JASHER

Otherwise known as Sefer haYashar

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The Sefer haYashar (first edition 1552) is a Hebrew midrash also known as the Toledot Adam and Dibre ha-Yamim be-’Aruk. The Hebrew title may be transliterated Sefer haYashar, which means “Book of the Correct Record,” but it is known in English translation mostly as the Book of Jasher following English tradition. The book is named after the Book of Jasher mentioned in Joshua and 2 Samuel. Although it is presented as the original “Book of Jasher” in the translations such as that of Moses Samuel (1840), it is not accepted as such in rabbinical Judaism, nor does the original Hebrew text make such a claim. However, the writing is of good quality, the chronology largely aligns with the Masoretic account in Genesis, and some scholars believe the midrash may be even older than the 6th century AD.

 

CHAPTER 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 a helpmate for him.” ⁴ And the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept, and He took away one of his ribs, and He built flesh on 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 bone of my bones and it will 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 to them, “From every tree of the garden you may eat, but from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you will not eat, for in the day that you eat thereof you will 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 listened 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 also gave 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 firstborn 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 will 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 a comparable 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 to 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 some time after, Cain and his brother Abel went into the field one day to do their work; and they were both in the field, Cain tilling and plowing his ground, and Abel feeding his flock; and the flock passed that part which Cain had plowed in the ground, and it severely grieved Cain on this account. ¹⁸ And Cain approached his brother Abel in anger, and he said to him, “What is there between me and you, that you come to dwell and bring your flock to feed in my land?” ¹⁹ And Abel answered his brother Cain and said to him, “What is there between me and you, that you will eat the flesh of my flock and clothe yourself with their wool? ²⁰ And now therefore, put off the wool of my sheep with which you have clothed yourself, and repay me for their fruit and flesh which you have eaten, and when you will have done this, I will then go from your land as you have said.” ²¹ And Cain said to his brother Abel, “Surely if I slay you this day, who will require your blood from me?” ²² And Abel answered Cain, saying, “Surely God who has made us in the earth will avenge my cause, and He will require my blood from you should you slay me, for the Lord is the judge and arbiter, and it is He who will pay back man according to his evil, and the wicked man according to the wickedness that he may do on earth. ²³ And now, if you should slay me here, surely God knows your secret views, and will judge you for the evil which you declared to do to me this day.” ²⁴ And when Cain heard the words which his brother Abel 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 plowing instrument, with which he suddenly struck his brother and slew him, and Cain spilt the blood of his brother Abel on the earth, and the blood of Abel streamed on the earth before the flock. ²⁶ And after this Cain regretted having slain his brother, and he was sadly grieved, and he wept over him, and it exceedingly vexed him. 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 to him, “Where is your brother Abel that was with you?” ²⁹ And Cain concealed his true motives, and said, “I do not know, am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said to him, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries to Me from the ground where you have slain him. ³⁰ For you have slain your brother, and have concealed your intentions before Me, and imagined in your heart that I did not see you, nor knew all your actions. ³¹ But you did this thing and slew your brother for no reason and because he spoke rightly to you, and now, therefore, cursed are you from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand, and wherein you buried him. ³² And it will be when you will till it, it will no longer give you its strength as in the beginning, for the ground will produce thorns and thistles, and you will be moving and wandering in the earth until the day of your 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 bore 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 on the earth, and he did not move about and wander as in the beginning. ³⁶ And Irad was born to Enoch, and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methusael.

 

CHAPTER 2

And it was in the one hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Adam on the earth that he knew his wife Eve again, and she conceived and bore 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 begot 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 this declaration was 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 begot 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 on earth, and that the Lord would bring on them the waters of the flood in the latter days. ¹³ And in those days Cainan wrote on 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 begot three sons and two daughters. ¹⁶ And these are the names of the children of Cainan: the name of the firstborn Mahalaleel, 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 bore a son to Lamech, and she called his name Jabal. ¹⁸ And she again conceived and bore 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 commands 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 childbearing women appeared abominable in the sight of their husbands as widows, while their husbands lived, for they were only attached to the barren ones. ²³ And in the end of days and years, when Zillah became old, the Lord opened her womb. ²⁴ And she conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Tubal-Cain, saying, “After I had withered away I have obtained him from the Almighty God.” ²⁵ And she conceived again and bore a daughter, and she called her name Naamah, for she said, “After I had withered away I have obtained pleasure and delight.” ²⁶ And Lamech was old and advanced in years, and his eyes were dim that he could not see, and his son Tubal-Cain was leading him, and it was one day that Lamech went into the field and Tubal Cain his son was with him, and while they were walking in the field, Cain, the son of Adam, advanced toward them; for Lamech was very old and could not see much, and his son Tubal-Cain was very young. ²⁷ And Tubal-Cain told his father to draw his bow, and with the arrows he struck 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 paid back 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-Cain went to see the animal which they had slain, and they saw, and behold, their grandfather Cain was fallen dead on 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 listen 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 Mahalaleel the son of Cainan lived sixty-five years and he begot Jared, and Jared lived sixty-two years and he begot Enoch.

 

CHAPTER 3

And Enoch lived sixty-five years and he begot 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 hid himself from them for many days. ³ And it was at the expiration of many years, while he was serving the Lord and praying before Him in his house, that a messenger of the Lord called to him from Heaven, and he said, “Here I am.” ⁴ And he said, “Rise, go out from your house and from the place where you hide yourself, and appear to the sons of men in order that you may 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 out 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 on 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 one hundred and thirty kings and princes in all, 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 among 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 begot 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 his son Methuselah, 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 hide himself as at first in order to serve the Lord. ¹⁸ And Enoch did so, but did not entirely hide 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 afterward he 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 to see the face of Enoch again 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 on 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 out among them, and they did so. ²² And the day came when Enoch went out 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 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, a messenger of the Lord then called to 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 on 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; therefore, I 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 on 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 on earth, and he made peace among them, and he taught them continuous 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, “This horse descends on earth on my account; the time has come when I must go from you and I will no longer 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 delights 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 counselors remained with him that day; and Enoch then taught the sons of men wisdom and knowledge, and gave them divine instruction, and he commanded them to serve the Lord and walk in His ways all the days of their lives, and he continued to make peace among them. ³² And it was after this that he rose up and rode on the horse; and he went out 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 you to the place where you go; as the Lord lives, only death will 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 on 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 filled with snow there, and on 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

And all the days that Enoch lived on 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 his son Methuselah 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 listen to the voice of Methuselah, but rebelled against him. ⁵ And the Lord was exceedingly angry 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 angry, and regretted 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 Elisha, the son of his uncle Enoch, 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 bore him a son at that time, at the revolution of the year. ¹⁴ And Methuselah called his name Noah, saying, “The earth was at rest and free from corruption in his days,” and his father Lamech called his name Menachem, saying, “This one will 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 on 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 a god for himself, 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 birds of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order with [them] to provoke the Lord; and God saw the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways on 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, yes, from man to the birds of the air, together with cattle and beasts that are in the field, for I regret 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 on 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 on the face of the whole earth.

 

CHAPTER 5

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, Mahalaleel the son of Cainan died, and the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died. ⁴ And Jared the son of Mahalaleel 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 on 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 among the sons of men, and only Methuselah was then left, God said to Noah and Methuselah, saying, ⁷ “Speak, and proclaim to the sons of men, saying, Thus says the Lord, return from your evil ways and forsake your works, and the Lord will relent of the evil that He declared to do to you, so that it will not come to pass. ⁸ For thus says 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 I will also turn away from the evil which I told you, and it will not exist, says 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 listen to them, nor incline their ears to their words, and they were stiff-necked. ¹¹ And the Lord granted them a period of one hundred and twenty years, saying, “If they will return, then God will relent 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, why then will 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 on the face of the earth. ¹⁴ And the Lord said to Noah, “Take a wife for yourself, and beget children, for I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation. ¹⁵ And you will raise up seed, and your children with you, 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 bore a son, and he called his name Japheth, saying, “God has enlarged me in the earth”; and she conceived again and bore 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 bore Shem, and the boys grew up and went in the ways of the Lord in all that Methuselah and their father Noah taught them. ¹⁹ And Lamech the father of Noah died in those days; yet truly he did not go with all his heart in the ways of his father, and he died in the one 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 on them; for the Lord willed them to die, so as not to behold the evil that God would bring on their brothers and relatives, as He had so declared to do. ²² At that time the Lord said to Noah and Methuselah, “Stand out and proclaim to the sons of men all the words that I spoke to you in those days; perhaps they may turn from their evil ways, and I will then relent of the evil and will not bring it.” ²³ And Noah and Methuselah stood out 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 listen, 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 has come before Me on account of their evil deeds, and behold, I will destroy the earth. ²⁶ So take gopher wood, and go to a certain place, and make a large ark for yourself, and place it in that spot. ²⁷ And thus you will make it three hundred cubits its length, fifty cubits broad, and thirty cubits high. ²⁸ And you will make a door for yourself, open at its side, and to a cubit you will finish above, and cover it within and outside with pitch. ²⁹ And behold, I will bring the flood of waters on the earth, and all flesh will be destroyed from under the heavens—all that is on earth will perish. ³⁰ And you and your household will go and gather two of each of all living things, male and female, and will bring them to the Ark, to raise up seed from them on earth. ³¹ And gather to yourself all food that is eaten by all the animals, that there may be food for you and for them. ³² And you will choose three maidens for your sons from the daughters of men, and they will be wives to your 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 [that] Methuselah the son of Enoch died; he was nine hundred and sixty years old at his death.

 

CHAPTER 6

At that time, after the death of Methuselah, the Lord said to Noah, “Go, you with your household, into the Ark; behold, I will gather all the animals of the earth to you—the beasts of the field and the birds of the air—and they will all come and surround the Ark. ² And you will go and seat yourself by the doors of the Ark, and all the beasts, the animals, and the birds, will assemble and place themselves before you, and such of them as will come and crouch before you, you will take and deliver into the hands of your sons, who will bring them to the Ark, and all that will stand before you you will leave.” ³ And the Lord brought this about on the next day, and animals, beasts, and birds 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 on 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 struck her and made her flee from her place, and she went away, and they returned to their places, and crouched on 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 on earth, so that there was none left except which Noah brought into the Ark. ⁹ Two and two they came to Noah into the Ark, but from the clean animals and clean birds, he brought seven couples as God had commanded him. ¹⁰ And all the animals, and beasts, and birds, were still there, and they surrounded the Ark at every place, and the rain had not descended until 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 no longer be evil on 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 on the earth. ¹⁴ And all the fountains of the deep were broken up, and the windows of Heaven were opened, and the rain was on 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 on the earth became exhausted through evil on account of the rain, for the waters were coming more violently on 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 to Noah at the Ark. ¹⁸ And they called to Noah, saying, “Open [the door] for us that we may come to you in the Ark—and why will we die?” ¹⁹ And Noah answered them with a loud voice from the Ark, saying, “Have you not all rebelled against the Lord, and said that He does not exist? And therefore, the Lord brought this calamity on you, to destroy and cut you off from the face of the earth. ²⁰ Is this not the thing that I spoke to you of one hundred and twenty years back, and you would not listen to the voice of the Lord, and now you desire to live on earth?” ²¹ And they said to Noah, “We are ready to return to the Lord; only open [the door] 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 one 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 on them. ²⁵ And the Lord sent all the beasts and animals that stood around the Ark, and the beasts overpowered them and drove them from that place, and every man went his way, and they again scattered themselves on the face of the earth. ²⁶ And the rain was still descending on the earth, and it descended forty days and forty nights, and the waters prevailed greatly on the earth; and all flesh that was on 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 on the earth, and they lifted up the Ark, and it was raised from the earth. ²⁸ And the Ark floated on the face of the waters, and it was tossed on the waters so that all the living creatures within were turned about like stew in a cauldron. ²⁹ And great anxiety seized all the living creatures that were in the Ark, and the Ark was likely 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 to the Lord, and cried to Him on account of this, and he said, “O Lord help us, for we have no strength to bear this calamity 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 Your countenance toward us and be gracious to us, redeem us and deliver us.” ³² And the Lord listened 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 the heavens were stopped, and the rain from the heavens was restrained. ³⁵ And the waters decreased in those days, and the Ark rested on 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 formed the earth, and the heavens, and all that are therein: bring our souls out from this confinement, and from the prison wherein You have placed us, for I am very wearied with sighing.” ³⁷ And the Lord listened to the voice of Noah, and said to him, “When you will have completed a full year you will then go out.” 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 everyone 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

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, Rephas, and Tegarmah. ⁴ And the sons of Magog were Elichanaf and Lubal. ⁵ And the sons 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, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram, five sons. And the sons of Elam were Shushan, Machul, and Harmon. ¹⁶ And the sons of Asshur were Mirus and Mokil. And the sons of Arphaxad were Salah, 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 begot Arphaxad, and Arphaxad begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber; and two children were born to Eber, 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, Chazarmoves, Yerach, Hadurom, Ozel, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these are the sons of Yoktan. ²² And his brother Peleg begot Yen, and Yen begot Serug, and Serug begot Nahor, and Nahor begot Terah, and Terah was thirty-eight years old, and he begot 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 bore 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 his son Methuselah. 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 his father Noah, and he took them and hid them from his brothers. ²⁸ And when Ham begot his firstborn Cush, he gave him the garments in secret, and they were with Cush [for] 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, yes, he was a mighty hunter in the field, and he hunted the animals, and he built altars, and he offered the animals on them before the Lord. ³¹ And Nimrod strengthened himself, and he rose up from among his brothers, and he fought the battles of his brothers against all their surrounding enemies. ³² And the Lord delivered all the enemies of his brothers into his hands, and God prospered him from time to time in his battles, and he reigned on earth. ³³ Therefore it became current in those days, when a man ushered out 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 brothers, 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 brothers and the children of Japheth, so that they were in the power of their enemies. ³⁵ And Nimrod went out 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 he 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 brothers, 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 brothers, together with those who knew him before, assembled to make him king over them, and they placed the regal crown on his head. ⁴⁰ And he set over his subjects and people, princes, judges, and rulers, as is the custom among kings. ⁴¹ And he placed Terah the son of Nahor [as] the prince of his host, and he dignified him and elevated him above all his princes. ⁴² And while he was reigning according to his heart’s desire, after having conquered all his surrounding enemies, 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 his son Mardon was more wicked than his father. ⁴⁸ And everyone that heard of the acts of Mardon the son of Nimrod would say concerning him, “From the wicked goes out wickedness”; therefore, it became a proverb in the whole earth, saying, “From the wicked goes out 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 bore him a son in those days. ⁵¹ Terah was seventy years old when he begot 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

And it was during the night that Abram was born that all the servants of Terah, and all the wise men of Nimrod, and his conjurers 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 conjurers went out from the house of Terah, they lifted up their eyes toward the heavens 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 conjurers were astonished at the sight, and the sages understood this matter, and they knew its meaning. ⁴ And they said to each other, “This only signifies 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 forever, and he and his seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands.” ⁵ And the wise men and conjurers went home that night, and in the morning all these wise men and conjurers 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 will all suffer death; therefore, now let us go and tell the king the sight which we saw, and the interpretation thereof, and we will 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 your host, and last night we came to his house, and we ate, and drank, and rejoiced with him that night. ¹⁰ And when your 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 the heavens, 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 your servants were astonished at the sight which we saw, and were greatly terrified, and we made our judgment on 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 you with what we have seen concerning this child. ¹³ If it seems good to the king to give his father value for this child, we will slay him before he will 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 born to you last night, 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 you for his value, your house full of silver and gold.” ¹⁷ And Terah answered the king and said to him: “My lord and king, I have heard your words, and your servant will do all that his king desires. ¹⁸ But my lord and king, I will tell you what happened to me last night that I may see what advice the king will give his servant, and then I will answer the king on what he has just spoken”; and the king said, “Speak.” ¹⁹ And Terah said to the king, “Ayon, son of Mored, came to me last night, saying, ²⁰ Give to me the great and beautiful horse that the king gave you, and I will give you silver, and gold, and straw, and provender for its value; and I said to him, Wait until I see the king concerning your words, and behold, whatever the king says, that I will do. ²¹ And now my lord and king, behold, I have made this thing known to you, and the advice which my king will give to his servant, that I will follow.” ²² And the king heard the words of Terah, and his anger was kindled, and he considered him in the manner of a fool. ²³ And the king answered Terah, and he said to him, “Are you so silly, ignorant, or deficient in understanding to do this thing—to give your beautiful horse for silver and gold or even for straw and provender? ²⁴ Are you so short of silver and gold, that you should do this thing, because you cannot obtain straw and provender to feed your horse? And what is silver and gold to you, or straw and provender, that you should give away that fine horse which I gave you, 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 to this the king has spoken to his servant; ²⁶ I implore you, my lord and king, what is this which you said to me, saying, Give your son that we may slay him, and I will give you silver and gold for his value; what will I do with silver and gold after the death of my son? Who will 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 allegory 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 desires to do to his servant, that let him do, yes, 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 your younger son for a price.” ³⁰ And Terah answered the king, saying, “I implore you, my lord and king, to let your servant speak a word before you, and let the king hear the word of his servant,” and Terah said, “Let my king give me three days’ time until 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 listened 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 your son for a price as I spoke to you; and should you not do this, I will send and slay all [that] you have in your house, so that you will 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 dashed his head to the ground with all his might, 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 permit Abram’s death. ³⁵ And Terah took his son Abram 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

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 bore a son, and he called his name Lot. ³ And she conceived again and bore a daughter, and she called her name Milca; and she again conceived and bore a daughter, and she called her name Sarai. ⁴ Haran was forty-two years old when he begot 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 his son Shem 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 at that time the inhabitants of the earth, each man, made for themselves 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 Terah did all the days. ⁹ And that whole generation was 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 no man found in those days in the whole earth who knew the Lord (for they each served 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 on the earth, and Abram said to himself, “Surely now this sun that shines on the earth is God, and I will serve him.” 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 on 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 servants of his 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 on the earth as usual, Abram saw all the things that the Lord God had made on earth. ¹⁹ And Abram said to 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 a strong tower in it, and its top reaching the heavens, and we will make ourselves famous, so that we may reign over 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 a transgression and a sin for them, and they began to build it, and while 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 strike 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 it was 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 on 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 messengers who stood foremost before Him, to those who were near to Him, saying, “Come, let us descend and confuse their tongues that one man will not understand the language of his neighbor,” and they did so to them. ³³ And from that day following, they each forgot his neighbor’s tongue, and they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took lime or stone from the hands of his neighbor which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it on his neighbor [so] that he would die. ³⁴ And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this manner. ³⁵ And the Lord struck 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 strike the heavens 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 when those who were left among them knew and understood the calamity which was coming on them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered on 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

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 out into many divisions, and all the sons of men were dispersed into the four corners of the earth. ³ And all the families each became 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 rooted out, 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 on 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 sons 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 Rephas 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 Togarmah 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 to 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 Medai 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 situated by the sea [of] 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 situated 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 to 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 [of] 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 sons 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 sons 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 out the Pelishtim, the Azathim, and the Gerarim, the Githim and the Ekronim, five families in all; these also built themselves cities, and they called their cities after the names of their fathers to 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 to 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, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram, and they built themselves cities and called the names of all their cities after their names. ³² And Asshur son of Shem and his children and household went out 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 Asshur built: Ninevah, Resen, Calach, and Rehobother; and the children of Asshur dwell there to 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 Asshur, 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 a small city there, and called its name Bela after his name; that is the land of Zoar to this day. ³⁷ And these are the families of the children of Shem according to their language and cities, after they were scattered on 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 all the families of the children of Noah did forever.

 

CHAPTER 11

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 confounded the language of the whole earth there.” 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 renewed his reign there 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 his son Mardon 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 goes out 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 Nahor son of Serug died—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 out 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 his father Terah was still captain of the host of King Nimrod in those days, 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 lives, these images will not remain in my father’s house; so the Lord who created me will do to 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 [the] God who created the heavens and earth, and all the sons of men on earth, and who created you 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, please show them to me”; 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 [that] you see on earth, and which created me and you, and all mankind.” ²² And Terah bowed down to his gods, and he then went away from them, and his son Abram 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 the heavens and earth, and all the sons of men. ²⁴ Now, therefore, hasten and fetch a kid from the flock, and make savory meat from it, 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 near to them that they might eat; and his father Terah did not know of it. ²⁶ And Abram saw on the day when he was sitting among them that they had no voice, no hearing, no motion, and not one of them could stretch out 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 his father Terah did not know of it. ²⁹ And Abram took the savory meat from his mother and brought it into the chamber before his father’s gods; and he came near to 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 out 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, “Woe to 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; those that made them and that trust in them are like 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 to the chamber of the gods, and he broke all his father’s gods. ³⁴ And when he had finished breaking the images, he placed the hatchet in the hand of the great god which was there before them, and he went out; and his father Terah 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 his son Abram 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 his son Abram still sitting in the house; and he said to him, “What is this work you have done to my gods?” ³⁹ And Abram answered his father Terah and said, “Not so my lord, for I brought savory meat before them, and when I came near to them with the meat that they might eat, they all at once stretched out their hands to eat before the great one had put out 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 you see.” ⁴¹ And Terah’s anger was kindled against his son Abram when he spoke this; and Terah said to his son Abram in his anger, “What is this tale that you have told? You speak lies to me. ⁴² Is there spirit, soul, or power in these gods to do all you have told me? Are they not wood and stone, and have I not made them myself, and can you speak such lies, saying that the large god that was with them struck them? It is you that placed the hatchet in his hands, and then say he struck them all.” ⁴³ And Abram answered his father and said to him, “And how can you then serve these idols in whom there is no power to do anything? Can those idols in which you trust deliver you? Can they hear your prayers when you call on them? Can they deliver you from the hands of your enemies, or will they fight your battles for you against your enemies, that you should serve wood and stone which can neither speak nor hear? ⁴⁴ And now surely it is not good for you nor for the sons of men that are connected with you 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 the heavens and earth, and who created you in the earth, and thereby bring a great evil on your souls in this matter by serving stone and wood? ⁴⁶ Did our fathers in days of old not sin in this matter, and the Lord God of the universe brought the waters of the flood on 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 on you? ⁴⁸ Now therefore, my father, refrain from this and do not bring evil on your soul and the souls of your 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 do you want?” ⁵¹ And he said, “I implore you, my lord, to hear me: now fifty years back a child was born to me, and thus he has done to my gods and thus he has spoken; and now therefore, my lord and king, send for him that he may come before you, 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 sitting before him that day, and Terah also sat before them. ⁵³ And the king said to Abram, “What is this that you have done to your 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 you have heard.” ⁵⁴ And the king said to Abram, “Had they power to speak, and eat, and do as you have said?” And Abram answered the king, saying, “And if there is no power in them why do you serve them and cause the sons of men to err through your follies? ⁵⁵ Do you imagine that they can deliver you or do anything small or great, that you should serve them? And why will you not sense the God of the whole universe, who created you and in whose power it is to kill and keep alive? ⁵⁶ O foolish, simple, and ignorant king, woe to you forever. ⁵⁷ I thought you would teach your servants the upright way, but you have not done this, but have filled the whole earth with your sins and the sins of your people who have followed your ways. ⁵⁸ Do you not know, or have you not heard, that this evil which you do, our ancestors sinned therein in days of old, and the perpetual God brought the waters of the flood on them and destroyed them all, and also destroyed the whole earth on their account? And will you and your people rise up now and do like to this work, in order to bring down the anger of the Lord God of the universe, and to bring calamity on you and the whole earth? ⁵⁹ Now therefore, put away this evil deed which you do, and serve the God of the universe, as your soul is in His hands, and then it will be well with you. ⁶⁰ And if your wicked heart will not listen to my words to cause you to forsake your evil ways, and to serve the perpetual God, then you will die in shame in the latter days—you, your people, and all who are connected with you, hearing your words or walking in your 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 sees all the wicked, and He will judge them.”

 

CHAPTER 12

And when the king heard the words of Abram, he ordered him to be put into prison; and Abram was in prison [for] ten days. 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 he has done to him, and I ordered him to be brought before me, and thus he has 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 reviles the king should be hanged on 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 pleases the king to do this, let him order his servants to kindle a fire both night and day in your 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 Kasdim; 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 on the roofs and towers to see what was happening 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 had come, the conjurers 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 your commands and mocked you by bringing you another child, which you killed.” ¹¹ And when the king heard their words, he was exceedingly angry, and he ordered Terah to be brought before him. ¹² And the king said, “Have you heard what the conjurers have spoken? Now tell me truly: what did you do? And if you will speak truth you will be acquitted.” ¹³ And seeing that the king’s anger was so greatly kindled, Terah said to the king, “My lord and king, you have heard the truth, and what the sages have spoken is right.” And the king said, “How could you do this thing, to transgress my orders and to give me a child that you did 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 you to [do] this? Tell me, do not hide it from me, and then you will not die.” ¹⁶ And Terah was greatly terrified in the king’s presence, and he said to the king, “It was my eldest son Haran who advised me to [do] this”; and Haran was thirty-two years old in those days that Abram was born. ¹⁷ But Haran did not advise his father to [do] 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, “Your son Haran who advised you to [do] this will die through fire with Abram; for the sentence of death is on him for having rebelled against the king’s desire in doing this thing.” ¹⁸ And at that time Haran 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 will come to pass, that if Abram prevails over the king, I will follow him, but if the king prevails, I will go after the king.” ²⁰ And when Terah had spoken this to the king concerning his son Haran, the king ordered Haran to be seized with Abram. ²¹ And they brought them both, Abram and his brother Haran, 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 over them that day. 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 on 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 around 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 [for] 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 around in the midst of the fire, and even the lower garments which are on 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 around and the flame ascending toward them from the furnace. ³⁰ And the king’s servants fled from it, and the king rebuked them, saying, “Hurry and bring Abram out of the fire that you will not die.” ³¹ And the servants of the king again approached to bring Abram out, and the flames came on 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 out from amidst the fire and come here before me”; and Abram listened to the voice of the king, and he went out 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 on 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 you were not burned in the fire?” ³⁵ And Abram said to the king, “The God of the heavens and earth in whom I trust and who has all in His power, He delivered me from the fire into which you 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 Kasdim. 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 out 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 out 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 wives for themselves, 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 on 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 out 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 on 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 out 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 strike all the king’s hosts and his troops. ⁵⁴ And as to what you have said concerning three men which you saw like to yourself, and which escaped, this means that only you will escape with three kings from the kings of the earth who will be with you in battle. ⁵⁵ And that which you saw of the river which turned to an egg as at first, and the young bird plucking out your 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 your servant has given you is right. ⁵⁷ Now therefore, my king, surely you know that it is now fifty-two years since your sages saw this at the birth of Abram, and if my king will permit Abram to live in the earth it will be to the injury of my lord and king, for all the days that Abram lives neither you nor your kingdom will be established, for this was known formerly at his birth; and why will my king not slay him, that his evil may be kept from you in latter days?” ⁵⁸ And Nimrod listened 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 your soul, that you may not die through the hands of the king, for thus he saw in a dream concerning you, and thus Anuki interpreted it, and thus also Anuki advised the king concerning you.” ⁶¹ And Abram listened 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 throughout 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 this matter concerning Abram from his mind. 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 secretly came to see his son Abram in the house of Noah, and Terah was very great in the eyes of the king. ⁶⁴ And Abram said to his father, “Do you not know that the king thinks to slay me, and to annihilate my name from the earth by the advice of his wicked counselors? ⁶⁵ Now whom have you here and what have you in this land? Arise, let us go together to the land of Canaan, that we may be delivered from his hand, lest you also perish through him in the latter days. ⁶⁶ Do you not know or have you not heard that it is not through love that Nimrod gives you all this honor, but it is only for his benefit that he bestows all this good on you? ⁶⁷ And if he does to you 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, listen to my voice, and let us arise and go to the land of Canaan, out of the reach of injury from Nimrod; and serve the Lord who created you in the earth and it will be well with you; and cast away all the vain things which you pursue.” ⁶⁹ And Abram ceased to speak when Noah and his son Shem answered Terah, saying, “The word which Abram has said to you is true.” ⁷⁰ And Terah listened 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

And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and all the souls of his household and went with them from Ur-Kasdim 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 you out from Ur-Kasdim and delivered you from the hands of all your enemies. ⁴ And now therefore, if you will listen to My voice and keep My commands, My statutes and My laws, then I will cause your enemies to fall before you, and I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and I will send My blessing on all the works of your hands, and you will lack nothing. ⁵ Arise now, take your wife and all belonging to you and go to the land of Canaan and remain there, and I will be God to you there, and I will bless you.” 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 [over] 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 pitched his tent there among 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 to you and to your seed after you forever, and I will make your seed like the stars of the heavens, and I will give all the lands which you see to your seed for an inheritance.” ⁸ And Abram built an altar in the place where God had spoken to him, and Abram called on the Name of the Lord there. 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 Abram’s brother Nahor, and his father Terah, 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 on 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 the king’s son Mardon fell among 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 Ellasar, 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, that the Lord appeared to Abram in that year, and He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur-Kasdim to give you this land for an inheritance. ¹⁸ Now therefore, walk before Me, and be perfect, and keep My commands, for I will give this land to you and to your seed for an inheritance, from the River Mitzraim to the great river Euphrates. ¹⁹ And you will come to your fathers in peace and in good age, and the fourth generation will return here in this land and will inherit it forever”; and Abram built an altar, and he called on the Name of the Lord who appeared to him, and he brought up sacrifices on 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 [for] 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 to you these twenty years back, saying, ²³ Go out from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I have shown you to give it to you and to your children, for there in that land I will bless you, and make you a great nation, and make your name great, and in you the families of the earth will be blessed. ²⁴ Now therefore, arise, go out from this place, you, your wife, and all belonging to you, also everyone born in your house and all the souls you have made in Haran, and bring them out with you 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 out 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 his brother’s son Lot and all belonging to him were with him. ²⁸ And the Lord appeared to Abram again and said, “To your seed I will give this land”; and he built an altar there to the Lord who appeared to him, which is still in the plains of Mamre to this day.

 

CHAPTER 14

In those days there was a wise man in the land of Shinar 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 out, he passed judgment in the land, and everyone 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 remained 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 around, 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 around 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 he reasoned within himself again 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 tomb, and he placed them there. ¹⁴ And he commanded them, saying, “Thus says the king, strengthen yourselves and be valiant men, and let no man be buried here until two hundred pieces of silver are 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 around, at the time the king went out 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 out on the appointed day, and all the Egyptians came before him and cried to him, saying, ¹⁸ “May the king live forever. What is this thing you do in the town to your servants, not to permit a dead body to be buried until so much silver and gold are given? Was there ever the like to this done in the whole earth, from the days of former kings, yes, even from the days of Adam, to this day, that the dead should not be buried, [except] only for a set price? ¹⁹ We know it to be the custom of kings to take a yearly tax from the living, but you do not only do this, but you also exact a tax from the dead day by day. ²⁰ Now, O king, we can no longer bear this, for the whole city is ruined on this account, and do you not know it?” ²¹ And when the king heard all that they had spoken he was very angry 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 one thousand children, sons and daughters, and clothed them in silk and embroidery, and he set them on 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, “Your name will no longer be called Rikayon, but Pharaoh will be your name, since you exacted 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 to this day.

 

CHAPTER 15

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 of Mitzraim, and Abram beheld that his wife Sarai was very beautiful. ⁴ And Abram said to his wife Sarai, “Since God has created you with such a beautiful countenance, I am afraid of the Egyptians lest they should slay me and take you away, for the fear of God is not in these places. ⁵ Surely then you will do this: say you are my sister to all that may ask you 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 you 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 among 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 of 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 have you here in this chest which we have not seen? Now open the chest and give tithe to the king of all that it contains.” ¹¹ And Abram said, “I will not open this chest, but all you demand on 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, You told my lord Abram to go from his land and from his father’s house to the land of Canaan, and You promised to do well with him if he would perform Your commands; now behold, we have done that which You commanded 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 Your mercy.” ¹⁹ And the Lord listened to the voice of Sarai, and the Lord sent a messenger to deliver Sarai from the power of Pharaoh. ²⁰ And the king came and sat before Sarai, and behold, a messenger of the Lord was standing over them, and he appeared to Sarai and said to her, “Do not fear, for the Lord has heard your prayer.” ²¹ And the king approached Sarai and said to her, “What is that man to you who brought you here?” and she said, “He is my brother.” ²² And the king said, “It is incumbent on us to make him great, to elevate him and to do to him all the good which you will command us”; and at that time the king sent silver, and gold, and precious stones to Abram in abundance, together with cattle, menservants, and maidservants; 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 messenger struck him heavily, and he was terrified and he refrained from reaching to her. ²⁴ And when the king came near to Sarai, the messenger struck him to the ground, and acted thus to him the whole night, and the king was terrified. ²⁵ And on that night the messenger heavily struck all the servants of the king and his whole household on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation that night among the people of Pharaoh’s house. ²⁶ And Pharaoh, seeing the evil that befell him, said, “Surely on account of this woman this thing has 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, “Please tell me concerning the man with whom you came here”; and Sarai said, “This man is my husband, and I said to you that he was my brother for I was afraid, lest you should put him to death through wickedness.” ²⁸ And the king kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the messenger 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 you have done to me? Why did you say, She is my sister, owing to which I took her to me for a wife, and this heavy plague has therefore come on me and my household? ³⁰ Now therefore, here is your wife, take her and go from our land lest we all die on her account.” And Pharaoh took more cattle, menservants and maidservants, and silver and gold, to give to Abram, and he returned his wife Sarai to him. ³¹ And the king took a maiden whom he begot by his concubines, and he gave her to Sarai for a handmaid. ³² And the king said to his daughter, “It is better for you, 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 allowed 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 you are doing to me, to make me despicable to the inhabitants of the land, that you order your herdsman to feed your cattle in the fields of other people? Do you not know that I am a stranger in this land among the children of Canaan, and why will you do this to 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 to Lot, “How long will you be to me for a stumbling block with the inhabitants of the land? Now I implore you: let there no longer be quarrelling between us, for we are relatives. ⁴² But please separate from me, go and choose a place where you may dwell with your cattle and all belonging to you, but keep yourself at a distance from me—you and your household. ⁴³ And do not be afraid in going from me, for if anyone does harm to you, let me know and I will avenge your 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 pitched his tent there 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 [for] many years.

 

CHAPTER 16

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 Ellasar, with whom he made a covenant, saying, “Come up to me and assist me, that we may strike 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 struck 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 fled with their camps 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 pursued these kings that night and struck them, and they all fell before Abram and his men, and there was none remaining but the four kings who fled, and they each went his own way. 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 striking 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 to himself all the property. ¹⁴ And Abram answered the kings of Sodom, saying, “As the Lord lives who created the heavens and earth, and who redeemed my soul from all affliction, and who delivered me from my enemies this day, 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 to me, You will lack nothing, for I will bless you in all the works of your hands. ¹⁶ And now therefore, behold, here is all belonging to you—take it and go; as the Lord lives I will not take from you from a living soul down to a strap 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 who had also remained to watch the baggage, they will 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 the kings of Sodom and the remainder of their men away, 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 appeared to Abram again, in Hebron, and He said to him, “Do not fear, your reward is very great before Me, for I will not leave you until I will have multiplied you, and blessed you, and made your seed like the stars in the heavens, which cannot be measured nor numbered. ²¹ And I will give to your seed all these lands that you see with your eyes, I will give them to 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 Reu the son of Peleg died; 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 either son or daughter to Abram. ²⁴ And when she saw that she bore no children, she took her handmaid Hagar, whom Pharaoh had given her, and she gave her to her husband Abram 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 out on 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 to him. ²⁸ And Abram listened 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 my mistress Sarai, for all the days that my mistress has been with my lord, she did not conceive, but the Lord has caused me 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 to Abram, “My wrong be on you, for at the time when you prayed before the Lord for children, why did you not pray on my account that the Lord should give me seed from you? ³² And when I speak to Hagar in your presence, she despises my words, because she has conceived, and you will say nothing to her; may the Lord judge between me and you for what you have done to me.” ³³ And Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your handmaid is in your hands, do to her as it may seem good in your eyes”; and Sarai afflicted her, and Hagar fled from her to the wilderness. ³⁴ And [the] Messenger of the Lord found her by a well in the place where she had fled, and He said to her, “Do not fear, for I will multiply your seed, for you will bear a son and you will call his name Ishmael; now then, return to your mistress Sarai, and submit yourself 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 returned to her master’s house at that time, and at the end of days Hagar bore a son to Abram, and Abram called his name Ishmael; and Abram was eighty-six years old when he begot him.

 

CHAPTER 17

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 on 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 to this day. ³ And it was at that time [that] 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 will not intermarry among us, and no man will give his daughter to any of the sons of Chittim.” ⁵ For all the daughters of Tubal were attractive in those days, for no women were then found in the whole earth as attractive 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 on 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 until 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 assembled at that time 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 you, and I will greatly multiply your seed, and this is the covenant which I make between Me and you: that every male child is circumcised—you and your seed after you. ¹⁸ At eight days old he will be circumcised, and this covenant will be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant. ¹⁹ And now therefore, your name will no longer be called Abram but Abraham, and your wife will no longer be called Sarai but Sarah. ²⁰ For I will bless you both, and I will multiply your seed after you that you will become a great nation, and kings will come out from you.”

