men in the tower and they ran away and fled from them.
37 And Simeon 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 Simeon and Levi, and Simeon and Levi could not prevail over them, and
those valiant men broke the shields of Simeon 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 Jacob fought, but the
sons of Jacob could not prevail over them, for those men were very powerful.
41 And the sons of Jacob seeing that they could not
prevail over them, Simeon gave a loud and tremendous shriek, and the eleven
powerful men were stunned at the voice of Simeon's shrieking.
42 And Judah at a distance knew the voice of
Simeon's shouting, and Naphtali and Judah ran with their shields to Simeon and
Levi, and found them fighting with those powerful men, unable to prevail over
them as their shields were broken.
43 And Naphtali saw that the shields of Simeon and
Levi were broken, and he took two shields from his servants and brought them to
Simeon and Levi.
44 And Simeon, Levi and Judah 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 Jacob, and he was sorely
grieved, and he prayed unto the Lord, and he and Naphtali his son went against
these mighty men.
46 And Jacob 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 Jacob, 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 Judah and his brothers pursued them, and smote the
remainder of them, and slew them.
48 And all the sons of Jacob 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 Naphtali 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob, 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 Jacob in that place, and the sons of Jacob smote them, and they
fled before them, and they pursued them to the city of Arbelan, and they all
fell before the sons of Jacob.
4 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob, for their wives were experienced in battle,
and they went out, about four hundred men and women.
6 And all the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob, 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 Jacob, and they were terribly afraid of them, and they
retreated and fled before them into the city, and the sons of Jacob pursued
them to the gate of the city, and they came upon them in the city.
9 And the sons of Jacob fought with them in the
city, and all their women were engaged in slinging against the sons of Jacob,
and the combat was very severe amongst them the whole of that day till evening.
10 And the sons of Jacob could not prevail over
them, and the sons of Jacob had almost perished in that battle, and the sons of
Jacob cried unto the Lord and greatly gained strength toward evening, and the
sons of Jacob 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 Jacob smote them in Arbelan, and the sons of
Jacob 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 Jacob by showering down stones like rain.
12 And the sons of Jacob hastened and came into the
city and seized all the women and smote them with the edge of the sword, and
the sons of Jacob captured all the spoil and booty, flocks and herds and
cattle.
13 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob had slain them all in the first
battle.
15 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob from without the city at the rear
thereof.
17 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob.
18 And the sons of Jacob 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 Judah, 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 Judah'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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob, for fright and terror had seized them at the shriek of Judah.
22 And the sons of Jacob slew all those men who
were without the city, and the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob were unable to
approach the city to fight with them.
23 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob could not prevail over them from under the wall,
reproached the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob and reviled them with their gods, and continued to cast
arrows and stones upon them from the wall.
28 And Judah and his brothers heard the words of
the inhabitants of Gaash and their anger was greatly roused, and Judah was
jealous of his God in this matter, and he called out and said, O Lord, 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 Judah 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
Judah's strength, they were greatly afraid and fled for their lives into the
city for safety.
31 And some were emboldened to fight with Judah
upon the wall, and they came nigh to slay him when they saw there was no sword
in Judah'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 Judah
and they all shouted over him, and approached him with drawn swords, and they
terrified Judah, and Judah cried out to his brothers from the wall.
32 And Jacob 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
Judah continued to cry and he exclaimed, O Lord help us, O Lord 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 Judah on the top of the wall were terrified, and
they each threw his sword from his hand at the sound of Judah's shouting and
his tremor, and fled.
34 And Judah took the swords which had fallen from
their hands, and Judah 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 Judah, and the Lord impressed
the fear of Judah in their hearts, that they were unable to approach him.
36 And Jacob 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 Jacob and his sons.
37 And the people upon the wall seeing that twenty
of their men had fallen, they still ran toward Judah with drawn swords, but
they could not approach him for they were greatly terrified at Judah's
strength.
38 And one of their mighty men whose name was Arud
approached to strike Judah upon the head with his sword, when Judah 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 Judah
ran for his life, at the fear of Judah, and his feet slipped upon the wall and
he fell amongst the sons of Jacob who were below the wall, and the sons of
Jacob smote him and slew him.
40 And Judah's head pained him from the blow of the
powerful man, and Judah had nearly died from it.
41 And Judah 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 Judah
all the men upon the wall fled, who had stood against Judah, and they went up
to the second wall, and they threw arrows and stones upon Dan and Judah from
the second wall, and endeavored to drive them from the wall.
43 And the arrows and stones struck Dan and Judah,
and they had nearly been killed upon the wall, and wherever Dan and Judah fled
from the wall, they were attacked with arrows and stones from the second wall.
44 And Jacob 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 Judah 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 Judah had come to them
upon the second wall, they all cried out and descended below between the walls.
46 And Jacob 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 Judah who were not seen by them,
they being upon the second wall.
47 And Naphtali 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 Issachar and Zebulun drew nigh to break
the doors of the city, and they opened the gates of the city and came into the
city.
48 And Naphtali 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 Naphtali was the third who had come up to assist his
brothers, they all fled and descended into the city, and Jacob and all his sons
and all their young men came into the city to them.
49 And Judah and Dan and Naphtali descended from
the wall into the city and pursued the inhabitants of the city, and Simeon 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 Jacob came to them in different
directions, and the battle waged against them from the front and the rear, and
the sons of Jacob smote them terribly, and slew about twenty thousand of them
men and women, not one of them could stand up against the sons of Jacob.
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 Jacob 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 Jacob.
56 And when the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob came up to the place where
they were, and the powerful men ran away, and one of them had taken Zebulun,
who he saw was a young lad and of short stature, and with his might dashed him
to the ground.
58 And Jacob ran to him with his sword and Jacob
smote him below his loins with the sword, and cut him in two, and the body fell
upon Zebulun.
59 And the second one approached and seized Jacob
to fell him to the ground, and Jacob turned to him and shouted to him, whilst
Simeon 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 Judah 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 Jacob, and the sons of
Jacob 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 Jacob and fought them with that sword.
62 And the powerful man ran to Judah to strike him
upon the head with the sword, and there was no shield in the hand of Judah; and
whilst he was aiming to strike him, Naphtali hastily took his shield and put it
to Judah's head, and the sword of the powerful man hit the shield of Naphtali
and Judah escaped the sword.
63 And Simeon 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob did unto Gaash as they had done to Sarton
and Shiloh.
CHAPTER 40
1 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob were afraid of those
men, as they were not accustomed to fight in the dark, and they were greatly
confounded, and the sons of Jacob cried unto the Lord, saying, Give help to us
O Lord, deliver us that we may not die by the hands of these uncircumcised men.
5 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of the sons
of Jacob, and the Lord 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 Jacob, knowing that the Lord 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
Canaan, 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 Jacob, 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
Jacob 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 Canaan 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 Jacob 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 Jacob smote them there till evening time.
15 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob and his sons and their servants
remained on that night and the next day in the portion of the field which Jacob
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 Jacob 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 Jacob
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 Jacob, for they were greatly afraid of their
lives, on account of the sons of Jacob.
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 Jacob, 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 Jacob, 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 Jacob, 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 Canaan assembled to go to the sons of Jacob, to make peace with them;
and the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob saw that there was no
appearance of war, they all assembled and went to the city of Shechem, and the
sons of Jacob 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 Jacob, 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 Jacob 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 Jacob, and we will
come after thee and confirm thy words, and the king of Hebron did so.
34 And the sons of Jacob heard that all the kings
of Canaan had gathered together and rested in Hebron, and the sons of Jacob
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 Jacob went secretly to these
kings, and did as the sons of Jacob had commanded them, and on that day they
came back to the sons of Jacob, 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 Jacob said, They are but few in
number, therefore we will not all go out to them; and in the morning the sons
of Jacob rose up and chose sixty two of their men, and ten of the sons of Jacob
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 Jacob went with their servants
to the gate of Shechem, toward those kings, and their father Jacob 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 Jacob, and the sons of Jacob lifted up their eyes, and
saw at a distance Japhia, king of Hebron, with his captains, coming toward
them, and the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob, and he and his
captains bowed down to them to the ground, and the king of Hebron sat with his
captains before Jacob and his sons.
40 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob, 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 Jacob heard the words of the
king of Hebron, and they would not consent to his proposals, for the sons of
Jacob 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 Jacob, that they did not believe his words, and the king of Hebron
approached nearer to Jacob, 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 Jacob 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 Jacob, and bowed down to
them to the ground, and these kings sat before Jacob 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 covenant of peace and
truth, that you will not meddle with us, inasmuch as we have not meddled with
you.
47 And the sons of Jacob knew that they had really
come to seek peace from them, and the sons of Jacob listened to them, and
formed a covenant with them.
48 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob made them tributary from that day forward.
49 And after this all the captains of these kings
came with their men before Jacob, with presents in their hands for Jacob and
his sons, and they bowed down to him to the ground.
50 And these kings then urged the sons of Jacob and
begged of them to
return
all the spoil they had captured from the seven cities of the Amorites, and the
sons of Jacob 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 Jacob, and they sent or brought them many gifts in those days, and the sons
of Jacob sent off these kings and their men, and they went peaceably away from
them to their cities, and the sons of Jacob also returned to their home, to
Shechem.
52 And there was peace from that day forward
between the sons of Jacob and the kings of the Canaanites, until the children
of Israel came to inherit the land of Canaan.
CHAPTER 41
1 And at the revolution of the year the sons of
Jacob journeyed from Shechem, and they came to Hebron, to their father Isaac,
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 Jacob 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 Jacob, in the tenth year of Jacob's
coming from Padan-aram, that Leah the wife of Jacob died; she was fifty-one
years old when she died in Hebron.
3 And Jacob and his sons buried her in the cave of
the field of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Abraham had bought from the
children of Heth, for the possession of a burial place.
4 And the sons of Jacob 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 Joseph the son of Jacob, and his brother
Benjamin, the sons of Rachel, the wife of Jacob, 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 Joseph 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 Jacob, 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 Joseph 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 Jacob seeing the whole of
Joseph'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 Joseph 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 Jacob, and Jacob kissed Joseph when he heard these words from his mouth,
and Jacob blessed Joseph.
13 And when the sons of Jacob saw that their father
had blessed Joseph and had kissed him, and that he loved him exceedingly, they
became jealous of him and hated him the more.
14 And after this Joseph dreamed another dream and
related the dream to his father in the presence of his brethren, and Joseph
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 Joseph and his
dream, and seeing that his brethren hated Joseph on account of this matter,
Jacob therefore rebuked Joseph 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 Jacob reserved the
dreams in his heart.
18 And the sons of Jacob went one day to feed their
father's flock in Shechem, for they were still herdsmen in those days; and
whilst the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob saw that his sons were delayed in
Shechem, and Jacob said within himself, Peradventure the people of Shechem have
risen up to fight against them, therefore they have delayed coming this day.
20 And Jacob called Joseph 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 Jacob sent his son Joseph to the valley of
Hebron, and Joseph came for his brothers to Shechem, and could not find them,
and Joseph 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 the Lord found him wandering in
the road toward the field, and Joseph said unto the angel of the Lord, I seek
my brethren; hast thou not heard where they are feeding? and the angel of the
Lord said unto Joseph, I saw thy brethren feeding here, and I heard them say
they would go to feed in Dothan.
23 And Joseph hearkened to the voice of the angel
of the Lord, and he went to his brethren in Dothan and he found them in Dothan
feeding the flock.
24 And Joseph advanced to his brethren, and before
he had come nigh unto them, they had resolved to slay him.
25 And Simeon 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 Reuben heard the words of his brethren
concerning Joseph, and he said unto them, You should not do this thing, for how
can we look up to our father Jacob? Cast him into this pit to die there, but
stretch not forth a hand upon him to spill his blood; and Reuben said this in
order to deliver him from their hand, to bring him back to his father.
27 And when Joseph 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 Joseph was
afraid of the serpents and scorpions that were in the pit. And Joseph cried out
with a loud voice, and the Lord hid the serpents and scorpions in the sides of
the pit, and they did no harm unto Joseph.
29 And Joseph 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 the Lord concerning me? am I not of your bones and
flesh, and is not Jacob 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 Jacob?
30 And he continued to cry out and call unto his
brethren from the pit, and he said, O Judah, Simeon, 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 the Lord, and sons of Jacob
my father. And if I have sinned unto you, are you not the sons of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob? 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 Joseph spoke these words from the pit, and
his brethren could not listen to him, nor incline their ears to the words of
Joseph, and Joseph was crying and weeping in the pit.
33 And Joseph 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 Joseph and his weeping in the pit.
CHAPTER 42
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 Egypt.
3 And Judah said unto them, What gain will it be to
us if we slay our brother? peradventure God 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 Egypt,
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 Judah.
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 Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Jacob, 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 Jacob 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 Jacob.
12 And behold Simeon 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 Simeon's shouting.
13 And the Midianites were terrified on account of
Simeon and the noise of his shouting, and they fell upon their faces, and were
excessively alarmed.
14 And Simeon said unto them, Verily I am Simeon,
the son of Jacob the Hebrew, who have, only with my brother, destroyed the city
of Shechem and the cities of the Amorites; so shall God moreover do unto me,
that if all your brethren the people of Midian, and also the kings of Canaan,
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 Simeon,
and they approached the sons of Jacob 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 the Lord was pleased to do this in order that the sons of Jacob should not
slay their brother.