 

CHAPTER 18

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; Ishmael was thirteen years old 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 messengers to visit him, and he was sitting at the door of the tent, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, 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 I have now 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 in the tent, and he said to her, “Quickly make ready 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 ate. ⁹ And when they had finished eating, one of them said to him, “I will return to you according to the time of life, and your wife Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁰ And afterward the men 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 great before the Lord in those days. ¹² And they had a very extensive valley in their land, 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 afterward they 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 toward him one by one, and each would show him the little which he took and taunt him, saying, “I only took that little which you gave 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 on his donkey, which carried a fine mantle of varying colors, and the mantle was bound with a cord on the donkey. 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 a wicked and mischievous man in Sodom, 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, “From where do you come and to where do you 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 permit me to enter his house, though I had bread, and water, and also straw and provender for my donkey, and am short of nothing.” ²² And Hedad answered and said to him, “All that you will want will be supplied by me, but you will not abide in the street all night.” ²³ And Hedad brought him to his house, and he took off the mantle from the donkey with the cord, and brought them to his house, and he gave the donkey straw and provender while the traveler ate and drank in Hedad’s house, and he stayed there that night. ²⁴ And in the morning the traveler rose up early to continue his journey, when Hedad said to him, “Wait, comfort your 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, you had better remain all night that your 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 your 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 your heart and in the morning rise up early and go your way.” ²⁷ And the man would not remain, but rose and saddled his donkey, and while he was saddling his donkey 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 will he go away from us without giving anything?” and Hedad said to her, “Be silent.” ²⁸ And the man saddled his donkey to go, and he asked Hedad to give him the cord and mantle to tie it on the donkey. ²⁹ And Hedad said to him, “What did you say?” And he said to him, “That you, my lord, will give me the cord and the mantle made with varying colors which you concealed with you in your house to take care of it.” ³⁰ And Hedad answered the man, saying, “This is the interpretation of your dream: the cord which you saw means that your life will be lengthened out like a cord, and having seen the mantle colored with all sorts of colors, means that you will have a vineyard in which you will plant trees of all fruits.” ³¹ And the traveler answered, saying, “Not so my lord, for I was awake when I gave you the cord and also a mantle woven with different colors, which you took off the donkey to put them away for me”; and Hedad answered and said, “Surely I have told you the interpretation of your 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 you 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 tells you the 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 on the donkey in order to put them away 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 you ate in my house.” ³⁷ And the man said to Hedad, “Truly I will pay you for what I ate in your house, only give me the cord and mantle which you concealed in your house.” ³⁸ And Hedad replied before the judge and said to the man, “Did I not tell you the interpretation of your dream? The cord means that your days will be prolonged like a cord, and the mantle, that you will have a vineyard in which you will plant all kinds of fruit trees. ³⁹ This is the proper interpretation of your dream—now give me the four pieces of silver that I require as a compensation, for I will make you 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 around them and they exclaimed against the stranger, and they drove him rashly from the city. ⁴² And the man continued his journey on his donkey with bitterness of soul, lamenting and weeping. ⁴³ And while he was going along, he wept at what had happened to him in the corrupt city of Sodom.

 

CHAPTER 19

And the cities of Sodom had four judges for [the] 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 Abraham’s servant Eliezer applied different names to them, 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 it will be done to a man that comes 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 After that they would carry him and bury him under some of the shrubs in the deserts; so they did all the days to anyone 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 do you act thus to the poor man who came to your land?” ¹⁵ And the man of Sodom answered Eliezer, saying, “Is this man your brother, or have the people of Sodom made you a judge this day, that you speak 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 struck 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 you of this bad blood that was in your forehead, for such is the custom and the law in our land.” ¹⁸ And Eliezer said to him, “You have wounded me and require me to pay you your hire?” And Eliezer would not listen 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 implore you my lord, thus this man has done, for I struck 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 speaks truth to you, 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 struck 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, [then] you give to this man what I should have given him, for this has been your decision—you decreed 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 bore 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 on 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 anything to keep him alive, and he was just on 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 out 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 to him to eat; so she did [for] 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 out 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 you then who have supported him, and therefore he has 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 he did 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 he 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 are you?” And he said to her, “I was going on the road this day, 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 on this woman because she transgressed our law, and therefore this 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 on 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 among 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 messengers that had come to Abraham’s house to destroy Sodom and its cities. ⁴⁶ And the messengers 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 stayed all night in his house. ⁴⁸ And the messengers said to Lot, “Arise, go out from this place, you and all belonging to you, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of this city, for the Lord will destroy this place.” ⁴⁹ And the messengers laid hold on the hand of Lot, and on the hand of his wife, and on the hands of his children, and all belonging to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the cities. ⁵⁰ And they said to Lot, “Escape for your life,” and he fled and all belonging to him. ⁵¹ Then the Lord rained on Sodom, and on Gomorrah, and on 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 on 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 to 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 out afresh, and they again licked it up to 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 on 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 bore sons, and the firstborn called the name of her son Moab, saying, “From my father I conceived him”; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. ⁵⁹ And the younger also called her son Benami; he is the father of the children of Ammon to 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 wives [for] themselves from the land of Canaan, and they begot children, and they were fruitful and multiplied.

 

CHAPTER 20

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 one 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 his wife Sarah, “Say you are my sister to anyone that will ask you 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 has come to dwell in the land, and he has a sister that is exceedingly attractive.” 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 you with whom you came 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 you: place your brother in any part of this land that pleases you, and it will be our duty to exalt and elevate him above all the people of the land since he is your brother.” ⁹ And Abimelech sent for Abraham, and Abraham came to Abimelech. ¹⁰ And Abimelech said to Abraham, “Behold, I have given orders that you will be honored as you desire on account of your sister Sarah.” ¹¹ And Abraham went out 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 on his throne, and a deep sleep fell on him, and he lay on the throne and slept until morning. ¹³ And he dreamed that a messenger of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword in his hand, and the messenger stood over Abimelech and wished to slay him with the sword, and the king was terrified in his dream, and said to the messenger, “In what have I sinned against you that you come to slay me with your sword?” ¹⁴ And the messenger answered and said to Abimelech, “Behold, you die on account of the woman which you brought to your house last night, for she is a married woman, the wife of Abraham who came to your house; now therefore, return that man his wife, for she is his wife; and should you not return her, know that you will surely die—you and all belonging to you.” 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 struck the inhabitants of the land with the sword, yes, he continued to strike them. ¹⁶ And the messenger of the Lord struck 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 on 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 among 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 comes 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 grievous plagues on him until he returned the woman to her husband. ²² Now therefore, O sovereign king, know what happened last night 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 you took. 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 menservants, and maidservants, and one 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 you, dwell in it wherever you will choose.” ²⁷ And Abraham and his wife Sarah went out 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 messenger had inflicted on them the whole night on account of Sarah. ²⁹ And Abimelech sent for Abraham, saying, “Now pray to the Lord your God for your servants, that He may put away this mortality from among 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

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 bore a son to Abraham. ² And Abraham called the name of the son which was born to him, which Sarah bore to him, Isaac. ³ And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac at eight days old as God had commanded Abraham to do to 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 on 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 on 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 on 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 had grown up in those days; he was fourteen years old when Sarah bore 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 will not be heir with my son, for thus he sought to do to him this day.” ¹⁶ And Abraham listened 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 afterward he and his mother 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 bore four sons and two daughters, and afterward Ishmael, and his mother, and his wife and children 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 his father Abraham, 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 some time after, Abraham said to his wife Sarah, “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 on 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 her husband Ishmael 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 on 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 on the camel. ³⁰ And Abraham said to Ishmael’s wife, “When your husband Ishmael returns home say to him that a very old man from the land of the Philistines came here to seek you, and thus was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing you were not here he spoke to me and said, When your husband Ishmael returns, tell him thus this man said, When you come home, put away this nail of the tent which you have 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 you, and thus was his appearance and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing you were not at home he said to me, When your husband comes home tell him, thus says the old man, Put away the nail of the tent which you have 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 listened to the voice of his father, and Ishmael cast off that woman and she went away. ³⁷ And afterward Ishmael 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 again go and see my son Ishmael, for I have not seen him for a long time.” ³⁹ And he rode on 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 your 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 comes home say these words to him: ⁴³ A very old man from the land of the Philistines came here and asked after you, and you were 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 your husband Ishmael comes home, say to him, The nail of the tent which you have 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 out 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 you and you were 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 your husband Ishmael comes home, say to him, The nail of the tent which you have 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

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 his son Ishmael 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 lives who created the whole earth, I did not hear of the act which my servants did to your servants until this day.” ⁸ And Abraham took seven ewe lambs and gave them to Abimelech, saying, “Please take these 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 four gates to it 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 anyone 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; Abraham did this 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, bore 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 bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. ¹⁸ And Nahor had a concubine, and her name was Reumah, and she also bore 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 firstborn of Nahor were Abi, Cheref, Gadin, Melus, and their sister Deborah. 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 Rebekah. ²⁷ These are the families of the children of Nahor that were born to them in Haran; and Aram the son of Kemuel and his brother Rechob 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 to 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 built themselves a city there, and they called the name of the city Kesed after the name of their father, that is the land Kasdim to 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 bore him a son, and he called his name Zoba. ³² And Terah lived twenty-five years after he begot 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 begot Aram, Achlis, and Merik. ³⁶ And Aram son of Zoba, son of Terah, had three wives and he begot twelve sons and three daughters; and the Lord gave riches and possessions, and abundance of cattle, and flocks, and herds to Aram the son of Zoba, 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 brothers, the children of Nahor. ³⁸ And Aram the son of Zoba went with his brothers, 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 his father Abraham 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, his brother Ishmael was going around 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 to the Lord, and I did not transgress His word which He commanded my father.” ⁴³ And Isaac answered Ishmael, saying, “Why do you boast to me about this, about a little bit of your flesh which you took from your body, concerning which the Lord commanded you? ⁴⁴ As the Lord lives, the God of my father Abraham, if the Lord should say to my father, Now take your son Isaac and bring him up [as] 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 to Satan, “From where do you come?” 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 your 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 You and remember You when they require anything from You. ⁴⁹ And when You give them the thing which they require from You, they sit at their ease, and forsake You, and they no longer remember You. ⁵⁰ Have You seen Abraham the son of Terah, who at first had no children, and he served You and erected altars to You wherever he came, and he brought up offerings on them, and he proclaimed Your Name continually to all the children of the earth? ⁵¹ And now that his son Isaac is born to him, he has forsaken You; he has made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the land, and he has forgotten the Lord. ⁵² For amidst all that he has done, he brought You 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 until now, being thirty-seven years, he built no altar before You, nor brought any offering to You, for he saw that You gave what he requested before You, and therefore he forsook You.” ⁵⁴ And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you thus considered My servant Abraham? For there is none like him on earth, a perfect and an upright man before Me, one that fears God and avoids evil; as I live, were I to say to him, Bring up your son Isaac 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, “Then speak to Abraham now as You have said, and you will see whether he will not transgress and cast aside Your words this day.”

 

CHAPTER 23

At that time the word of the Lord came to Abraham, and He said to him, “Abraham,” and he said, “Here I am.” ² And He said to him, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt-offering on one of the mountains which will be shown to you, for there you will see a cloud and the glory of the Lord.” ³ And Abraham said within himself, “How will I separate my son Isaac from his mother Sarah in order to bring him up for a burnt-offering before the Lord?” ⁴ And Abraham came into the tent, and he sat before his wife Sarah, and he spoke these words to her, ⁵ “My son Isaac has 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 his son Eber, 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 prays 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, “You have spoken well. Go, my lord, and do to him as you have said, but do not remove him 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 to 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 remained all that night with her, and she kissed and embraced him, and gave him instructions until morning. ⁹ And she said to him, “O my son, how can my soul separate itself from you?” And she still kissed him and embraced him, and she gave Abraham instructions concerning him. ¹⁰ And Sarah said to Abraham, “O my lord, please take heed of your son, and place your eyes over him, for I have no other son nor daughter but him. ¹¹ O do not forsake him. If he is hungry, give him bread, and if he is 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 to him as he may say to you.” ¹³ And Sarah wept bitterly the whole night on account of Isaac, and she gave him instructions until 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 her son Isaac with that, and she put a turban on 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 out, 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 on 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 her husband Abraham 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 knows if after this day I will ever see you again?” ¹⁹ And they still wept together—Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, and all those that accompanied them on the road wept with them, and afterward Sarah turned away from her son, weeping bitterly, and all her menservants and maidservants returned with her to the tent. ²⁰ And Abraham went with his son Isaac 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 his servant Eliezer, and they went together with them, and while 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 returns he will give all that he possesses to me, to inherit after him, for I am his firstborn.” ²⁴ And Eliezer answered Ishmael and said, “Surely Abraham cast you away with your mother and swore that you should not inherit anything of all he possesses, and to whom will he give all that he has, with all his treasures, but to 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 he will bequeath at his death all that he possesses.” ²⁵ And while 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, “Are you silly or brutish that you go this day to do this thing to your only son? ²⁶ For God gave you a son in your latter days, in your old age, and will you go and slaughter him this day because he committed no violence, and will you cause the soul of your only son to perish from the earth? ²⁷ Do you not know and understand that this thing cannot be from the Lord? For the Lord cannot do to man such evil on earth to say to him, Go slaughter your 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 listen 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 to Isaac in the figure of a young man, handsome and well-favored. ³⁰ And he approached Isaac and said to him, “Do you not know and understand that your old silly father brings you to the slaughter this day for no reason? ³¹ Now therefore, my son, do not listen nor attend to him, for he is a silly old man, and do not let your precious soul and beautiful figure be lost from the earth.” ³² And Isaac heard this, and said to Abraham, “Have you heard, my father, that which this man has spoken? Even thus he has 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 from the commands of God this day.” 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 into 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 [as] 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 while 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 from the commands of God this day.” ³⁸ And Abraham rebuked him and said to him, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! Go away 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 the heavens, and a cloud of glory on the mountain, and the glory of the Lord was seen in the cloud. ⁴³ And Abraham said to Isaac, “My son, do you see in that mountain, which we perceive at a distance, that which I see on it?” ⁴⁴ And Isaac answered and said to his father, “I see, and behold, a pillar of fire and a cloud, and the glory of the Lord is seen on the cloud.” ⁴⁵ And Abraham knew that his son Isaac was accepted before the Lord for a burnt-offering. ⁴⁶ And Abraham said to Eliezer and to his son Ishmael, “Do you also see that which we see on the mountain which is at a distance?” ⁴⁷ And they answered and said, “We see nothing more than [that] 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 here with the donkey while my son Isaac and I will go to that 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 on 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 the fire and wood here, 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 you, my son, to be a perfect burnt-offering instead of the lamb.” ⁵² And Isaac said to his father, “I will do all that the Lord spoke to you with joy and cheerfulness of heart.” ⁵³ And Abraham again said to his son Isaac, “Is there any thought or counsel in your heart concerning this, which is not proper? Please tell me, my son; O my son do not conceal it from me.” ⁵⁴ And Isaac answered his father Abraham and said to him, “O my father, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, 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 you. ⁵⁵ Neither limb nor muscle has moved or stirred at this, nor is there any thought or evil counsel in my heart concerning this. ⁵⁶ But I am of joyful and cheerful heart in this matter, and I say, Blessed is the Lord who has chosen me to be a burnt-offering before Him this day.” 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 on the altar which he had built. ⁶⁰ And he took his son Isaac and bound him in order to place him on the wood which was on 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 on the altar lest I should turn, and move, and break loose from the force of the knife on my flesh and thereof profane the burnt-offering”; and Abraham did so. ⁶² And Isaac still said to his father, “O my father, when you will have slain me and burned me for an offering, take with you that which will remain of my ashes to bring to my mother Sarah, 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 on 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 spoke these words; and Abraham’s tears gushed down on his son Isaac, and Isaac wept bitterly, and he said to his father, “Hasten you, O my father, and do with me the will of the Lord our God as He has commanded you.” ⁶⁴ And the hearts of Abraham and Isaac rejoiced at this thing which the Lord had commanded them; but the eye wept bitterly while the heart rejoiced. ⁶⁵ And Abraham bound his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar on the wood, and Isaac stretched out his neck on the altar before his father, and Abraham stretched out his hand to take the knife to slay his son as a burnt-offering before the Lord. ⁶⁶ At that time the messengers of mercy came before the Lord and spoke to him concerning Isaac, saying, ⁶⁷ “O Lord, You are a merciful and compassionate King over all that You have created in Heaven and in earth, and You support them all; therefore give ransom and redemption instead of your servant Isaac, and have pity and compassion on Abraham and his son Isaac who are performing Your commands this day. ⁶⁸ Have You seen, O Lord, how Isaac, the son of Your servant Abraham, is bound down to the slaughter like an animal? Now therefore, let Your pity be roused for them, O Lord.” ⁶⁹ At that time the Lord appeared to Abraham, and called to him from Heaven, and said to him, “Do not lay your hand on the youth, neither do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God in performing this act, and in not withholding your son, your 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 on 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 on the altar, and he exclaimed and said, “This is in the place of my son, and may this be considered as the blood of my son before the Lord this day.” 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 be considered before the Lord in the place of my son this day”; 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 a very humble and meek old man, and Abraham was yet engaged in the burnt-offering before the Lord. ⁷⁷ And he said to her, “Do you not know all the work that Abraham has made with your only son this day? For he took Isaac, and built an altar, and killed him, and brought him up as a sacrifice on the altar, and Isaac cried and wept before his father, but he did not look 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 among 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 on the ground, and she cast dust on her head, and she said, “O my son! My son Isaac! O that I had died instead of you this day.” And she continued to weep and said, “It grieves me for you, O my son, my son Isaac! O that I had died in your stead this day.” ⁸⁰ And she still continued to weep, and said, “It grieves me for you after I have reared you and have brought you up; now my joy is turned into mourning over you—I that had a longing for you, and cried and prayed to God until I bore you at ninety years old; and now you have served this day for the knife and the fire, to be made an offering. ⁸¹ But I console myself with you, my son, in its being the word of the Lord, for you performed the command of your God; for who can transgress the word of our God, in whose hands is the soul of every living creature? ⁸² You are just, O Lord our God, for all Your works are good and righteous; for I also rejoice with Your word which You commanded, and while my eye weeps bitterly, my heart rejoices.” ⁸³ And Sarah laid her head on the bosom of one of her handmaids, and she became as still as a stone. ⁸⁴ Afterward she rose up and went around making inquiries until 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 maidservants and menservants to Kirjath-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 to her, “I spoke falsely to you, 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 to him, “She went as far as Hebron to seek you both where you had gone, for thus she was 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 on his mother’s face and wept over her, and he said, “O my mother, my mother! How have you left me, and where have you gone? O how, how have you left me!” ⁹⁰ And Abraham and Isaac wept greatly, and all their servants wept with them on account of Sarah, and they mourned a great and heavy mourning over her.

 

CHAPTER 24

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 possession of a burial place in your land, that I may bury my dead from before me.” ³ And the children of Heth said to Abraham, “Behold, the land is before you, in the choice of our tombs bury your dead, for no man will withhold you from burying your dead.” ⁴ And Abraham said to 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 from him for whatever he desires 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 to Abraham, “Behold, your servant will do all [that] you require”; and Abraham said, “No, but I will buy the cave and the field which you have for value, in order that it may be for a possession of a burial place forever.” ⁶ And Ephron answered and said, “Behold, the field and the cave are before you, give whatever you desire”; and Abraham said, “Only at full value will I buy it from your hand, and from the hands of those that go in at the gate of your city, and from the hand of your seed forever.” ⁷ And Ephron and all his brothers heard this, and Abraham weighed four hundred shekels of silver to Ephron in the hands of Ephron and in the hands of all his brothers; and Abraham recorded this transaction, and he recorded it and testified to 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, [and] Bakdil the son of Abudish the Zidonite. ⁹ And Abraham took the scroll of the purchase and placed it in his treasures, and these are the words that Abraham wrote in the scroll, namely that: ¹⁰ “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 forever, are to be a purchase to Abraham, and to his seed, and to those that go out from his loins for a possession of a burial place forever”; and he put a signet to it and testified to it with witnesses. ¹¹ And the field, and the cave that was in it, and all that place were made sure to Abraham and to 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 to 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 Shem, his sons Eber and Abimelech, together with Anar, Ashcol, and Mamre were at her bier; and all the noblemen 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 his son Isaac on account of Sarah. ¹⁷ And when the days of their mourning passed by, Abraham sent his son Isaac away, 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 his son Benmalich, and he was only twelve years old, and they made him lie in the place of his father. ²¹ And they called his name Abimelech after the name of his father, for thus it was their custom to do in Gerar, and Abimelech reigned instead of his father Abimelech, and he sat on 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 firstborn was Moab, and the name of the second was Benami. ²⁴ And the two sons of Lot went and took wives [for] themselves from the land of Canaan, and they bore children to them, and the children of Moab were Ed, Mayon, Tarsus, and Kanvil—four sons; these are fathers to the children of Moab to this day. ²⁵ And all the families of the children of Lot went to dwell wherever they should settle, 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 his head servant Eliezer 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 out, and do not take a wife for my son from this place and from this land, from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom we dwell. ³¹ But go to my land and to my birthplace, and take a wife for my son from there, and the Lord God of the heavens and earth who took me from my father’s house and brought me to this place, and said to me, To your seed I will give this land for an inheritance forever—He will send His messenger before you and prosper your way that you may 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 your birthplace and to your father’s house, and will take a wife for your son from there; but if the woman is not willing to follow me to this land, will I take your son back to the land of your birthplace?” ³³ And Abraham said to him, “Take heed that you do not bring my son here again, for the Lord before whom I have walked will send His messenger before you and prosper your way.” ³⁴ And Eliezer did as Abraham ordered him, and Eliezer swore to Abraham his master on 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 while they were gone, Abraham sent to the house of Shem and Eber, and they brought his son Isaac from there. ³⁵ And Isaac came home to his father’s house, to Beersheba, while 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 my master Abraham, please send me good speed this day and show kindness to my master, that You will appoint a wife for my master’s son from his family this day.” ³⁷ And the Lord listened 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 Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, for a wife for Isaac. ⁴⁰ And the young woman was of very beautiful appearance, she was a virgin, and Rebekah 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 Rebekah and her nurse Deborah, the daughter of Uz, and they gave her silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and they blessed her. ⁴³ And they sent Eliezer away with his men; and the servants took Rebekah, and he went and returned to his master to the land of Canaan. ⁴⁴ And Isaac took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he brought her into the tent. ⁴⁵ And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of his uncle Bethuel, for a wife.

 

CHAPTER 25

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 bore to 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 Canaanite woman which she bore to 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 to this day. ⁸ But the children of Sheba and Dedan, children of Jokshan, with their children, did not dwell with their brothers in their cities, and they journeyed and encamped in the countries and wildernesses to this day. ⁹ And the children of Midian, son of Abraham, went to the east of the land of Cush, and they found a large valley there in the eastern country, and they remained there and built a city, and they dwelt therein; that is the land of Midian to 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, bore to Abraham. ¹⁵ And Ishmael took a wife from the land of Egypt, and her name was Ribah, the same is Meribah. ¹⁶ And Ribah bore to 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 afterward Ishmael took a wife from the land of Canaan, and her name was Malchuth, and she bore to 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 afterward the families of Ishmael spread out, 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 to Shur, which is before Egypt as you come 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 firstborn 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 to this day. ²⁸ And Rebekah 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 Arphaxad 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 Arphaxad lived were four hundred and thirty-eight years, and he died.

 

CHAPTER 26

And in the fifty-ninth year of the life of Isaac the son of Abraham, his wife Rebekah was still barren in those days. ² And Rebekah said to Isaac, “Truly I have heard, my lord, that your mother Sarah was barren in her days until my lord Abraham, your father, prayed for her and she conceived by him. ³ Now therefore, stand up, pray also to God and He will hear your prayer and remember us through His mercies.” ⁴ And Isaac answered his wife Rebekah, saying, “Abraham has already prayed for me to God to multiply his seed, now therefore, this barrenness must proceed to us from you.” ⁵ And Rebekah said to him, “But arise now—you also—and pray that the Lord may hear your prayer and grant me children,” and Isaac listened 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 the heavens and earth, whose goodness and mercies fill the earth, You who took my father from his father’s house and from his birthplace, and brought him to this land, and said to him, To your seed I will give the land, and You promised him and declared to him, I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand of the sea: now may Your words be verified which You spoke to my father. ⁷ For You are the Lord our God; our eyes are toward You to give us seed of men, as You promised us, for You are the Lord our God and our eyes are directed toward You alone.” ⁸ And the Lord heard the prayer of Isaac the son of Abraham, and the Lord was entreated of him and his wife Rebekah conceived. ⁹ And about seven months later, 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 to her, “No.” ¹⁰ And she said to them, “Why am I alone in this among all the women that were on earth?” and she went to the land of Moriah to seek the Lord on account of this; and she went to Shem and his son Eber 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 your womb, and two nations will rise from them; and one nation will be stronger than the other, and the greater will 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, his brother came, 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 begot them. ¹⁷ And the boys grew up to their fifteenth year, and they came among the society of men. Esau was a scheming and deceitful man, and an expert hunter in the field, and Jacob was a perfect and wise man, 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, “Do you not know and understand the Lord is God in Heaven and in earth, and there is no other besides Him? ²³ And it was He who took me from my father’s house and from my birthplace, and gave me all the delights on earth; who delivered me from the counsel of the wicked, for I trusted in Him. ²⁴ And He brought me to this place, and He delivered me from Ur-Kasdim; and He said to me, To your seed I will give all these lands, and they will inherit them when they keep My commands, My statutes, and My judgments that I have commanded you, and which I will command them. ²⁵ Now therefore, my son, listen to my voice, and keep the commands of the Lord your God, which I commanded you; do not turn from the right way either to the right or to the left, in order that it may be well with you and your children after you 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 you, and do not turn away from the commands of your God, and serve none besides Him in order that it may be well with you and your seed after you. ²⁷ And teach your children and your seed the instructions of the Lord and His commands, 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 to him, “I will do that which my lord has commanded, 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 his sons Isaac and Ishmael 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 noblemen, and the sons of Abraham by the concubines, all came when they heard of Abraham’s death, and they paid back Abraham’s kindness, and comforted his son Isaac, 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 did not arise a man who feared God like to 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 meat and drink in his tent for 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 commands of the Lord as his father Abraham 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

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 around 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 around in the field in 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 struck 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; then 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 to 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 to his brother Jacob, “Behold, I will die this day, and why 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 recorded the whole of this in a scroll, and he testified the same with witnesses, and he sealed it, and the scroll 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 over 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 enslaved for a long time to all the other kings of the land.

 

CHAPTER 28

And in those days, after the death of Abraham, in that year the Lord brought a heavy famine in the land, and while 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 that night the Lord appeared to Isaac and said to him, “Do not go down to Egypt, but rise and go to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines, and remain there until the famine will 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 his wife Rebekah 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 did not answer them, 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 in the land [for] three months, Abimelech looked out at the window, and he saw, and behold, Isaac was sporting with his wife Rebekah, 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 to Isaac, “What is this you have done to us in saying of your wife, She is my sister? how easily might one of the great men of the people have lain with her, and you would then have brought guilt on us.” ⁹ And Isaac said to 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 his wife Rebekah 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 touches this man or his wife will 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 to Isaac, “Behold, the whole earth is before you; dwell wherever it may seem good in your sight until you will return to your 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 hundredfold 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 a great store of servants. ¹⁶ And when the days of the famine had passed away, the Lord appeared to Isaac and said to him, “Rise up, go out from this place and return to your 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 of Arphaxad 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 his brother Esau 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 Esau did all the days. ²⁰ And Esau was a scheming and deceitful man, one who hunted after the hearts of men and persuaded them through deceit, 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 [for] a year and four months. ²² And Esau saw there 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 to her; Esau was forty years old 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 one hundred and tenth year of the life of Isaac, that is in the fiftieth year of the life of Jacob, in that year Shem the son of Noah died; 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 Rebekah was told concerning her brother Laban, the son of Bethuel. ²⁷ For the wife of Laban was barren in those days and bore no children, and also all his handmaids bore none to him. ²⁸ And afterward the Lord remembered Adinah the wife of Laban, and she conceived and bore 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 Rebekah, and Rebekah rejoiced greatly that the Lord had visited her brother and that he was given children.

 

CHAPTER 29

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 to his son Esau, saying, “Please get your weapons, your quiver and your bow, rise up and go out 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 you before my death, as I have now become old and gray-headed.” ³ And Esau did so; and he took his weapon and went out 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 Rebekah heard all the words that Isaac had spoken to Esau, and she hastened and called her son Jacob, saying, “Thus your father spoke to your brother Esau, and thus I heard; now therefore, hasten and make that which I will tell you. ⁵ Please rise up and go to the flock, and fetch me two fine kids of the goats, and I will get the savory meat for your father, and you will bring the savory meat that he may eat before your brother will have come from the chase, in order that your father may bless you.” 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 to Jacob, “Who are you, my son?” And he said, “I am your firstborn Esau; I have done as you ordered me, now therefore, please rise up, and eat of my hunt, in order that your soul may bless me as you spoke to 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 to Esau, “And who was he that has taken venison and brought it to me before you came, and whom did I 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 to Esau, “What can I do, my son? Your brother came with subtlety and took away your 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 out from the land of Canaan from Hebron, and Jacob was concealed in Eber’s house [for] fourteen years on account of his brother Esau, and he continued to learn the ways of the Lord and His commands there. 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 a woman from among the daughters of Heth there 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 at 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 Rebekah with their works, for they did not walk 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 burned incense to the Ba’alim, and Isaac and Rebekah became weary of them. ¹⁶ And Rebekah said, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth such as these, which are of the daughters of the land, what good then is life to me?” ¹⁷ And in those days Adah the wife of Esau conceived and bore him a son, and Esau called the name of the son that was born to him Eliphaz, and Esau was sixty-five years old when she bore him. ¹⁸ And Ishmael the son of Abraham died in those days, in the sixtieth 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 [for] 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 in those days Esau had 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 near that he must die, and when he will die I will slay my brother Jacob.” ²³ And this was told to Rebekah, and she hastened, and sent, and called for her son Jacob, and she said to him, “Arise, go and flee to Haran, to my brother Laban, and remain there for some time until your brother’s anger is turned from you and then you will come back.” ²⁴ And Isaac called to Jacob and said to him, “Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, for thus our father Abraham commanded us according to the word of the Lord which He had commanded him, saying, To your seed I will give this land; if your children keep My covenant that I have made with you, then I will also perform to your children that which I have spoken to you and I will not forsake them. ²⁵ Now therefore, my son, listen to my voice, to all that I will command you, and refrain from taking a wife from among the daughters of Canaan; arise, go to Haran, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take a wife for yourself from there from the daughters of your mother’s brother Laban. ²⁶ Therefore, take heed lest you should forget the Lord your God and all His ways in the land to which you go, and should get connected with the people of the land, and pursue vanity, and forsake the Lord your God. ²⁷ But when you come to the land serve the Lord there; do not turn to the right or to the left from the way which I commanded you and which you learned. ²⁸ And may the Almighty God grant you favor in the sight of the people of the earth, that you may take a wife there according to your choice, one who is good and upright in the ways of the Lord. ²⁹ And may God give to you and your seed the blessing of your father Abraham, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and may you become a multitude of people in the land where you go, and may God cause you to return to this land, the land of your 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 listened 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 to his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke to him, saying, “Now hasten, take your sword in your hand, and pursue Jacob, and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with your sword in one of the mountains, and take everything 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 thirteen years old at that time, 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 to them, “What are you doing that you have come here, and what do you intend that you pursue with your swords?” ³⁶ And Eliphaz came near to Jacob, and he answered and said to him, “Thus my father commanded 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 to me: take that to yourselves and go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing be accounted to you [for] righteousness.” ³⁸ And the Lord caused Jacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau and his men, and they listened 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 his son Eliphaz and at his men that were with him, because they had not put Jacob to death. ⁴¹ And they answered and said to 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 to you; and Esau took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Jacob and he put them away in his house.” ⁴² At that time when Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and had commanded him, saying, “You will not take a wife from among the daughters of Canaan,” and that the daughters of Canaan were bad in the sight of Isaac and Rebekah, ⁴³ then he went to the house of his uncle Ishmael, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.

 

CHAPTER 30

And Jacob went out, continuing his way to Haran, and he came as far as Mount Moriah, and he tarried there all night near the city of Luz; and on that night the Lord appeared to Jacob there, and He said to him, “I am the Lord God of Abraham and the God of your father Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your seed. ² And behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and I will cause all your enemies to fall before you; and when they will make war with you they will not prevail over you, and I will bring you again to 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 glad, 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 sat by the shepherd’s well. ⁵ And there he 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 to 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 While 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 Rebekah, 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 to Jacob, “Tell me what your wages will be, for how can you serve me for nothing?” 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 bore to 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 to Laban, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel”; 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 Eber the son of Shem died; 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 [for] many days. ¹⁷ And in the third year of Jacob’s dwelling in Haran, Bosmath, the daughter of Ishmael, the wife of Esau, bore a son to him, 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 to him, and his firstborn 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 in those days Jacob 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 Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, the wife of Esau, died in the land of Canaan, and she had no sons but only daughters. ²² And these are the names of her daughters which she bore 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, Aholibamah, the daughter of Zebeon the Hivite, and Esau brought her to the land of Canaan. ²⁵ And Aholibamah conceived and bore three sons to Esau: Yeush, Yaalan, and Korah. ²⁶ And in those days there was a quarrel in the land of Canaan 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 he gave Puith 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

And in the seventh year Jacob’s service which he served Laban was completed, and Jacob said to 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 to Laban, “Why do you do this thing to 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 to Jacob’s house that night, and they ate, and drank, and rejoiced, and played before Leah on 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 extinguished that night. 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 did not know it.” ¹¹ And Jacob called to Laban, and said to him, “What is this that you did to me? Surely I served you for Rachel, and why did you deceive me and give me Leah?” ¹² And Laban answered Jacob, saying, “It is not so done in our place to give the younger before the elder; now therefore, if you desire to take her sister likewise, take her to you for the service which you will serve me for another seven years.” ¹³ And Jacob did so, and he also took Rachel for a wife, and he served Laban seven more years, 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 bore Jacob four sons in those days. ¹⁵ And these are their names: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and afterward she stopped 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 bore no children to Jacob, she took her handmaid Bilhah, and she bore Jacob two sons: Dan and Naphtali. ¹⁷ And when Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she also took her handmaid Zilpah, and she gave her to Jacob for a wife, and Jacob also came to Zilpah, and she also bore Jacob two sons: Gad and Asher. ¹⁸ And in those days Leah conceived again and bore Jacob two sons and one daughter, and these are their names: Issachar, Zebulun, and their sister Dinah. ¹⁹ And Rachel was still barren in those days, and Rachel prayed to the Lord at that time, and she said, “O Lord God, remember me and visit me, I implore You, for now my husband will cast me off, for I have borne him no children. ²⁰ Now O Lord God, hear my supplication before You, and see my affliction, and give me children like one of the handmaids, that I may no longer bear my reproach.” ²¹ And God heard her and opened her womb, and Rachel conceived and bore 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 bore him. ²² At that time, Jacob’s mother Rebekah sent her nurse Deborah, the daughter of Uz, and two of Isaac’s servants to Jacob. ²³ And they came to Jacob, to Haran, and they said to him, “Rebekah has sent us to you that you will return to your father’s house to the land of Canaan”; and Jacob listened to 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 to Laban, “Give me my wives and send me away that I may go to my land, for behold, my mother sent to me from the land of Canaan that I should return to my father’s house.” ²⁵ And Laban said to him, “Please not so; if I have found favor in your sight, do not leave me; appoint me your wages and I will give them, and remain with me.” ²⁶ And Jacob said to him, “This is what you will give me for wages, that I will pass through all your flock this day and take away from them every lamb that is speckled and spotted and such as are brown among the sheep, and among the goats, and if you will do this thing for me I will return, and feed your 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 to Jacob saw that Jacob would not then return with them to his father, to the land of Canaan, 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 out, 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 maidservants, and menservants, camels, and donkeys. ³² And Jacob had two hundred droves 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 manservant or a maidservant or for a donkey 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 he has 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 to him, “Arise, go out out of this land, and return to the land of your birthplace and I will be with you.” ³⁸ And Jacob rose up at that time, and he mounted his children, and wives, and all belonging to him on camels, and he went out 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 sheep-shearing that day. ⁴⁰ And Rachel stole her father’s images, and she took them, and she concealed them on the camel on which she sat, and she went on. ⁴¹ And this is the manner of the images: in taking a man who is the firstborn, 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 on 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 speaks 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 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 out and pursued Jacob, and he overtook him in Mount Gilead. ⁴⁷ And Laban said to Jacob, “What is this you have done to me to flee and deceive me, and lead my daughters and their children as captives taken by the sword? ⁴⁸ And you did not permit me to kiss them and send them away with joy, and you stole my gods and went away.” ⁴⁹ And Jacob answered Laban, saying, “Because I was afraid lest you would take your daughters by force from me; and now with whomsoever you find your gods he will 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 to Jacob, “We will make a covenant together and it will be a testimony between me and you; if you will afflict my daughters, or will take other wives besides my daughters, even God will be a witness between me and you in this matter.” ⁵² And they took stones and made a heap, and Laban said, “This heap is a witness between me and you,” therefore he called the name thereof Gilead. ⁵³ And Jacob and Laban offered a sacrifice on 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 to 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 ten men were with them. 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 to Esau and said to him, “Thus says your brother and relative, your mother’s brother Laban, the son of Bethuel, saying, ⁵⁷ Have you heard what your brother Jacob has done to 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 maidservants. ⁵⁹ He also has an immense stock of flocks and herds, camels and donkeys, also silver and gold in abundance; and when he saw that his wealth increased, he left me while I went to shear my sheep, and he rose up and fled in secrecy. ⁶⁰ And he lifted his wives and children on 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 permit 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 lacks nothing. ⁶³ If it is your wish to go to him, go then and there you will find him, and you can do to him as your soul desires”; 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 to Jacob to strike 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 [the] care of his eldest son Eliphaz. ⁶⁷ And he gave the remaining heads 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 among 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 Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. ⁷⁰ And they told her, saying, “Behold, your son Esau has gone against his brother Jacob with four hundred men, for he heard that he was coming, and he has gone to make war with him, and to strike him, and to take all that he has.” ⁷¹ And Rebekah hastened and sent seventy-two men from the servants of Isaac to meet Jacob on the road, for she said, “Perhaps 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 to Jacob, “Your mother Rebekah has sent us to you, saying, I have heard, my son, that your brother Esau has gone out against you on the road with men from the children of Seir the Horite. ⁷⁵ And therefore, my son, listen to my voice and see with your counsel what you will do, and when he comes up to you, supplicate him, and do not speak rashly to him, and give him a present from what you possess, and from what God has favored you with. ⁷⁶ And when he asks you concerning your affairs, conceal nothing from him; perhaps he may turn from his anger against you and you will thereby save your soul—you and all belonging to you—for it is your duty to honor him, for he is your 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

And at that time Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau toward the land of Seir, and he spoke words of supplication to him. ² And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you will say to my lord, to Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob: Do not let my lord imagine that my father’s blessing with which he blessed me has proved beneficial to me. ³ For I have been with Laban these twenty years, and he deceived me and changed my wages ten times, as it has all been already told to my lord. ⁴ And I served him in his house very laboriously, and afterward God 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 afterward, through God’s great mercy and kindness, I acquired oxen, and donkeys, and cattle, and menservants, and maidservants. 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 obtained wealth of myself, 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 to them, “Surely I have heard and truly it has been told to me what Jacob has done to Laban, who exalted him in his house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he begot 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 from Laban’s house with all belonging to him, 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 this, but he has also done so to me and has twice supplanted me, and will I be silent? ¹² Now I have therefore come this day with my camps to meet him, and I will do to him according to the desire of my heart.” ¹³ And the messengers returned and came to Jacob, and said to him, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and we told him all your words, and thus he has answered us, and behold, he comes to meet you with four hundred men. ¹⁴ Now then, know and see what you will do and pray before God to deliver you 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: You said to me when I went away from my father’s house, saying, ¹⁷ I am the Lord God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; I give this land to you and your seed after you, and I will make your seed as the stars of the heavens, and you will spread out to the four sides of [the] heavens, and in you and in your Seed all the families of the earth will be blessed. ¹⁸ And you established Your words and gave to me riches, and children, and cattle—as the utmost wishes of my heart, You gave to Your servant; You gave to me all that I asked from You, so that I lacked nothing. ¹⁹ And afterward You said to me, Return to your parents and to your birthplace and I will still do well with you. ²⁰ And now that I have come, and You delivered me from Laban, I will fall into the hands of Esau who will slay me, yes, together with the mothers of my children. ²¹ Now therefore, O Lord God, please also deliver me 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 I have acquired this wealth; now therefore, I implore You to deliver me this day with Your 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 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 comes to one camp and slays 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 messengers of the messengers of Heaven, and they went before Esau and came to him. ²⁹ And these messengers appeared to Esau and his people as two thousand men, riding on 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 to 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 come to see him this day, do you treat me in this manner?” ³³ And the messengers answered him, saying, “As the Lord lives, were Jacob of whom you speak not your brother, we would not have let one remaining from you and your 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 to 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 to him, “As the Lord lives, were Jacob not your brother as you have said, we would not have left a remnant from you and your men, but on account of Jacob of whom you speak being your brother, we will not meddle with you or your 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 to him and his men as the others had done. ³⁹ And when Esau beheld the evil which the four messengers 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 on were Jacob’s servants. ⁴¹ And Jacob tarried that night with his servants in their camps, and he resolved with his servants to give a present to Esau 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 among the cattle a present for Esau. ⁴² And this is the amount of the present which Jacob chose from his flock to give to his brother Esau: and he selected two hundred and forty head from the flocks, and he selected from the camels and donkeys thirty each, and of the herds he chose fifty cows. 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 to 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 will meet you and ask you, saying, Whose are you, and where do you go, and to whom belongs all this before you, you will say to them, We are the servants of Jacob, and we come to meet Esau in peace, and behold, Jacob comes behind us. ⁴⁵ And that which is before us is a present sent from Jacob to his brother Esau. ⁴⁶ And if they will say to you, Why does he delay behind you, from coming to meet his brother and to see his face, then you will say to them, Surely he comes joyfully behind us to meet his brother, for he said, I will appease him with the present that goes to him, and after this I will see his face—perhaps he will accept 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 maidservants, and all belonging to him, and he made them pass over the ford Jabuk that night. ⁴⁸ And when he made all belonging to him pass 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 on his thigh. ⁵⁰ And the sun rose on him when he had passed the brook, and he came up to the place of his cattle and children. ⁵¹ And they went on until midday, and while 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 to his wives and his handmaids, and he put his daughter Dinah 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. 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 on his brother Esau, for Esau was greatly afraid of Jacob for what the messengers 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 on his neck, and they kissed and 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 on 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 to Jacob, “Who are these with you, my brother? are they your children or your servants?” and Jacob answered Esau and said, “They are my children which God has graciously given to your servant.” ⁶¹ And while Jacob was speaking to Esau and his men, Esau beheld the whole camp, and he said to Jacob, “From where did you get the whole of the camp that I met last night?” and Jacob said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord, it is that which God graciously gave to your servant.” ⁶² And the present came before Esau, and Jacob pressed Esau, saying, “Please take the present that I have brought to my lord,” and Esau said, “Why is this my purpose? keep that which you have to yourself.” ⁶³ And Jacob said, “It is incumbent on me to give all this, since I have seen your face, that you still live in peace.” ⁶⁴ And Esau refused to take the present, and Jacob said to him, “I implore you, my lord, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, for I have therefore seen your face, as though I had seen a godlike face, because you were pleased with me.” ⁶⁵ And Esau took the present, and Jacob also gave silver, and gold, and bdellium to Esau, 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 to the hands of his children. ⁶⁷ And the silver, and gold, and bdellium he gave in the hands of his eldest son Eliphaz, and Esau said to Jacob, “Let us remain with you, and we will go slowly along with you until you come 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 speaks to me, but my lord knows that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with their young who are with me only go slowly, for if they went swiftly they would all die, for you know 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 to Jacob, “I will place with you some of the people that are with me to take care of you in the road, and to bear your fatigue and burden,” and he said, “What need is there of that my lord, if I may find grace in your sight? ⁷¹ Behold, I will come to you, to Seir, to dwell there together as you have spoken; go then with your people for I will follow you.” ⁷² And Jacob said this to Esau in order to remove Esau and his men from him, so that afterward Jacob might go to his father’s house, to the land of Canaan. ⁷³ And Esau listened to the voice of Jacob, and Esau returned with the four hundred men that were with him on their road to Seir, and that day Jacob and all belonging to him went as far as the extremity of the land of Canaan in its borders, and he remained there some time.

 

CHAPTER 33

And some time after Jacob went away from the borders of the land, 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 built himself a house there, and he pitched his tent there, and he made shelters 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 out, 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 while 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 young woman pleased him greatly, and he asked his friends and his people there, saying, “Whose daughter is that sitting among the women, whom I do not know in this city?” ⁹ And they said to 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 out to rejoice, she went with her mother and maidservants to sit among them as you see.” ¹⁰ And Shechem beheld Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and when he looked at her his soul became fixed on 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 to 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 Dinah away 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 permit 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 Shechem did to 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 until 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 this young woman [for] me for a wife.” ¹⁷ And Hamor the son of Chiddekem the Hivite came to the house of his son Shechem, and he sat before him, and Hamor said to his son, “Shechem, is there then no woman among the daughters of your people that you will take a Hebrew woman who is not of your people?” ¹⁸ And Shechem said to him, “Only her must you 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 out 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 to 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 to 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 will 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 you know and understand 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 while 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 to them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him for a wife and intermarry with us; give us your daughters and we will give you our daughters, and you will 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 and trade therein and get possessions in it, and do therein as you desire, and no one will prevent you by saying a word to you.” ²⁶ And Hamor ceased speaking to Jacob and his sons, and behold, his son Shechem 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 to me I will do that for her. ²⁸ Ask me for abundance of dowry and gift, and I will give it, and whatever you will say to me I will do that, and whoever he is that will rebel against your orders, he will die; only give me the young woman for a wife.” ²⁹ And Simeon and Levi answered Hamor and his son Shechem deceitfully, saying, “All you have spoken to 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 knows the ways of our father Abraham, and whatever he says to us we will tell you—we will conceal nothing from you.” ³² And Simeon and Levi spoke this to 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 out to go home. ³⁴ And when they had gone, the sons of Jacob said to 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 to 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 will never be done among us. ³⁶ Now therefore, know and see what you will do and seek counsel and pretext [regarding] 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 suggestion for you: tell them to circumcise every male among them as we are circumcised, and if they do not wish to do this, we will 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 on one who is quiet and peaceable, and we will slay every male person among them.” ³⁹ And Simeon’s advice pleased them, and Simeon and Levi resolved to do to them as it was proposed. ⁴⁰ And on the next morning Shechem and his father Hamor came to Jacob and his sons again 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 to us, saying, Thus his father Abraham commanded 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 will 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 to us, for we cannot do this of which you spoke to 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 your daughters to ourselves, and will dwell among you, and be one people as you have spoken, if you will listen 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 listen to 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 to them the words of the sons of Jacob, saying, ⁴⁸ “We came to these men, the sons of Jacob, and we spoke to 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 will be one people; we will take their daughters, and we will give our daughters to them for wives. ⁴⁹ But only on this condition will these men consent to do this thing: that every male among us must be circumcised as they are circumcised, as their God commanded them, and when we will have done according to their instructions to be circumcised, then they will dwell among us, together with their cattle and possessions, and we will 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 his father Hamor 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 his father Hamor, and the five brothers of Shechem, and then everyone rose up and went home, for this thing was from the Lord against the city of Shechem, and Simeon’s counsel was from the Lord in this matter in order that the Lord might deliver the city of Shechem into the hands of Jacob’s two sons.

 

CHAPTER 34

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 to 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 listened 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 also sought to slay Shechem and his father Hamor, and they sought to slay Dinah with them on account of this matter. ⁶ And they said to them, “What is this thing that you have done? are there no women among the daughters of your brothers the Canaanites that you wish to take to yourselves daughters of the Hebrews, whom you did not know 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 brothers the Canaanites who will come tomorrow and ask you concerning this thing? ⁸ And if your act will not appear just and good in their sight, what will you do for your lives, and me for our lives, in your not having listened to our voices? ⁹ And if the inhabitants of the land and all your brothers, the children of Ham, will hear of your act, saying, ¹⁰ On account of a Hebrew woman, Shechem, and his father Hamor, and all the inhabitants of their city did 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 brothers, 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 on us, which our ancestors did not command us. ¹² Behold, tomorrow we will go and assemble all our brothers, the Canaanite brothers who dwell in the land, and we will all come and strike you and all those who trust in you, that there will 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 for their lives at their words, and they converted of what they had done. ¹⁴ And Shechem and his father Hamor answered their father Chiddekem and his brothers, and they said to them, “All the words which you spoke to 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 listened to their voices and did this act which you saw in order to obtain our desire from them. ¹⁷ And when we will have obtained our request from them, we will then return to them and do to them that which you say to us. ¹⁸ We implore you then to wait and tarry until our flesh will be healed and we again become strong, and we will then go together against them, and do to 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 brothers, saying, ²¹ “Thus Chiddekem and his brothers advised concerning you, and thus Hamor, and Shechem, and the people of the city answered 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 lives, the God of the whole earth, by this time tomorrow there will 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 around 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 did not leave [even one] male remaining in the whole city. ²⁸ And they slew Hamor and his son Shechem at the edge of the sword, and they brought Dinah away from the house of Shechem, and they went from there. ²⁹ And the sons of Jacob went and returned, and came on the slain, and spoiled all their property which was in the city and the field. ³⁰ And while they were taking the spoil, three hundred men stood up, and threw dust at them, and struck them with stones; then 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 to 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 to them, “What is this that you have done to me? behold, I obtained rest among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and none of them meddled with me. ³³ And now you have done [this] to make me obnoxious to the inhabitants of the land, among 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 brothers, and my household and I will be destroyed.” ³⁴ And Simeon, and Levi, and all their brothers with them answered their father Jacob and said to him, “Behold, we live in the land, and will Shechem do this to our sister? why are you silent at all that Shechem has done? and will 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 a man. ³⁶ And among them was a young woman 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 out from the land of Egypt. ³⁸ And when Simeon and Levi had gone out from the city, the two young men that were left, who had concealed themselves in the city, and did not die among the people of the city, rose up, and these young men went into the city and walked around 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 destroyed one of the Canaanite cities this day, and they were not afraid of their lives in 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 to the city, and it is destroyed—there is not a man there, only weeping women; neither is any flock or cattle there, for the sons of Jacob took away all that was in the city.” ⁴² And Jashub wondered at this, saying, “How could two men do this thing, to destroy such a large city, and not one man was 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 to them as they did to the city, and we will avenge the cause of the people of the city.” ⁴⁴ And Jashub, king of Tapnach, consulted with his counselors about this matter, and his advisers said to him, “You will not prevail over the Hebrews alone, 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 you will go against them, they will all rise against us and destroy us likewise. ⁴⁶ But if you will 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 you will prevail against them.” ⁴⁷ And Jashub heard the words of his counselors, 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 strike Jacob the Hebrew and all his sons, and destroy them from the earth, for thus he did 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 all the children of Canaan against me to destroy me and my household? for I was at rest, even my household and I, 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 nothing [that] 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 will you do this? surely my brothers went and struck the city for this [reason], and the Lord delivered it into their hands, because its inhabitants had transgressed the commands of our God. Is it then for nothing that they have done all this? ⁵⁴ And now why are you afraid or distressed, and why are you displeased at my brothers, and why is your anger kindled against them? ⁵⁵ Surely our God who delivered the city of Shechem and its people into their hand will also deliver into our hands all the Canaanite kings who are coming against us, and we will do to them as my brothers did to Shechem. ⁵⁶ Now be tranquil about them and cast away your fears, but trust in the Lord our God, and pray to 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 to the sand on the seashore.” ⁵⁹ And Judah said to Simeon, and Levi, and to all his brothers, “Strengthen yourselves and be sons of valor, for the Lord our God is with us; do not fear them. ⁶⁰ Stand ready, 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 girded 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 toward these kings, and Jacob also went with them. ⁶³ And the sons of Jacob sent to their father Isaac, the son of Abraham, to Hebron, the same is Kirjath-Arba, saying, ⁶⁴ “We implore you: pray for us to 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 to the Lord for his sons, and he said, “O Lord God, You promised my father, saying, I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens; and You also promised me. And establish Your 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, please pervert 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 that they may turn away from my sons. ⁶⁸ And deliver my sons and their servants from them with Your strong hand and outstretched arm, for power and might are in Your 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 while they were going, their father Jacob also prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, powerful and exalted God, who has reigned from days of old, from then until now and forever: ⁷⁰ You are He who stirs up wars and causes them to cease; in Your hand are power and might to exalt and to bring down; O may my prayer be acceptable before You that You may turn to me with Your mercies to impress the hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons, and terrify them and their camps, and deliver all those that trust in You with Your great kindness, for it is You who can bring people under us and reduce nations under our power.”

 

CHAPTER 35

And all the kings of the Amorites came and took their stand in the field to consult with their counselors 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 among all the gods of [the] nations there is none [that] can do like to 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 also delivered him 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 he 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 for his God. ¹² And God saw all his works, and swore to 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 for 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 to them and their people all that you heard of. ¹⁴ And behold, we ourselves saw with our [own] 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 his father’s blessing away from him. ¹⁵ And he went to meet him when he came from Syria, to strike 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 He will surely protect them again. ¹⁶ Who does not know that it was their God who inspired them with strength to do to the town of Shechem the calamity 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 to them all this to slay the inhabitants of the city in their city. ¹⁸ And can you then prevail over those who have come out together from your city to fight with the whole of them, even if one 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 chose them, and you have therefore all come this day to be destroyed. ²⁰ Now therefore, refrain from this calamity which you are endeavoring to bring on 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 counselors greatly pleased the kings, and they did so. ²³ And the kings turned and refrained from the sons of Jacob, for they dared 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 fight with the sons of Jacob at that time. ²⁵ And the sons of Jacob kept their station that day until evening opposite Mount Sihon, and seeing that these kings did not come to fight against them, the sons of Jacob returned home.

 

CHAPTER 36

At that time the Lord appeared to Jacob, saying, “Arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and make an altar there to the Lord who appears to you, who delivered you and your 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 built an altar there to the Lord who appeared to him, and Jacob and his sons remained in Bethel six months. ⁴ At that time Deborah the daughter of Uz, the nurse of Rebekah, who had been with Jacob, died, and Jacob buried her beneath Bethel under an oak that was there. ⁵ And Rebekah the daughter of Bethuel, the mother of Jacob, also died at that time in Hebron, the same is Kirjath-Arba, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth. ⁶ And the life of Rebekah was one hundred and thirty-three years, and she died; and when Jacob heard that his mother Rebekah was dead, he wept bitterly for his mother, and made a great mourning for her, and for her nurse Deborah beneath the oak, and he called the name of that place Allon-bachuth. ⁷ And Laban the Syrian died in those days, for God struck him because he transgressed the covenant that existed between him and Jacob. ⁸ And Jacob was one hundred years old when the Lord appeared to 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 while they were going on the road and there was yet but a little way to come to Ephrath, Rachel bore a son, and she had hard labor, and she died. ¹¹ And Jacob buried her in the way to Ephrath, which is Beth-Lehem, and he set a pillar on her grave which is there to 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 bore to 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 there he 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 to Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood to 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 firstborn, 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 Kirjath-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 bore to Esau his firstborn Eliphaz, and she also bore Reuel to him; and Aholibamah bore Jeush, Yaalam, and Korah to him. 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 Nachas, Zerach, Shamah, and Mizzah; ²⁴ and the sons of Jeush were Timnah, Alvah, [and] 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 chiefdoms 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 bore Amalek to him). ²⁸ And the sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahas, 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 donkeys of Zibeon his father. ²⁹ And while he was feeding his father’s donkeys, 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 seashore, opposite the wilderness of the people, and while he was feeding them, behold, a very heavy storm came from the other side of the sea and rested on the donkeys 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 donkeys 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 ducheephas, and these animals came, and mounted, and rode on these donkeys, and led them away, and they went away to this day. ³³ And one of these animals approached Anah and struck him with his tail, and then fled from that place. ³⁴ And when he saw this work, he was exceedingly afraid for 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 donkeys but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers no longer went to that place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid for their lives). ³⁶ And the children of Anah, the son of Seir, were Dishon and his sister Aholibamah, 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 chiefdoms 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 their father Abraham.

 

CHAPTER 37

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 about three hundred men and women in it. 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 come to Shechem again and dwelt there. ⁵ And they said, “Will the sons of Jacob the Hebrew come to the city again and dwell therein after they have smitten its inhabitants and driven them out? will they now return and also drive out those who are dwelling in the city or slay them?” ⁶ And all the kings of Canaan assembled again, and they came together to make war with Jacob and his sons. ⁷ And Jashub king of Tapnach also sent 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 strike Jacob the Hebrew, and his sons, and all belonging to him, for they have come to Shechem again 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 on the seashore—and they were all opposite to Tapnach. ¹⁰ And Jashub king of Tapnach went out to them with all his army, and he encamped with them opposite to Tapnach outside the city, and they divided all these kings into seven divisions, being seven camps against the sons of Jacob. ¹¹ And they sent a declaration to Jacob and his sons, saying, “Come out to us, all of you, 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 return to the city of Shechem again, and dwell therein, and slay its inhabitants as before.” ¹² And the sons of Jacob heard this and their anger was exceedingly kindled at the words of the kings of Canaan, and ten of the sons of Jacob hastened and rose up, and each of them girded 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 their father Jacob was with them, and they all stood on the heap of Shechem. ¹⁴ And Jacob prayed to the Lord for his sons, and he spread out his hands to the Lord, and he said, “O God, You are [the] almighty God, You are our Father, You formed us and we are the works of Your hands; please deliver my sons through Your mercy from the hand of their enemies who are coming to fight with them this day and save them from their hand, for in Your hand is power and might to save the few from the many. ¹⁵ And give to my sons, Your servants, strength of heart and might to fight with their enemies, to subdue them, and make their enemies fall before them, and do not let my sons and their servants die through the hands of the children of Canaan. ¹⁶ But if it seems good in Your eyes to take away the lives of my sons and their servants, take them in Your great mercy through the hands of Your 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 listened 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 while they were standing in their quarters, behold, the sons of Jacob advanced on 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-stricken, 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 thus be a disgrace to us to retreat twice 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, [as] numerous as the sand of the sea. ²⁴ And the sons of Jacob called to the Lord and said, “Help us, O Lord! Help us and answer us, for we trust in You! And let us not die by the hands of these uncircumcised men who have come against us this day.” ²⁵ And the sons of Jacob girded 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 brothers, and ten of his servants with him, and he went toward these kings. ²⁷ And Jashub, king of Tapnach, also came out 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 on 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 while he was on 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 on 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 out 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 struck him on his shield with the stone, [so] that Jashub was stunned with the blow and fell off from his horse to the ground. ³³ And the shield burst apart 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 struck 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 on 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 on his legs opposite Judah. ³⁷ And Jashub had a duel 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 on 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 struck Jashub at his ankles and cut off his feet, [so] that Jashub fell on 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 struck them as if striking 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 around 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 struck one of them on 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 pursued them with his ten men, and they overtook them and slew them. ⁴⁷ And the sons of Jacob were still striking 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 for 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 strike 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 to 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

And Ihuri king of Shiloh came up to assist Elon, and when he approached Jacob, Jacob drew his bow that was in his hand and struck Ihuri with an arrow 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 for their lives and fled until they reached the city of Chazar. ⁵ And the sons of Jacob pursued them to the gate of the city of Chazar, and they struck a great striking among the kings and their armies, about four thousand men, and while they were striking the army of the kings, Jacob was occupied with his bow confining himself to striking the kings, and he slew them all. ⁶ And he slew Parathon king of Chazar at the gate of the city of Chazar, and afterward he struck 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 struck 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 for 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 out 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 permit them to enter the city. ¹² And Naphtali ran and came between them, and struck two of them with his sword, and cut off their heads with one stroke. ¹³ And he turned to the other two, and behold, they had fled, and he pursued them, overtook them, struck 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 on 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 had run into the city for safety, 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 on 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 striking the inhabitants of the city, they ascended the wall and called to Dan and Naphtali, who were on 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 from the city that day. 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 afterward he entered the city. ²² And the sons of Jacob seeing [that] they could not find the way into the city, their anger was greatly kindled, 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 quickly 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 on them. ³⁰ And the number of the people that were on 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. 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, [so] 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 struck 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 on 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 [the] heavens, 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 struck a great striking among those men in the tower, and they ran away and fled from them. ³⁷ And when Simeon and Levi pursued them, 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 when one of them struck at Levi’s head with his sword, Levi hastily placed his hand to his head, for he was afraid of the sword, and the sword struck Levi’s hand, and it came close 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 he struck at the head of the powerful man with it, 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 on that day Simeon, Levi, and Judah 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 to Jacob, and he was severely grieved, and he prayed to the Lord, and he and his son Naphtali went against these mighty men. ⁴⁶ And Jacob approached and drew his bow, and came near to 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 for 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 on them, and fought with them, and slew two of them, and Judah and his brothers pursued them, and struck the remainder of them, and slew them. ⁴⁸ And all the sons of Jacob returned and walked around 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 struck them all, and Dan and Naphtali descended on the rest of the men who had fled and escaped from the second tower, and they struck them all. ⁴⁹ And the sons of Jacob struck all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton, but they left the women and little ones 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 one 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, [so] 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 to Sarton and its inhabitants as they had done to Chazar and its inhabitants, and they turned and went away.

 

CHAPTER 39

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 plunder 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 struck 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 brothers, 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 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 on 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 among them the whole of that day until 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 to the Lord and greatly gained strength toward evening, and the sons of Jacob struck 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 struck them in Arbelan, and the sons of Jacob did to Arbelan and Tapnach as they had done to Chazar and Sarton, and when the women saw that all the men were dead, they went on the roofs of the city and struck 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 struck them with the edge of the sword, and the sons of Jacob captured all the spoil and plunder, flocks, and herds, and cattle. ¹³ And the sons of Jacob did to 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 girded on their weapons of war that day, 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 outermost wall, and a people [as] numerous as the sand on the seashore were set in ambush for the sons of Jacob from outside the city, at the rear thereof. ¹⁷ And the sons of Jacob approached to open the gates of the city, and while they were drawing near, behold, those who were set in ambush at the rear of the city came out 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 on the wall were casting from the wall arrows and stones on them. 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 outside and within the city were greatly afraid for their lives. ²⁰ And when the sons of Jacob still came near to break the doors of the city, the men of Gaash threw stones and arrows on 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 outside the city, and they struck 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 outside the city, and the sons of Jacob still drew near 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 [when] the sons of Jacob came near to one corner to fight under the wall, the inhabitants of Gaash threw arrows and stones on them like showers of rain, and they fled from under the wall. ²⁴ And the people of Gaash who were on 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 to the mighty city of Gaash and its inhabitants as you did to the cities of the Amorites that were not so powerful? Surely you did those things to those weak ones among us, 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 you will all die here, 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 on 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 for 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 force of his strength mounted the wall, and his sword fell from his hand. ³⁰ And Judah shouted on the wall, and all the men that were on the wall were terrified, and some of them fell from the wall into the city and died, and those who were yet on 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 on the wall, and they came near 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 struck three of the men that were on 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 on 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 they fled. ³⁴ And Judah took the swords which had fallen from their hands, and Judah fought with them and slew twenty of their men on 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 on the wall, and they fell below the wall near Jacob and his sons. ³⁷ And the people on 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 when one of their mighty men whose name was Arud approached to strike Judah on the head with his sword, 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 ran for his life after he had struck Judah, at the fear of Judah, and his feet slipped on the wall and he fell among the sons of Jacob who were below the wall, and the sons of Jacob struck 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 on 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 on the wall near to Judah, all the men on the wall who had stood against Judah fled, and they went up to the second wall, and they threw arrows and stones on 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 on 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 on the second wall. ⁴⁵ And when Dan and Judah could no longer bear the stones and arrows that fell on them from the second wall, they both sprang on the second wall near the people of the city, and when the people of the city who were on the second wall saw that Dan and Judah had come to them on 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 on the second wall. ⁴⁷ And Naphtali went up with his wrath-excited might and sprang on the first wall to see what caused the noise of shouting which they had heard in the city, and Issachar and Zebulun drew near 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 on 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 outside the city and did not know 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 struck 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 among 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 to Heaven, and the blood was continuing to flow abundantly like a brook of water. ⁵⁴ And all the sons of Jacob were still striking the inhabitants of Gaash, and were engaged in slaying them until 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 girded on their weapons of war to go and fight with the sons of Jacob. ⁵⁶ And when the sons of Jacob had finished striking the inhabitants of Gaash, they walked around the city to strip all the slain, and coming into 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 youth and of short stature, and with his might dashed him to the ground. ⁵⁸ And Jacob ran to him with his sword and Jacob struck him below his loins with the sword, and cut him in two, and the body fell on 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 while Simeon and Levi ran and struck 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 on 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 while 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 on the head with the sword, and there was no shield in the hand of Judah; and while 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 on 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, lengthwise. ⁶⁴ And the sons of Jacob struck 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 around Gaash and took all the spoil of the city; they did not even permit the little ones and women to live, and the sons of Jacob did to Gaash as they had done to Sarton and Shiloh.

 

CHAPTER 40

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 fortress of Bethchorin, and the inhabitants of Bethchorin were going to the fortress to meet them, and on that night the sons of Jacob fought with the inhabitants of Bethchorin in the fortress of Bethchorin. ³ And all the inhabitants of Bethchorin were mighty men: one of them would not flee from before one thousand men, and they fought on that night on the fortress, 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 to 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 listened 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 among themselves—the one with the other—in the darkness of night, and struck each other in great numbers. ⁶ And the sons of Jacob, knowing that the Lord had brought a spirit of perverseness among those men, and that each man fought with his neighbor, went out from among the bands of the people of Bethchorin and went as far as the descent of the fortress 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 on the fortress, 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 near to 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 struck each other until morning, and [large] 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 fortress, and they struck those who remained of the Chorinites in a terrible manner, and they were all killed in the fortress. 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 fortress of Bethchorin and scattered around 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 struck them there until evening time. ¹⁵ And the sons of Jacob did to 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 the spoil of Bethchorin and all the spoil of the cities with them, and on that day they went home to Shechem. ¹⁷ And the sons of Jacob came home to the city of Shechem and remained outside the city, and then they 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 outside the city, and they did not enter the city, for they said, “Perhaps there may still be 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 plunder which the sons of Jacob had captured was in the portion of the field—immense as the sand on the seashore. 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 for 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 Canaanite 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 all of you come to Hebron, and we will go together to the sons of Jacob and supplicate them that they will 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 [for] 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 to the king of Hebron, “Go before us with your men, and speak for us to the sons of Jacob, and we will come after you and confirm your 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 on 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 to them, “We came to 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 girded on their weapons of war, for they said, “They are coming to make war with us,” for they did not know 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 out, 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 near 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 to him, “What has befallen you, O king of Hebron? why have you come to us this day? what do you require from us?” and the king of Hebron said to Jacob, “I implore you, my lord: all the kings of the Canaanites have come to make peace with you this day.” 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 to him, “I implore you, 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 to all these kings, and if you speak truth to us, let them each come before us individually, and if they come to us unarmed, we will 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 to them, saying, ⁴⁵ “We have heard all that you did to 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 to you to form a treaty of peace between us, and now, therefore, contract a covenant of peace and truth with us 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 to them that they would not meddle with them, and all the kings of the Canaanites also swore 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 each went away 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 sons of Israel came to inherit the land of Canaan.

 

CHAPTER 41

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 they fed their flocks and herds daily in Shechem, for there was good and fat pasture there in those days, 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 one 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 brothers during their battles in all the cities of the Amorites. ⁶ And when Joseph saw the strength of his brothers, and their greatness, he praised them and extolled them, but he ranked himself greater than them, and extolled himself above them; and his father Jacob 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 brothers, he continued to exalt himself above his brothers, and he brought to 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, 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 brothers, and thought of raising himself above them. ¹⁰ At that time he dreamed a dream, and he came to his brothers and told them his dream, and he said to them, “I dreamed a dream, and behold, we were all binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf rose and placed itself on the ground and your sheaves surrounded it and bowed down to it.” ¹¹ And his brothers answered him and said to him, “What does this dream that you dreamed mean? do you imagine in your 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 [even] more. ¹⁴ And after this, Joseph dreamed another dream and related the dream to his father in the presence of his brothers, and Joseph said to his father and brothers, “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 brothers hated Joseph on account of this matter, Jacob therefore rebuked Joseph before his brothers on account of this thing, saying, “What does this dream which you have dreamed mean—and this magnifying yourself before your brothers who are older than you are? ¹⁶ Do you imagine in your heart that I, and your mother, and your eleven brothers will come and bow down to you, that you speak these things?” ¹⁷ And his brothers 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 one day the sons of Jacob went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem, for they were still herdsmen in those days; and while the sons of Jacob were feeding in Shechem that day, 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, “Perhaps the people of Shechem have risen up to fight against them, therefore they have delayed coming this day.” ²⁰ And Jacob called his son Joseph and commanded him, saying, “Behold, your brothers are feeding in Shechem this day, and behold, they have not yet come back; now therefore, go and see where they are, and bring word back to me concerning the welfare of your brothers 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 around the field which was near Shechem to see where his brothers had turned, and he missed his road in the wilderness, and did not know which way he should go. ²² And a messenger of the Lord found him wandering in the road toward the field, and Joseph said to the messenger of the Lord, “I seek my brothers; have you not heard where they are feeding?” and the messenger of the Lord said to Joseph, “I saw your brothers feeding here, and I heard them say they would go to feed in Doesan.” ²³ And Joseph listened to the voice of the messenger of the Lord, and he went to his brothers in Doesan and found them in Doesan feeding the flock. ²⁴ And Joseph advanced to his brothers, and before he had come near to them, they had resolved to slay him. ²⁵ And Simeon said to his brothers, “Behold, the man of dreams is coming to us this day, and now therefore, come and let us kill him and cast him into one of the pits that are in the wilderness, and when his father will seek him from us, we will say an evil beast has devoured him.” ²⁶ And Reuben heard the words of his brothers concerning Joseph, and he said to 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 do not stretch out a hand on 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 brothers, he sat before them, and they rose on him, and seized him, and struck 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 there was no water in the pit, 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 to Joseph. ²⁹ And Joseph called out from the pit to his brothers, and said to them, “What have I done to 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 your father Jacob not my father? why do you do this thing to 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 to his brothers from the pit, and he said, “O Judah, Simeon, and Levi, my brothers! Lift me up from the place of darkness in which you have placed me, and come this day to have compassion on me, you children of the Lord, and sons of my father Jacob! And if I have sinned to 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 to you, surely you will do this on account of my father! ³² And Joseph spoke these words from the pit, and his brothers 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 to me, and the words which they have spoken this day to me.” ³⁴ And all his brothers heard his cries and weeping in the pit, and his brothers went and removed themselves from the pit, so that they might not hear the cries of Joseph and his weeping in the pit.