18 And the Midianites saw that Joseph 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 Jacob hearkened to the
Midianites and they sold their brother Joseph to them for twenty pieces of
silver, and Reuben their brother was not with them, and the Midianites took
Joseph 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 Jacob 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 Joseph 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 Joseph and they let him ride upon one of the camels,
and they were leading him to Egypt.
26 And Joseph heard that the Ishmaelites were
proceeding to Egypt, and Joseph lamented and wept at this thing that he was to
be so far removed from the land of Canaan, 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 Joseph continued to cry and weep, and he said, O my father, my father.
27 And one of the Ishmaelites rose up and smote
Joseph upon the cheek, and still he continued to weep; and Joseph was fatigued
in the
road, and was unable to proceed on account of
the bitterness of his soul, 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 the Lord saw the ambition of Joseph and his
trouble, and the Lord 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 God has done to us in the road? and they knew not that this befell them on
account of Joseph. And the men proceeded on the road, and they passed along the
road of Ephrath where Rachel was buried.
30 And Joseph reached his mother's grave, and
Joseph hastened and ran to his mother's grave, and fell upon the grave and
wept.
31 And Joseph 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
God, and see whom God 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 soul is with me this day, and comfort him and ease
his heart.
36 And Joseph continued to speak these words, and
Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Joseph, 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, Joseph my son, hope to the
Lord, and wait for him and do not fear, for the Lord is with thee, he will
deliver thee from all trouble.
40 Rise my son, go down unto Egypt with thy
masters, and do not fear, for the Lord is with thee, my son. And she continued
to speak like unto these words unto Joseph, and she was still.
41 And Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Joseph wept bitterly.
44 And the Lord saw Joseph's affliction, and Lord
again smote these men, and chastised them, and the Lord 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 God 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 God 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 Joseph
and pressed him to forgive them; and they said, We have sinned to the Lord and
to thee, now therefore vouchsafe to request of thy God that he shall put away
this death from amongst us, for we have sinned to him.
48 And Joseph did according to their words, and the
Lord hearkened to Joseph, and the Lord put away the plague which he had
inflicted upon those men on account of Joseph, 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 Egypt, and the men knew that this evil had befallen them on account of
Joseph.
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 souls? 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 Egypt, and when we shall have come to Egypt, 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 Egypt with Joseph.
CHAPTER 43
1 And when the sons of Jacob had sold their brother
Joseph 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 Reuben returned to the pit in which Joseph
had been put, in order to lift him out, and restore him to his father, and
Reuben stood by the pit,
and he
heard not a word, and he called out Joseph! Joseph! and no one answered or
uttered a word.
3 And Reuben said, Joseph has died through fright,
or some serpent has caused his death; and Reuben descended into the pit, and he
searched for Joseph and could not find him in the pit, and he came out again.
4 And Reuben 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 Joseph,
and counseling together how to reconcile their father about him, and Reuben
said unto his brethren, I came to the pit and behold Joseph 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 Reuben 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 Reuben sat with them, and they all rose up
and swore to each other not to tell this thing unto Jacob, 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 Jacob 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 Jacob concerning all these things.
10 And Issachar 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 Joseph 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 Issachar's advice pleased them, and they
hearkened unto him and they did according to the word of Issachar which he had
counselled them.
13 And they hastened and took Joseph'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 Jacob by the hand of Naphtali, 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 Naphtali 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 Jacob saw Joseph'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 Joseph!
17 And Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Jacob said unto his sons, Tell me truly what
evil have you this day suddenly brought upon me? and they answered their father
Jacob, 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 Jacob 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; Joseph 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 Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Joseph my son, O my son Joseph, 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 Joseph 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 Joseph my son,
for it grieves me sadly for thee my son, O my son, my son. Joseph 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 Joseph.
26 Come now and number the tears gushing from my
eyes down my cheeks, and bring them up before the Lord, that his anger may turn
from me.
27 0 Joseph 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 soul, but it was God 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 God who gave thee unto me, he has
taken thee from me, and such then has befallen thee
30 And Jacob continued to speak like unto these
words concerning Joseph, and he wept bitterly; he fell to the ground and became
still.
31 And all the sons of Jacob seeing their father's
trouble, they repented of what they had done, and they also wept bitterly.
32 And Judah 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 Judah wept an exceeding great weeping, whilst his father's
head was reclining upon his lap, still as a stone.
33 And the sons of Jacob saw their father's
trouble, and they lifted up their voices and continued to weep, and Jacob 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 Jacob rose up and
mourned a great mourning on account of Joseph and their father's trouble, and
the intelligence reached Isaac, the son of Abraham, the father of Jacob, and he
wept bitterly on account of Joseph, he and all his household, and he went from
the place where he dwelt in Hebron, and his men with him, and he comforted
Jacob his son, and he refused to be comforted.
36 And after this, Jacob 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 the Lord 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 Jacob was still crying aloud and weeping and
walking to and fro in the house, and smiting his hands together, saying, Joseph
my son, Joseph my son.
40 And the sons of Jacob 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 Jacob 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 Joseph, and how didst thou have no fear of the God of the earth, or of my
trouble for my son Joseph?
42 And thou didst devour my son for naught, because
he committed no violence, and didst thereby render me culpable on his account,
therefore God will require him that is persecuted.
43 And the Lord opened the mouth of the beast in
order to comfort Jacob with its words, and it answered Jacob and spoke these
words unto him,
44 As God liveth who created us in the earth, and
as thy soul 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 God 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 Jacob 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 Jacob was still crying aloud and weeping for
Joseph day after day, and he mourned for his son many days.
CHAPTER 44
1 And the sons of Ishmael who had bought Joseph
from the Midianites, who had bought him from his brethren, went to Egypt with
Joseph, and they came upon the borders of Egypt, and when they came near unto
Egypt, they met four men of the sons of Medan the son of Abraham, who had gone
forth from the land of Egypt 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 Joseph 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
Egypt and the Medanim also returned that day to Egypt, 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 Joseph 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 Joseph and brought him to his
house that he might serve him, and Joseph 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 the Lord was with Joseph and he became a
prosperous man, and the Lord blessed the house of Potiphar for the sake of
Joseph.
13 And Potiphar left all that he had in the hand of
Joseph, and Joseph 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 Joseph was eighteen years old, a youth with
beautiful eyes and of comely appearance, and like unto him was not in the whole
land of Egypt.
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 Joseph 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
soul was fixed upon Joseph, and she enticed him day after day, and Zelicah
persuaded Joseph daily, but Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Egypt, 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 God 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 Joseph unto her, neither did he
place his eye upon her, but directed his eyes below to the ground.