 

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And they went and sat on the opposite side, about the distance of a bow-shot, and they sat there to eat bread, and while 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 When they were holding the counsel, 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 to them, “What gain will it be to us if we slay our brother? Perhaps God will require him from us; this then is the counsel proposed concerning him, which you will do to him: behold, this company of Ishmaelites going down to Egypt. ⁴ Now therefore, come let us dispose of him to them, and do not let our hand be on him, and they will lead him along with them, and he will be lost among the people of the land, and we will not put him to death with our own hands.” And the proposal pleased his brothers, and they did according to the word of Judah. ⁵ And while 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 confined, and they looked, and behold, every species of bird was on 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 handsome appearance and well-favored. ⁷ And they called to him and said, “Who are you and who brought you here? And who placed you in this pit in the wilderness?” and they all helped to raise Joseph up 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 brothers. ⁸ And these said to 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 to the sons of Jacob, “Is this your servant, or does this man attend you? Perhaps you are all his servants, for he is more handsome and well-favored than any of you, and why do you all speak falsely to 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 to 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 on 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 on their faces, and were excessively alarmed. ¹⁴ And Simeon said to them, “I am truly Simeon, the son of the Hebrew Jacob, who has, with my brother alone, destroyed the city of Shechem and the cities of the Amorites; so will God moreover do to me, that if all your brothers, 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 to 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 handsome appearance and well-favored; they desired him in their hearts and were urgent to purchase him from his brothers. ¹⁹ And the sons of Jacob listened to the Midianites and they sold their brother Joseph to them for twenty pieces of silver, and their brother Reuben 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 regretted 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 handsome 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 will 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 to them.” ²³ And while 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 brothers. ²⁵ And the Midianites went on their road to Gilead, and the Ishmaelites took Joseph and they let him ride on 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 while he was riding on 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 struck Joseph on 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 struck 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 on those men darkness and confusion, and the hand of everyone that struck 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 did not know 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 on the grave and wept. ³¹ And Joseph cried aloud on his mother’s grave, and he said, “O my mother, my mother! O you who gave birth to me! Awake now, and rise, and see your son—how he has been sold for a slave, and [there is] no one to pity him! ³² O rise and see your son, weep with me on account of my troubles, and see the heart of my brothers! ³³ Arouse my mother, arouse! Awake from your sleep for me and direct your battles against my brothers! O how they have 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 your 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 your 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 on his mother’s grave; and he ceased speaking, and from bitterness of heart he became still as a stone on 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 your weeping and the voice of your lamentation; I have seen your tears; I know your troubles, my son, and it grieves me for your sake, and abundant grief is added to my grief. ³⁹ Now therefore, my son, my son Joseph: hope on the Lord, and wait for Him, and do not fear, for the Lord is with you; He will deliver you from all trouble. ⁴⁰ Rise, my son; go down to Egypt with your masters, and do not fear, for the Lord is with you, my son.” And she continued to speak like to these words to 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 on the grave, and his anger was kindled against him, and he drove him from there, and he struck him and cursed him. ⁴² And Joseph said to 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, “Are you not a slave, and where is your father? and if you had a father you would 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 strike him and to punish him, and Joseph wept bitterly. ⁴⁴ And the Lord saw Joseph’s affliction, and the Lord again struck these men, and punished them, and the Lord caused darkness to envelope them on 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 did not know where they should go. ⁴⁵ And the beasts and camels stood still, and they led them, but they would not go; they struck them, and they crouched on 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 to them, “Perhaps on account of the sin of afflicting this slave this thing has happened to us this day; now therefore, strongly implore him to forgive us, and then we will know on whose account this calamity befalls us, and if God will have compassion over us, then we will know that all this comes 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 you, now therefore, graciously request of your God that He will put away this death from among us, for we have sinned against Him.” ⁴⁸ And Joseph did according to their words, and the Lord listened to Joseph, and the Lord put away the plague which He had inflicted on 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 calamity 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 calamity befell us; now therefore, why will we bring this death on 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 then we will 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 to them, “This is the counsel to be adopted, we will not swerve from it; behold, we are going to Egypt this day, and when we will 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

And when the sons of Jacob had sold their brother Joseph to the Midianites, their hearts were smitten on account of him, and they regretted 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 did not hear 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 will I reconcile my father concerning him if he is dead?” and he went to his brothers and found them grieving on account of Joseph, and counseling together how to reconcile their father concerning him, and Reuben said to his brothers, “I came to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not there! What then will we say to our father, for my father will only seek the youth from me?” ⁵ And his brothers answered him, saying, “Thus and thus we did, and afterward our hearts struck us on account of this act, and we now sit to seek a pretext how we will reconcile our father to it.” ⁶ And Reuben said to them, “What is this you have done to bring down the grey hairs of our father in sorrow to the grave? the thing that you have done is not good.” ⁷ And Reuben sat with them, and they all rose up and swore to each other not to tell this thing to 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 afterward they sat down to determine and invent something to say to their father Jacob concerning all these things. ¹⁰ And Issachar said to them, “Here is an idea for you, if it seems good in your eyes to do this thing: take the coat which belongs to Joseph, and tear it, and kill a kid of the goats, and dip it in its blood. ¹¹ Then send it to our father, and when he sees it, he will say an evil beast has devoured him; therefore, tear his coat, and behold, his blood will be on his coat, and by your doing this we will be free of our father’s murmurings.” ¹² And Issachar’s advice pleased them, and they listened to him, and they did according to the word of Issachar which he had counseled 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 on the road in the wilderness dipped in blood and in dust; now therefore, discern whether it is your son’s coat or not.” ¹⁵ And Naphtali went, and he came to his father, and he gave him the coat, and he spoke to him all the words which his brothers had commanded him. ¹⁶ And Jacob saw Joseph’s coat, and he knew it, and he fell on his face to the ground and became as still as a stone, and afterward he 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 on their heads, and they found their father crying out and weeping with a loud voice. ¹⁹ And Jacob said to his sons, “Tell me, truthfully, what evil you have suddenly brought on me this day!” 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 on the ground, and we knew it, and we sent [it] to you [to see] if you could discern 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 torn 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 from you again, and he went as I commanded him, and this has happened to him this day while 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 you until now.” ²² And when Jacob heard their words, he cried out aloud again, and he rose up and tore his garments, and he put sackcloth on his loins; then he wept bitterly, and mourned, and lifted up his voice in weeping, and exclaimed and said these words, ²³ “My son Joseph, O my son Joseph! I sent you this day after the welfare of your brothers, and behold, you have been torn in pieces; through my hand this has happened to my son! ²⁴ It grieves me for you, my son Joseph, it grieves me for you! How sweet you were to me during life, and now how exceedingly bitter is your death to me! ²⁵ O that I had died in your stead, my son Joseph, for it grieves me sadly for you my son, O my son, my son! My son Joseph, where are you, and where have you been drawn? arouse, arouse from your place, and come and see my grief for you, 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 O my son Joseph, how did you fall by the hand of one by whom no one had fallen from the beginning of the world to this day, for you have been put to death by the striking of an enemy, inflicted with cruelty, but surely I know that this has happened to you on account of the multitude of my sins. ²⁸ Arouse now and see how bitter my trouble is for you my son, although I did not rear you, nor fashion you, nor give you breath and soul, but it was God who formed you, and built your bones, and covered them with flesh, and breathed into your nostrils the breath of life, and then gave you to me. ²⁹ Now truly God who gave you to me has taken you from me, and such then has befallen you.” ³⁰ And Jacob continued to speak like to 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, regretted 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 on his lap, and he wiped his father’s tears from his cheeks, and Judah wept an exceedingly great weeping while his father’s head was reclining on 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 on the ground still as a stone. ³⁴ And all his sons, and his servants, and his servant’s children rose up and stood around 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 his son Jacob, 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 to his sons, “Rise up and take your swords and your bows, and go out into the field, and seek whether you can find my son’s body and bring it to me that I may bury it. ³⁷ Please also seek among the beasts and hunt them, and that which will first come before you, seize [it] and bring it to me—perhaps the Lord will pity my affliction this day; and prepare before you that which tore my son in pieces, and bring it to 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 out 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 striking his hands together, saying, “My son Joseph! My son Joseph!” 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 to their father, and they said to him, “This is the first we have found, and we have brought him to you as you commanded us, and we could not find your son’s body.” 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 to the beast, “Why did you devour my son Joseph, and how did you have no fear of the God of the earth, or of my trouble for my son Joseph? ⁴² And you devoured my son for nothing, because he committed no violence, and thereby rendered 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 to him: ⁴⁴ “As God lives who created us in the earth, and as your soul lives, my lord: I did not see your 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 do not know whether he is living or dead. ⁴⁵ And I came into the field to seek my son this day, and your sons found me, and seized me, and increased my grief, and have brought me before you this day, and I have now spoken all my words to you. ⁴⁶ And now therefore, O son of man, I am in your hands, and do to me this day as it may seem good in your sight, but by the life of God who created me, I did not see your 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 the beast out 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

And the sons of Ishmael who had bought Joseph from the Midianites, who had bought him from his brothers, went to Egypt with Joseph, and they came on the borders of Egypt, and when they came near to Egypt, they met four men of the sons of Medan, the son of Abraham, who had gone out from the land of Egypt on their journey. ² And the Ishmaelites said to 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 handsome youth and they purchased him for twenty shekels. ³ And the Ishmaelites continued their journey to Egypt and the Medanim also returned to Egypt that day, and the Medanim said to each other, “Behold, we have heard that Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, seeks a good servant who will 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 is able to give to us that which we will require for him.” ⁵ And these Medanim went, and came to the house of Potiphar, and said to him, “We have heard that you seek a good servant to attend you: behold, we have a servant that will please you if you can give to us that which we may desire, and we will sell him to you.” ⁶ And Potiphar said, “Bring him before me, and I will see him, and if he pleases me I will give to 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 to them, “Tell me what you require for this youth?” ⁸ And they said, “We desire four hundred pieces of silver for him,” and Potiphar said, “I will give it [to] 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 an attractive and handsome person.” ⁹ And the Medanim went and brought to 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 to 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 he delivered all that belonged to him 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 handsome appearance, and like to him was not in the whole land of Egypt. ¹⁵ At that time, while 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 handsome and well-favored youth. ¹⁶ And she coveted his beauty in her heart, and her soul was fixed on 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 to him, “How attractive is your appearance and form, truly I have looked at all the slaves, and have not seen so beautiful a slave as you are”; and Joseph said to her, “Surely He who created me in my mother’s womb created all mankind.” ¹⁸ And she said to him, “How beautiful are your eyes with which you have dazzled all the inhabitants of Egypt, men and women”; and he said to her, “How beautiful they are while we are alive, but should you behold them in the grave, surely you would move away from them.” ¹⁹ And she said to him, “How beautiful and pleasing are all your words; please take the harp which is in the house now, and play [it] with your hands, and let us hear your words.” ²⁰ And he said to her, “How beautiful and pleasing are my words when I speak the praise of my God and His glory”; and she said to him, “How very beautiful is the hair of your head; behold, the golden comb which is in the house, please take it and curl the hair of your head.” ²¹ And he said to her, “How long will you speak these words? cease to utter these words to me, and rise and attend to your domestic affairs.” ²² And she said to him, “There is no one in my house, and there is nothing to attend to but to your words and to your wish”; yet notwithstanding all this, she could not bring Joseph to her, neither did he place his eye on 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 listen to her. ²⁴ And she said to him, “If you will not do according to my words, I will punish you with the punishment of death, and put an iron yoke on you.” ²⁵ And Joseph said to her, “Surely God who created man loosens the chains of prisoners, and it is He who will deliver me from your prison and from your judgment.” ²⁶ And when she could not prevail over him, to persuade him, and her soul being still fixed on him, her desire threw her into a grievous sickness. ²⁷ And all the women of Egypt came to visit her, and they said to her, “Why are you in this declining state? you that lack nothing—surely your husband is a great and esteemed prince in the sight of the king, should you lack anything of what your heart desires?” ²⁸ And Zelicah answered them, saying, “This day it will be made known to you from where this disorder springs in which you see me,” and she commanded her maidservants 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 did not know 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 to 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 on their garments, and they said to 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 to 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 to her, “The words are true, for who can see this beautiful form in the house and refrain from him, and is he not your slave and attendant in your house, and why do you not tell him that which is in your heart, and permit your soul to perish through this matter?” ³⁵ And she said to 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 sick 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 sick on account of her love for Joseph. ³⁷ And all the people of her house asked her, saying, “Why are you sick and declining, and lack nothing?” and she said to them, “I do not know this thing which is daily increasing on me.” ³⁸ And all the women and her friends came to see her daily, and they spoke with her, and she said to them, “This can only be through the love for Joseph”; and they said to her, “Entice him and seize him secretly, perhaps he may listen to you, and put off this death from you.” ³⁹ And Zelicah became worse from her love for Joseph, and she continued to decline until she scarcely had strength to stand. ⁴⁰ And on a certain day Joseph was doing his master’s work in the house, and Zelicah came secretly and suddenly fell on him, and Joseph rose up against her, and he was more powerful than her, 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 to him in a voice of supplication and in bitterness of soul, saying, ⁴² “Have you ever heard, seen, or known of so beautiful a woman as I am, or better than myself, who speaks daily to you, fall into a decline through love for you, confer all this honor on you, and still you will not listen to my voice? ⁴³ And if it is through fear of your master lest he punish you, as the king lives, no harm will come to you from your master through this thing; now therefore, please listen to me, and consent for the sake of the honor which I have conferred on you, and put off this death from me, and why should I die for your 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 does not know what there is with me in the house, for he has delivered all that belongs to him into my hand, and how will I do these things in my master’s house? ⁴⁵ For he has also greatly honored me in his house, and he has also made me overseer over his house, and he has exalted me, and there is no one greater in this house than I am, and my master has kept back nothing from me, excepting you who are his wife. How then can you speak these words to me, and how can I do this great evil and sin to God and to your husband? ⁴⁶ Now therefore, refrain from me, and speak no more such words as these, for I will not listen to your words.” But Zelicah would not listen to Joseph when he spoke these words to 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 out, and also the king and princes went out 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 day long. 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 on 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 afterward she 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 ails you Joseph? come to your work, and behold, I will make room for you until you will have passed to your seat.” ⁵² And Joseph returned, and came to the house, and passed from there 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 to him, “As the king lives, if you will not perform my request you will die this day,” and she hastened, and stretched out her other hand, and drew a sword from beneath her garments, and she placed it on Joseph’s neck, and she said, “Rise and perform my request, and if not, you die 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 for 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 sickness before the people of her house had gone out to the river, and she called a young youth 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 to them with a loud voice and lamentation, “See what [kind of] a Hebrew your master has brought to me in the house, for he came to lie with me this day! ⁵⁸ For when you had gone out, he came to the house, and seeing that there was no person in the house, he came to 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 for 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 wife. ⁶¹ And Potiphar came home enraged, and his wife cried out to him, saying, “What is this thing that you have done to me in bringing a Hebrew servant into my house, for he came to me this day to sport with me; thus he did to 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 while they were striking him, Joseph called out with a loud voice, and he lifted up his eyes to Heaven, and he said, “O Lord God, you know that I am innocent of all these things, and why will I die this day through falsehood by the hand of these uncircumcised [and] wicked men whom You know?” ⁶⁴ And while 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 spoke these words before Potiphar’s men who were striking Joseph, saying, ⁶⁵ “What do you want of this man, and why do you do this evil to him? my mother speaks falsely and utters 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 he declared to 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 anymore, 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 to them, “Please decide what judgment is due to a servant, for thus he has done.” ⁷¹ And the priests said to Joseph, “Why did you do this thing to your master?” and Joseph answered them, saying, “Not so my lords, thus was the matter”; and Potiphar said to Joseph, “Surely I entrusted into your hands all that belonged to me, and I withheld nothing from you except my wife, and how could you do this evil?” ⁷² And Joseph answered, saying, “Not so my lord; as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, my lord, the word which you heard from your wife is untrue, for thus was the affair this day. ⁷³ A year has elapsed to me since I have been in your house; have you seen any iniquity in me, or anything which might cause you to demand my life?” ⁷⁴ And the priests said to Potiphar, “Send, please, and let them bring Joseph’s torn garment before us, and let us see the tear in it, and if it will 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 your wife did all that she has spoken with deceit.” 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 should be placed in the prison-house on account of the report which through him has gone out against your 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 [for] 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 listen 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 listen to her, and Zelicah said to Joseph, “How long will you remain in this house? but now listen to my voice, and I will bring you out of this house.” ⁷⁸ And Joseph answered her, saying, “It is better for me to remain in this house than to listen to your words to sin against God”; and she said to him, “If you will not perform my wish, I will pluck out your eyes, add chains to your feet, and will deliver you into the hands of them whom you did 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 you can do to me, for He opens the eyes of the blind, and loosens those that are bound, and preserves all strangers who are unacquainted with the land.” ⁸⁰ And when Zelicah was unable to persuade Joseph to listen to her, she left off going to entice him; and Joseph was still confined in the house of confinement. And Joseph’s father Jacob and all his brothers 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

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 to himself Eliuram for a wife, the daughter of Avi the Canaanite, and he came to her. ² And Eliuram the wife of Reuben conceived and bore him Hanoch, Palu, Chetzron, and Carmi, four sons; and his brother Simeon took his sister Dinah for a wife, and she bore to him Memuel, Yamin, Ohad, Jachin, and Zochar, five sons. ³ And afterward he came to Bunah the Canaanite woman, the same is Bunah whom Simeon took captive from the city of Shechem, and Bunah was before Dinah and attended on her, and Simeon came to her, and she bore Saul to him. ⁴ And at that time Judah went to Adulam, and he came to a man of Adulam, and his name was Hirah, and Judah saw the daughter of a man from Canaan there, and her name was Aliyath, the daughter of Shua, and he took her, and came to her, and Aliyath bore Er, Onan, and Shiloh to Judah, three sons. ⁵ And Levi and Issachar went to the land of the east, and they took to 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 bore Gershon, Kehas, and Merari to Levi, three sons. ⁷ And Aridah bore Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shomron to Issachar, four sons; and Dan went to the land of Moab and took Aphlaleth, the daughter of Chamudan the Moabite, for a wife, and he brought her to the land of Canaan. ⁸ And Aphlaleth was barren, she had no offspring, and afterward God remembered Aphlaleth the wife of Dan, and she conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Chushim. ⁹ And Gad and Naphtali went to Haran and took from there 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 they brought them to the land of Canaan, to their father’s house. ¹¹ And Merimah bore to Naphtali Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer, and Shalem, four sons; and Uzith bore to Gad Zephion, Chagi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Arali, seven sons. ¹² And Asher went out 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 beautiful 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 bore a daughter to 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 of Asher he went and took Hadurah for a wife and brought her to the land of Canaan, and he also brought her daughter Serach with them, and she was three years old, and the young woman was brought up in Jacob’s house. ¹⁷ And the young woman was of a beautiful 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 bore to 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 bore to Zebulun Sered, Elon, and Yachleel, three sons. ²¹ And Jacob sent to Aram the son of Zoba, the son of Terah, and he took Mechalia the daughter of Aram for his son Benjamin, 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 bore to Benjamin Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, five sons; and afterward Benjamin went 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 bore to 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 firstborn 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 firstborn, that Judah said to Onan, “Go to your brother’s wife and marry her as the next brother and raise up seed to your brother.” ²⁶ And Onan took Tamar for a wife and he came to her, and Onan also did like to 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 to Tamar, “Remain in your father’s house until my son Shiloh will have grown up,” and Judah no longer delighted in Tamar to give her to Shiloh, for he said, “Perhaps 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 veil on her, and she entirely covered herself, and she went and sat in the public thoroughfare, which is on the road to Timnah. ³² And Judah passed and saw her, and he took her and 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 Zerah.

 

CHAPTER 46

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 while 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 niter were found in the baker’s bread. ⁵ And the captain of the guard placed Joseph as an attendant over Pharaoh’s officers, and Pharaoh’s officers were in confinement [for] 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 to 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 to him, “We dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it”; and Joseph said to them, “Please relate your dream to me, and God will give you an answer of peace as you desire.” ⁸ And the butler related his dream to Joseph, and he said, “I saw in my dream, and behold, a large vine was before me, and on that vine I saw three branches, and the vine quickly 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 to him, “The three branches that were on the vine are three days. ¹⁰ Yet within three days, the king will order you to be brought out and he will restore you to your office, and you will give the king his wine to drink as at first when you were his butler; but let me find favor in your sight [so] that you will remember me before Pharaoh when it will be well with you, and do kindness to me, and get me brought out 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 you concerning my master’s wife is false, for they placed me in this dungeon for nothing”; and the butler answered Joseph, saying, “If the king deals well with me as at first, as you last interpreted to me, I will do all that you desire and get you 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 to him, “In my dream I saw, and behold, [there were] three white baskets on my head, and I looked, and behold, there were all manner of baked meats for Pharaoh in the uppermost basket, and behold, the birds were eating them from off my head.” ¹⁴ And Joseph said to him, “The three baskets which you saw are three days: yet within three days Pharaoh will take off your head, and hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh from off you as you saw in your dream.” ¹⁵ In those days the queen was about to deliver, and on that day she bore a son to the king of Egypt, and they proclaimed that the king had gotten his firstborn son, and all the people of Egypt, together with the officers and servants of Pharaoh, greatly rejoiced. ¹⁶ And on 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 celebration 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 after this Joseph remained in the prison-house [for] two years, until he had completed twelve years.

 

CHAPTER 47

And Isaac the son of Abraham was still living in the land of Canaan in those days; he was very aged—one hundred and eighty years old—and his son Esau, the brother of Jacob, was in the land of Edom, and he and his sons had possessions in it among the children of Seir. ² And Esau heard that his father’s time was drawing near to die, and he and his sons and household came to the land of Canaan, to his father’s house, and Jacob and his sons went out 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 to Jacob, “Bring your sons to me here and I will bless them”; and Jacob brought his eleven children before his father Isaac. ⁵ And Isaac placed his hands on 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 to them, “May the God of your fathers bless you and increase your seed like the stars of the heavens 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 to Jacob, “The Lord God of the whole earth said to me, To your seed I will give this land for an inheritance if your children keep My statutes and My ways, and I will perform to them the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. ⁸ Now therefore, my son, teach your children and your children’s children to fear the Lord, and to go in the good way which will please the Lord your God, for if you keep the ways of the Lord and His statutes, the Lord will also keep His covenant with Abraham to you, 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 spirit and died, and was gathered to his people. ¹⁰ And Jacob and Esau fell on 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 around barefooted, walking and lamenting until they reached Kirjath-Arba. ¹³ And Jacob and Esau buried their father Isaac in the cave of Machpelah, which is in Kirjath-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 [for] 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 to Jacob, “Now behold, 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 to Esau, “Behold, all this is before you, choose for yourself the half which you will take.” ¹⁷ And Jacob said to Esau, “Now hear what I will speak to you, saying, The Lord God of the heavens and earth spoke to our fathers Abraham and Isaac, saying, To your seed I will give this land for an inheritance forever. ¹⁸ Now therefore, all that our father has left is before you, and behold, all the land is before you: choose from them what you desire. ¹⁹ If you desire the whole land, take it for you and your children forever, and I will take these riches, and if you desire the riches, take it to you, 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 Jacob has spoken to me, and thus he has answered me; now give your advice and we will hear.” ²² And Nebayoth said, “What is this that Jacob has spoken to you? behold, all the children of Canaan are dwelling securely in their land, and Jacob says he will inherit it with his seed all the days. ²³ Go now, therefore, and take all your father’s riches and leave your brother Jacob in the land as he has spoken.” ²⁴ And Esau rose up and returned to Jacob, and he 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 to the River Euphrates, and he took it for a perpetual 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 scroll 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 scroll, 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 to the River Euphrates— ²⁸ and the city of Hebron, Kirjath-Arba, and the cave which is in it, Jacob bought the whole from his brother Esau for value, for a possession and for an inheritance for his seed after him forever.” ²⁹ And Jacob took the scroll of purchase, and the signature, [and] the command, and the statutes, and the revealed scroll, 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 donkey, 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 to 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 among the children of Seir, and Esau did not return to the land of Canaan from that day forward. ³³ And the whole land of Canaan became an inheritance to the sons of Israel for a perpetual inheritance, and Esau inherited the mountain of Seir with all his children.

 

CHAPTER 48

In those days, after the death of Isaac, the Lord commanded and caused a famine on the whole earth. ² At that time Pharaoh king of Egypt was sitting on his throne in the land of Egypt, and he 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 while he was standing, he saw, and behold, seven fat-fleshed and well-favored cows came up out of the river. ⁴ And seven other cows, 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 on 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 to them, “I have dreamed dreams, and there is none to interpret them”; and they said to the king, “Relate your dreams to your 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 your dreams: ⁹ the seven good cows which you saw denote seven daughters that will be born to you in the latter days, and the seven cows which you saw come up after them and swallow them up are for a sign that the daughters which will be born to you will all die in the lifetime of the king. ¹⁰ And that which you saw in the second dream of seven full good ears of corn coming up on one stalk, this is their interpretation: that you will build seven cities for yourself in the latter days throughout the land of Egypt; and that which you saw of the seven blasted ears of corn springing up after them and swallowing them up while you beheld them with your eyes is for a sign that the cities which you will build will all be destroyed in the latter days, in the lifetime 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 on 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 to me? surely you have uttered falsehood and spoken lies; now therefore, give the proper interpretation of my dreams that you may not die.” ¹² And the king commanded after this, and again he sent and called 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 angry, and the king said to 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 knows and understands the interpretation of dreams, and will not come this day before the king, will die. ¹⁴ And the man that will declare to the king the proper interpretation of his dreams, there will be given to 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 cows are seven kings who will be raised over Egypt from the king’s issue. ¹⁷ And the seven bad cows 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 cows are the strong cities of Egypt, and the seven bad cows 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 you saw in the second dream of seven good and bad ears of corn is a sign that the government of Egypt will return to your seed again 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 your seed.” ²¹ And some of them said to the king, “This is the interpretation of your dreams: the seven good cows are seven queens whom you will take for wives in the latter days, and the seven bad cows denote that those women will all die in the lifetime of the king. ²² And the seven good and bad ears of corn which you saw in the second dream are fourteen children, and it will be in the latter days that they will stand up and fight among themselves, and seven of them will strike the seven that are more powerful.” ²³ And some of them said these words to the king, saying, “The seven good cows denote that seven children will be born to you, and they will slay seven of your children’s children in the latter days; and the seven good ears of corn which you saw 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 your children’s cause, and the government will return to your seed again.” 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 out from the house of confinement, and in order that he should become great in Egypt. ²⁶ And the king saw that none among 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 permitted 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 strike 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 to the king, “May the king live forever, and may his government be exalted in the land. ³² You were angry with your servant in those days, now two years past, and placed me in the ward, and I was in the ward for some time, I and the chief of the bakers. ³³ And there was a Hebrew servant with us 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 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 our dreams to us; he correctly interpreted to each man according to his dream. ³⁶ And it came to pass as he interpreted to us, so was the event; there did not fall to the ground any of his words. ³⁷ And now therefore, my lord and king, do not slay the people of Egypt for nothing; 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 pleases the king, let him send for him that he may come before you and he will make the correct interpretation of the dream which you dreamed known to you.” 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 to them, “Go to him and do not terrify him lest he may be confused and will not know [how] to speak properly.” ⁴¹ And the servants of the king went to Joseph, and they brought him out of the dungeon hastily, and the king’s servants shaved him, and he changed his prison garment and came before the king. ⁴² And the king was sitting on his royal throne in a princely dress girt around with a golden ephod, and the fine gold which was on it sparkled, and the carbuncle, and the ruby, and the emerald, together with all the precious stones that were on the king’s head, dazzled the eye, and Joseph greatly wondered at the king. ⁴³ And the throne on 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 until 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, except [one] 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 on the fourth step and spoke with Joseph. ⁴⁹ And the king said to 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 heard this day concerning you that you are a wise man and can correctly interpret every dream that you hear.” 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 cows and the dream of the ears of corn, and the king ceased 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 to 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 your dream: ⁵⁴ the seven good cows and ears of corn are seven years, and the seven bad cows and ears of corn are also seven years; it is one dream. ⁵⁵ Behold, [during] 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 to Pharaoh because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. ⁵⁷ Now therefore, I will give you counsel and deliver your soul and the souls of the inhabitants of the land from the evil of the famine: seek throughout your kingdom for a very discreet and wise man who knows all the affairs of government and appoint him to superintend over the land of Egypt. ⁵⁸ And let the man whom you place 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 your appointed stores. ⁵⁹ And let them keep that food for the seven years of famine that it may be found for you, and your people, and your whole land, and that you and your land are not cut off by the famine. ⁶⁰ Let all the inhabitants of the land, every man, also be ordered that they gather in 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 on it. ⁶¹ This is the proper interpretation of your dream, and this is the counsel given to save your soul and the souls of all your subjects.” ⁶² And the king answered and said to Joseph, “Who says and who knows that your words are correct?” And he said to the king, “This will be a sign for you respecting all my words that they are true and that my advice is good for you: ⁶³ behold, your wife sits on the stool of delivery this day, and she will bear you a son and you will rejoice with him; when your child will have gone out from his mother’s womb, your firstborn son that has been born these two years back will die, and you will be comforted in the child that will be born to you 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 to the king came to pass on that day. ⁶⁵ And the queen bore a son on that day and the king heard the glad tidings about his son, and he rejoiced, and when the reporter had gone out from the king’s presence, the king’s servants found the firstborn son of the king fallen dead on 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 firstborn 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

After these things the king sent for 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 to 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 same 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 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 your hand, do that which seems good in your sight. ⁷ Him whom you choose, and whom you in your wisdom know to be wise and capable of delivering the land with his wisdom, the king will appoint him 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 seems 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 will 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 does not even know our language? ¹¹ Now please send for him, and let him come before you, and prove him in all things, and do as you see fit.” ¹² And the king said, “It will 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 messengers, and he came into the land of Egypt to Joseph, and the messenger 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 messenger roused him from his sleep, and Joseph rose up and stood on his legs, and behold, the messenger of the Lord was standing opposite to him; and the messenger 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 messenger of the Lord went from him, and Joseph returned and lay on 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 out and ascended the steps of the throne, and Joseph spoke to the king in all languages, and Joseph went up to him and spoke to 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, you gave me counsel to appoint a wise man over the land of Egypt in order to save the land from the famine with his wisdom; now therefore, since God has made all this known to you, and all the words which you have spoken, there is not a discreet and wise man like you throughout the land. ²¹ And your name will no longer be called Joseph, but Zaphnath-Paaneah will be your name; you will be second to me, and all the affairs of my government will be according to your word, and at your word my people will go out and come in. ²² Also from under your hand my servants and officers will receive their salary which is given to them monthly, and all the people of the land will bow down to you; only in my throne will I be greater than you.” ²³ And the king took off his ring from his hand and put it on the hand of Joseph, and the king dressed Joseph in a princely garment, and he put a golden crown on his head, and he put a golden chain on 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 on 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 on timbrels, harps, and other musical instruments should go out with Joseph; one thousand timbrels, one thousand mecholoth, and one thousand nebalim went after him, ²⁶ and [also] 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 young girls went on the roofs or stood in the streets playing and rejoicing before Joseph, and they 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 they 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 will be regulated by him, and he that transgresses his orders or that does not bow down before him to the ground will 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 lifted up his eyes to Heaven [from] on his horse, and called out and said, “He raises the poor man from the dust; He lifts up the needy from the dunghill. O Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who trusts in You.” 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 to Joseph a possession in the land of Egypt, a possession of fields and vineyards, and the king gave to 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 offerings and gifts to Joseph, 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 earring, and the other rings and earrings, and different vessels of gold, and silver work, and onyx stones, and bdellium he cast on the high place; everyone 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 to Joseph for a wife. ³⁷ And the young woman was very beautiful, a virgin, one whom man had not known, and Joseph took her for a wife; and the king said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and beside you none will 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 one 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 a very magnificent house for himself like the houses of kings, before the court of the king’s palace, and he made a large temple in the house, very elegant in appearance and convenient for his residence; [for] three years Joseph was erecting his house. ⁴¹ And Joseph made a very elegant throne of abundant gold and silver for himself, and he covered it with onyx stones and bdellium, and he made on it the likeness of the whole land of Egypt, and the likeness of the river of Egypt that waters the whole land of Egypt; and Joseph sat securely on 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 [the] inhabitants of Egypt without number. ⁴⁴ And Joseph gave to his mighty men, and to all his host, shields, and javelins, and caps, and coats of mail, and stones for slinging.

 

CHAPTER 50

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 severely oppressed. ³ And the old men of the Ishmaelites sent a record to the king of Egypt, saying, “Please send officers and hosts to your servants to help us 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 struck the Tarshishites, and he subdued all their land, and the children of Ishmael dwell therein to this day. ⁶ And when the land of Tarshish was subdued, all the Tarshishites fled and came on the border of their brothers, the children of Javan, and Joseph returned to Egypt with all his mighty men and host; not one man of them [was] 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 at that time Joseph 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 to 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 each man of the inhabitants of Egypt filled 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 bore him two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and Joseph was thirty-four years old when he begot them. ¹⁶ And the boys 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 boys, 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 boys, and they were brought up among 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 on them. ²¹ And they said to Pharaoh, “Give food to your servants, and why will we die through hunger before your eyes, even we and our little ones?” ²² And Pharaoh answered them, saying, “And why do you cry to me? did not Joseph command that the corn should be laid up during the seven years of plenty for the years of famine? and why did you not listen to his voice?” ²³ And the people of Egypt answered the king, saying, “As your soul lives, our lord, your servants have done all that Joseph ordered, for your servants also gathered in all the produce of their fields during the seven years of plenty and laid it in the stores to this day. ²⁴ And when the famine prevailed over your 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 very terrified; and the king answered the people of Egypt, saying, “Since all this has happened to you, go to Joseph [and] do whatever he will say to you; do not transgress his commands.” ²⁶ And all the people of Egypt went out and came to Joseph, and they said to him, “Give food to us, and why will we die before you through hunger? for we gathered in our produce during the seven years as you commanded, and we put it in store, and thus it has 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 to 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 to Joseph to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over them, and all their corn was spoiled, and Joseph sold it to all the people of Egypt daily. 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 near 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 daily they stood and sold to all that came. ³² And Joseph knew that his brothers would also 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 will not send his servants to Egypt to purchase, but his sons, and also any Egyptian or Canaanite who will come from any of the stores from buying corn in Egypt and will go and sell it throughout the land, he will die, for no one will buy but for the support of his household. ³⁴ And any man leading two or three beasts will die, for a man will 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, do not allow him to enter until his name, and the name of his father, and the name of his father’s father is written down, and whatever is written by day, send their names to 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 brothers should come to Egypt to buy corn; and Joseph’s people caused it to be proclaimed in Egypt daily 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 bought corn in Egypt day after day, and then they went away. ³⁹ And all the officers of Egypt did as Joseph had commanded, and all that came to Egypt to buy corn, the gatekeepers would write their names and their fathers’ names, and daily bring them before Joseph in the evening.

 

CHAPTER 51

And afterward Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, and he called to his sons to go to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine also prevailed on them, and he called to his sons, saying, ² “Behold, I hear that there is corn in Egypt, and all the people of the earth go there to purchase [some], now therefore, why will you show yourselves satisfied before the whole earth? Also go down to Egypt and buy us a little corn among those that come there that we may not die.” ³ And the sons of Jacob listened to the voice of their father, and they rose up to go down to Egypt in order to buy corn among the rest that came there. ⁴ And their father Jacob commanded them, saying, “When you come into the city, do not enter in one gate together on account of the inhabitants of the land.” ⁵ And the sons of Jacob went out and they went to Egypt, and the sons of Jacob did everything 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 out. ⁶ And while the sons of Jacob were going on the road, they regretted 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 gatekeepers 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 gatekeepers of the city, and he found that his brothers had entered at the ten gates of the city, and at that time Joseph commanded that it should be proclaimed throughout the land of Egypt, saying, ⁹ “Go out, all you store guards, [and] 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 brothers to him that was set over the open store, and he said to him, “Whoever will come to you to buy corn, ask his name, and when men of these names will come before you, 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 handsome 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 you gave to 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 they went to Goshen and they were not there, and then they 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 on his throne in his temple, clothed with princely garments, and on 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 brothers, and he knew them, but they did not know him, for Joseph was very great in their eyes, therefore they did not know him. ²¹ And Joseph spoke to them, saying, “Where do you come from?” and they all answered and said, “Your servants have come from the land of Canaan to buy corn, for the famine prevails throughout the earth, and your servants heard that there was corn in Egypt, so they have come among the others coming 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 answered Joseph together and said, “Not so my lord, we are right; your servants are not spies, but we have come to buy corn, for your 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 answered them again and said, “That is the thing which I spoke to 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 everyone that comes to buy corn goes 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 to these things.” ²⁶ And they said to 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 in the land of Canaan this day, 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 even come to the houses of harlots to seek him there.” ²⁷ And Joseph said to 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 was in Egypt? have you not said that you are from the sons of Isaac, the son of Abraham, and what will the sons of Jacob do then in the houses of harlots?” ²⁸ And they said to him, “Because we heard that Ishmaelites stole him from us, and it was told to us that they sold him in Egypt, and your servant, our brother, is very handsome and well-favored, so we thought he would surely be in the houses of harlots, therefore your 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 lives, you are spies! Therefore, you have come to the houses of harlots that you should not be known.” ³⁰ And Joseph said to them, “And now if you find him, and his master requires of you a great price, will you give it for him?” and they said, “It will be given.” ³¹ And he said to them, “And if his master will not consent to part with him for a great price, what will you do to him on his account?” and they answered him, saying, “If he will not give him to us we will slay him, and take our brother, and go away.” ³² And Joseph said to them, “That is the thing which I have spoken to you: you are spies, for you have come to slay the inhabitants of the land, for we heard that two of your brothers struck all the inhabitants of Shechem in the land of Canaan on account of your sister, and you now come to do the same in Egypt on account of your brother. ³³ Only hereby will I know that you are true men: if you will send home one from among you to fetch your youngest brother from your father and to bring him here to 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 to 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 [for] three days. ³⁶ And on the third day Joseph had them brought out of the ward, and he said to them, “Do this for yourselves if you are true men, so that you may live: one of your brothers will be confined in the ward while you go and take home the corn for your household to the land of Canaan, and fetch your youngest brother, and bring him here to 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 have [this] done so, for he was a very powerful man and they could not bind him. ³⁸ And Joseph called to 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 to them, “Seize this man and confine him in prison until his brothers 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 on their faces, and they were greatly afraid and fled. ⁴¹ And all the men that were with Joseph fled, for they were greatly afraid for their lives, and only Joseph and his son Manasseh remained there, and Manasseh the son of Joseph saw the strength of Simeon, and he was exceedingly angry. ⁴² And Manasseh, the son of Joseph, rose up to Simeon, and Manasseh struck Simeon [with] a heavy blow, with his fist against the back of his neck, and Simeon was stilled of his rage. ⁴³ And Manasseh laid hold of Simeon, and he violently seized him, 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 to his brothers, “None of you must say that this is the striking of an Egyptian, but it is the striking 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 he did to 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 will be when you bring your brother here to me, then I will know that you are true men, and you will traffic in the land, and I will restore your brother to you, and you will return to your father in peace.” ⁴⁷ And they all answered and said, “According as our lord speaks, so we will do,” and they bowed down to him to the ground. ⁴⁸ And every man lifted his corn on his donkey, 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 donkey 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 to his brothers, “My money is restored, and behold, it is even in my sack,” and the men were greatly afraid, and they said, “What is this that God has done to us?” ⁵⁰ And they all said, “And where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that the Lord has delivered us into the hands of the king of Egypt this day to contrive against us?” ⁵¹ And Judah said to them, “Surely we are guilty sinners before the Lord our God in having sold our brother, our own flesh, and why do you say, Where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers?” ⁵² And Reuben said to them, “Did I not say to you, Do not sin against the youth? And you would not listen to me. now God requires him from us, and how dare you say, Where is the Lord’s kindness with our fathers, while you have sinned to the Lord.” ⁵³ And they tarried overnight in that place, and they rose up early in the morning and loaded their donkeys 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 to 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

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 to them, “What is this that you have done to me? I sent your brother Joseph to inquire after your welfare and you said to me, A wild beast devoured him. ³ And Simeon went with you to buy food and you say the king of Egypt has confined him in prison, and you wish to take Benjamin to cause his death also and to bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave on account of Benjamin and his brother Joseph. ⁴ Now therefore, my son will 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 to his father, “You will slay my two sons if I do not bring your son and place him before you”; and Jacob said to his sons, “Abide here and do not go down to Egypt, for my son will not go down with you to Egypt, nor die like his brother.” ⁶ And Judah said to them, “Refrain from him until the corn is finished, and he will then say, Take your brother down [with you], 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 severe throughout the land, and all the people of the earth went and came to Egypt to buy food, for the famine prevailed greatly among 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 to him, “Give bread to us, and why will we all perish through hunger in your 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 to his sons and they all came and sat before him. ¹⁰ And Jacob said to them, “And have you not seen how your children have been weeping over me this day, saying, Give bread to us, and there is none? now therefore, return and buy a little food for us.” ¹¹ And Judah answered and said to his father, “If you will send our brother with us we will go down and buy corn for you, and if you will not send him then we will not go down, for surely the king of Egypt specifically commanded us, saying, You will not see my face unless your brother is with you, for the king of Egypt is a strong and mighty king, and behold, if we will go to him without our brother we will all be put to death. ¹² Do you not know, and have you not heard, that this king is very powerful and wise, and there is not [one] like 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 among 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, you have not seen his palace, and his throne, and all his servants standing before him; you have not seen that king on his throne in his pomp and royal appearance, dressed in his kingly robes with a large golden crown on his head; you have not seen the honor and glory which God has given to him, for there is not [one] like him in all the earth. ¹⁴ Father, you have not seen the wisdom, the understanding, and the knowledge which God has given in his heart, nor heard his sweet voice when he spoke to us. ¹⁵ We do not know, father, who made him acquainted with our names and all that befell us, yet he also asked after you, saying, Is your father still living, and is it well with him? ¹⁶ You have not seen the affairs of the government of Egypt regulated by him, without inquiring of Pharaoh, his lord; you have not seen the awe and fear which he impressed on all the Egyptians. ¹⁷ And also when we went from him, we threatened to do to Egypt like to the rest of the cities of the Amorites, and we were exceedingly angry against all his words which he spoke concerning us as spies, and now when we will come before him again his terror will fall on us all, and not one of us will be able to speak to him either a small or great thing. ¹⁸ Now therefore, father, please send the youth with us, and we will go down and buy you 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 to me?” ¹⁹ And Judah said to his father Jacob, “Give the youth into my care and we will rise up, and go down to Egypt, and buy corn, and then return, and it will be when we return, if the youth is not with us, then let me bear your blame forever. ²⁰ Have you seen all our infants weeping over you through hunger and there is no power in your hand to satisfy them? now let your 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 you when you say that the king of Egypt will take away your son? as the Lord lives, I will not leave him until I bring him and place him before you; but pray for us to 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 we would have now returned a second time with your son.” ²² And Jacob said to 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 a present for him in your hands 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 your brothers Benjamin and Simeon with you.” ²⁴ And all the men rose up, and they took their brother Benjamin, and they took a large present of the best of the land in their hands, 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 out his hands, and prayed to the Lord on account of his sons, saying, “O Lord God of the heavens and earth, remember Your covenant with our father Abraham; remember it with my father Isaac, and deal kindly with my sons, and do not deliver them into the hands of the king of Egypt; please do it, O God, for the sake of Your 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 to 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 your 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, greetings. ³⁰ Be it known to my lord the king of Egypt, the famine was severe on us in the land of Canaan, and I sent my sons to you to buy us a little food from you 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 around Egypt to seek for my son Joseph, [for] perhaps they might find him there, and they did so, and you considered them as spies of the land. ³³ Have we not heard concerning you that you interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and spoke truly to him? how then do you not know in your wisdom whether my sons are spies or not? ³⁴ Now therefore, my lord and king, behold, I have sent my son before you as you did speak to my sons; I implore you to put your eyes on him until he is returned to me with his brothers in peace. ³⁵ For do you not know, or have you not heard, that which our God did to Pharaoh when he took my mother Sarah, and what he did to Abimelech king of the Philistines on account of her, and also what our father Abraham did to the nine kings of Elam, how he struck them all with a few men that were with him? ³⁶ And also what my two sons Simeon and Levi did to 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 Do you not know, O king of Egypt, that the power of God is with us, and also that God always hears our prayers and does not forsake us all the days? ³⁹ And when my sons told me of your dealings with them, I did not call to the Lord on account of you, for then you would have perished with your men before my son Benjamin came before you, but I thought that as my son Simeon was in your house, perhaps you might deal kindly with him; therefore, I did not do this thing to you. ⁴⁰ Now therefore, behold, my son Benjamin comes to you with my sons: take heed of him and put your eyes on him, and then God will place His eyes over you and throughout your kingdom. ⁴¹ Now I have told you all that is in my heart, and behold, my sons are coming to you with their brother; examine the face of the whole earth for their sake and send them back with their brothers in peace.” ⁴² And Jacob gave the record to his sons into the care of Judah to give it to the king of Egypt.

 

CHAPTER 53

And the sons of Jacob rose up and took Benjamin and all 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 [food] to his brothers to eat, and he did so to them. ⁴ And at midday 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 to them, “It will be well with you, do not fear,” and he brought their brother Simeon to them. ⁵ And Simeon said to his brothers, “The lord of the Egyptians has acted very kindly to me; he did not keep me bound, as you saw with your [own] 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 to Joseph and they all sat before him, and Joseph said to 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; then 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 to me?” And Benjamin approached Joseph, and Joseph placed his hand on his head and said to him, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” ¹⁰ And when Joseph saw his brother, the son of his mother, he wished to weep again, 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 brothers while they were sitting to eat with him. ¹² And Joseph said to the men, “I know by this cup that Reuben the firstborn, 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 youngest brother of yours has no brother, and I, like him, have no brother: he will therefore sit down to eat with me.” ¹⁴ And Benjamin went up before Joseph and sat on 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 to them, and Joseph gave one gift to Benjamin, and Manasseh and Ephraim saw the acts of their father, and they also gave presents to him, and Osnath gave him one present, and there 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 to them, and he pressed them hard, and they drank plentifully with him on that day, and afterward Joseph turned to his brother Benjamin to speak with him, and Benjamin was still sitting on the throne before Joseph. ¹⁷ And Joseph said to him, “Have you begotten any children?” and he said, “Your 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 his map of the stars before him, whereby Joseph knew all the times, and Joseph said to Benjamin, “I have heard that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom: do you know anything of this?” ¹⁹ And Benjamin said, “Your servant is also knowing in all the wisdom which my father taught me,” and Joseph said to Benjamin, “Now look at this instrument and understand where your 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 the heavens, 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 on 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 to Benjamin, “What have you seen, and why are you astonished?” ²¹ And Benjamin said to Joseph, “I can see by this that my brother Joseph sits here with me on the throne,” and Joseph said to him, “I am your brother Joseph; do not reveal this thing to your brothers; behold, I will send you with them when they go away, and I will command them to be brought back into the city again, and I will take you away from them. ²² And if they dare their lives and fight for you, then I will know that they have converted from what they did to me, and I will make myself known to them, and if they forsake you when I take you, then you will remain with me, and I will wrangle with them, and they will 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 to them. ²⁴ And on the next day the men rose up early in the morning, and they loaded their donkeys with their corn, and they went out 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 to them, Why have you stolen my master’s cup?” ²⁶ And Joseph’s officer rose up, and he reached them, and he spoke to them all the words of Joseph; and when they heard this thing they became exceedingly angry, and they said, “He with whom your master’s cup will be found will die, and we will also become slaves.” ²⁷ And they hastened, and each man brought down his sack from his donkey, 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 struck Benjamin in the road, continually striking 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 on his throne, and all the mighty men standing at his right and left. ³⁰ And Joseph said to 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 will we say to our lord, what will we speak, and how will we justify ourselves? God has found the iniquity of all your servants this day, therefore He has done this thing to us this day.” ³² And Joseph rose up, and caught hold of Benjamin, and took him from his brothers 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 to them, “Thus says the king, Go to your father in peace; behold, I have taken the man in whose hand my cup was found.”

 

CHAPTER 54

And when Judah saw the dealings of Joseph with them, Judah approached him and broke open the door, and came with his brothers before Joseph. ² And Judah said to Joseph, “Do not let it seem grievous in the sight of my lord: may your servant please speak a word before you?” and Joseph said to him, “Speak.” ³ And Judah spoke before Joseph, and his brothers were standing there before them; and Judah said to Joseph, “Surely when we first came to our lord to buy food, you considered us as spies of the land, and we brought Benjamin before you, and you still make sport of us this day. ⁴ Now therefore, let the king hear my words, and please send our brother that he may go along with us to our father, lest your soul perish this day with all the souls of the inhabitants of Egypt. ⁵ Do you not know what two of my brothers, Simeon and Levi, did to the city of Shechem and to seven cities of the Amorites on account of our sister Dinah, and also what they would do for the sake of their brother Benjamin? ⁶ And I with my strength, who am greater and mightier than both of them, come on you and your land this day if you are unwilling to send our brother. ⁷ Have you not heard what our God who made choice of us did to Pharaoh on account of our mother Sarah, whom he took away from our father, that He struck him and his household with heavy plagues, that even to this day the Egyptians relate this wonder to each other? so will our God do to you on account of Benjamin whom you have taken from his father this day, and on account of the evils which you heap over us in your land this day; for our God will remember His covenant with our father Abraham and bring calamity on you, because you have grieved the soul of our father this day. ⁸ Now therefore, hear my words that I have spoken to you this day and send our brother that he may go away lest you and the people of your land die by the sword, for you cannot all prevail over me.” ⁹ And Joseph answered Judah, saying, “Why have you opened your mouth wide and why do you boast over us, saying, Strength is with you? as Pharaoh lives, if I command all my valiant men to fight with you, surely you and these brothers of yours would sink in the mire.” ¹⁰ And Judah said to Joseph, “Surely it is fitting [for] you and your people to fear me; as the Lord lives, if I once draw my sword I will not sheathe it again until I will have slain all Egypt this day, and I will commence with you and finish with your master Pharaoh.” ¹¹ And Joseph answered and said to him, “Surely strength does not belong to you alone—I am stronger and mightier than you; surely if you draw your sword I will put it to your neck and the necks of all your brothers.” ¹² And Judah said to him, “Surely if I open my mouth against you this day I would swallow you up [so] that you are destroyed from off the earth and perish this day from your kingdom.” And Joseph said, “Surely if you open your mouth, I have power and might to close your mouth with a stone until you will not be able to utter a word; see how many stones are before us. Truly I can take a stone, and force it into your mouth, and break your jaws.” ¹³ And Judah said, “God is witness between us that we have not so far desired to battle with you: only give us our brother and we will go from you”; and Joseph answered and said, “As Pharaoh lives, if all the kings of Canaan came together with you, you should not take him from my hand. ¹⁴ Now therefore, go your way to your father, and your brother will be for a slave to me, for he has robbed the king’s house.” And Judah said, “What is it to you or to the character of the king? Surely the king sends out from his house, throughout the land, silver and gold, either in gifts or expenses, and you still talk about your cup which you placed in our brother’s bag and say that he has stolen it from you? ¹⁵ God forbid that our brother Benjamin or any of the seed of Abraham should do this thing to steal from you, or from anyone else, whether king, prince, or any man. ¹⁶ Now therefore, cease this accusation lest the whole earth hear your words, saying, For a little silver the king of Egypt wrangled with the men, and he accused them and took their brother for a slave.” ¹⁷ And Joseph answered and said, “Take this cup for yourself, and go from me, and leave your brother for a slave, for it is the judgment of a thief to be a slave.” ¹⁸ And Judah said, “Why are you not ashamed of your words, to leave our brother and to take your cup? Surely if you give us your cup, or one thousand times as much, we will not leave our brother for the silver which is found in the hand of any man, that we will not die over him.” ¹⁹ And Joseph answered, “And why did you forsake your brother and sell him for twenty pieces of silver to this day, and why then will you not do the same to this brother of yours?” ²⁰ And Judah said, “The Lord is witness between me and you that we do not desire your battles; now therefore, give us our brother and we will go from you without quarreling.” ²¹ And Joseph answered and said, “If all the kings of the land should assemble, they will not be able to take your brother from my hand”; and Judah said, “What will we say to our father when he sees that our brother does not come with us, and will grieve over him?” ²² And Joseph answered and said, “This is the thing which you will tell to your father, saying, The rope has gone after the bucket.” ²³ And Judah said, “Surely you are a king, and why do you speak these things, giving a false judgment? woe to the king who is like to you.” ²⁴ And Joseph answered and said, “There is no false judgment in the word that I spoke on account of your brother Joseph, for all of you sold him to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver, and you all denied it to your father and said to him, An evil beast has devoured him, Joseph has been torn to pieces.” ²⁵ And Judah said, “Behold, the fire of Shem burns in my heart; now I will burn all your land with fire”; and Joseph answered and said, “Surely your sister-in-law Tamar, who killed your sons, extinguished the fire of Shechem.” ²⁶ And Judah said, “If I pluck out a single hair from my flesh, I will fill all Egypt with its blood.” ²⁷ And Joseph answered and said, “Such is your custom to do as you did to your brother whom you sold, and you dipped his coat in blood and brought it to your father in order that he might say an evil beast devoured him and here is his blood.” ²⁸ And when Judah heard this thing he was exceedingly angry and his anger burned within him, and there was a stone before him in that place, the weight of which was about four hundred shekels, and Judah’s anger was kindled and he took the stone in one hand, and cast it toward the heavens, and caught it with his left hand. ²⁹ And afterward he placed it under his legs, and he sat on it with all his strength, and the stone was turned into dust from the force of Judah. ³⁰ And Joseph saw the act of Judah and he was very much afraid, but he commanded his son Manasseh and he also did with another stone like to the act of Judah, and Judah said to his brothers, “Do not let any of you say this man is an Egyptian, but by his doing this thing he is of our father’s family.” ³¹ And Joseph said, “Strength is not given to you alone, for we are also powerful men, and why will you boast over us all?” and Judah said to Joseph, “Please send our brother and do not ruin your country this day.” ³² And Joseph answered and said to them, “Go and tell your father an evil beast has devoured him as you said concerning your brother Joseph.” ³³ And Judah spoke to his brother Naphtali, and he said to him, “Hurry, go now and number all the streets of Egypt and come and tell me”; and Simeon said to him, “Do not let this thing be a trouble to you; now I will go to the mount, and take up one large stone from the mount, and level it at everyone in Egypt, and kill all that are in it.” ³⁴ And Joseph heard all these words that his brothers spoke before him, and they did not know that Joseph understood them, for they imagined that he did not know [how] to speak Hebrew. ³⁵ And Joseph was greatly afraid at the words of his brothers lest they should destroy Egypt, and he commanded his son Manasseh, saying, “Go now, hurry and gather to me all the inhabitants of Egypt, and all the valiant men together, and let them come to me now on horseback, and on foot, and with all sorts of musical instruments,” and Manasseh went and did so. ³⁶ And Naphtali went as Judah had commanded him, for Naphtali was lightfooted as one of the swift stags, and he would go on the ears of corn and they would not break under him. ³⁷ And he went and numbered all the streets of Egypt, and found them to be twelve, and he came hastily and told Judah, and Judah said to his brothers, “Hasten, and every man put his sword on his loins, and we will come over Egypt and strike them all, and do not let a remnant remain.” ³⁸ And Judah said, “Behold, I will destroy three of the streets with my strength, and you will each destroy one street”; and when Judah was speaking this thing, behold, the inhabitants of Egypt and all the mighty men came toward them with all sorts of musical instruments and with loud shouting. ³⁹ And their number was five hundred cavalry, and ten thousand infantry, and four hundred men who could fight without sword or spear, only with their hands and strength. ⁴⁰ And all the mighty men came with great storming and shouting, and they all surrounded the sons of Jacob and terrified them, and the ground quaked at the sound of their shouting. ⁴¹ And when the sons of Jacob saw these troops, they were greatly afraid for their lives, and Joseph did so in order to terrify the sons of Jacob to become tranquilized. ⁴² And Judah, seeing some of his brothers terrified, said to them, “Why are you afraid while the grace of God is with us?” and when Judah saw all the people of Egypt surrounding them at the command of Joseph to terrify them, only Joseph commanded them, saying, “Do not touch any of them.” ⁴³ Then Judah hastened and drew his sword, and uttered a loud and bitter scream, and he struck with his sword, and he sprang on the ground, and he still continued to shout against all the people. ⁴⁴ And when he did this thing, the Lord caused the terror of Judah and his brothers to fall on the valiant men and all the people that surrounded them. ⁴⁵ And they all fled at the sound of the shouting, and they were terrified and fell on one another, and many of them died as they fell, and they all fled from before Judah and his brothers and from before Joseph. ⁴⁶ And while they were fleeing, Judah and his brothers pursued them to the house of Pharaoh, and they all escaped, and Judah sat before Joseph again, and roared at him like a lion, and gave a great and tremendous shriek at him. ⁴⁷ And the shriek was heard at a distance, and all the inhabitants of Succoth heard it, and all Egypt quaked at the sound of the shriek, and also the walls of Egypt and of the land of Goshen fell in from the shaking of the earth, and Pharaoh also fell from his throne on the ground, and also all the pregnant women of Egypt and Goshen miscarried when they heard the noise of the shaking, for they were terribly afraid. ⁴⁸ And Pharaoh sent word, saying, “What is this thing that has happened in the land of Egypt this day?” and they came and told him all the things from beginning to end, and Pharaoh was alarmed, and he wondered and was greatly afraid. ⁴⁹ And his fright increased when he heard all these things, and he sent to Joseph, saying, “You have brought the Hebrews to me to destroy all Egypt; what will you do with that thievish slave? send him away and let him go with his brothers, and do not let us perish through their evil, even we—you and all Egypt. ⁵⁰ And if you do not desire to do this thing, cast off all my valuable things from yourself, and go with them to their land, if you delight in it, for they will destroy my whole country this day and slay all my people; even all the women of Egypt have miscarried through their screams; see what they have done merely by their shouting and speaking; moreover, if they fight with the sword, they will destroy the land; now therefore, choose that which you desire, whether me or the Hebrews, whether Egypt or the land of the Hebrews.” ⁵¹ And they came and told Joseph all the words of Pharaoh that he had said concerning him, and Joseph was greatly afraid at the words of Pharaoh, and Judah and his brothers were still standing before Joseph indignant and enraged, and all the sons of Jacob roared at Joseph like the roaring of the sea and its waves. ⁵² And Joseph was greatly afraid of his brothers and on account of Pharaoh, and Joseph sought a pretext to make himself known to his brothers, lest they should destroy all Egypt. ⁵³ And Joseph commanded his son Manasseh, and Manasseh went and approached Judah, and placed his hand on his shoulder, and the anger of Judah was stilled. ⁵⁴ And Judah said to his brothers, “Let no one of you say that this is the act of an Egyptian youth, for this is the work of my father’s house.” ⁵⁵ And Joseph, seeing and knowing that Judah’s anger was stilled, approached to speak to Judah in the language of mildness. ⁵⁶ And Joseph said to Judah, “Surely you speak truth and have verified your assertions concerning your strength this day, and may your God who delights in you increase your welfare; but truly tell me why from among all your brothers you wrangle with me on account of the youth, as none of them have spoken one word to me concerning him.” ⁵⁷ And Judah answered Joseph, saying, “Surely you must know that I was security for the youth to his father, saying if I did not bring him to him I should bear his blame forever. ⁵⁸ Therefore I have approached you from among all my brothers, for I saw that you were unwilling to permit him to go from you; now therefore, may I find grace in your sight that you will send him to go with us, and behold, I will remain as a substitute for him, to serve you in whatever you desire, for wherever you will send me I will go to serve you with great energy. ⁵⁹ Send me now to a mighty king who has rebelled against you, and you will know what I will do to him and to his land; although he may have cavalry and infantry or an exceedingly mighty people, I will slay them all and bring the king’s head before you. ⁶⁰ Do you not know, or have you not heard, that our father Abraham with his servant Eliezer struck all the kings of Elam with their hosts in one night? They did not leave one remaining. and ever since that day our father’s strength was given to us for an inheritance—for us and our seed forever.” ⁶¹ And Joseph answered and said, “You speak truth, and falsehood is not in your mouth, for it was also told to us that the Hebrews have power and that the Lord their God delights much in them, and who then can stand before them? ⁶² However, on this condition I will send your brother: if you will bring before me his brother, the son of his mother, of whom you said that he had gone from you down to Egypt; and it will come to pass when you bring his brother to me [that] I will take him in his stead, because not one of you were security for him to your father, and when he will come to me, I will then send with you his brother for whom you have been security.” ⁶³ And Judah’s anger was kindled against Joseph when he spoke this thing, and his eyes dropped blood with anger, and he said to his brothers, “How does this man seek his own destruction and that of all Egypt this day?” ⁶⁴ And Simeon answered Joseph, saying, “Did we not tell you at first that we did not know the particular spot to which he went, and whether he was dead or alive, and why does my lord speak about these things?” ⁶⁵ And Joseph, observing the countenance of Judah, discerned that his anger began to kindle when he spoke to him, saying, “Bring your other brother to me instead of this brother.” ⁶⁶ And Joseph said to his brothers, “Surely you said that your brother was either dead or lost; now if I should call him this day and he should come before you, would you give him to me instead of his brother?” ⁶⁷ And Joseph began to speak and call out, “Joseph, Joseph! Come before me this day, and appear to your brothers, and sit before them.” ⁶⁸ And when Joseph spoke this thing before them, they each looked a different way to see from where Joseph would come before them. ⁶⁹ And Joseph observed all their acts, and said to them, “Why do you look here and there? I am Joseph whom you sold to Egypt; now therefore, do not let it grieve you that you sold me, for God sent me before you as a support during the famine.” ⁷⁰ And his brothers were terrified at him when they heard the words of Joseph, and Judah was exceedingly terrified at him. ⁷¹ And when Benjamin heard the words of Joseph he was before them in the inner part of the house, and Benjamin ran to his brother Joseph, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and they wept. ⁷² And when Joseph’s brothers saw that Benjamin had fallen on his brother’s neck and wept with him, they also fell on Joseph and embraced him, and they wept a great weeping with Joseph. ⁷³ And the voice was heard in the house of Joseph that they were Joseph’s brothers, and it pleased Pharaoh exceedingly, for he was afraid of them lest they should destroy Egypt. ⁷⁴ And Pharaoh sent his servants to Joseph to congratulate him concerning his brothers who had come to him, and all the captains of the armies and troops that were in Egypt came to rejoice with Joseph, and all Egypt rejoiced greatly about Joseph’s brothers. ⁷⁵ And Pharaoh sent his servants to Joseph, saying, “Tell your brothers to fetch all belonging to them and let them come to me, and I will place them in the best part of the land of Egypt,” and they did so. ⁷⁶ And Joseph commanded him that was set over his house to bring out gifts and garments to his brothers, and he brought out to them many garments, being robes of royalty, and many gifts, and Joseph divided them among his brothers. ⁷⁷ And he gave to each of his brothers a change of garments of gold and silver, and three hundred pieces of silver, and Joseph commanded them all to be dressed in these garments, and to be brought before Pharaoh. ⁷⁸ And Pharaoh, seeing that all of Joseph’s brothers were valiant men and of beautiful appearance, greatly rejoiced. ⁷⁹ And afterward they went out from the presence of Pharaoh to go to the land of Canaan, to their father, and their brother Benjamin was with them. ⁸⁰ And Joseph rose up and gave eleven chariots from Pharaoh to them, and Joseph gave his chariot to them, on which he rode on the day of his being crowned in Egypt, to fetch his father to Egypt; and Joseph sent to all his brothers’ children garments according to their numbers, and one hundred pieces of silver to each of them, and he also sent garments to the wives of his brothers from the garments of the king’s wives, and he sent them. ⁸¹ And he gave to each of his brothers ten men to go with them to the land of Canaan to serve them, to serve their children and all belonging to them in coming to Egypt. ⁸² And Joseph sent by the hand of his brother Benjamin ten suits of garments for his ten sons, a portion above the rest of the children of the sons of Jacob. ⁸³ And he sent to each fifty pieces of silver, and ten chariots on the account of Pharaoh, and he sent to his father ten donkeys laden with all the luxuries of Egypt, and ten female donkeys laden with corn, and bread, and nourishment for his father, and to all that were with him as provisions for the road. ⁸⁴ And he sent to his sister Dinah garments of silver, and gold, and frankincense, and myrrh, and aloes, and women’s ornaments in great plenty, and he sent the same from the wives of Pharaoh to the wives of Benjamin. ⁸⁵ And he gave to all his brothers, also to their wives, all sorts of onyx stones, and bdellium, and from all the valuable things among the great people of Egypt; nothing of all the costly things was left but what Joseph sent of to his father’s household. ⁸⁶ And he sent his brothers away, and they went, and he sent his brother Benjamin with them. ⁸⁷ And Joseph went out with them to accompany them on the road to the borders of Egypt, and he commanded them concerning his father and his household to come to Egypt. ⁸⁸ And he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the road, for this thing was from the Lord to keep a great people from starvation, for there will still be five years of famine in the land.” ⁸⁹ And he commanded them, saying, “When you come to the land of Canaan, do not come suddenly before my father in this affair, but act in your wisdom.” ⁹⁰ And Joseph ceased to command them, and he turned and went back to Egypt, and the sons of Jacob went to the land of Canaan with joy and cheerfulness to their father Jacob. ⁹¹ And they came to the borders of the land, and they said to each other, “What will we do in this matter before our father, for if we suddenly come to him and tell him the matter, he will be greatly alarmed at our words and will not believe us.” ⁹² And they went along until they came near to their houses, and they found Serach, the daughter of Asher, going out to meet them, and the young girl was very good and subtle, and knew how to play on the harp. ⁹³ And they called to her and she came before them, and she kissed them, and they took her and gave a harp to her, saying, “Go now before our father, and sit before him, and strike on the harp, and speak these words.” ⁹⁴ And they commanded her to go to their house, and she took the harp and hastened before them, and she came and sat near Jacob. ⁹⁵ And she played well and sang, and uttered in the sweetness of her words, “My uncle Joseph is living, and he rules throughout the land of Egypt, and is not dead.” ⁹⁶ And she continued to repeat and utter these words, and Jacob heard her words, and they were agreeable to him. ⁹⁷ He listened while she repeated them twice and three times, and joy entered the heart of Jacob at the sweetness of her words, and the Spirit of God was on him, and he knew all her words to be true. ⁹⁸ And Jacob blessed Serach when she spoke these words before him, and he said to her, “My daughter, may death never prevail over you, for you have revived my spirit; only speak yet before me as you have spoken, for you have gladdened me with all your words.” ⁹⁹ And she continued to sing these words, and Jacob listened and it pleased him, and he rejoiced, and the Spirit of God was on him. While he was still speaking with her, behold, his sons came to him with horses, and chariots, and royal garments, and servants running before them. And Jacob rose up to meet them, and he saw his sons dressed in royal garments, and he saw all the treasures that Joseph had sent to them. And they said to him, “Be informed that our brother Joseph is living, and it is he who rules throughout the land of Egypt, and it is he who spoke to us as we told you.” And Jacob heard all the words of his sons, and his heart palpitated at their words, for he could not believe them until he saw all that Joseph had given them, and what he had sent him, and all the signs which Joseph had spoken to them. And they opened out before him and showed him all that Joseph had sent; they gave to each what Joseph had sent him, and he knew that they had spoken the truth, and he rejoiced exceedingly on account of his son. And Jacob said, “It is enough for me that my son Joseph is still living; I will go and see him before I die.” And his sons told him all that had befallen them, and Jacob said, “I will go down to Egypt to see my son and his offspring.” And Jacob rose up and put on the garments which Joseph had sent him, and after he had washed and shaved his hair, he put the turban on his head which Joseph had sent him. And all the people of Jacob’s house and their wives put on the garments which Joseph had sent to them, and they greatly rejoiced at Joseph, that he was still living and that he was ruling in Egypt, and all the inhabitants of Canaan heard of this thing, and they came and rejoiced much with Jacob that he was still living. And Jacob made a feast for them for three days, and all the kings of Canaan and nobles of the land ate, and drank, and rejoiced in the house of Jacob.

 

CHAPTER 55

And it came to pass after this that Jacob said, “I will go and see my son in Egypt and will then come back to the land of Canaan of which God had spoken to Abraham, for I cannot leave the land of my birthplace.” ² Behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go down to Egypt with all your household and remain there; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.” ³ And Jacob said within himself, “I will go and see my son—whether the fear of his God is yet in his heart amidst all the inhabitants of Egypt.” ⁴ And the Lord said to Jacob, “Do not fear about Joseph, for he still retains his integrity to serve Me, as will seem good in your sight,” and Jacob rejoiced exceedingly concerning his son. ⁵ At that time Jacob commanded his sons and household to go to Egypt according to the word of the Lord to him, and Jacob rose up with his sons and all his household, and he went out from the land of Canaan from Beersheba with joy and gladness of heart, and they went to the land of Egypt. ⁶ And it came to pass when they came near Egypt, Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph that he might show him a situation in Egypt, and Judah did according to the word of his father, and he hastened, and ran, and came to Joseph, and they assigned a place for them in the land of Goshen for all his household, and Judah returned and came along the road to his father. ⁷ And Joseph harnessed the chariot, and he assembled all his mighty men, and his servants, and all the officers of Egypt in order to go and meet his father Jacob, and Joseph’s mandate was proclaimed in Egypt, saying, “All that do not go to meet Jacob will die.” ⁸ And on the next day Joseph went out with all Egypt—a great and mighty host, all dressed in garments of fine linen, and purple, and with instruments of silver and gold, and with their instruments of war with them. ⁹ And they all went to meet Jacob with all sorts of musical instruments, with drums and timbrels, scattering myrrh and aloes all along the road, and they all went after this fashion, and the earth shook at their shouting. ¹⁰ And all the women of Egypt went on the roofs of Egypt and on the walls to meet Jacob, and Pharaoh’s regal crown was on the head of Joseph, for Pharaoh had sent it to him to put on at the time of his going to meet his father. ¹¹ And when Joseph came within fifty cubits of his father, he descended from the chariot and he walked toward his father, and when all the officers of Egypt and her nobles saw that Joseph had gone on foot toward his father, they also descended and walked on foot toward Jacob. ¹² And when Jacob approached the camp of Joseph, Jacob observed the camp that was coming toward him with Joseph, and it gratified him, and Jacob was astonished at it. ¹³ And Jacob said to Judah, “Who is that man whom I see in the camp of Egypt dressed in kingly robes with a very red garment on him and a royal crown on his head, who has descended from his chariot and is coming toward us?” and Judah answered his father, saying, “He is your son Joseph, the king”; and Jacob rejoiced in seeing the glory of his son. ¹⁴ And Joseph came near to his father and he bowed to his father, and all the men of the camp bowed to the ground with him before Jacob. ¹⁵ And behold, Jacob ran and hastened to his son Joseph, and he fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept, and Joseph also embraced his father and kissed him, and they wept and all the people of Egypt wept with them. ¹⁶ And Jacob said to Joseph, “Now I will die cheerfully after I have seen your face, that you are still living and with glory.” ¹⁷ And the sons of Jacob, and their wives, and their children, and their servants, and all the household of Jacob wept exceedingly with Joseph, and they kissed him and wept greatly with him. ¹⁸ And afterward Joseph and all his people returned home to Egypt, and Jacob, and his sons, and all the children of his household came with Joseph to Egypt, and Joseph placed them in the best part of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. ¹⁹ And Joseph said to his father and to his brothers, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying, My brothers, and my father’s household, and all belonging to them have come to me, and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.” ²⁰ And Joseph did so and took from his brothers Reuben, Issachar, Zebulun, and his brother Benjamin, and he placed them before Pharaoh. ²¹ And Joseph spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “My brothers, and my father’s household, and all belonging to them, together with their flocks and cattle have come to me from the land of Canaan to sojourn in Egypt, for the famine was severe on them.” ²² And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Place your father and brothers in the best part of the land; do not withhold from them anything that is good, and cause them to eat of the fat of the land.” ²³ And Joseph answered, saying, “Behold, I have stationed them in the land of Goshen, for they are shepherds; therefore let them remain in Goshen to feed their flocks apart from the Egyptians.” ²⁴ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Do with your brothers all that they will say to you”; and the sons of Jacob bowed down to Pharaoh, and they went out from him in peace, and afterward Joseph brought his father before Pharaoh. ²⁵ And Jacob came and bowed down to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and he then went out; and Jacob, and all his sons, and all his household dwelt in the land of Goshen. ²⁶ In the second year, that is in the one hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Jacob, Joseph maintained his father, and his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread according to their little ones, all the days of the famine; they lacked nothing. ²⁷ And Joseph gave the best part of the whole land to them; they had the best [part] of Egypt all the days of Joseph; and Joseph also gave to them and to the whole of his father’s household clothes and garments year by year; and the sons of Jacob remained securely in Egypt all the days of their brother. ²⁸ And Jacob always ate at Joseph’s table; Jacob and his sons did not leave Joseph’s table day or night, besides what Jacob’s children consumed in their houses. ²⁹ And all Egypt ate bread during the days of the famine from the house of Joseph, for all the Egyptians sold all belonging to them on account of the famine. ³⁰ And Joseph purchased all the lands and fields of Egypt for bread on the account of Pharaoh, and Joseph supplied all Egypt with bread all the days of the famine, and Joseph collected all the silver and gold that came to him for the corn which they bought throughout the land, and he accumulated much gold and silver, besides an immense quantity of onyx stones, bdellium, and valuable garments which they brought to Joseph from every part of the land when their money was spent. ³¹ And Joseph took all the silver and gold that came into his hand, about seventy-two talents of gold and silver, and also onyx stones and bdellium in great abundance, and Joseph went and concealed them in four parts, and he concealed one part in the wilderness near the Red Sea, and one part by the River Perath, and the third and fourth part he concealed in the desert opposite to the wilderness of Persia and Media. ³² And he took part of the gold and silver that was left and gave it to all his brothers, and to all his father’s household, and to all the women of his father’s household, and the rest he brought to the house of Pharaoh, about twenty talents of gold and silver. ³³ And Joseph gave all the gold and silver that was left to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh placed it in the treasury, and the days of the famine ceased after that in the land, and they sowed and reaped in the whole land, and they obtained their usual quantity year by year; they lacked nothing. ³⁴ And Joseph dwelt securely in Egypt, and the whole land was under his advice, and his father and all his brothers dwelt in the land of Goshen and took possession of it. ³⁵ And Joseph was very aged, advanced in days, and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, continually remained in the house of Jacob, together with the children of the sons of Jacob, their brothers, to learn the ways of the Lord and His law. ³⁶ And Jacob and his sons dwelt in the land of Egypt in the land of Goshen, and they took possession in it, and they were fruitful and multiplied in it.