23 And Zelicah desired Joseph in her heart, that he
should lie with her, and at the time that Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Joseph said unto her, Surely God 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 soul being still fixed upon him, her desire threw her
into a grievous sickness.
27 And all the women of Egypt 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 Joseph in costly garments,
and that he should appear before them, and Joseph came before their eyes and
all the women looked on Joseph, 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 Joseph, 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 soul 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 Joseph, 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 Joseph.
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 Joseph; 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
Joseph, and she continued to decline, till she had scarce strength to stand.
40 And on a certain day Joseph was doing his
master's work in the house, and Zelicah came secretly and fell suddenly upon
him, and Joseph 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 soul, 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 Joseph 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 God 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 Joseph 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 Egypt
was filled above all its sides, and all the inhabitants of Egypt went forth,
and also the king and princes went forth with timbrels and dances, for it was a
great rejoicing in Egypt, 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
Joseph passed to do his work, and behold Joseph
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 Joseph turning back from her,
and she called out to him, saying What aileth thee Joseph? come to thy work,
and behold I will make room for thee until thou shalt have passed to thy seat.
52 And Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Joseph's neck, and she said, Rise and perform my request, and if not
thou diest this day.
54 And Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Joseph'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 Joseph'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 Joseph, 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 Joseph to be punished with severe stripes, and they did so to him.
63 And whilst they were smiting him, Joseph called
out with a loud voice, and he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and he said, O Lord
God, 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 Joseph,
he continued to cry out and weep, and there was a child there eleven months
old, and the Lord opened the mouth of the child, and he spake these words
before Potiphar's men, who were smiting Joseph, 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 Joseph 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 Joseph any more, and the men
ceased beating Joseph.
69 And Potiphar took Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Joseph, Why didst thou
do this thing to thy master? and Joseph answered them, saying, Not so my lords,
thus was the matter; and Potiphar said unto Joseph, 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 Joseph answered saying, Not so my lord, as
the Lord liveth, and as thy soul 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 Joseph'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 Joseph's garment before the
priests who were judges, and they saw and behold the tear was in front of
Joseph, 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
Joseph 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
Joseph to the house of confinement day by day, and she enticed him to hearken
to her, and
Zelicah
said unto Joseph, 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 Joseph answered her, saying, It is better
for me to remain in this house than to hearken to thy words, to sin against
God; 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 Joseph answered her and said, Behold the God
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 Joseph
to hearken to her, she left off going to entice him; and Joseph was still
confined in the house of confinement. And Jacob the father of Joseph, and all
his brethren who were in the land of Canaan still mourned and wept in those
days on account of Joseph, for Jacob refused to be comforted for his son
Joseph, and Jacob cried aloud, and wept and mourned all those days.
CHAPTER 45
1 And it was at that time in that year, which is
the year of Joseph's going down to Egypt after his brothers had sold him, that
Reuben the son of Jacob 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 Reuben conceived and bare
him Hanoch, Palu, Chetzron and Carmi, four sons; and Simeon 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 Simeon took captive from the city of Shechem, and
Bunah was before Dinah and attended upon her, and Simeon came to her, and she
bare unto him Saul.
4 And Judah went at that time to Adulam, and he
came to a man of Adulam, and his name was Hirah, and Judah saw there the
daughter of a man from Canaan, and her name was Aliyath, the daughter of Shua,
and he took her, and came to her, and Aliyath bare unto Judah, Er, Onan and
Shiloh; three sons.
5 And Levi and Issachar 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 Issachar took Aridah,
and they came to the land of Canaan, to their father's house, and Adinah bare
unto Levi, Gershon, Kehath and Merari; three sons.
7 And Aridah bare unto Issachar 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 Canaan.
8 And Aphlaleth was barren, she had no offspring,
and God afterward remembered Aphlaleth the wife of Dan, and she conceived and
bare a son, and she called his name Chushim.
9 And Gad and Naphtali went to Haran and took from
thence the daughters of Amuram the son of Uz, the son of Nahor, 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 Naphtali took Merimah, and Gad took Uzith; and brought them to the land of
Canaan, to their father's house.
11 And Merimah bare unto Naphtali 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 Ishmael, for a wife, and he brought her
to the land of Canaan.
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 Canaan, and Serach
her daughter he also brought with them, and she was three years old, and the
damsel was brought up in Jacob's house.
17 And the damsel was of a comely appearance, and
she went in the sanctified ways of the children of Jacob; she lacked nothing,
and the Lord 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 Zebulun 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 Canaan.
20 And Merushah bare unto Zebulun Sered, Elon and
Yachleel; three sons.
21 And Jacob sent to Aram, the son of Zoba, the son
of Terah, and he took for his son Benjamin Mechalia the daughter of Aram, and
she came to the land of Canaan to the house of Jacob; and Benjamin was ten
years old when he took Mechalia the daughter of Aram for a wife.
22 And Mechalia conceived and bare unto Benjamin
Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, five sons; and Benjamin went afterward
and took for a wife Aribath, the daughter of Shomron, the son of Abraham, in
addition to his first wife, and he was eighteen years old; and Aribath bare
unto Benjamin Achi, Vosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord; five sons.
23 And in those days Judah 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 the Lord, and the Lord slew him.
25 And it was after the death of Er, Judah's first
born, that Judah 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 the Lord, and he slew him also.
27 And when Onan died, Judah said unto Tamar,
Remain in thy father's house until my son Shiloh shall have grown up, and Judah
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 Judah died; and Judah was comforted for his wife, and after the death
of Aliyath, Judah went up with his friend Hirah to Timnah to shear their sheep.
30 And Tamar heard that Judah had gone up to Timnah
to shear the sheep, and that Shiloh was grown up, and Judah 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 Judah 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
1 In those days Joseph was still confined in the
prison house in the land of Egypt.
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 Egypt.
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 Joseph 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 Joseph came to them to attend upon them as usual, and he saw them, and
behold their countenances were dejected and sad.
7 And Joseph 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 Joseph said unto them, Relate, I pray you,
your dream unto me, and God shall give you an answer of peace as you desire.
8 And the butler related his dream unto Joseph, 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 Joseph 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 Canaan 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 Joseph, 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 Joseph had accurately
interpreted the butler's dream, also approached, and related the whole of his
dream to Joseph.
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 Joseph 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 Egypt, and they
proclaimed that the king had gotten his first born son and all the people of
Egypt 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 Egypt.
17 And all the people of Egypt 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 Joseph had interpreted
his dream, forgot Joseph, and he did not mention him to the king as he had
promised, for this thing was from the Lord in order to punish Joseph because he
had trusted in man.
20 And Joseph remained after this in the prison
house two years, until he had completed twelve years.
CHAPTER 47
1 And Isaac the son of Abraham was still living in
those days in the land of Canaan; he was very aged, one hundred and eighty
years old, and Esau his son, the brother of Jacob, was in the land of Edom, and
he and his sons had possessions in it amongst the children of Seir.