 

CHAPTER 56

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the days of Jacob and the years of his life were one hundred and forty-seven years. ² At that time Jacob was attacked with that sickness of which he died, and he sent and called for his son Joseph from Egypt, and his son Joseph came from Egypt and Joseph came to his father. ³ And Jacob said to Joseph and to his sons, “Behold, I die, and the God of your ancestors will visit you and bring you back to the land which the Lord swore to give to you and to your children after you; now therefore, when I am dead, bury me in the cave which is in Machpelah in Hebron in the land of Canaan, near my ancestors.” ⁴ And Jacob made his sons swear to bury him in Machpelah, in Hebron, and his sons swore to him concerning this thing. ⁵ And he commanded them, saying, “Serve the Lord your God, for He who delivered your fathers will also deliver you from all trouble.” ⁶ And Jacob said, “Call all your children to me,” and all the children of Jacob’s sons came and sat before him, and Jacob blessed them, and he said to them, “The Lord God of your fathers will grant you one thousand times as much and bless you, and may He give you the blessing of your father Abraham”; and all the children of Jacob’s sons went out on that day after he had blessed them. ⁷ And on the next day Jacob called for his sons again, and they all assembled, and came to him, and sat before him, and on that day Jacob blessed his sons before his death: he blessed each man according to his blessing; behold, it is written in the Scroll of the Law of the Lord pertaining to Israel. ⁸ And Jacob said to Judah, “I know, my son, that you are a mighty man for your brothers; reign over them, and your sons will reign over their sons forever. ⁹ Only teach your sons the bow and all the weapons of war in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies.” ¹⁰ And Jacob commanded his sons again on that day, saying, “Behold, I will be gathered to my people this day; carry me up from Egypt and bury me in the cave of Machpelah as I have commanded you. ¹¹ Nevertheless, please take heed that none of your sons carry me, only yourselves, and this is the manner you will do to me: when you carry my body to go with it to the land of Canaan to bury me, ¹² Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun will carry my bier at the eastern side; Reuben, Simeon, and Gad at the south; Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin at the west; Dan, Asher, and Naphtali at the north. ¹³ Do not let Levi carry with you, for he and his sons will carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with the Israelites in the camp; neither let my son Joseph carry, for as a king so let his glory be; nevertheless, Ephraim and Manasseh will be in their stead. ¹⁴ Thus you will do to me when you carry me away; do not neglect anything of all that I command you; and it will come to pass when you do this to me that the Lord will remember you favorably and your children after you forever. ¹⁵ And you, my sons, each honor his brother and his relative, and command your children and your children’s children after you to serve the Lord God of your ancestors all the days ¹⁶ in order that you may prolong your days in the land—you, and your children, and your children’s children forever—when you do what is good and upright in the sight of the Lord your God, to go in all His ways. ¹⁷ And you, my son Joseph, please forgive the prongs of your brothers and all their misdeeds in the injury that they heaped on you, for God intended it for you and your children’s benefit. ¹⁸ And O, my son, do not leave your brothers to the inhabitants of Egypt, neither hurt their feelings, for behold, I consign them to the hand of God and in your hand to guard them from the Egyptians”; and the sons of Jacob answered their father, saying, “O, our father, all that you have commanded us, so we will do—but may God be with us.” ¹⁹ And Jacob said to his sons, “So may God be with you when you keep all His ways; do not turn from His ways either to the right or the left in performing what is good and upright in His sight. ²⁰ For I know that many and grievous troubles will befall you in the latter days in the land—yes, your children and children’s children; only serve the Lord and He will save you from all trouble. ²¹ And it will come to pass when you will go after God to serve Him and will teach your children after you, and your children’s children, to know the Lord, then the Lord will raise up to you and your children a servant from among your children, and the Lord will deliver you from all affliction through his hand, and bring you out of Egypt, and bring you back to the land of your fathers to inherit it securely.” ²² And Jacob ceased commanding his sons and he drew his feet into the bed; he died and was gathered to his people. ²³ And Joseph fell on his father, and he cried out and wept over him, and he kissed him, and he called out in a bitter voice, and he said, “O my father, my father!” ²⁴ And his son’s wives and all his household came and fell on Jacob, and they wept over him, and cried in a very loud voice concerning Jacob. ²⁵ And all the sons of Jacob rose up together, and they tore their garments, and they all put sackcloth on their loins, and they fell on their faces, and they cast dust on their heads toward the heavens. ²⁶ And the thing was told to Osnath, Joseph’s wife, and she rose up and put on a sack, and she and all the Egyptian women with her came and mourned and wept for Jacob. ²⁷ And also all the people of Egypt who knew Jacob all came on that day when they heard this thing, and all Egypt wept for many days. ²⁸ And also from the land of Canaan women came to Egypt when they heard that Jacob was dead, and they wept for him in Egypt for seventy days. ²⁹ And it came to pass after this that Joseph commanded his servants, the doctors, to embalm his father with myrrh, and frankincense, and all manner of incense and perfume, and the doctors embalmed Jacob as Joseph had commanded them. ³⁰ And all the people of Egypt, and the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land of Goshen wept and mourned over Jacob, and all his sons and the children of his household lamented and mourned over their father Jacob [for] many days. ³¹ And after the days of his weeping had passed away, at the end of seventy days, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “I will go up and bury my father in the land of Canaan as he made me swear, and then I will return.” ³² And Pharaoh sent Joseph, saying, “Go up and bury your father as he said, and as he made you swear”; and Joseph rose up with all his brothers to go to the land of Canaan to bury their father Jacob as he had commanded them. ³³ And Pharaoh commanded that it should be proclaimed throughout Egypt, saying, “Whoever does not go up with Joseph and his brothers to the land of Canaan to bury Jacob will die.” ³⁴ And all Egypt heard of Pharaoh’s proclamation, and they all rose up together, and all the servants of Pharaoh, and the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt went up with Joseph, and all the officers and nobles of Pharaoh went up as the servants of Joseph, and they went to bury Jacob in the land of Canaan. ³⁵ And the sons of Jacob carried the bier on which he lay; according to all that their father commanded them, so his sons did for him. ³⁶ And the bier was of pure gold, and it was inlaid around with onyx stones and bdellium; and the covering of the bier was gold-woven work, joined with threads, and over them were hooks of onyx stones and bdellium. ³⁷ And Joseph placed a large golden crown on the head of his father Jacob, and he put a golden scepter in his hand, and they surrounded the bier as was the custom of kings during their lives. ³⁸ And all the troops of Egypt went before him in this array, at first all the mighty men of Pharaoh and the mighty men of Joseph, and after them the rest of the inhabitants of Egypt, and they were all girded with swords and equipped with coats of mail, and the trappings of war were on them. ³⁹ And all the weepers and mourners went at a distance opposite to the bier, going, and weeping, and lamenting, and the rest of the people went after the bier. ⁴⁰ And Joseph and his household went together near the bier barefooted and weeping, and the rest of Joseph’s servants went around him; each man had his ornaments on him, and they were all armed with their weapons of war. ⁴¹ And fifty of Jacob’s servants went in front of the bier, and they scattered along the road myrrh, and aloes, and all manner of perfume, and all the sons of Jacob that carried the bier walked on the perfumery, and the servants of Jacob went before them scattering the perfume along the road. ⁴² And Joseph went up with a heavy camp, and they did after this manner every day until they reached the land of Canaan, and they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which was on the other side of Jordan, and they mourned an exceedingly great and heavy mourning in that place. ⁴³ And all the kings of Canaan heard of this thing and they all went out, each man from his house—thirty-one kings of Canaan—and they all came with their men to mourn and weep over Jacob. ⁴⁴ And all these kings beheld Jacob’s bier, and behold, Joseph’s crown was on it, and they also put their crowns on the bier, and encircled it with crowns. ⁴⁵ And all these kings made a great and heavy mourning in that place with the sons of Jacob and Egypt over Jacob, for all the kings of Canaan knew the valor of Jacob and his sons. ⁴⁶ And the report reached Esau, saying, “Jacob died in Egypt, and his sons and all Egypt are carrying him to the land of Canaan to bury him.” ⁴⁷ And Esau heard this thing, and he was dwelling in Mount Seir, and he rose up with his sons, and all his people, and all his household, a people exceedingly great, and they came to mourn and weep over Jacob. ⁴⁸ And it came to pass when Esau came, he mourned for his brother Jacob, and all Egypt and all Canaan rose up again and mourned a great mourning with Esau over Jacob in that place. ⁴⁹ And Joseph and his brothers brought their father Jacob from that place, and they went to Hebron to bury Jacob in the cave by his fathers. ⁵⁰ And they came to Kirjath-Arba, to the cave, and as they came, Esau stood with his sons against Joseph and his brothers as a hindrance in the cave, saying, “Jacob will not be buried therein, for it belongs to us and to our father.” ⁵¹ And Joseph and his brothers heard the words of Esau’s sons, and they were exceedingly angry, and Joseph approached to Esau, saying, “What is this thing which they have spoken? surely my father Jacob bought it from you for great riches after the death of Isaac, now twenty-five years ago, and he also bought all the land of Canaan from you, and from your sons, and [from] your seed after you. ⁵² And Jacob bought it for his sons and his seed after him for an inheritance forever, and why do you speak these things this day?” ⁵³ And Esau answered, saying, “You speak falsely and utter lies, for I did not sell anything belonging to me in all this land as you say, neither did my brother Jacob buy all belonging to me in this land.” ⁵⁴ And Esau spoke these things in order to deceive Joseph with his words, for Esau knew that Joseph was not present in those days when Esau sold all belonging to him in the land of Canaan to Jacob. ⁵⁵ And Joseph said to Esau, “Surely my father inserted these things with you in the record of purchase, and testified to the record with witnesses, and behold, it is with us in Egypt.” ⁵⁶ And Esau answered, saying to him, “Bring the record—all that you will find in the record, so we will do.” ⁵⁷ And Joseph called to his brother Naphtali, and he said, “Hasten quickly, do not linger, and now run to Egypt and bring all the records—the record of the purchase, the sealed record and the open record, and also all the first records in which all the transactions of the birthright are written; fetch [them]. ⁵⁸ And you will bring them to us here [so] that we may know from them all the words of Esau and his sons which they spoke this day.” ⁵⁹ And Naphtali listened to the voice of Joseph and he hastened and ran to go down to Egypt, and Naphtali was lighter on foot than any of the stags that were on the wilderness, for he would go on ears of corn without crushing them. ⁶⁰ And when Esau saw that Naphtali had gone to fetch the records, he and his sons increased their resistance against the cave, and Esau and all his people rose up against Joseph and his brothers to battle. ⁶¹ And all the sons of Jacob and the people of Egypt fought with Esau and his men, and the sons of Esau and his people were smitten before the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Jacob slew of Esau’s people forty men. ⁶² And Chushim the son of Dan, the son of Jacob, was with Jacob’s sons at that time, but he was about one hundred cubits distant from the place of battle, for he remained with the children of Jacob’s sons by Jacob’s bier to guard it. ⁶³ And Chushim was mute and deaf, [but] he still understood the voice of consternation among men. ⁶⁴ And he asked, saying, “Why do you not bury the dead, and what is this great consternation?” and they answered him [with] the words of Esau and his sons; and he ran to Esau in the midst of the battle, and he slew Esau with a sword, and he cut off his head, and it sprang to a distance, and Esau fell among the people of the battle. ⁶⁵ And when Chushim did this thing the sons of Jacob prevailed over the sons of Esau, and the sons of Jacob buried their father Jacob by force in the cave, and the sons of Esau beheld it. ⁶⁶ And Jacob was buried in Hebron, in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth for the possession of a burial place, and he was buried in very costly garments. ⁶⁷ And no king had such honor paid him as Joseph paid to his father at his death, for he buried him with great honor like to the burial of kings. ⁶⁸ And Joseph and his brothers made a mourning of seven days for their father.

 

CHAPTER 57

And it was after this that the sons of Esau waged war with the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Esau fought with the sons of Jacob in Hebron, and Esau was still lying dead and not buried. ² And the battle was heavy between them, and the sons of Esau were smitten before the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Jacob slew eighty men of the sons of Esau, and not one died of the people of the sons of Jacob; and the hand of Joseph prevailed over all the people of the sons of Esau, and he took Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, and fifty of his men captive, and he bound them with chains of iron, and gave them into the hand of his servants to bring them to Egypt. ³ And it came to pass when the sons of Jacob had taken Zepho and his people captive, all those that remained were greatly afraid for their lives from the house of Esau lest they should also be taken captive, and they all fled with Eliphaz the son of Esau and his people, with Esau’s body, and they went on their road to Mount Seir. ⁴ And they came to Mount Seir and they buried Esau in Seir, but they had not brought his head with them to Seir, for it was buried in that place where the battle had been in Hebron. ⁵ And it came to pass when the sons of Esau had fled from before the sons of Jacob, the sons of Jacob pursued them to the borders of Seir, but they did not slay a single man from among them when they pursued them, for Esau’s body which they carried with them excited their confusion, so they fled and the sons of Jacob turned back from them and came up to the place where their brothers were in Hebron, and they remained there on that day and on the next day until they rested from the battle. ⁶ And it came to pass on the third day, they assembled all the sons of Seir the Horite, and they assembled all the children of the east, a multitude of people like the sand of the sea, and they went and came down to Egypt to fight with Joseph and his brothers in order to deliver their brothers. ⁷ And Joseph and all the sons of Jacob heard that the sons of Esau and the children of the east had come on them to battle in order to deliver their brothers. ⁸ And Joseph, and his brothers, and the strong men of Egypt went out and fought in the city of Rameses, and Joseph and his brothers dealt out a tremendous blow among the sons of Esau and the children of the east. ⁹ And they slew of them six hundred thousand men, and they slew among them all the mighty men of the children of Seir the Horite; there were only a few of them left, and they also slew a great many of the children of the east and of the children of Esau; and Eliphaz the son of Esau and the children of the east all fled before Joseph and his brothers. ¹⁰ And Joseph and his brothers pursued them until they came to Succoth, and they yet slew thirty men of them in Succoth, and the rest escaped and they each fled to his city. ¹¹ And Joseph, and his brothers, and the mighty men of Egypt turned back from them with joy and cheerfulness of heart, for they had smitten all their enemies. ¹² And Zepho the son of Eliphaz and his men were still slaves in Egypt to the sons of Jacob, and their pains increased. ¹³ And when the sons of Esau and the sons of Seir returned to their land, the sons of Seir saw that they had all fallen into the hands of the sons of Jacob and the people of Egypt on account of the battle of the sons of Esau. ¹⁴ And the sons of Seir said to the sons of Esau, “You have seen and therefore you know that this camp was on your account, and not one mighty man or an adept in war remains. ¹⁵ Now therefore, go out from our land; go from us to the land of Canaan to the land of the dwelling of your fathers; why will your children inherit the effects of our children in latter days?” ¹⁶ And the children of Esau would not listen to the children of Seir, and the children of Seir considered to make war with them. ¹⁷ And the children of Esau secretly sent to Angeas king of Africa, the same is Dinhabah, saying, ¹⁸ “Send some of your men to us and let them come to us, and we will fight together with the children of Seir the Horite, for they have resolved to fight with us to drive us away from the land.” ¹⁹ And Angeas king of Dinhabah did so, for he was friendly to the children of Esau in those days, and Angeas sent five hundred valiant infantry to the children of Esau, and [also] eight hundred cavalry. ²⁰ And the children of Seir sent to the children of the east and to the children of Midian, saying, “You have seen what the children of Esau have done to us, on whose account we are almost all destroyed, in their battle with the sons of Jacob. ²¹ Now therefore, come to us and assist us, and we will fight them together, and we will drive them from the land and be avenged of the cause of our brothers who died for their sakes in their battle with their brothers, the sons of Jacob.” ²² And all the children of the east listened to the children of Seir, and they came to them—about eight hundred men with drawn swords—and the children of Esau fought with the children of Seir at that time in the wilderness of Paran. ²³ And the children of Seir then prevailed over the sons of Esau, and the children of Seir slew on that day of the children of Esau in that battle about two hundred men of the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah. ²⁴ And on the second day the children of Esau came again to fight a second time with the children of Seir, and the battle was severe on the children of Esau this second time, and it troubled them greatly on account of the children of Seir. ²⁵ And when the children of Esau saw that the children of Seir were more powerful than they were, some men of the children of Esau turned and assisted the children of Seir, their enemies. ²⁶ And there fell yet of the people of the children of Esau in the second battle fifty-eight men of the people at Angeas king of Dinhabah. ²⁷ And on the third day the children of Esau heard that some of their brothers had turned from them to fight against them in the second battle; and the children of Esau mourned when they heard this thing. ²⁸ And they said, “What will we do to our brothers who turned from us to assist the children of Seir, our enemies?” and the children of Esau sent to Angeas king of Dinhabah again, saying, ²⁹ “Send other men to us again that with them we may fight with the children of Seir, for they have already twice been heavier than we were.” ³⁰ And Angeas again sent to the children of Esau about six hundred valiant men, and they came to assist the children of Esau. ³¹ And in ten days’ time the children of Esau again waged war with the children of Seir in the wilderness of Paran, and the battle was very severe on the children of Seir, and the children of Esau prevailed over the children of Seir at this time, and the children of Seir were smitten before the children of Esau, and the children of Esau slew from them about two thousand men. ³² And all the mighty men of the children of Seir died in this battle, and there only remained their young children that were left in their cities. ³³ And all Midian and the children of the east went themselves to escape from the battle, and they left the children of Seir and fled when they saw that the battle was severe on them, and the children of Esau pursued all the children of the east until they reached their land. ³⁴ And the children of Esau slew yet of them about two hundred and fifty men, and from the people of the children of Esau there fell in that battle about thirty men, but this evil came on them through their brothers turning from them to assist the children of Seir the Horite, and the children of Esau again heard of the evil doings of their brothers, and they again mourned on account of this thing. ³⁵ And it came to pass after the battle, the children of Esau turned back and came home to Seir, and the children of Esau slew those who had remained in the land of the children of Seir; they also slew their wives and little ones; they did not leave a soul alive except fifty young boys and young girls whom they allowed to live, and the children of Esau did not put them to death, and the boys became their slaves, and they took the young girls for wives. ³⁶ And the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place of the children of Seir, and they inherited their land and took possession of it. ³⁷ And the children of Esau took all belonging to the children of Seir in the land, also their flocks, their bullocks, and their goods, and the children of Esau took all belonging to the children of Seir, and the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place of the children of Seir to this day, and the children of Esau divided the land into divisions to the five sons of Esau, according to their families. ³⁸ And it came to pass in those days that the children of Esau resolved to crown a king over them in the land of which they possessed. And they said to each other, “Not so, for he will reign over us in our land, and we will be under his counsel and he will fight our battles against our enemies,” and they did so. ³⁹ And all the children of Esau swore, saying that none of their brothers should ever reign over them, but a strange man who is not of their brothers, for the souls of all the children of Esau were embittered—every man against his son, brother, and friend—on account of the evil they sustained from their brothers when they fought with the children of Seir. ⁴⁰ Therefore the sons of Esau swore, saying from that day forward they would not choose a king from their brothers, but one from a strange land to this day. ⁴¹ And there was a man there from the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah; his name was Bela the son of Beor, who was a very valiant man, beautiful, and handsome, and wise in all wisdom, and a man of sense and counsel; and there was none of the people of Angeas like to him. ⁴² And all the children of Esau took him and anointed him, and they crowned him for a king, and they bowed down to him, and they said to him, “May the king live, may the king live!” ⁴³ And they spread out the sheet, and they brought him, each man, earrings of gold and silver or rings or bracelets, and they made him very rich in silver and in gold, in onyx stones and bdellium, and they made him a royal throne, and they placed a regal crown on his head, and they built a palace for him and he dwelt therein, and he became king over all the children of Esau. ⁴⁴ And the people of Angeas took their hire for their battle from the children of Esau, and they went and returned at that time to their master in Dinhabah. ⁴⁵ And Bela reigned over the children of Esau thirty years, and the children of Esau dwelt in the land instead of the children of Seir, and they dwelt securely in their stead to this day.

 

CHAPTER 58

And it came to pass in the thirty-second year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, that is in the seventy-first year of the life of Joseph, in that year Pharaoh king of Egypt died, and his son Magron reigned in his stead. ² And before his death Pharaoh commanded Joseph to be a father to his son Magron, and that Magron should be under the care of Joseph and under his counsel. ³ And all Egypt consented to this thing that Joseph should be king over them, for all the Egyptians loved Joseph as before now, only Magron the son of Pharaoh sat on his father’s throne, and he became king in those days in his father’s stead. ⁴ Magron was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned [for] forty years in Egypt, and all Egypt called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father as it was their custom to do in Egypt to every king that reigned over them. ⁵ And it came to pass when Pharaoh reigned in his father’s stead, he placed the laws of Egypt and all the affairs of government in the hand of Joseph as his father had commanded him. ⁶ And Joseph became king over Egypt, for he superintended over all Egypt, and all Egypt was under his care and under his counsel, for all Egypt inclined to Joseph after the death of Pharaoh, and they loved him exceedingly to reign over them. ⁷ But there were some people among them who did not like him, saying, “No stranger will reign over us”; still the whole government of Egypt devolved in those days on Joseph, after the death of Pharaoh, he being the regulator, doing as he liked throughout the land without anyone interfering. ⁸ And all Egypt was under the care of Joseph, and Joseph made war with all his surrounding enemies, and he subdued them; Joseph also subdued all the land and all the Philistines to the borders of Canaan, and they were all under his power and they gave a yearly tax to Joseph. ⁹ And Pharaoh king of Egypt sat on his throne in his father’s stead, but he was under the control and counsel of Joseph as he was at first under the control of his father. ¹⁰ Neither did he reign but in the land of Egypt alone, [but only] under the counsel of Joseph, but Joseph reigned over the whole country at that time, from Egypt to the great river Perath. ¹¹ And Joseph was successful in all his ways, and the Lord was with him, and the Lord gave Joseph additional wisdom, and honor, and glory, and love toward him in the hearts of the Egyptians and throughout the land, and Joseph reigned over the whole country [for] forty years. ¹² And all the countries of the Philistines, and Canaan, and Zidon, and on the other side of Jordan brought presents to Joseph all his days, and the whole country was in the hand of Joseph, and they brought a yearly tribute to him as it was regulated, for Joseph had fought against all his surrounding enemies and subdued them, and the whole country was in the hand of Joseph, and Joseph sat securely on his throne in Egypt. ¹³ And all his brothers, the sons of Jacob, also dwelt securely in the land all the days of Joseph, and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly in the land, and they served the Lord all their days as their father Jacob had commanded them. ¹⁴ And it came to pass at the end of many days and years when the children of Esau were dwelling quietly in their land with Bela, their king, that the children of Esau were fruitful and multiplied in the land, and they resolved to go and fight with the sons of Jacob and all Egypt, and to deliver their brother Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, and his men, for they were still slaves to Joseph in those days. ¹⁵ And the children of Esau sent to all the children of the east, and they made peace with them, and all the children of the east came to them to go with the children of Esau to Egypt to battle. ¹⁶ And there also came to them [those] of the people of Angeas, king of Dinhabah, and they also sent to the children of Ishmael and they also came to them. ¹⁷ And all this people assembled and came to Seir to assist the children of Esau in their battle, and this camp was very large and heavy with people, numerous as the sand of the sea, about eight hundred thousand men, infantry and cavalry, and all these troops went down to Egypt to fight with the sons of Jacob, and they encamped by Rameses. ¹⁸ And Joseph went out with his brothers with the mighty men of Egypt, about six hundred men, and they fought with them in the land of Rameses; and the sons of Jacob again fought with the children of Esau at that time, in the fiftieth year of the sons of Jacob going down to Egypt, that is the thirtieth year of the reign of Bela over the children of Esau in Seir. ¹⁹ And the Lord gave all the mighty men of Esau and the children of the east into the hand of Joseph and his brothers, and the people of the children of Esau and the children of the east were smitten before Joseph. ²⁰ And of the people of Esau and the children of the east that were slain, there fell before the sons of Jacob about two hundred thousand men, and their king, Bela the son of Beor, fell with them in the battle, and when the children of Esau saw that their king had fallen in battle and was dead, their hands became weak in the combat. ²¹ And Joseph, and his brothers, and all Egypt were still striking the people of the house of Esau, and all Esau’s people were afraid of the sons of Jacob and fled from before them. ²² And Joseph, and his brothers, and all Egypt pursued them a day’s journey, and they slew yet from them about three hundred men, continuing to strike them in the road; and afterward they turned back from them. ²³ And Joseph and all his brothers returned to Egypt; not one man was missing from them, but of the Egyptians there fell twelve men. ²⁴ And when Joseph returned to Egypt he ordered Zepho and his men to be additionally bound, and they bound them in irons and they increased their grief. ²⁵ And all the people of the children of Esau and the children of the east each returned in shame to his city, for all the mighty men that were with them had fallen in battle. ²⁶ And when the children of Esau saw that their king had died in battle, they hastened and took a man from the people of the children of the east; his name was Jobab the son of Zarach, from the land of Botzrah, and they caused him to reign over them instead of Bela, their king. ²⁷ And Jobab sat on the throne of Bela as king in his stead, and Jobab reigned in Edom over all the children of Esau ten years, and the children of Esau no longer went to fight with the sons of Jacob from that day forward, for the sons of Esau knew the valor of the sons of Jacob, and they were greatly afraid of them. ²⁸ But from that day forward the children of Esau hated the sons of Jacob, and the hatred and enmity were very strong between them all the days, to this day. ²⁹ And it came to pass after this, at the end of ten years, Jobab, the son of Zarach, from Botzrah, died, and the children of Esau took a man whose name was Chusham, from the land of Teman, and they made him king over them instead of Jobab, and Chusham reigned in Edom over all the children of Esau for twenty years. ³⁰ And Joseph, king of Egypt, and his brothers, and all the sons of Israel dwelt securely in Egypt in those days, together with all the children of Joseph and his brothers, having no hindrance or evil accident and the land of Egypt was at that time at rest from war in the days of Joseph and his brothers.

 

CHAPTER 59

And these are the names of the sons of Israel who dwelt in Egypt who had come with Jacob (all the sons of Jacob came to Egypt, every man with his household). ² The children of Leah were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, and their sister Dinah. ³ And the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. ⁴ And the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, were Gad and Asher. ⁵ And the sons of Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, were Dan and Naphtali. ⁶ And these were their offspring that were born to them in the land of Canaan before they came to Egypt with their father Jacob. ⁷ The sons of Reuben were Chanoch, Pallu, Chetzron, and Carmi. ⁸ And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zochar, and Saul, the son of the Canaanite woman. ⁹ And the children of Levi were Gershon, Kehas, and Merari, and their sister Jochebed who was born to them in their going down to Egypt. ¹⁰ And the sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zarach. ¹¹ And Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan; and the sons of Perez were Chezron and Chamul. ¹² And the sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shomron. ¹³ And the sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jachleel. And the son of Dan was Chushim. ¹⁴ And the sons of Naphtali were Jachzeel, Guni, Jetzer, and Shilam. ¹⁵ And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, Chaggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁶ And the children of Asher were Jimnah, Jishvah, Jishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serach; and the sons of Beriah were Cheber and Malchiel. ¹⁷ And the sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord. ¹⁸ And the sons of Joseph that were born to him in Egypt were Manasseh and Ephraim. ¹⁹ And all the souls that went out from the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; these are they who came to Egypt with their father Jacob to dwell there: and Joseph and all his brothers dwelt securely in Egypt, and they ate of the best of Egypt all the days of the life of Joseph. ²⁰ And Joseph lived in the land of Egypt [for] ninety-three years, and Joseph reigned over all Egypt [for] eighty years. ²¹ And when the days of Joseph drew near that he should die, he sent and called for his brothers and all his father’s household, and they all came together and sat before him. ²² And Joseph said to his brothers and to the whole of his father’s household, “Behold, I die, and God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land which He swore to your fathers to give to them. ²³ And it will be when God will visit you to bring you up from here to the land of your fathers, then bring up my bones with you from here.” ²⁴ And Joseph made the sons of Israel to swear for their seed after them, saying, “God will surely visit you and you will bring up my bones with you from here.” ²⁵ And it came to pass after this that Joseph died in that year, the seventy-first year of the Israelites going down to Egypt. ²⁶ And Joseph was one hundred and ten years old when he died in the land of Egypt, and all his brothers and all his servants rose up and embalmed Joseph as was their custom, and his brothers and all Egypt mourned over him for seventy days. ²⁷ And they put Joseph in a coffin filled with spices and all sorts of perfume, and they buried him by the side of the river, that is Sihor, and his sons, and all his brothers, and the whole of his father’s household made a seven days’ mourning for him. ²⁸ And it came to pass after the death of Joseph, all the Egyptians began to rule over the sons of Israel in those days, and Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who reigned in his father’s stead, took all the laws of Egypt and conducted the whole government of Egypt under his counsel, and he reigned securely over his people.

 

CHAPTER 60

And when the year came round, being the seventy-second year from the Israelites going down to Egypt, after the death of Joseph, Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, fled from Egypt, he and his men, and they went away. ² And he came to Africa, which is Dinhabah, to Angeas king of Africa, and Angeas received them with great honor, and he made Zepho the captain of his host. ³ And Zepho found favor in the sight of Angeas and in the sight of his people, and Zepho was captain of the host to Angeas king of Africa for many days. ⁴ And Zepho enticed Angeas king of Africa to collect all his army to go and fight with the Egyptians and with the sons of Jacob, and to avenge of them the cause of his brothers. ⁵ But Angeas would not listen to Zepho to do this thing, for Angeas knew the strength of the sons of Jacob and what they had done to his army in their warfare with the children of Esau. ⁶ And Zepho was very great in those days in the sight of Angeas and in the sight of all his people, and he continually enticed them to make war against Egypt, but they would not. ⁷ And it came to pass in those days there was in the land of Chittim a man in the city of Puzimna whose name was Uzu, and he became degenerately deified by the children of Chittim, and the man died and had no son, only one daughter whose name was Jania. ⁸ And the young woman was exceedingly attractive, beautiful and intelligent, there was none seen like to her for beauty and wisdom throughout the land. ⁹ And the people of Angeas king of Africa saw her and they came and praised her to him, and Angeas sent to the children of Chittim, and he requested to take her to himself for a wife, and the people of Chittim consented to give her to him for a wife. ¹⁰ And when the messengers of Angeas were going out from the land of Chittim to take their journey, behold, the messengers of Turnus king of Bibentu came to Chittim, for Turnus king of Bibentu also sent his messengers to request Jania for him, to take to himself for a wife, for all his men had also praised her to him, therefore he sent all his servants to her. ¹¹ And the servants of Turnus came to Chittim, and they asked for Jania to be taken to Turnus, their king, for a wife. ¹² And the people of Chittim said to them, “We cannot give her, because Angeas king of Africa desired her to take her to himself for a wife before you came, and that we should give her to him, and now therefore, we cannot do this thing to deprive Angeas of the young woman in order to give her to Turnus. ¹³ For we are greatly afraid of Angeas lest he come in battle against us and destroy us, and your master Turnus will not be able to deliver us from his hand.” ¹⁴ And when the messengers of Turnus heard all the words of the children of Chittim, they turned back to their master and told him all the words of the children of Chittim. ¹⁵ And the children of Chittim sent a memorial to Angeas, saying, “Behold, Turnus has sent for Jania to take her to himself for a wife, and thus we have answered him; and we heard that he has collected his whole army to go to war against you, and he intends to pass by the road of Sardunia to fight against your brother Lucus, and after that he will come to fight against you.” ¹⁶ And Angeas heard the words of the children of Chittim which they sent to him in the record, and his anger was kindled, and he rose up and assembled his whole army, and he came through the islands of the sea, the road to Sardunia, to his brother Lucus king of Sardunia. ¹⁷ And Niblos, the son of Lucus, heard that his uncle Angeas was coming, and he went out to meet him with a heavy army, and he kissed him and embraced him, and Niblos said to Angeas, “When you ask my father after his welfare, when I will go with you to fight with Turnus, ask of him to make me captain of his host,” and Angeas did so, and he came to his brother and his brother came to meet him, and he asked him after his welfare. ¹⁸ And Angeas asked his brother Lucus after his welfare, and to make his son Niblos captain of his host, and Lucus did so, and Angeas and his brother Lucus rose up and they went toward Turnus to battle, and there was with them a great army and a heavy people. ¹⁹ And he came in ships, and they came into the province of Ashtorash, and behold, Turnus came toward them, for he went out to Sardunia, and intended to destroy it and afterward to pass on from there to Angeas to fight with him. ²⁰ And Angeas and his brother Lucus met Turnus in the Valley of Canopia, and the battle was strong and mighty between them in that place. ²¹ And the battle was severe on Lucus king of Sardunia, and all his army fell, and his son Niblos also fell in that battle. ²² And his uncle Angeas commanded his servants, and they made a golden coffin for Niblos, and they put him into it, and Angeas again waged battle toward Turnus, and Angeas was stronger than he, and he slew him, and he struck all his people with the edge of the sword, and Angeas avenged the cause of his brother’s son Niblos and the cause of the army of his brother Lucus. ²³ And when Turnus died, the hands of those that survived the battle became weak, and they fled from before Angeas and his brother Lucus. ²⁴ And Angeas and his brother Lucus pursued them to the high road, which is between Alphanu and Romah, and they slew the whole army of Turnus with the edge of the sword. ²⁵ And Lucus king of Sardunia commanded his servants that they should make a coffin of brass, and that they should place therein the body of his son Niblos, and they buried him in that place. ²⁶ And they built a high tower on it there on the high road, and they called its name after the name of Niblos to this day, and they also buried Turnus king of Bibentu there in that place with Niblos. ²⁷ And behold, on the high road between Alphanu and Romah the grave of Niblos is on one side and the grave of Turnus on the other, and [there is] a pavement between them to this day. ²⁸ And when Niblos was buried, his father Lucus returned with his army to his land, Sardunia, and his brother Angeas, king of Africa, went with his people to the city of Bibentu, that is the city of Turnus. ²⁹ And the inhabitants of Bibentu heard of his fame, and they were greatly afraid of him, and they went out to meet him with weeping and supplication, and the inhabitants of Bibentu entreated of Angeas not to slay them nor destroy their city; and he did so, for Bibentu was reckoned as one of the cities of the children of Chittim in those days; therefore he did not destroy the city. ³⁰ But from that day forward the troops of the king of Africa would go to Chittim to spoil and plunder it, and whenever they went, Zepho the captain of the host of Angeas would go with them. ³¹ And it was after this that Angeas turned with his army and they came to the city of Puzimna, and Angeas took Jania the daughter of Uzu from there for a wife and brought her to his city, to Africa.

 

CHAPTER 61

And it came to pass at that time, Pharaoh king of Egypt commanded all his people to make a strong palace in Egypt for him. ² And he also commanded the sons of Jacob to assist the Egyptians in the building, and the Egyptians made a beautiful and elegant palace for a royal habitation, and he dwelt therein, and he renewed his government and reigned securely. ³ And Zebulun the son of Jacob died in that year, that is the seventy-second year of the going down of the Israelites to Egypt, and Zebulun died one hundred and fourteen years old, and was put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children. ⁴ And in the seventy-fifth year his brother Simeon died; he was one hundred and twenty years old at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children. ⁵ And Zepho the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, captain of the host to Angeas king of Dinhabah, was still daily enticing Angeas to prepare for battle to fight with the sons of Jacob in Egypt, and Angeas was unwilling to do this thing, for his servants had related to him all the might of the sons of Jacob, what they had done to them in their battle with the children of Esau. ⁶ And Zepho was enticing Angeas daily in those days to fight with the sons of Jacob in those days. ⁷ And after some time Angeas listened to the words of Zepho and consented to him to fight with the sons of Jacob in Egypt, and Angeas got all his people in order, a people [as] numerous as the sand which is on the seashore, and he formed his resolution to go to Egypt to battle. ⁸ And among the servants of Angeas was a youth fifteen years old, Balaam the son of Beor was his name, and the youth was very wise and understood the art of witchcraft. ⁹ And Angeas said to Balaam, “Please conjure for us with the witchcraft that we may know who will prevail in this battle to which we are now proceeding.” ¹⁰ And Balaam ordered that they should bring him wax, and he made thereof the likeness of chariots and horsemen representing the army of Angeas and the army of Egypt, and he put them in the cunningly prepared waters that he had for that purpose, and he took the boughs of myrtle trees in his hand, and he exercised his cunning, and he joined them over the water, and there appeared to him in the water the resembling images of the hosts of Angeas falling before the resembling images of the Egyptians and the sons of Jacob. ¹¹ And Balaam told this thing to Angeas, and Angeas despaired and did not arm himself to go down to Egypt to battle, and he remained in his city. ¹² And when Zepho the son of Eliphaz saw that Angeas despaired of going out to battle with the Egyptians, Zepho fled from Angeas from Africa, and he went and came to Chittim. ¹³ And all the people of Chittim received him with great honor, and they hired him to fight their battles all the days, and Zepho became exceedingly rich in those days, and the troops of the king of Africa still spread themselves in those days, and the children of Chittim assembled and went to Mount Cuptizia on account of the troops of Angeas, king of Africa, who were advancing on them. ¹⁴ And it was one day that Zepho lost a young heifer, and he went to seek it, and he heard it lowing around the mountain. ¹⁵ And Zepho went, and he saw, and behold, there was a large cave at the bottom of the mountain, and there was a great stone there at the entrance of the cave, and Zepho split the stone, and he came into the cave, and he looked, and behold, a large animal was devouring the ox; from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled an animal, and Zepho rose up against the animal and slew it with his swords. ¹⁶ And the inhabitants of Chittim heard of this thing, and they rejoiced exceedingly, and they said, “What will we do to this man who has slain this animal that devoured our cattle?” ¹⁷ And they all assembled to consecrate one day in the year to him, and they called the name thereof Zepho after his name, and they brought drink offerings to him year after year on that day, and they brought gifts to him. ¹⁸ At that time Jania the daughter of Uzu, wife of King Angeas, became sick, and her sickness was heavily felt by Angeas and his officers, and Angeas said to his wise men, “What will I do to Jania and how will I heal her from her sickness?” And his wise men said to him, “Because the air of our country is not like the air of the land of Chittim, and our water is not like their water, therefore the queen has become sick from this. ¹⁹ For through the change of air and water she became sick, and also because in her country she only drank the water which came from Purmah, which her ancestors had brought up with bridges.” ²⁰ And Angeas commanded his servants, and they brought to him in vessels of the waters of Purmah belonging to Chittim, and they weighed those waters with all the waters of the land of Africa, and they found those waters lighter than the waters of Africa. ²¹ And Angeas saw this thing, and he commanded all his officers to assemble the hewers of stone in thousands and tens of thousands, and they hewed stone without number, and the builders came and they built an exceedingly strong bridge, and they transported the spring of water from the land of Chittim to Africa, and those waters were for Jania the queen and for all her concerns, to drink from and to bake, wash and bathe with [them], and also to water with [them] all seed from which food can be obtained, and all fruit of the ground. ²² And the king commanded that they should bring of the soil of Chittim in large ships, and they also brought stones to build with, and the builders built palaces for Jania the queen, and the queen became healed of her sickness. ²³ And at the revolution of the year the troops of Africa continued coming to the land of Chittim to plunder as usual, and Zepho son of Eliphaz heard their report, and he gave orders concerning them, and he fought with them, and they fled before him, and he delivered the land of Chittim from them. ²⁴ And the children of Chittim saw the valor of Zepho, and the children of Chittim resolved and they made Zepho king over them, and he became king over them, and while he reigned, they went to subdue the children of Tubal, and all the surrounding islands. ²⁵ And their king, Zepho, went at their head, and they made war with Tubal and the islands and subdued them, and when they returned from the battle they renewed his government for him, and they built a very large palace for him for his royal habitation and seat, and they made a large throne for him, and Zepho reigned over the whole land of Chittim and over the land of Italia [for] fifty years.