2 And Esau heard that his father's time was drawing
nigh to die, and he and his sons and household came unto the land of Canaan,
unto his father's house, and Jacob and his sons went forth from the place where
they dwelt in Hebron, and they all came to their father Isaac, and they found
Esau and his sons in the tent.
3 And Jacob and his sons sat before his father
Isaac, and Jacob was still mourning for his son Joseph.
4 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Bring me hither thy
sons and I will bless them; and Jacob brought his eleven children before his
father Isaac.
5 And Isaac placed his hands upon all the sons of
Jacob, and he took hold of them and embraced them, and kissed them one by one,
and Isaac blessed them on that day, and he said unto them, May the God of your
fathers bless you and increase your seed like the stars of heaven for number.
6 And Isaac also blessed the sons of Esau, saying,
May God cause you to be a dread and a terror to all that will behold you, and
to all your enemies.
7 And Isaac called Jacob and his sons, and they all
came and sat before Isaac, and Isaac said unto Jacob, The Lord God 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 Abraham.
8 Now therefore my son, teach thy children and thy
children's children to fear the Lord, and to go in the good way which will
please the Lord thy God, for if you keep the ways of the Lord and his statutes
the Lord will also keep unto you his covenant with Abraham, and will do well
with you and your seed all the days.
9 And when Isaac had finished commanding Jacob and
his children, he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people.
10 And Jacob and Esau fell upon the face of their
father Isaac, and they wept, and Isaac was one hundred and eighty years old
when he died in the land of Canaan, in Hebron, and his sons carried him to the
cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth for a
possession of a burial place.
11 And all the kings of the land of Canaan went
with Jacob and Esau to bury Isaac, and all the kings of Canaan showed Isaac
great honor at his death.
12 And the sons of Jacob and the sons of Esau went
barefooted round about, walking and lamenting until they reached Kireath-arba.
13 And Jacob and Esau buried their father Isaac 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 Jacob and his sons, and Esau and his sons,
and all the kings of Canaan made a great and heavy mourning, and they buried
him and mourned for him many days.
15 And at the death of Isaac, he left his cattle
and his possessions and all belonging to him to his sons; and Esau said unto
Jacob, Behold I pray thee, all that our father has left we will divide it in
two parts, and I will have the choice, and Jacob said, We will do so.
16 And Jacob took all that Isaac had left in the
land of Canaan, the cattle and the property, and he placed them in two parts
before Esau and his sons, and he said unto Esau, Behold all this is before
thee, choose thou unto thyself the half which thou wilt take.
17 And Jacob said unto Esau, Hear thou I pray thee
what I will speak unto thee, saying, The Lord God of heaven and earth spoke
unto our fathers Abraham and Isaac, 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 Ishmael, was then in
the land with his children, and Esau went on that day and consulted with him,
saying.
21 Thus has Jacob 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 Jacob hath
spoken unto thee? behold all the children of Canaan are dwelling securely in
their land, and Jacob sayeth he will inherit it with his seed all the days.
23 Go now therefore and take all thy father's
riches and leave Jacob thy brother in the land, as he has spoken.
24 And Esau rose up and returned to Jacob, and did
all that Nebayoth the son of Ishmael had advised; and Esau took all the riches
that Isaac had left, the souls, the beasts, the cattle and the property, and
all the riches; he gave nothing to his brother Jacob; and Jacob took all the
land of Canaan, from the brook of Egypt unto the river Euphrates, and he took
it for an everlasting possession, and for his children and for his seed after
him forever.
25 Jacob also took from his brother Esau the cave
of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Abraham had bought from Ephron for a
possession of a burial place for him and his seed forever.
26 And Jacob 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 Jacob wrote in the
book, saying: The land of Canaan 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 Egypt unto the river Euphrates.
28 And the city of Hebron Kireath-arba, and the
cave which is in it, the whole did Jacob buy from his brother Esau for value,
for a possession and for an inheritance for his seed after him forever.
29 And Jacob 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 Esau took all that his father had left him after
his death from his brother Jacob, 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 Isaac the son of Abraham; there was
nothing left which Esau did not take unto himself, from all that Isaac had left
after his death.
31 And Esau took all this, and he and his children
went home to the land of Seir the Horite, away from his brother Jacob and his
children.
32 And Esau had possessions amongst the children of
Seir, and Esau returned not to the land of Canaan from that day forward.
33 And the whole land of Canaan became an
inheritance to the children of Israel for an everlasting inheritance, and Esau
with all his children inherited the mountain of Seir.
CHAPTER 48
1 In those days, after the death of Isaac, the Lord
commanded and caused a famine upon the whole earth.
2 At that time Pharaoh king of Egypt was sitting
upon his throne in the land of Egypt, 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
Egypt.
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 Egypt, 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 Egypt; 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 Egypt, 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 Egypt came
before the king, together with all the magicians and sorcerers that were in
Egypt and in Goshen, in Rameses, in Tachpanches, in Zoar, and in all the places
on the borders of Egypt, 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 Egypt,
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 Egypt.
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 Egypt, 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 Egypt, and the
seven bad kine are the seven nations of the land of Canaan, who will come
against the seven cities of Egypt 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 Egypt will
again return to thy seed as at first.
20 And in his reign the people of the cities of
Egypt will turn against the seven cities of Canaan who are stronger than they
are, and will destroy them, and the government of Egypt 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 Egypt 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 the Lord
to frustrate the words of the wise men of Egypt, in order that Joseph might go
forth from the house of confinement, and in order that he should become great
in Egypt.
26 And the king saw that none amongst all the wise
men and magicians of Egypt 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 Egypt to slay all the magicians that were in Egypt, 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 Egypt, 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 Joseph, 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 Egypt 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 Egypt should not be slain.
40 And the king ordered his servants to bring
Joseph 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 Joseph, 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 Joseph 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
Egypt, 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 Egypt that
no one should reign over them, but who understood to speak in the seventy
languages.
48 And when Joseph 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 Joseph.
49 And the king said unto Joseph, I dreamed a
dream, and there is no interpreter to interpret it properly, and I commanded
this day that all the magicians of Egypt 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 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, Let Pharaoh
relate his dreams that he dreamed; surely the interpretations belong to God;
and Pharaoh related his dreams to Joseph, the dream of the kine, and the dream
of the ears of corn, and the king left off speaking.
52 And Joseph was then clothed with the spirit of
God 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 Joseph found favor in the sight of the king,
and the king inclined his ears and his heart, and he heard all the words of Joseph.
And Joseph said unto the king, Do not imagine that they are two dreams, for it
is only one dream, for that which God 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 God, and
God will shortly bring it to pass.
57 Now therefore I will give thee counsel and
deliver thy soul and the souls 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 Egypt.
58 And let the man whom thou placest over Egypt
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 soul and the souls of all thy
subjects.
62 And the king answered and said unto Joseph, 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 Joseph finished speaking these words to the
king, and he bowed down to the king and he went out, and when Joseph had gone
out from the king's presence, those signs which Joseph 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 Joseph'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 Joseph had spoken.
CHAPTER 49
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 God 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 laws of Egypt, and it should not be violated,
that no man shall reign over Egypt, 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 the Lord sent one of his
ministering angels, and he came into the land of Egypt unto Joseph, and the
angel of the Lord stood over Joseph, and behold Joseph 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
Joseph rose up and stood upon his legs, and behold the angel of the Lord was
standing opposite to him; and the angel of the Lord spoke with Joseph, and he
taught him all the languages of man in that night, and he called his name
Jehoseph.
15 And the angel of the Lord went from him, and
Joseph returned and lay upon his bed, and Joseph 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 Joseph to be brought, and the king's servants went
and brought Joseph before Pharaoh.
17 And the king came forth and ascended the steps
of the throne, and Joseph spoke unto the king in all languages, and Joseph 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
Joseph, and all the king's officers rejoiced greatly with the king when they
heard all the words of Joseph.
19 And the thing seemed good in the sight of the
king and the officers, to appoint Joseph to be second to the king over the
whole land of Egypt, and the king spoke to Joseph, saying,
20 Now thou didst give me counsel to appoint a wise
man over the land of Egypt, in order with his wisdom to save the land from the
famine; now therefore, since God 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 Joseph, 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 Joseph, and the king dressed Joseph 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
Egypt.
25 And the king commanded that all those that
played upon timbrels, harps and other musical instruments should go forth with
Joseph; 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 Joseph,
and twenty thousand of the great men of the king girt with girdles of skin
covered with gold, marched at the right hand of Joseph, 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 Joseph, and gazed at the appearance of Joseph
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 Egypt bowed down to the ground before Joseph and said, May the
king live, also may his second live; and all the inhabitants of Egypt 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 Joseph.
30 And Joseph 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 Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who
trusteth in thee.
31 And Joseph passed throughout the land of Egypt
with Pharaoh's servants and officers, and they showed him the whole land of
Egypt and all the king's treasures.
32 And Joseph returned and came on that day before
Pharaoh, and the king gave unto Joseph a possession in the land of Egypt, a
possession of fields and vineyards, and the king gave unto Joseph 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 Egypt to bring unto Joseph 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 Joseph put it into the high place.
34 And all the people of Egypt 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 Joseph took all these and placed them in his
treasuries, and all the officers and nobles belonging to the king exalted
Joseph, 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
Joseph for a wife.
37 And the damsel was very comely, a virgin, one
whom man had not known, and Joseph took her for a wife; and the king said unto
Joseph, 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 Egypt.
38 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood
before Pharaoh, and Joseph went out from before the king, and he became the
king's second in Egypt.
39 And the king gave Joseph a hundred servants to
attend him in his house, and Joseph also sent and purchased many servants and
they remained in the house of Joseph.
40 Joseph 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 Joseph in erecting his house.
41 And Joseph 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 Egypt, and the
likeness of the river of Egypt that watereth the whole land of Egypt; and
Joseph sat securely upon his throne in his house and the Lord increased
Joseph's wisdom.
42 And all the inhabitants of Egypt and Pharaoh's
servants and his princes loved Joseph exceedingly, for this thing was from the
Lord to Joseph.
43 And Joseph 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 Joseph against the enemy, besides the king's officers and his
servants and inhabitants of Egypt without number.
44 And Joseph 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
1 At that time the children of Tarshish came
against the sons of Ishmael, and made war with them, and the children of
Tarshish spoiled the Ishmaelites for a long time.
2 And the children of Ishmael 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 Egypt, 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 Joseph 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 Ishmael, to assist them against the children of Tarshish, and the
children of Ishmael fought with the children of Tarshish, and Joseph smote the
Tarshishites and he subdued all their land, and the children of Ishmael 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 Joseph with all his mighty men and host returned to
Egypt, not one man of them missing.
7 And at the revolution of the year, in the second
year of Joseph's reigning over Egypt, the Lord gave great plenty throughout the
land for seven years as Joseph had spoken, for the Lord blessed all the produce
of the earth in those days for seven years, and they ate and were greatly
satisfied.
8 And Joseph 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 Joseph.
9 And at any time when they gathered the food
Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Egypt gathered
all sorts of food in their stores in great abundance during the seven good
years, but they did not do unto it as Joseph did.
12 And all the food which Joseph 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 Egypt filled each man his
store and his concealed place with corn, to be for support during the famine.
14 And Joseph placed all the food that he had
gathered in all the cities of Egypt, and he closed all the stores and placed
sentinels over them.
15 And Joseph's wife Osnath the daughter of
Potiphera bare him two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and Joseph 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 the Lord 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
Egypt 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 Joseph had spoken, and the famine was throughout the land.
19 And all the people of Egypt saw that the famine
had commenced in the land of Egypt, and all the people of Egypt 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 Egypt 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 Joseph 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 Egypt answered the king,
saying, As thy soul liveth, our lord, thy servants have done all that Joseph
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 Egypt, the king was greatly afraid on account of the famine,
and he was much terrified; and the king answered the people of Egypt, saying,
Since all this has happened unto you, go unto Joseph, do whatever he shall say
unto you, transgress not his commands.
26 And all the people of Egypt went forth and came
unto Joseph, 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 Joseph heard all the words of the
people of Egypt and what had befallen them, Joseph opened all his stores of the
produce and he sold it unto the people of Egypt.
28 And the famine prevailed throughout the land,
and the famine was in all countries, but in the land of Egypt there was produce
for sale.
29 And all the inhabitants of Egypt came unto
Joseph to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over them, and all their corn was
spoiled, and Joseph daily sold it to all the people of Egypt.
30 And all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan
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
Egypt, and they all came to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over
them.
31 And Joseph opened the stores of corn and placed
officers over them, and they daily stood and sold to all that came.
32 And Joseph knew that his brethren also would
come to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine prevailed throughout the earth. And
Joseph commanded all his people that they should cause it to be proclaimed
throughout the land of Egypt, 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 Egypt shall
not send his servants to Egypt to purchase, but his sons, and also any Egyptian
or Canaanite, who shall come from any of the stores from buying corn in Egypt,
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 Joseph placed sentinels at the gates of
Egypt, 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 Joseph placed officers throughout the land
of Egypt, and he commanded them to do all these things.
37 And Joseph did all these things, and made these
statutes, in order that he might know when his brethren should come to Egypt to
buy corn; and Joseph's people caused it daily to be proclaimed in Egypt
according to these words and statutes which Joseph 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
Joseph had enacted in Egypt, and the inhabitants of the extreme parts of the
earth came and they bought corn in Egypt day after day, and then went away.