 

CHAPTER 62

In that year, being the seventy-ninth year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, Reuben the son of Jacob died in the land of Egypt; Reuben was one hundred and twenty-five years old when he died, and they put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children. ² And in the eightieth year his brother Dan died; he was one hundred and twenty years [old] at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children. ³ And in that year Chusham king of Edom died, and Hadad the son of Bedad reigned after him for thirty-five years; and in the eighty-first year Issachar the son of Jacob died in Egypt, and Issachar was one hundred and twenty-two years old at his death, and he was put into a coffin in Egypt and given into the hands of his children. ⁴ And in the eighty-second year his brother Asher died; he was one hundred and twenty-three years old at his death, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt and given into the hands of his children. ⁵ And in the eighty-third year Gad died; he was one hundred and twenty-five years old at his death, and he was put into a coffin in Egypt, and given into the hands of his children. ⁶ And it came to pass in the eighty-fourth year, that is the fiftieth year of the reign of Hadad son of Bedad, king of Edom, that Hadad assembled all the children of Esau, and he got his whole army in readiness, about four hundred thousand men, and he directed his way to the land of Moab, and he went to fight with Moab and to make them tributary to him. ⁷ And the children of Moab heard this thing, and they were very much afraid, and they sent to the children of Midian to assist them in fighting with Hadad son of Bedad, king of Edom. ⁸ And Hadad came to the land of Moab, and Moab and the children of Midian went out to meet him, and they placed themselves in battle array against him in the field of Moab. ⁹ And Hadad fought with Moab, and there fell of the children of Moab and the children of Midian many slain ones, about two hundred thousand men. ¹⁰ And the battle was very severe on Moab, and when the children of Moab saw that the battle was severe on them, they weakened their hands, and turned their backs, and left the children of Midian to carry on the battle. ¹¹ And the children of Midian did not know the intentions of Moab, but they strengthened themselves in battle and fought with Hadad and all his host, and all Midian fell before him. ¹² And Hadad struck all Midian with a heavy striking, and he slew them with the edge of the sword; he left none remaining of those who came to assist Moab. ¹³ And when all the children of Midian had perished in battle and the children at Moab had escaped, Hadad made all Moab tributary to him at that time, and they came under his hand, and they gave a yearly tax as it was ordered, and Hadad turned and went back to his land. ¹⁴ And at the revolution of the year, when the rest of the people of Midian that were in the land heard that all their brothers had fallen in battle with Hadad for the sake of Moab, because the children of Moab had turned their backs in battle and left Midian to fight, then five of the princes of Midian resolved with the rest of their brothers who remained in their land to fight with Moab to avenge the cause of their brothers. ¹⁵ And the children of Midian sent to all their brothers, the children of the east, and all their brothers; all the children of Keturah came to assist Midian to fight with Moab. ¹⁶ And the children of Moab heard this thing, and they were greatly afraid that all the children of the east had assembled together against them for battle, and they, the children of Moab, sent a memorial to the land of Edom to Hadad the son of Bedad, saying, ¹⁷ “Come to us now, and assist us, and we will strike Midian, for they all assembled together and have come against us with all their brothers, the children of the east, to battle, to avenge the cause of Midian that fell in battle.” ¹⁸ And Hadad son of Bedad, king of Edom, went out with his whole army and went to the land of Moab to fight with Midian, and Midian and the children of the east fought with Moab in the field of Moab, and the battle was very fierce between them. ¹⁹ And Hadad struck all the children of Midian and the children of the east with the edge of the sword, and at that time Hadad delivered Moab from the hand of Midian, and those that remained of Midian and of the children of the east fled before Hadad and his army, and Hadad pursued them to their land, and struck them with a very heavy slaughter, and the slain fell in the road. ²⁰ And Hadad delivered Moab from the hand of Midian, for all the children of Midian had fallen by the edge of the sword, and Hadad turned and went back to his land. ²¹ And from that day forward the children of Midian hated the children of Moab, because they had fallen in battle for their sake, and there was a great and mighty enmity between them all the days. ²² And all that were found of Midian in the road of the land of Moab perished by the sword of Moab, and all that were found of Moab in the road of the land of Midian perished by the sword of Midian; thus Midian did to Moab and Moab to Midian for many days. ²³ And it came to pass at that time that Judah the son of Jacob died in Egypt, in the eighty-sixth year of Jacob’s going down to Egypt, and Judah was one hundred and twenty-nine years old at his death, and they embalmed him and put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children. ²⁴ And in the eighty-ninth year Naphtali died; he was one hundred and thirty-two years old, and he was put into a coffin, and given into the hands of his children. ²⁵ And it came to pass in the ninety-first year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, that is in the thirtieth year of the reign of Zepho the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, over the children of Chittim, the children of Africa came on the children of Chittim to plunder them as usual, but they had not come on them for these thirteen years. ²⁶ And they came to them in that year, and Zepho the son of Eliphaz went out to them with some of his men and struck them desperately, and the troops of Africa fled from before Zepho and the slain fell before him, and Zepho and his men pursued them, going on and striking them until they were near to Africa. ²⁷ And Angeas king of Africa heard the thing which Zepho had done, and it vexed him exceedingly, and Angeas was afraid of Zepho all the days.

 

CHAPTER 63

And in the ninety-third year Levi the son of Jacob died in Egypt, and Levi was one hundred and thirty-seven years old when he died, and they put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children. ² And it came to pass after the death of Levi, when all Egypt saw that the sons of Jacob, the brothers of Joseph, were dead, all the Egyptians began to afflict the children of Jacob, and to embitter their lives from that day to the day of their going out from Egypt, and they took from their hands all the vineyards and fields which Joseph had given to them, and all the elegant houses in which the people of Israel lived, and all the fat of Egypt; the Egyptians took everything from the sons of Jacob in those days. ³ And the hand of all Egypt became more grievous in those days against the sons of Israel, and the Egyptians injured the Israelites until the sons of Israel were wearied of their lives on account of the Egyptians. ⁴ And it came to pass in those days, in the one hundred and second year of Israel’s going down to Egypt, that Pharaoh king of Egypt died, and his son Melol reigned in his stead, and all the mighty men of Egypt and all that generation which knew Joseph and his brothers died in those days. ⁵ And another generation rose up in their stead, which had not known the sons of Jacob, and all the good which they had done to them, and all their might in Egypt. ⁶ Therefore all Egypt began from that day out to embitter the lives of the sons of Jacob and to afflict them with all manner of hard labor, because they had not known their ancestors who had delivered them in the days of the famine. ⁷ And this was also from the Lord, for the sons of Israel, to benefit them in their latter days, in order that all the sons of Israel might know the Lord their God, ⁸ and in order to know the signs and mighty wonders which the Lord would do in Egypt on account of His people Israel, in order that the sons of Israel might fear the Lord God of their ancestors and walk in all His ways—they and their seed after them [for] all the days. ⁹ Melol was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned ninety-four years, and all Egypt called his name Pharaoh after the name of his father as it was their custom to do to every king who reigned over them in Egypt. ¹⁰ At that time all the troops of Angeas king of Africa went out to spread along the land of Chittim as usual for plunder. ¹¹ And Zepho the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, heard their report, and he went out to meet them with his army, and he fought them there in the road. ¹² And Zepho struck the troops of the king of Africa with the edge of the sword and left none remaining of them, and not even one returned to his master in Africa. ¹³ And Angeas heard of this which Zepho the son of Eliphaz had done to all his troops, that he had destroyed them, and Angeas assembled all his troops, all the men of the land of Africa, a people numerous like the sand by the seashore. ¹⁴ And Angeas sent to his brother Lucus, saying, “Come to me with all your men and help me to strike Zepho and all the children of Chittim who have destroyed my men,” and Lucus came with his whole army, a very great force, to assist his brother Angeas to fight with Zepho and the children of Chittim. ¹⁵ And Zepho and the children of Chittim heard this thing, and they were greatly afraid, and a great terror fell on their hearts. ¹⁶ And Zepho also sent a letter to the land of Edom to Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom and to all the children of Esau, saying, ¹⁷ “I have heard that Angeas king of Africa is coming to us with his brother for battle against us, and we are greatly afraid of him, for his army is very great, particularly as he comes against us with his brother and his army likewise. ¹⁸ Now therefore, come up with me also and help me, and we will fight together against Angeas and his brother Lucus, and you will save us out of their hands, but if not, know that we will all die.” ¹⁹ And the children of Esau sent a letter to the children of Chittim and to Zepho their king, saying, “We cannot fight against Angeas and his people for a covenant of peace has been between us these many years, from the days of Bela the first king, and from the days of Joseph the son of Jacob, king of Egypt, with whom we fought on the other side of the Jordan when he buried his father.” ²⁰ And when Zepho heard the words of his brothers, the children of Esau, he refrained from them, and Zepho was greatly afraid of Angeas. ²¹ And Angeas and his brother Lucus arrayed all their forces, about eight hundred thousand men, against the children of Chittim. ²² And all the children of Chittim said to Zepho, “Pray for us to the God of your ancestors; perhaps He may deliver us from the hand of Angeas and his army, for we have heard that He is a great God and that He delivers all who trust in Him.” ²³ And Zepho heard their words, and Zepho sought the Lord, and he said, ²⁴ “O Lord God of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac, this day I know that you are a true God, and all the gods of the nations are vain and useless. ²⁵ Now this day remember for me Your covenant with our father Abraham, which our ancestors related to us, and do graciously with me this day for the sake of our fathers Abraham and Isaac, and save me and the children of Chittim from the hand of the king of Africa who comes against us for battle.” ²⁶ And the Lord listened to the voice of Zepho, and He had regard for him on account of Abraham and Isaac, and the Lord delivered Zepho and the children of Chittim from the hand of Angeas and his people. ²⁷ And Zepho fought Angeas king of Africa and all his people on that day, and the Lord gave all the people of Angeas into the hands of the children of Chittim. ²⁸ And the battle was severe on Angeas, and Zepho struck all the men of Angeas and his brother Lucus with the edge of the sword, and there fell from them to the evening of that day about four hundred thousand men. ²⁹ And when Angeas saw that all his men perished, he sent a letter to all the inhabitants of Africa to come to him, to assist him in the battle, and he wrote in the letter, saying, “Let all who are found in Africa come to me from ten years old and upward; let them all come to me, and behold, if he does not come, he will die, and the king will take all that he has, with his whole household.” ³⁰ And all the rest of the inhabitants of Africa were terrified at the words of Angeas, and there went out of the city about three hundred thousand men and boys, from ten years upward, and they came to Angeas. ³¹ And at the end of ten days Angeas renewed the battle against Zepho and the children of Chittim, and the battle was very great and strong between them. ³² And from the army of Angeas and Lucus, Zepho sent many of the wounded to his hand, about two thousand men, and Sosiphtar, the captain of the host of Angeas, fell in that battle. ³³ And when Sosiphtar had fallen, the African troops turned their backs to flee, and they fled, and Angeas and his brother Lucus were with them. ³⁴ And Zepho and the children of Chittim pursued them, and they struck them still heavily on the road, about two hundred men, and they pursued Azdrubal the son of Angeas who had fled with his father, and they struck twenty of his men in the road, and Azdrubal escaped from the children of Chittim, and they did not slay him. ³⁵ And Angeas and his brother Lucus fled with the rest of their men, and they escaped and came into Africa with terror and consternation, and Angeas feared all the days lest Zepho the son of Eliphaz should go to war with him.

 

CHAPTER 64

And at that time Balaam the son of Beor was with Angeas in the battle, and when he saw that Zepho prevailed over Angeas, he fled from there and came to Chittim. ² And Zepho and the children of Chittim received him with great honor, for Zepho knew Balaam’s wisdom, and Zepho gave many gifts to Balaam and he remained with him. ³ And when Zepho had returned from the war, he commanded all the children of Chittim to be numbered who had gone into battle with him, and behold, not one was missed. ⁴ And Zepho rejoiced at this thing, and he renewed his kingdom, and he made a feast to all his subjects. ⁵ But Zepho did not remember the Lord and did not consider that the Lord had helped him in battle and that He had delivered him and his people from the hand of the king of Africa, but still walked in the ways of the children of Chittim and the wicked children of Esau to serve other gods which his brothers, the children of Esau, had taught him; it is therefore said, “From the wicked goes out wickedness.” ⁶ And Zepho reigned over all the children of Chittim securely, but did not know the Lord who had delivered him and all his people from the hand of the king of Africa; and the troops of Africa no longer came to Chittim to plunder as usual, for they knew of the power of Zepho who had smitten them all at the edge of the sword, so Angeas was afraid of Zepho the son of Eliphaz and of the children of Chittim [for] all the days. ⁷ At that time, when Zepho had returned from the war, and when Zepho had seen how he prevailed over all the people of Africa and had smitten them in battle at the edge of the sword, then Zepho advised with the children of Chittim to go to Egypt to fight with the sons of Jacob and with Pharaoh king of Egypt, ⁸ for Zepho heard that the mighty men of Egypt were dead, and that Joseph and his brothers, the sons at Jacob, were dead, and that all their children, the sons of Israel, remained in Egypt. ⁹ And Zepho considered to go to fight against them and all Egypt, to avenge the cause of his brothers, the children of Esau, whom Joseph with his brothers and all Egypt had smitten in the land of Canaan when they went up to bury Jacob in Hebron. ¹⁰ And Zepho sent messengers to Hadad son of Bedad, king of Edom, and to all his brothers, the children of Esau, saying, ¹¹ “Did you not say that you would not fight against the king of Africa, for he is a member of your covenant? behold, I fought with him and struck him and all his people. ¹² Now therefore, I have resolved to fight against Egypt and the children of Jacob who are there, and I will be revenged of them for what Joseph, his brothers, and [his] ancestors did to us in the land of Canaan when they went up to bury their father in Hebron. ¹³ Now then, if you are willing to come to me to assist me in fighting against them and Egypt, then we will avenge the cause of our brothers.” ¹⁴ And the children of Esau listened to the words of Zepho, and the children of Esau gathered themselves together, a very great people, and they went to assist Zepho and the children of Chittim in battle. ¹⁵ And Zepho sent to all the children of the east and to all the children of Ishmael with words like to these, and they gathered themselves and came to the assistance of Zepho and the children of Chittim in the war on Egypt. ¹⁶ And all these kings, the king of Edom, and the children of the east, and all the children of Ishmael, and Zepho the king of Chittim went out and arrayed all their hosts in Hebron. ¹⁷ And the camp was very heavy, extending in length a distance of three days’ journey, a people [as] numerous as the sand on the seashore which cannot be counted. ¹⁸ And all these kings and their hosts went down, and came against all Egypt in battle, and encamped together in the Valley of Pathros. ¹⁹ And all Egypt heard their report, and they also gathered themselves together, all the people of the land of Egypt, and of all the cities belonging to Egypt, about three hundred thousand men. ²⁰ And the men of Egypt also sent to the sons of Israel who were in the land of Goshen in those days to come to them in order to go and fight with these kings. ²¹ And the men of Israel assembled and were about one hundred and fifty men, and they went into battle to assist the Egyptians. ²² And the men of Israel and of Egypt went out, about three hundred thousand men and one hundred and fifty men, and they went toward these kings to battle, and they placed themselves from outside the land of Goshen opposite Pathros. ²³ And the Egyptians did not believe in Israel to go with them in their camps together for battle, for all the Egyptians said, “Perhaps the sons of Israel will deliver us into the hand of the children of Esau and Ishmael, for they are their brothers.” ²⁴ And all the Egyptians said to the sons of Israel, “Remain together here in your position and we will go and fight against the children of Esau and Ishmael, and if these kings should prevail over us, then come altogether on them and assist us,” and the sons of Israel did so. ²⁵ And Zepho the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, king of Chittim, and Hadad the son of Bedad, king of Edom, and all their camps, and all the children of the east, and children of Ishmael, a people [as] numerous as sand, encamped together in the Valley of Pathros opposite Tachpanches. ²⁶ And Balaam the son of Beor, the Syrian, was there in the camp of Zepho, for he came with the children of Chittim to the battle, and Balaam was a man highly honored in the eyes of Zepho and his men. ²⁷ And Zepho said to Balaam, “Try by divination for us that we may know who will prevail in the battle—we or the Egyptians.” ²⁸ And Balaam rose up and tried the art of divination, and he was skillful in the knowledge of it, but he was confused and the work was destroyed in his hand. ²⁹ And he tried it again, but it did not succeed, and Balaam despaired of it, and left it, and did not complete it, for this was from the Lord in order to cause Zepho and his people to fall into the hand of the sons of Israel who had trusted in the Lord, the God of their ancestors, in their war. ³⁰ And Zepho and Hadad put their forces in battle array, and all the Egyptians went alone against them, about three hundred thousand men, and not one man of Israel was with them. ³¹ And all the Egyptians fought with these kings opposite Pathros and Tachpanches, and the battle was severe against the Egyptians. ³² And the kings were stronger than the Egyptians in that battle, and about one hundred and eighty men of Egypt fell on that day, and about thirty men of the forces of the kings, and all the men of Egypt fled from before the kings, so the children of Esau and Ishmael pursued the Egyptians, continuing to strike them to the place where the camp of the sons of Israel was. ³³ And all the Egyptians cried to the sons of Israel, saying, “Hasten to us, and assist us, and save us from the hand of Esau, Ishmael, and the children of Chittim.” ³⁴ And the one hundred and fifty men of the sons of Israel ran from their station to the camps of these kings, and the sons of Israel cried to the Lord their God to deliver them. ³⁵ And the Lord listened to Israel, and the Lord gave all the men of the kings into their hand, and the sons of Israel fought against these kings, and the sons of Israel struck about four thousand of the kings’ men. ³⁶ And the Lord threw a great consternation in the camp of the kings, so that the fear of the sons of Israel fell on them. ³⁷ And all the hosts of the kings fled from before the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel pursued them, continuing to strike them to the borders of the land of Cush. ³⁸ And the sons of Israel slew of them in the road yet two thousand [more] men, and not one of the sons of Israel fell. ³⁹ And when the Egyptians saw that the sons of Israel had fought with the kings with such few men, and that the battle was so very severe against them, ⁴⁰ all the Egyptians were greatly afraid for their lives on account of the strong battle, and all Egypt fled, every man hiding himself from the arrayed forces, and they hid themselves in the road, and they left the Israelites to fight. ⁴¹ And the sons of Israel inflicted a terrible blow on the kings’ men, and they returned from them after they had driven them to the border of the land of Cush. ⁴² And all Israel knew the thing which the men of Egypt had done to them, that they had fled from them in battle and had left them to fight alone, ⁴³ so the sons of Israel also acted with cunning, and as the sons of Israel returned from battle, they found some of the Egyptians in the road and struck them there. ⁴⁴ And while they slew them, they said to them these words: ⁴⁵ “Why did you go from us and leave us, being a few people, to fight against these kings who had a great people to strike us, that you might thereby deliver your own souls?” ⁴⁶ And of some which the Israelites met on the road, they, the sons of Israel, spoke to each other, saying, “Strike, strike, for he is an Ishmaelite, or an Edomite, or from the children of Chittim!” And they stood over him and slew him, and they knew that he was an Egyptian. ⁴⁷ And the sons of Israel did these things cunningly against the Egyptians, because they had deserted them in battle and had fled from them. ⁴⁸ And the sons of Israel slew of the men of Egypt in the road in this manner about two hundred men. ⁴⁹ And all the men of Egypt saw the evil which the sons of Israel had done to them, so all Egypt feared the sons of Israel greatly, for they had seen their great power and that not one man of them had fallen. ⁵⁰ So all the sons of Israel returned with joy on their road to Goshen, and the rest of Egypt returned—each man to his place.

 

CHAPTER 65

And it came to pass after these things that all the counselors of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all the elders of Egypt assembled, and came before the king, and bowed down to the ground, and they sat before him. ² And the counselors and elders of Egypt spoke to the king, saying, ³ “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are greater and mightier than we are, and you know all the evil which they did to us in the road when we returned from battle. ⁴ And you have also seen their strong power, for this power is to them from their fathers, for but a few men stood up against a people [as] numerous as the sand and struck them at the edge of the sword, and not one of them has fallen, so that if they had been numerous, they would then have utterly destroyed them. ⁵ Now therefore, give us counsel [regarding] what to do with them until we gradually destroy them from among us, lest they become too numerous for us in the land. ⁶ For if the sons of Israel should increase in the land, they will become an obstacle to us, and if any war should happen to take place, they will join our enemy against us with their great strength and fight against us, destroy us from the land, and go away from it.” ⁷ So the king answered the elders of Egypt and said to them, “This is the plan advised against Israel, from which we will not depart: ⁸ behold, Pithom and Rameses are in the land, cities unfortified against battle; it is necessary for you and us to build them and to fortify them. ⁹ Now therefore, go also, and act cunningly toward them, and proclaim a voice in Egypt and in Goshen at the command of the king, saying, ¹⁰ All you men of Egypt, Goshen, Pathros, and all their inhabitants: the king has commanded us to build Pithom and Rameses and to fortify them for battle; who among you of all Egypt, of the sons of Israel and of all the inhabitants of the cities, are willing to build with us, will each have his wages given to him daily at the king’s order; so first go and do cunningly, and gather yourselves, and come to Pithom and Rameses to build. ¹¹ And while you are building, cause a proclamation of this kind to be made throughout Egypt every day at the command of the king. ¹² And when some of the sons of Israel will come to build with you, you will give them their wages daily for a few days. ¹³ And after they will have built with you for their daily hire, drag yourselves away from them daily one by one in secret, and then you will rise up and become their taskmasters and officers, and afterward you will leave them to build without wages, and should they refuse, then force them with all your might to build. ¹⁴ And if you do this, it will be well with us to strengthen our land against the sons of Israel, for on account of the fatigue of the building and the work, the sons of Israel will decrease, because you will deprive them from their wives day by day.” ¹⁵ And all the elders of Egypt heard the counsel of the king, and the counsel seemed good in their eyes, and in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all Egypt, and they did according to the word of the king. ¹⁶ And all the servants went away from the king, and they caused a proclamation to be made in all Egypt, in Tachpanches, and in Goshen, and in all the cities which surrounded Egypt, saying, ¹⁷ “You have seen what the children of Esau and Ishmael did to us, who came to war against us and wished to destroy us. ¹⁸ Now therefore, the king commanded us to fortify the land, to build the cities [of] Pithom and Rameses, and to fortify them for battle if they should come against us again. ¹⁹ Whoever of you from all Egypt and from the sons of Israel will come to build with us, he will have his daily wages given by the king as his command is to us.” ²⁰ And when Egypt and all the sons of Israel heard all that the servants of Pharaoh had spoken, [many] came from the Egyptians and the sons of Israel to build Pithom and Rameses with the servants of Pharaoh, but none of the children of Levi came with their brothers to build. ²¹ And all the servants of Pharaoh and his princes came at first with deceit to build with all Israel as daily hired laborers, and they gave to Israel their daily hire at the beginning. ²² And the servants of Pharaoh built with all Israel and were employed in that work with Israel for a month. ²³ And at the end of the month, all the servants of Pharaoh began to withdraw secretly from the people of Israel daily. ²⁴ And Israel went on with the work at that time, but they received their daily hire then, because some of the men of Egypt were yet carrying on the work with Israel at that time; therefore, the Egyptians gave Israel their hire in those days in order that they, the Egyptians, their fellow-workmen, might also take the pay for their labor. ²⁵ And at the end of a year and four months all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the sons of Israel, so that the sons of Israel were left alone engaged in the work. ²⁶ And after all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the sons of Israel they returned and became oppressors and officers over them, and some of them stood over the sons of Israel as taskmasters to receive from them all that they gave them for the pay of their labor. ²⁷ And the Egyptians did in this manner to the sons of Israel day by day in order to afflict [them] in their work. ²⁸ And all the sons of Israel were engaged in the labor alone, and the Egyptians refrained from giving any pay to the sons of Israel from that time forward. ²⁹ And when some of the men of Israel refused to work on account of the wages not being given to them, then the exactors and the servants of Pharaoh oppressed them, and struck them with heavy blows, and made them return by force to labor with their brothers; thus all the Egyptians did to the sons of Israel all the days. ³⁰ And all the sons of Israel were greatly afraid of the Egyptians in this matter, and all the sons of Israel returned and worked alone without pay. ³¹ And the sons of Israel built Pithom and Rameses, and all the sons of Israel did the work, some making bricks and some building, and the sons of Israel built and fortified all the land of Egypt and its walls, and the sons of Israel were engaged in work for many years until the time came when the Lord remembered them and brought them out of Egypt. ³² But the children of Levi were not employed in the work with their brothers of Israel from the beginning to the day of their going out from Egypt. ³³ For all the children of Levi knew that the Egyptians had spoken all these words with deceit to the Israelites, therefore the children of Levi refrained from approaching to the work with their brothers. ³⁴ And the Egyptians did not direct their attention to make the children of Levi work afterward since they had not been with their brothers at the beginning; therefore the Egyptians left them alone. ³⁵ And the hands of the men of Egypt were directed with continued severity against the sons of Israel in that work, and the Egyptians made the sons of Israel work with rigor. ³⁶ And the Egyptians embittered the lives of the sons of Israel with hard work in mortar and bricks, and also in all manner of work in the field. ³⁷ And the sons of Israel called Melol, the king of Egypt, “Meror, king of Egypt,” because in his days the Egyptians had embittered their lives with all manner of work. ³⁸ And all the work wherein the Egyptians made the sons of Israel labor, they exacted with rigor in order to afflict the sons of Israel, but the more they afflicted them, the more they increased and grew, and the Egyptians were grieved because of the sons of Israel.

 

CHAPTER 66

At that time Hadad the son of Bedad, king of Edom, died, and Samlah from Mesrekah, from the country of the children of the east, reigned in his place. ² In the thirteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, which was the one hundred and twenty-fifth year of the Israelites going down into Egypt, Samlah had reigned over Edom eighteen years. ³ And when he reigned, he drew out his hosts to go and fight against Zepho the son of Eliphaz and the children of Chittim, because they had made war against Angeas king of Africa and had destroyed his whole army. ⁴ But he did not engage with him, for the children of Esau prevented him, saying, “He was their brother,” so Samlah listened to the voice of the children of Esau, and turned back with all his forces to the land of Edom, and did not proceed to fight against Zepho the son of Eliphaz. ⁵ And Pharaoh king of Egypt heard this thing, saying, “Samlah king of Edom has resolved to fight the children of Chittim, and afterward he will come to fight against Egypt.” ⁶ And when the Egyptians heard this matter, they increased the labor on the sons of Israel, lest the Israelites should do to them as they did to them in their war with the children of Esau in the days of Hadad. ⁷ So the Egyptians said to the sons of Israel, “Hasten and do your work, and finish your task, and strengthen the land, lest the children of Esau, your brothers, should come to fight against us, for they will come against us on your account.” ⁸ And the sons of Israel did the work of the men of Egypt day by day, and the Egyptians afflicted the sons of Israel in order to lessen them in the land. ⁹ But as the Egyptians increased the labor on the sons of Israel, so the sons of Israel increased and multiplied, and all Egypt was filled with the sons of Israel. ¹⁰ And in the one hundred and twenty-fifth year of Israel’s going down into Egypt, all the Egyptians saw that their counsel did not succeed against Israel, but that they increased and grew, and the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen were filled with the sons of Israel. ¹¹ So all the elders of Egypt and its wise men came before the king, and bowed down to him, and sat before him. ¹² And all the elders of Egypt and the wise men thereof said to the king, “May the king live forever; you counseled us the counsel against the sons of Israel, and we did to them according to the word of the king. ¹³ But in proportion to the increase of the labor so do they increase and grow in the land, and behold, the whole country is filled with them. ¹⁴ Now therefore, our lord and king, the eyes of all Egypt are on you to give them advice with your wisdom, by which they may prevail over Israel to destroy them or to diminish them from the land”; and the king answered them, saying, “Give counsel in this matter that we may know what to do to them.” ¹⁵ And an officer, one of the king’s counselors, whose name was Job, from Mesopotamia, in the land of Uz, answered the king, saying, ¹⁶ “If it pleases the king, let him hear the counsel of his servant”; and the king said to him, “Speak.” ¹⁷ And Job spoke before the king, the princes, and before all the elders of Egypt, saying, ¹⁸ “Behold, the counsel of the king which he advised formerly respecting the labor of the sons of Israel is very good, and you must not ever remove that labor from them. ¹⁹ But this is the advice counseled by which you may lessen them if it seems good to the king to afflict them: ²⁰ behold, we have feared war for a long time, and we said, When Israel becomes fruitful in the land, they will drive us from the land if a war should take place. ²¹ If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out and let it be written in the laws of Egypt, which will not be revoked, that every male child born to the Israelites, his blood will be spilled on the ground. ²² And by your doing this, when all the male sons of Israel will have died, the evil of their wars will cease; let the king do so, and send for all the Hebrew midwives and order them to execute it in this matter”; so the thing pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Job. ²³ And the king sent for the Hebrew midwives to be called, of which the name of one was Shephrah, and the name of the other Puah. ²⁴ And the midwives came before the king and stood in his presence. ²⁵ And the king said to them, “When you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the stools, if it is a son, then you will kill him, but if it is a daughter, then she will live. ²⁶ But if you will not do this thing, then I will burn you and all your houses up with fire.” ²⁷ But the midwives feared God and did not listen to the king of Egypt nor to his words, and when the Hebrew women brought out a son or daughter to the midwife, then the midwife did all that was necessary for the child and let it live; thus the midwives did all the days. ²⁸ And this thing was told to the king, and he sent and called for the midwives, and he said to them, “Why have you done this thing and have saved the children alive?” ²⁹ And the midwives answered and spoke together before the king, saying, ³⁰ “Do not let the king think that the Hebrew women are as the Egyptian women, for all the sons of Israel are vigorous, and before the midwife comes to them they are delivered, and as for us, your handmaids, for many days no Hebrew woman has brought out on us, for all the Hebrew women are their own midwives, because they are vigorous.” ³¹ And Pharaoh heard their words and believed them in this matter, and the midwives went away from the king, and God dealt well with them, and the people multiplied and waxed exceedingly.

 

CHAPTER 67

There was a man in the land of Egypt of the seed of Levi, whose name was Amram the son of Kehas, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. ² And this man went and took a wife, namely Jochebed the daughter of Levi, his father’s sister, and she was one hundred and twenty-six years old, and he came to her. ³ And the woman conceived and bore a daughter, and she called her name Miriam, because in those days the Egyptians had embittered the lives of the sons of Israel. ⁴ And she conceived again, and bore a son, and she called his name Aaron, for in the days of her conception, Pharaoh began to spill the blood of the male sons of Israel. ⁵ In those days Zepho the son of Eliphaz, son of Esau, king of Chittim, died, and Janeas reigned in his stead. ⁶ And the time that Zepho reigned over the children of Chittim was fifty years, and he died and was buried in the city of Nabna in the land of Chittim. ⁷ And Janeas, one of the mighty men of the children of Chittim, reigned after him and he reigned fifty years. ⁸ And it was after the death of the king of Chittim that Balaam the son of Beor fled from the land of Chittim, and he went and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ And Pharaoh received him with great honor, for he had heard of his wisdom, and he gave him presents, and made him for a counselor, and aggrandized him. ¹⁰ And Balaam dwelt in Egypt, in honor with all the nobles of the king, and the nobles exalted him, because they all coveted to learn his wisdom. ¹¹ And in the one hundred and thirtieth year of Israel’s going down to Egypt, Pharaoh dreamed that he was sitting on his kingly throne, and he lifted up his eyes and saw an old man standing before him, and there were scales in the hands of the old man, such scales as are used by merchants. ¹² And the old man took the scales and hung them before Pharaoh. ¹³ And the old man took all the elders of Egypt and all its nobles and great men, and he tied them together and put them in one scale. ¹⁴ And he took a milk kid and put it into the other scale, and the kid exceeded over all. ¹⁵ And Pharaoh was astonished at this dreadful vision, why the kid should exceed over all, and Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. ¹⁶ And Pharaoh rose up early in the morning, and called all his servants, and related the dream to them, and the men were greatly afraid. ¹⁷ And the king said to all his wise men, “Now interpret the dream which I dreamed [so] that I may know it.” ¹⁸ And Balaam the son of Beor answered the king and said to him, “This means nothing else but [that] a great calamity that will spring up against Egypt in the latter days. ¹⁹ For a son will be born to Israel who will destroy all Egypt and its inhabitants and bring out the Israelites from Egypt with a mighty hand. ²⁰ Now therefore, O king, take counsel on this matter that you may destroy the hope of the sons of Israel and their expectation before this calamity arises against Egypt.” ²¹ And the king said to Balaam, “And what will we do to Israel? surely after a certain manner we at first counseled against them and could not prevail over them. ²² Now therefore, also give advice against them by which we may prevail over them.” ²³ And Balaam answered the king, saying, “Send now and call your two counselors, and we will see what their advice is on this matter and afterward your servant will speak.” ²⁴ And the king sent for and called his two counselors Reuel the Midianite and Job the Uzite, and they came and sat before the king. ²⁵ And the king said to them, “Behold, you have both heard the dream which I have dreamed and the interpretation thereof; now therefore, give counsel, and know, and see what is to be done to the sons of Israel whereby we may prevail over them before their evil will spring up against us.” ²⁶ And Reuel the Midianite answered the king and said, “May the king live, may the king live forever. ²⁷ If it seems good to the king, let him desist from the Hebrews and leave them, and do not let him stretch out his hand against them. ²⁸ For these are they whom the Lord chose in days of old, and took as the lot of His inheritance from among all the nations of the earth and the kings of the earth; and who is there that stretched his hand against them with impunity, of whom their God was not avenged? ²⁹ Surely you know that when Abraham went down to Egypt, Pharaoh, the former king of Egypt, saw his wife Sarah and took her for a wife, because Abraham said, She is my sister, for he was afraid, lest the men of Egypt should slay him on account of his wife. ³⁰ And when the king of Egypt had taken Sarah, then God struck him and his household with heavy plagues until he restored to Abraham his wife Sarah—then he was healed. ³¹ And Abimelech the Gerarite, king of the Philistines, God punished on account of Sarah, [the] wife of Abraham, in stopping up every womb from man to beast ³² when their God came to Abimelech in the dream of night and terrified him in order that He might restore to Abraham Sarah whom he had taken, and afterward all the people of Gerar were punished on account of Sarah, and Abraham prayed to his God for them, and He was entreated by him, and He healed them. ³³ And Abimelech feared all this evil that came on him and his people, and he returned to Abraham his wife Sarah, and gave him many gifts with her. ³⁴ He also did so to Isaac when he had driven him from Gerar, and God had done wonderful things to him, that all the water courses of Gerar were dried up, and their productive trees did not bring out ³⁵ until Abimelech of Gerar, and Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Pichol, the captain of his host, went to him, and bent, and bowed down to the ground before him. ³⁶ And they requested of him to supplicate for them, and he prayed to the Lord for them, and the Lord was entreated by him, and He healed them. ³⁷ Jacob also, the plain man, was delivered through his integrity from the hand of his brother Esau, and the hand of Laban the Syrian, his mother’s brother, who had sought his life, [and] likewise from the hand of all the kings of Canaan who had come together against him and his children to destroy them, and the Lord delivered them out of their hands, that they turned on them and struck them, for who had ever stretched out his hand against them with impunity? ³⁸ Surely the former Pharaoh, your father’s father, raised Joseph the son of Jacob above all the princes of the land of Egypt when he saw his wisdom, for through his wisdom he rescued all the inhabitants of the land from the famine, ³⁹ after which he ordered Jacob and his children to come down to Egypt in order that through their virtue the land of Egypt and the land of Goshen might be delivered from the famine. ⁴⁰ Now therefore, if it seems good in your eyes, cease from destroying the sons of Israel, but if it is not your will that they will dwell in Egypt, send them out from here [so] that they may go to the land of Canaan, the land where their ancestors sojourned.” ⁴¹ And when Pharaoh heard the words of Jethro, he was very angry with him, so that he rose from the king’s presence with shame, and went to Midian, his land, and took Joseph’s stick with him. ⁴² And the king said to Job the Uzite, “What do you say, Job? And what is your advice respecting the Hebrews?” ⁴³ So Job said to the king, “Behold, all the inhabitants of the land are in your power: let the king do as it seems good in his eyes.” ⁴⁴ And the king said to Balaam, “What do you say, Balaam? Speak your word [so] that we may hear it.” ⁴⁵ And Balaam said to the king, “Of all that the king has counseled against the Hebrews they will be delivered, and the king will not be able to prevail over them with any counsel. ⁴⁶ For if you think to lessen them by the flaming fire, you cannot prevail over them, for surely their God delivered their father Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans; and if you think to destroy them with a sword, surely their father Isaac was delivered from it, and a ram was placed in his stead. ⁴⁷ And if you think to lessen them with hard and rigorous labor, you will not prevail even in this, for their father Jacob served Laban in all manner of hard work and prospered. ⁴⁸ Now therefore, O king, hear my words, for this is the counsel which is counseled against them, by which you will prevail over them, and from which you should not depart: ⁴⁹ if it pleases the king, let him order all their children which will be born from this day forward to be thrown into the water, for by this you can wipe away their name, for none of them, nor of their fathers, were tried in this manner.” ⁵⁰ And the king heard the words of Balaam, and the thing pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Balaam. ⁵¹ And the king ordered a proclamation to be issued and a law to be made throughout the land of Egypt, saying, “Every male child born to the Hebrews from this day forward will be thrown into the water.” ⁵² And Pharaoh called to all his servants, saying, “Go now, and seek throughout the land of Goshen where the sons of Israel are, and see that every son born to the Hebrews will be cast into the river, but you will let every daughter live.” ⁵³ And when the sons of Israel heard this thing which Pharaoh had commanded, to cast their male children into the river, some of the people separated from their wives and others adhered to them. ⁵⁴ And from that day forward, when the time of delivery arrived for those women of Israel who had remained with their husbands, they went to the field to deliver, and brought out in the field, and left their children on the field, and returned home. ⁵⁵ And the Lord who had sworn to their ancestors to multiply them sent one of His ministering messengers which are in Heaven to wash each child in water, to anoint and swathe it, and to put two smooth stones into its hands from one of which it sucked milk and from the other honey, and He caused its hair to grow to its knees, by which it might cover itself to comfort it and to cleave to it, through His compassion for it. ⁵⁶ And when God had compassion over them and had desired to multiply them on the face of the land, He ordered His earth to receive them to be preserved therein until the time of their growing up, after which the earth opened its mouth, and vomited them out, and they sprouted out from the city like the herb of the earth and the grass of the forest, and they each returned to his family and to his father’s house, and they remained with them. ⁵⁷ And the babies of the sons of Israel were on the earth like the herb of the field through God’s grace to them. ⁵⁸ And when all the Egyptians saw this thing, they went out, each to his field with his yoke of oxen and his plowshare, and they plowed it up as one plows the earth at seed-time. ⁵⁹ And when they plowed, they were unable to hurt the infants of the sons of Israel, so the people increased and waxed exceedingly. ⁶⁰ And Pharaoh ordered his officers to go to Goshen daily to seek for the babies of the sons of Israel. ⁶¹ And when they had sought and found one, they took it from its mother’s bosom by force and threw it into the river, but they left the female child with its mother; thus the Egyptians did to the Israelites all the days.