39 And all the officers of Egypt did as Joseph had
commanded, and all that came to Egypt to buy corn, the gate keepers would write
their names, and their fathers' names, and daily bring them in the evening
before Joseph.
CHAPTER 51
1 And Jacob afterward heard that there was corn in
Egypt, and he called unto his sons to go to Egypt 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 Egypt, 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 Egypt and
buy us a little corn amongst those that come there, that we may not die.
3 And the sons of Jacob hearkened to the voice of
their father, and they rose up to go down to Egypt in order to buy corn amongst
the rest that came there.
4 And Jacob 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 Jacob went forth and they went to
Egypt, and the sons of Jacob did all as their father had commanded them, and
Jacob did not send Benjamin, for he said, Lest an accident might befall him on
the road like his brother; and ten of Jacob's sons went forth.
6 And whilst the sons of Jacob were going on the
road, they repented of what they had done to Joseph, and they spoke to each
other, saying, We know that our brother Joseph went down to Egypt, 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 Jacob agreed to this thing and
strengthened themselves on account of Joseph, to deliver him from the hand of
his master, and the sons of Jacob went to Egypt; and when they came near to
Egypt they separated from each other, and they came through ten gates of Egypt,
and the gate keepers wrote their names on that day, and brought them to Joseph
in the evening.
8 And Joseph 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 Joseph at that time commanded that it should be
proclaimed throughout the land of Egypt, 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 Joseph did so at that
time, and they closed all the stores and left only one open.
11 And Joseph 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 Jacob came into the city,
they joined together in the city to seek Joseph before they bought themselves
corn.
13 And they went to the walls of the harlots, and
they sought Joseph in the walls of the harlots for three days, for they thought
that Joseph would come in the walls of the harlots, for Joseph was very comely
and well favored, and the sons of Jacob sought Joseph 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 Joseph had given him, and he did not find them.
15 And he sent to Joseph, saying, These three days
have passed, and those men whose names thou didst give unto me have not come;
and Joseph sent servants to seek the men in all Egypt, and to bring them before
Joseph.
16 And Joseph's servants went and came into Egypt
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 Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Jacob saw Joseph, 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 Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them,
but they knew him not, for Joseph was very great in their eyes, therefore they
knew him not.
21 And Joseph spoke to them, saying, From whence
come ye? and they all answered and said, Thy servants have come from the land
of Canaan to buy corn, for the famine prevails throughout the earth, and thy
servants heard that there was corn in Egypt, so they have come amongst the
other comers to buy corn for their support.
22 And Joseph 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 Joseph, 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
Canaan, 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 Joseph 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 Joseph, Far be it from our
lord to speak thus, for we are twelve brothers, the sons of our father Jacob,
in the land of Canaan, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Hebrew, and
behold the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan, 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 Joseph said unto them, And have you then
sought him throughout the earth, that there only remained Egypt for you to seek
him in? And what also should your brother do in the houses of harlots, although
he were in Egypt? have you not said, That you are from the sons of Isaac, the
son of Abraham, and what shall the sons of Jacob 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
Egypt, 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 Joseph still answered them, saying, Surely
you speak falsely and utter lies, to say of yourselves that you are the sons of
Abraham; as Pharaoh liveth you are spies, therefore have you come to the houses
of harlots that you should not be known.
30 And Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Canaan, on account of your sister, and you
now come to do the like in Egypt 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 Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Canaan, 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 Joseph 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 Simeon from them and
ordered him to be bound, but Simeon was not willing to be done so, for he was a
very powerful man and they could not bind him.
38 And Joseph called unto his mighty men and
seventy valiant men came before him with drawn swords in their hands, and the
sons of Jacob were terrified at them.
39 And Joseph said unto them, Seize this man and
confine him in prison until his brethren come to him, and Joseph's valiant men
hastened and they all laid hold of Simeon to bind him, and Simeon gave a loud
and terrible shriek and the cry was heard at a distance.
40 And all the valiant men of Joseph 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 Joseph fled, for
they were greatly afraid of their lives, and only Joseph and Manasseh his son
remained there, and Manassah the son of Joseph saw the strength of Simeon, and
he was exceedingly wroth.
42 And Manassah the son of Joseph rose up to
Simeon, and Manassah smote Simeon a heavy blow with his fist against the back
of his neck, and Simeon was stilled of his rage.
43 And Manassah laid hold of Simeon and he seized
him violently and he bound him and brought him into the house of confinement,
and all the sons of Jacob were astonished at the act of the youth.
44 And Simeon 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 Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Canaan 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 God hath done unto us?
50 And they all said, And where is the Lord's
kindness with our fathers, with Abraham, Isaac, end Jacob, that the Lord has
this day delivered us into the hands of the king of Egypt to contrive against
us?
51 And Judah said unto them, Surely we are guilty
sinners before the Lord our God in having sold our brother, our own flesh, and
wherefore do you say, Where is the Lord's kindness with our fathers?
52 And Reuben said unto them, Said I not unto you,
do not sin against the lad, and you would not listen to me? now God requireth
him from us, and how dare you say, Where is the Lord's kindness with our
fathers, whilst you have sinned unto the Lord?
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
Canaan.
54 And Jacob and his household went out to meet his
sons, and Jacob saw and behold their brother Simeon was not with them, and
Jacob said unto his sons, Where is your brother Simeon, whom I do not see? and
his sons told him all that had befallen them in Egypt.
CHAPTER 52
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 Jacob said unto them, What is this that you
have done to me? I sent your brother Joseph to inquire after your welfare and
you said unto me. A wild beast did devour him.
3 And Simeon went with you to buy food and you say
the king of Egypt hath confined him in prison, and you wish to take Benjamin to
cause his death also, and bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave on
account of Benjamin and his brother Joseph.
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 Reuben said unto his father, Thou shalt slay
my two sons if I do not bring thy son and place him before thee; and Jacob said
unto his sons, Abide ye here and do not go down to Egypt, for my son shall not
go down with you to Egypt, nor die like his brother.
6 And Judah 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 Egypt to buy food,
for the famine prevailed greatly amongst them, and the sons of Jacob remained
in Canaan 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 Jacob was pinched with hunger, and all the
infants of the sons of Jacob came together and they approached Jacob, 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 Jacob heard the words of his son's children, and
he wept a great weeping, and his pity was roused for them, and Jacob called
unto his sons and they all came and sat before him.
10 And Jacob 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 Judah 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
Egypt particularly enjoined us, saying, You shall not see my face unless your
brother be with you, for the king of Egypt 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 Egypt; surely amongst all the kings of the earth
there is none greater than Abimelech king of the Philistines, yet the king of
Egypt 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 God 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 God 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 Egypt 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 Egypt 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 Jacob 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 Judah said unto Jacob his father, Give the
lad into my care and we will rise up and go down to Egypt 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 the Lord's kindness to our
ancestors be manifested to thee when thou sayest that the king of Egypt will
take away thy son? as the Lord liveth I will not leave him until I bring him
and place him before thee; but pray for us unto the Lord, that he may deal
kindly with us, to cause us to be received favorably and kindly before the king
of Egypt and his men, for had we not delayed surely now we had returned a
second time with thy son.
22 And Jacob said unto his sons, I trust in the
Lord God that he may deliver you and give you favor in the sight of the king of
Egypt, 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 God give you mercy before him that he
may send Benjamin and Simeon your brethren with you.
24 And all the men rose up, and they took their
brother Benjamin, 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 Jacob strictly commanded his sons concerning
Benjamin, 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 Egypt.
26 And Jacob rose up from his sons and spread forth
his hands and he prayed unto the Lord on account of his sons, saying, O Lord
God of heaven and earth, remember thy covenant with our father Abraham,
remember it with my father Isaac and deal kindly with my sons and deliver them
not into the hands of the king of Egypt; do it I pray thee O God 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 Jacob and their
children lifted up their eyes to heaven and they all wept before the Lord, and
cried unto him to deliver their fathers from the hand of the king of Egypt.
28 And Jacob wrote a record to the king of Egypt
and gave it into the hand of Judah and into the hands of his sons for the king
of Egypt, saying,
29 From thy servant Jacob, son of Isaac, son of
Abraham the Hebrew, the prince of God, to the powerful and wise king, the
revealer of secrets, king of Egypt, greeting.
30 Be it known to my lord the king of Egypt, the
famine was sore upon us in the land of Canaan, 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 Joseph 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 Egypt, on account of the inhabitants of the land.
32 And I also commanded them to go about Egypt to
seek for my son Joseph, 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 God 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 Abraham 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 Simeon 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 Benjamin
they consoled themselves for the loss of his brother Joseph; 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 Egypt, that the
power of God is with us, and that also God 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 the Lord on account of thee, for then thou wouldst have
perished with thy men before my son Benjamin came before thee, but I thought
that as Simeon 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 Benjamin my son cometh unto
thee with my sons, take heed of him and put thy eyes upon him, and then will
God 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 Jacob gave the record to his sons into the
care of Judah to give it unto the king of Egypt.
CHAPTER 53
1 And the sons of Jacob rose up and took Benjamin
and the whole of the presents, and they went and came to Egypt and they stood
before Joseph.
2 And Joseph beheld his brother Benjamin with them
and he saluted them, and these men came to Joseph's house.
3 And Joseph commanded the superintendent of his
house to give to his brethren to eat, and he did so unto them.
4 And at noon time Joseph sent for the men to come
before him with Benjamin, and the men told the superintendent of Joseph'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 Simeon unto
them.
5 And Simeon 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 Judah took Benjamin by the hand, and they
came before Joseph, and they bowed down to him to the ground.
7 And the men gave the present unto Joseph and they
all sat before him, and Joseph 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 Judah took the record which Jacob had sent and gave it into the hand
of Joseph.
8 And Joseph 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
Benjamin, and he said, Is this your brother of whom you spoke unto me? And
Benjamin approached Joseph, and Joseph placed his hand upon his head and he
said unto him, May God be gracious unto thee my son.
10 And when Joseph 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 Joseph had a cup from which he drank, and it
was of silver beautifully inlaid with onyx stones and bdellium, and Joseph
struck the cup in the sight of his brethren whilst they were sitting to eat
with him.
12 And Joseph said unto the men, I know by this cup
that Reuben the first born, Simeon and Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun 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 Benjamin went up before Joseph and sat upon
the throne, and the men beheld the acts of Joseph, and they were astonished at
them; and the men ate and drank at that time with Joseph, and he then gave
presents unto them, and Joseph gave one gift unto Benjamin, and Manasseh and
Ephraim 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
Benjamin.
15 And Joseph brought them out wine to drink, and
they would not drink, and they said, From the day on which Joseph was lost we
have not drunk wine, nor eaten any delicacies.
16 And Joseph swore unto them, and he pressed them
hard, and they drank plentifully with him on that day, and Joseph afterward
turned to his brother Benjamin to speak with him, and Benjamin was still
sitting upon the throne before Joseph.
17 And Joseph 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 Joseph knew all the times, and Joseph said unto Benjamin,
I have heard that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom, dost thou know
anything of this?
19 And Benjamin said, Thy servant is knowing also
in all the wisdom which my father taught me, and Joseph said unto Benjamin,
Look now at this instrument and understand where thy brother Joseph is in
Egypt, who you said went down to Egypt.
20 And Benjamin 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 Benjamin divided the whole land of Egypt into four divisions,
and he found that he who was sitting upon the throne before him was his brother
Joseph, and Benjamin wondered greatly, and when Joseph saw that his brother
Benjamin was so much astonished, he said unto Benjamin, What hast thou seen,
and why art thou astonished?
21 And Benjamin said unto Joseph, I can see by this
that Joseph my brother sitteth here with me upon the throne, and Joseph said
unto him, I am Joseph 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 Joseph 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 Benjamin, 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
Benjamin, and they went to the land of Canaan with their brother Benjamin.
25 They had not gone far from Egypt when Joseph
commanded him that was set over his house, saying, Rise, pursue these men
before they get too far from Egypt, and say unto them, Why have you stolen my
master's cup?
26 And Joseph's officer rose up and he reached
them, and he spoke unto them all the words of Joseph; 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
Benjamin's bag, and they all tore their garments and they returned to the city,
and they smote Benjamin in the road, continually smiting him until he came into
the city, and they stood before Joseph.
28 And Judah's anger was kindled, and he said, This
man has only brought me back to destroy Egypt this day.
29 And the men came to Joseph's house, and they
found Joseph sitting upon his throne, and all the mighty men standing at his
right and left.
30 And Joseph 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 Judah said, What shall we say to our lord,
what shall we speak and how shall we justify ourselves, God has this day found
the iniquity of all thy servants, therefore has he done this thing to us this
day.
32 And Joseph rose up and caught hold of Benjamin
and took him from his brethren with violence, and he came to the house and
locked the door at them, and Joseph 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
1 And when Judah saw the dealings of Joseph with
them, Judah approached him and broke open the door, and came with his brethren
before Joseph.
2 And Judah said unto Joseph, Let it not seem grievous
in the sight of my lord, may thy servant I pray thee speak a word before thee?
and Joseph said unto him, Speak.
3 And Judah spoke before Joseph, and his brethren were there standing before them; and Judah said unto Joseph, Surely when we first came to our lord to buy food, thou didst consider