 

CHAPTER 68

And it was at that time the Spirit of God was on Miriam the daughter of Amram, the sister of Aaron, and she went out and prophesied about the house, saying, “Behold, [at] this time a son will be born to us from my father and mother, and he will save Israel from the hands of Egypt.” ² And when Amram heard the words of his daughter, he went and took his wife back to the house after he had driven her away at the time when Pharaoh ordered every male child of the house of Jacob to be thrown into the water. ³ So Amram took his wife Jochebed three years after he had driven her away, and he came to her, and she conceived. ⁴ And at the end of seven months from her conception she brought out a son, and the whole house was filled with great light as of the light of the sun and moon at the time of their shining. ⁵ And when the woman saw that the child was good and pleasing to the sight, she hid it for three months in an inner room. ⁶ In those days the Egyptians conspired to destroy all the Hebrews there. ⁷ And the Egyptian women went to Goshen where the sons of Israel were, and they carried their young ones on their shoulders, their babies who could not yet speak. ⁸ And in those days, when the women of the sons of Israel brought out, each woman had hidden her son from before the Egyptians, [so] that the Egyptians might not know of their bringing out and might not destroy them from the land. ⁹ And the Egyptian women came to Goshen and their children who could not speak were on their shoulders, and when an Egyptian woman came into the house of a Hebrew woman her baby began to cry. ¹⁰ And when it cried, the child that was in the inner room answered it, so the Egyptian women went and told it at the house of Pharaoh. ¹¹ And Pharaoh sent his officers to take the children and slay them; thus the Egyptians did to the Hebrew women all the days. ¹² And it was at that time, about three months from Jochebed’s concealment of her son, that the thing was known in Pharaoh’s house. ¹³ And the woman hastened to take her son away before the officers came, and she took an ark of bulrushes for him, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein, and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. ¹⁴ And his sister Miriam stood far off to know what would be done to him and what would become of her words. ¹⁵ And God sent out a terrible heat in the land of Egypt at that time, which burned up the flesh of man like the sun in his circuit, and it greatly oppressed the Egyptians. ¹⁶ And all the Egyptians went down to bathe in the river on account of the consuming heat which burned up their flesh. ¹⁷ And Bathia, the daughter of Pharaoh, also went to bathe in the river, owing to the consuming heat, and her maidens walked at the riverside, and all the women of Egypt as well. ¹⁸ And Bathia lifted up her eyes to the river, and she saw the ark on the water, and sent her maid to fetch it. ¹⁹ And she opened it and saw the child, and behold, the baby wept, and she had compassion on him, and she said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.” ²⁰ And all the women of Egypt walking on the riverside desired to give him suck, but he would not suck, for this thing was from the Lord in order to restore him to his mother’s breast. ²¹ And at that time his sister Miriam was among the Egyptian women at the riverside, and she saw this thing, and she said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Will I go and fetch a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?” ²² And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go,” and the young woman went and called the child’s mother. ²³ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to Jochebed, “Take this child away and suckle it for me, and I will pay you your wages, two bits of silver daily”; and the woman took the child and nursed it. ²⁴ And at the end of two years, when the child grew up, she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he was as a son to her, and she called his name Moses, for she said, “Because I drew him out of the water.” ²⁵ And his father Amram called his name Chabar, for he said, “It was for him that he associated with his wife whom he had turned away.” ²⁶ And his mother Jochebed called his name Jekuthiel, because, she said, “I have hoped for him to the Almighty, and God restored him to me.” ²⁷ And his sister Miriam called him Jered, for she descended after him to the river to know what his end would be. ²⁸ And his brother Aaron called his name Abi Zanuch, saying, “My father left my mother and returned to her on his account.” ²⁹ And Kehas, the father of Amram, called his name Abigdor, because on his account God repaired the breach of the house of Jacob, [so] that they could no longer throw their male children into the water. ³⁰ And their nurse called him Abi Socho, saying, “He was hidden in his dwelling place for three months on account of the children of Ham.” ³¹ And all Israel called his name Shemaiah, son of Nethanel, for they said, “In his days God has heard their cries and rescued them from their oppressors.” ³² And Moses was in Pharaoh’s house, and was to Bathia, Pharaoh’s daughter, as a son, and Moses grew up among the king’s children.

 

CHAPTER 69

And the king of Edom died in those days, in the eighteenth year of his reign, and was buried in his temple which he had built for himself as his royal residence in the land of Edom. ² And the children of Esau sent to Pethor, which is on the river, and they fetched a young man of beautiful eyes and handsome aspect from there whose name was Saul, and they made him king over them in the place of Samlah. ³ And Saul reigned over all the children of Esau in the land of Edom for forty years. ⁴ And when Pharaoh king of Egypt saw that the counsel which Balaam had advised respecting the sons of Israel did not succeed, but that they were still fruitful, multiplied, and increased throughout the land of Egypt, ⁵ then Pharaoh commanded in those days that a proclamation should be issued throughout Egypt to the sons of Israel, saying, “No man will diminish anything of his daily labor. ⁶ And the man who will be found deficient in his labor which he performs daily, whether in mortar or in bricks, then his youngest son will be put in their place.” ⁷ And the labor of Egypt strengthened on the sons of Israel in those days, and behold, if one brick was deficient in any man’s daily labor, the Egyptians took his youngest boy by force from his mother and put him into the building in the place of the brick which his father had left wanting. ⁸ And the men of Egypt did so to all the sons of Israel day by day, all the days for a long period. ⁹ But at that time the tribe of Levi did not work with the Israelites, their brothers, from the beginning, for the children of Levi knew the cunning of the Egyptians which they exercised at first toward the Israelites.

 

CHAPTER 70

And in the third year from the birth of Moses, Pharaoh was sitting at a banquet when Alparanith the queen was sitting at his right and Bathia at his left, and the youth Moses was lying on her bosom, and Balaam the son of Beor with his two sons, and all the princes of the kingdom were sitting at [the] table in the king’s presence. ² And the youth stretched out his hand on the king’s head, and took the crown from the king’s head, and placed it on his own head. ³ And when the king and princes saw the work which the boy had done, the king and princes were terrified, and one man expressed astonishment to his neighbor. ⁴ And the king said to the princes who were before him at the table, “What do you speak and what do you say, O you princes, in this matter, and what is to be the judgment against the boy on account of this act?” ⁵ And Balaam the son of Beor, the magician, answered before the king and princes, and he said, “Remember now, O my lord and king, the dream which you dreamed many days since, and that which your servant interpreted to you. ⁶ Now therefore, this is a child from the Hebrew children, in whom is the Spirit of God, and do not let my lord the king imagine that this youngster did this thing without knowledge. ⁷ For he is a Hebrew boy, and wisdom and understanding are with him although he is still a child, and with wisdom he has done this and chosen the kingdom of Egypt for himself. ⁸ For this is the manner of all the Hebrews to deceive kings and their nobles, to do all these things cunningly in order to make the kings of the earth and their men tremble. ⁹ Surely you know that their father Abraham acted thus, who deceived the army of Nimrod king of Babel and Abimelech king of Gerar, and that he possessed the land of the children of Heth for himself and all the kingdoms of Canaan, ¹⁰ and that he descended into Egypt and said of his wife Sarah, She is my sister, in order to mislead Egypt and her king. ¹¹ His son Isaac also did so when he went to Gerar and dwelt there, and his strength prevailed over the army of Abimelech king of the Philistines. ¹² He also thought of making the kingdom of the Philistines stumble in saying that his wife Rebekah was his sister. ¹³ Jacob also dealt treacherously with his brother and took his birthright and his blessing from his hand. ¹⁴ Then he went to Padan-Aram to the house of Laban, his mother’s brother, and cunningly obtained from him his daughter, his cattle, and all belonging to him, and fled away and returned to the land of Canaan to his father. ¹⁵ His sons sold their brother Joseph, who went down into Egypt, and became a slave, and was placed in the prison-house for twelve years ¹⁶ until the former Pharaoh dreamed dreams, and withdrew him from the prison-house, and magnified him above all the princes in Egypt on account of his interpreting his dreams to him. ¹⁷ And when God caused a famine throughout the land, he sent for and brought his father, and all his brothers, and the whole of his father’s household, and supported them without price or reward, and bought the Egyptians for slaves. ¹⁸ Now therefore, my lord king, behold, this child has risen up in their stead in Egypt to do according to their deeds and to trifle with every king, prince, and judge. ¹⁹ If it pleases the king, let us now spill his blood on the ground, lest he grow up and take away the government from your hand, and the hope of Egypt perish after he will have reigned.” ²⁰ And Balaam said to the king, “Let us moreover call for all the judges of Egypt and the wise men thereof, and let us know if the judgment of death is due to this boy as you said, and then we will slay him.” ²¹ And Pharaoh sent and called for all the wise men of Egypt and they came before the king, and a messenger of the Lord came among them, and he was like one of the wise men of Egypt. ²² And the king said to the wise men, “Surely you have heard what this Hebrew boy who is in the house has done, and thus Balaam has judged in the matter. ²³ Now you also judge and see what is due to the boy for the act he has committed.” ²⁴ And the messenger, who seemed like one of the wise men of Pharaoh, answered and said as follows before all the wise men of Egypt and before the king and the princes: ²⁵ “If it pleases the king, let the king send for men who will bring an onyx stone and a coal of fire before him, and place them before the child, and if the child will stretch out his hand and take the onyx stone, then we will know that the youth has done all that he has done with wisdom, and we must slay him. ²⁶ But if he stretches out his hand on the coal, then we will know that it was not with knowledge that he did this thing, and he will live.” ²⁷ And the thing seemed good in the eyes of the king and the princes, so the king did according to the word of the messenger of the Lord. ²⁸ And the king ordered the onyx stone and coal to be brought and placed before Moses. ²⁹ And they placed the boy before them, and the youth endeavored to stretch out his hand to the onyx stone, but the messenger of the Lord took his hand and placed it on the coal, and the coal became extinguished in his hand, and he lifted it up, and put it into his mouth, and burned part of his lips and part of his tongue, and he became heavy in mouth and tongue. ³⁰ And when the king and princes saw this, they knew that Moses had not acted with wisdom in taking off the crown from the king’s head. ³¹ So the king and princes refrained from slaying the child, so Moses remained in Pharaoh’s house, growing up, and the Lord was with him. ³² And while the boy was in the king’s house, he was robed in purple and he grew among the children of the king. ³³ And when Moses grew up in the king’s house, Bathia the daughter of Pharaoh considered him as a son, and all the household of Pharaoh honored him, and all the men of Egypt were afraid of him. ³⁴ And daily he went out and came into the land of Goshen where his brothers, the sons of Israel, were, and Moses saw them daily in shortness of breath and hard labor. ³⁵ And Moses asked them, saying, “Why is this labor meted out to you day by day?” ³⁶ And they told him all that had befallen them, and all the injunctions which Pharaoh had put on them before his birth. ³⁷ And they told him all the counsels which Balaam the son of Beor had counseled against them, and what he had also counseled against him in order to slay him when he had taken the king’s crown from off his head. ³⁸ And when Moses heard these things, his anger was kindled against Balaam, and he sought to kill him, and he was in ambush for him day by day. ³⁹ And Balaam was afraid of Moses, and he and his two sons rose up and went out from Egypt, and they fled and delivered their souls, and they went to the land of Cush, to Kikianus, king of Cush. ⁴⁰ And Moses was in the king’s house, going out and coming in; the Lord gave him favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants, and in the eyes of all the people of Egypt, and they loved Moses exceedingly. ⁴¹ And the day arrived when Moses went to Goshen to see his brothers, and he saw the sons of Israel in their burdens and hard labor, and Moses was grieved on their account. ⁴² And Moses returned to Egypt, and came to the house of Pharaoh, and came before the king, and Moses bowed down before the king. ⁴³ And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Please my lord, I have come to seek a small request from you: do not turn my face away empty”; and Pharaoh said to him, “Speak.” ⁴⁴ And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Let there be given to your servants, the sons of Israel who are in Goshen, one day to rest therein from their labor.” ⁴⁵ And the king answered Moses and said, “Behold, I have lifted up your face in this thing to grant your request.” ⁴⁶ And Pharaoh ordered a proclamation to be issued throughout Egypt and Goshen, saying, ⁴⁷ “To you, all the sons of Israel, thus says the king: for six days you will do your work and labor, but on the seventh day you will rest and will not perform any work; thus you will do all the days as the king and Moses the son of Bathia have commanded.” ⁴⁸ And Moses rejoiced at this thing which the king had granted to him, and all the sons of Israel did as Moses ordered them, ⁴⁹ for this thing was from the Lord to the sons of Israel, for the Lord had begun to remember the sons of Israel to save them for the sake of their fathers. ⁵⁰ And the Lord was with Moses and his fame went throughout Egypt. ⁵¹ And Moses became great in the eyes of all the Egyptians, and in the eyes of all the sons of Israel [because of his] seeking good for his people Israel and speaking words of peace regarding them to the king.

 

CHAPTER 71

And when Moses was eighteen years old, he desired to see his father and mother and he went to them, to Goshen, and when Moses had come near Goshen, he came to the place where the sons of Israel were engaged in work, and he observed their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian striking one of his Hebrew brothers. ² And when the man who was beaten saw Moses, he ran to him for help, for the man Moses was greatly respected in the house of Pharaoh, and he said to him, “My lord, attend to me! This Egyptian came to my house in the night, bound me, and came to my wife in my presence, and now he seeks to take my life away.” ³ And when Moses heard this wicked thing, his anger was kindled against the Egyptian, and he turned this way and the other, and when he saw there was no man there, he struck the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand, and delivered the Hebrew from the hand of him that struck him. ⁴ And the Hebrew went to his house, and Moses returned to his home, and went out and came back to the king’s house. ⁵ And when the man had returned home, he thought of repudiating his wife, for it was not right in the house of Jacob for any man to come to his wife after she had been defiled. ⁶ And the woman went and told her brothers, and the woman’s brothers sought to slay him, and he fled to his house and escaped. ⁷ And on the second day Moses went out to his brothers, and saw, and behold, two men were quarreling, and he said to the wicked one, “Why do you strike your neighbor?” ⁸ And he answered him and said to him, “Who has set you for a prince and judge over us? do you think to slay me as you slew the Egyptian?” and Moses was afraid, and he said, “Surely the thing is known?” ⁹ And Pharaoh heard of this affair and he ordered Moses to be slain, so God sent His messenger and he appeared to Pharaoh in the likeness of a captain of the guard. ¹⁰ And the messenger of the Lord took the sword from the hand of the captain of the guard, and took his head off with it, for the likeness of the captain of the guard was turned into the likeness of Moses. ¹¹ And the messenger of the Lord took hold of the right hand of Moses, and brought him out from Egypt, and placed him from outside the borders of Egypt, a distance of forty days’ journey. ¹² And only his brother Aaron remained in the land of Egypt, and he prophesied to the sons of Israel, saying, ¹³ “Thus says the Lord God of your ancestors: Throw away, each man, the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.” ¹⁴ And the sons of Israel rebelled and would not listen to Aaron at that time. ¹⁵ And the Lord thought to destroy them were it not that the Lord remembered the covenant which He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ¹⁶ In those days the hand of Pharaoh continued to be severe against the sons of Israel, and he crushed and oppressed them until the time when God sent out His word and took notice of them.

 

CHAPTER 72

And it was in those days that there was a great war between the children of Cush and the children of the east and Aram, and they rebelled against the king of Cush in whose hands they were. ² So Kikianus king of Cush went out with all the children of Cush, a people [as] numerous as the sand, and he went to fight against Aram and the children of the east, to bring them under subjection. ³ And when Kikianus went out, he left Balaam the magician, with his two sons, to guard the city, and the lowest sort of the people of the land. ⁴ So Kikianus went out to Aram and the children of the east, and he fought against them and struck them, and they all fell down wounded before Kikianus and his people. ⁵ And he took many of them [as] captives, and he brought them under subjection as at first, and he encamped on their land to take tribute from them as usual. ⁶ And Balaam the son of Beor, when the king of Cush had left him to guard the city and the poor of the city, he rose up and advised with the people of the land to rebel against King Kikianus, not to let him enter the city when he should come home. ⁷ And the people of the land listened to him, and they swore to him, and they made him king over them and his two sons for captains of the army. ⁸ So they rose up and raised the walls of the city at the two corners, and they built an exceedingly strong building. ⁹ And at the third corner they dug ditches without number between the city and the river which surrounded the whole land of Cush, and they made the waters of the river burst out there. ¹⁰ At the fourth corner they collected numerous serpents by their incantations and enchantments, and they fortified the city and dwelt therein, and no one went out or in before them. ¹¹ And Kikianus fought against Aram and the children of the east and he subdued them as before, and they gave him their usual tribute, and he went and returned to his land. ¹² And when Kikianus the king of Cush approached his city and all the captains of the forces with him, they lifted up their eyes and saw that the walls of the city were built up and greatly elevated, so the men were astonished at this. ¹³ And they said to one another, “It is because they saw that we were delayed in battle, and were greatly afraid of us, therefore they have done this thing, and raised the city walls, and fortified them so that the kings of Canaan might not come in battle against them.” ¹⁴ So the king and the troops approached the city door, and they looked up, and behold, all the gates of the city were closed, and they called out to the sentinels, saying, “Open to us [so] that we may enter the city.” ¹⁵ But the sentinels refused to open to them by the order of Balaam the magician, their king; they did not permit them to enter their city. ¹⁶ So they raised a battle with them opposite the city gate, and one hundred and thirty men of the army of Kikianus fell on that day. ¹⁷ And on the next day they continued to fight, and they fought at the side of the river; they endeavored to pass but were not able, so some of them sank in the pits and died. ¹⁸ So the king ordered them to cut down trees to make rafts on which they might pass to them, and they did so. ¹⁹ And when they came to the place of the ditches, the waters revolved by mills, and two hundred men on ten rafts were drowned. ²⁰ And on the third day they came to fight at the side where the serpents were, but they could not approach there, for the serpents slew one hundred and seventy of their men, and they ceased fighting against Cush, and they besieged Cush for nine years—no person came out or in. ²¹ At the time that the war and the siege were against Cush, Moses fled from Egypt from Pharaoh who sought to kill him for having slain the Egyptian. ²² And Moses was eighteen years old when he fled from Egypt from the presence of Pharaoh, and he fled and escaped to the camp of Kikianus, which at that time was besieging Cush. ²³ And Moses was nine years in the camp of Kikianus king of Cush, all the time that they were besieging Cush, and Moses went out and came in with them. ²⁴ And the king, and princes, and all the fighting men loved Moses, for he was great and worthy; his stature was like a noble lion, his face was like the sun, and his strength was like that of a lion, and he was a counselor to the king. ²⁵ And at the end of nine years, Kikianus was seized with a mortal disease, and his sickness prevailed over him, and he died on the seventh day. ²⁶ So his servants embalmed him, and carried him, and buried him opposite the city gate to the north of the land of Egypt. ²⁷ And they built an elegant, strong, and high building over him, and they placed great stones below. ²⁸ And the king’s scribes engraved on those stones all the might of their King Kikianus and all his battles which he had fought; behold, they are written there at this day. ²⁹ Now after the death of Kikianus king of Cush it grieved his men and troops greatly on account of the war, ³⁰ so they said to one another, “Give us counsel [regarding] what we are to do at this time, as we have resided in the wilderness away from our homes [for] nine years. ³¹ If we say we will fight against the city, many of us will fall wounded or killed, and if we remain here in the siege we will also die. ³² For now all the kings of Aram and of the children of the east will hear that our king is dead, and they will suddenly attack us in a hostile manner, and will fight against us, and leave no remnant of us. ³³ Now therefore, let us go and make a king over us, and let us remain in the siege until the city is delivered up to us.” ³⁴ And on that day they wished to choose a man for king from the army of Kikianus, and they found no object of their choice comparable to Moses to reign over them. ³⁵ And they hastened, and stripped off each man’s garments, and cast them on the ground, and they made a great heap and placed Moses thereon. ³⁶ And they rose up, and blew with trumpets, and called out before him, and said, “May the king live, may the king live!” ³⁷ And all the people and nobles swore to him to give him Adoniah the queen, the Cushite, wife of Kikianus, for a wife, and they made Moses king over them on that day. ³⁸ And all the people of Cush issued a proclamation on that day, saying, “Every man must give something to Moses of what is in his possession.” ³⁹ And they spread out a sheet on the heap and every man cast something into it of what he had: one a gold earring and the other a coin. ⁴⁰ The children of Cush also cast onyx stones, bdellium, pearls, and marble on the heap for Moses—also silver and gold in great abundance. ⁴¹ And Moses took all the silver and gold, all the vessels, and the bdellium and onyx stones, which all the children of Cush had given to him, and he placed them among his treasures. ⁴² And on that day Moses reigned over the children of Cush in the place of Kikianus king of Cush.

 

CHAPTER 73

In the fifty-fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, that is in the one hundred and fifty-seventh year of the Israelites going down into Egypt, Moses reigned in Cush. ² Moses was twenty-seven years old when he began to reign over Cush, and he reigned forty years. ³ And the Lord granted Moses favor and grace in the eyes of all the children of Cush, and the children of Cush loved him exceedingly, so Moses was favored by the Lord and by men. ⁴ And in the seventh day of his reign, all the children of Cush assembled, and came before Moses, and bowed down to him to the ground. ⁵ And all the children spoke together in the presence of the king, saying, “Give us counsel that we may see what is to be done to this city. ⁶ For it is now nine years that we have been besieging around the city and have not seen our children and our wives.” ⁷ So the king answered them, saying, “If you will listen to my voice in all that I will command you, then the Lord will give the city into our hands and we will subdue it. ⁸ For if we fight with them as in the former battle which we had with them before the death of Kikianus, many of us will fall down wounded as before. ⁹ Now therefore, behold, here is counsel for you in this matter: if you will listen to my voice, then the city will be delivered into our hands.” ¹⁰ So all the forces answered the king, saying, “All that our lord will command—that we will do.” ¹¹ And Moses said to them, “Pass through and proclaim a voice in the whole camp to all the people, saying, ¹² Thus says the king, Go into the forest and bring with you of the young ones of the stork—each man [must have] a young one in his hand. ¹³ And any person transgressing the word of the king, who will not bring his young one, he will die, and the king will take all belonging to him. ¹⁴ And when you will bring them, they will be in your keeping; you will rear them until they grow up, and you will teach them to dart on, as is the way of the young ones of the hawk.” ¹⁵ So all the children of Cush heard the words of Moses, and they rose up and caused a proclamation to be issued throughout the camp, saying, ¹⁶ “To you—all the children of Cush: the king’s order is that you all go to the forest together and catch the young storks there; each man [must have] his young one in his hand, and you will bring them home. ¹⁷ And any person violating the order of the king will die, and the king will take all that belongs to him.” ¹⁸ And all the people did so, and they went out to the wood, and climbed the fir trees, and caught—each man [with] a young one in his hand—all the young of the storks, and they brought them into the desert, and reared them by order of the king, and taught them to dart on, similar to the young hawks. ¹⁹ And after the young storks were reared, the king ordered them to be starved for three days, and all the people did so. ²⁰ And on the third day, the king said to them, “Strengthen yourselves and become valiant men, and each man put on his armor, and gird his sword on him, and each man ride his horse, and each take his young stork in his hand. ²¹ And we will rise up and fight against the city at the place where the serpents are”; and all the people did as the king had ordered. ²² And each man took his young one in his hand, and they went away, and when they came to the place of the serpents, the king said to them, “Each man send out his young stork on the serpents.” ²³ And each man sent out his young stork at the king’s order, and the young storks ran on the serpents, and devoured them all, and destroyed them out of that place. ²⁴ And when the king and people had seen that all the serpents were destroyed in that place, all the people set up a great shout. ²⁵ And they approached, and fought against the city, and took it, and subdued it, and they entered the city. ²⁶ And there died on that day one thousand and one hundred men of the people of the city—all that inhabited the city—but of the people besieging, not [even] one died. ²⁷ So all the children of Cush each went to his home, to his wife and children, and to all belonging to him. ²⁸ And Balaam the magician, when he saw that the city was taken, he opened the gate and he and his two sons and eight brothers fled and returned to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. ²⁹ They are the sorcerers and magicians who are mentioned in the Scroll of the Law, standing against Moses when the Lord brought the plagues on Egypt. ³⁰ So Moses took the city by his wisdom, and the children of Cush placed him on the throne instead of Kikianus king of Cush. ³¹ And they placed the royal crown on his head, and they gave him Adoniah the Cushite queen, wife of Kikianus, for a wife. ³² And Moses feared the Lord God of his fathers, so that he did not come to her, nor did he turn his eyes to her, ³³ for Moses remembered how Abraham had made his servant Eliezer swear, saying to him, “You will not take a woman from the daughters of Canaan for my son Isaac.” ³⁴ Also what Isaac did when Jacob had fled from his brother, when he commanded him, saying, “You will not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, nor make alliance with any of the children of Ham. ³⁵ For the Lord our God gave Ham, the son of Noah, and his children, and all his seed, as slaves to the children of Shem, and to the children of Japheth, and to their seed after them for slaves—agelong.” ³⁶ Therefore Moses did not turn his heart nor his eyes to the wife of Kikianus all the days that he reigned over Cush. ³⁷ And Moses feared the Lord his God all his life, and Moses walked before the Lord in truth, with all his heart and soul; he did not turn from the right way all the days of his life; he did not decline from the way, either to the right or to the left, in which Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had walked. ³⁸ And Moses strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children of Cush, and he guided the children of Cush with his usual wisdom, and Moses prospered in his kingdom. ³⁹ And at that time Aram and the children of the east heard that Kikianus king of Cush had died, so Aram and the children of the east rebelled against Cush in those days. ⁴⁰ And Moses gathered all the children of Cush, a people very mighty, about thirty thousand men, and he went out to fight with Aram and the children of the east. ⁴¹ And they went at first to the children of the east, and when the children of the east heard their report, they went to meet them, and engaged in battle with them. ⁴² And the war was severe against the children of the east, so the Lord gave all the children of the east into the hand of Moses, and about three hundred men fell down slain. ⁴³ And all the children of the east turned back and retreated, so Moses and the children of Cush followed them, and subdued them, and put a tax on them, as was their custom. ⁴⁴ So Moses and all the people with him passed from there to the land of Aram for battle. ⁴⁵ And the people of Aram also went to meet them, and they fought against them, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Moses, and many of the men of Aram fell down wounded. ⁴⁶ And Aram was also subdued by Moses and the people of Cush, and also gave their usual tax. ⁴⁷ And Moses brought Aram and the children of the east under subjection to the children of Cush; and Moses and all the people who were with him turned to the land of Cush. ⁴⁸ And Moses strengthened himself in the kingdom of the children of Cush, and the Lord was with him, and all the children of Cush were afraid of him.

 

CHAPTER 74

In the end of years Saul king of Edom died, and Ba’al Chanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. ² In the sixteenth year of the reign of Moses over Cush, Ba’al Chanan the son of Achbor reigned in the land of Edom over all the children of Edom for thirty-eight years. ³ In his days Moab rebelled against the power of Edom, having been under Edom since the days of Hadad the son of Bedad who struck them and Midian and brought Moab under subjection to Edom. ⁴ And when Ba’al Chanan the son of Achbor reigned over Edom, all the children of Moab withdrew their allegiance from Edom. ⁵ And Angeas king of Africa died in those days, and his son Azdrubal reigned in his stead. ⁶ And in those days Janeas king of the children of Chittim died, and they buried him in his temple which he had built for a residence for himself in the plain of Canopia, and Latinus reigned in his stead. ⁷ In the twenty-second year of the reign of Moses over the children of Cush, Latinus reigned over the children of Chittim forty-five years. ⁸ And he also built a great and mighty tower for himself, and he built an elegant temple for his residence therein, to conduct his government, as was the custom. ⁹ In the third year of his reign he caused a proclamation to be made to all his skillful men who made many ships for him. ¹⁰ And Latinus assembled all his forces, and they came in ships, and went therein to fight with Azdrubal son of Angeas, king of Africa, and they came to Africa and engaged in battle with Azdrubal and his army. ¹¹ And Latinus prevailed over Azdrubal, and Latinus took from Azdrubal the aqueduct which his father had brought from the children of Chittim when he took Janiah the daughter of Uzi for a wife, so Latinus overthrew the bridge of the aqueduct, and struck the whole army of Azdrubal [with] a severe blow. ¹² And the remaining strong men of Azdrubal strengthened themselves, and their hearts were filled with envy, and they courted death, and again engaged in battle with Latinus king of Chittim. ¹³ And the battle was severe on all the men of Africa, and they all fell wounded before Latinus and his people, and Azdrubal the king also fell in that battle. ¹⁴ And King Azdrubal had a very beautiful daughter whose name was Ushpezena, and all the men of Africa embroidered her likeness on their garments on account of her great beauty and attractive appearance. ¹⁵ And the men of Latinus saw Ushpezena, the daughter of Azdrubal, and praised her to Latinus, their king. ¹⁶ And Latinus ordered her to be brought to him, and Latinus took Ushpezena for a wife, and he turned back on his way to Chittim. ¹⁷ And it was after the death of Azdrubal son of Angeas, when Latinus had turned back to his land from the battle, that all the inhabitants of Africa rose up and took Anibal the son of Angeas, the younger brother of Azdrubal, and made him king over the whole land of Africa instead of his brother. ¹⁸ And when he reigned, he resolved to go to Chittim to fight with the children of Chittim, to avenge the cause of his brother Azdrubal and the cause of the inhabitants of Africa, and he did so. ¹⁹ And he made many ships, and he came therein with his whole army, and he went to Chittim. ²⁰ So Anibal fought with the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim fell wounded before Anibal and his army, and Anibal avenged his brother’s cause. ²¹ And Anibal continued the war for eighteen years with the children of Chittim, and Anibal dwelt in the land of Chittim and encamped there for a long time. ²² And Anibal struck the children of Chittim very severely, and he slew their great men and princes, and he struck about eighty thousand men of the rest of the people. ²³ And at the end of days and years, Anibal returned to his land of Africa, and he reigned securely in the place of his brother Azdrubal.

 

CHAPTER 75

At that time, in the one hundred and eightieth year of the Israelites going down into Egypt, there went out from Egypt valiant men, thirty thousand on foot, from the sons of Israel, who were all of the tribe of Joseph, of the children of Ephraim the son of Joseph. ² For they said the period was completed which the Lord had appointed to the sons of Israel in the times of old, which he had spoken to Abraham. ³ And these men girded themselves, and each man put his sword at his side, and every man [put] his armor on him, and they trusted in their strength, and they went out together from Egypt with a mighty hand. ⁴ But they brought no provision for the road, only silver and gold; they did not even bring bread for that day in their hands, for they thought of getting their provision for pay from the Philistines, and if not, they would take it by force. ⁵ And these men were very mighty and valiant men: one man could pursue one thousand and two could rout ten thousand, so they trusted in their strength and went together as they were. ⁶ And they directed their course toward the land of Gath, and they went down and found the shepherds of Gath feeding the cattle of the children of Gath. ⁷ And they said to the shepherds, “Give us some of the sheep for pay [so] that we may eat, for we are hungry, for we have eaten no bread this day.” ⁸ And the shepherds said, “Are they our sheep or cattle that we should give them to you even for pay?” so the children of Ephraim approached to take them by force. ⁹ And the shepherds of Gath shouted over them that their cry was heard at a distance, so all the children of Gath went out to them. ¹⁰ And when the children of Gath saw the evil doings of the children of Ephraim, they returned and assembled the men of Gath, and each man put on his armor and came out to the children of Ephraim for battle. ¹¹ And they engaged with them in the Valley of Gath, and the battle was severe, and they struck from each other a great many on that day. ¹² And on the second day the children of Gath sent to all the cities of the Philistines [so] that they should come to their aid, saying, ¹³ “Come up to us and help us [so] that we may strike the children of Ephraim who have come out from Egypt to take our cattle and to fight against us without cause.” ¹⁴ Now the souls of the children of Ephraim were exhausted with hunger and thirst, for they had eaten no bread for three days. And forty thousand men went out from the cities of the Philistines to the assistance of the men of Gath. ¹⁵ And these men were engaged in battle with the children of Ephraim, and the Lord delivered the children of Ephraim into the hands of the Philistines. ¹⁶ And they struck all the children of Ephraim—all who had gone out from Egypt; none were remaining except ten men who had run away from the engagement. ¹⁷ For this calamity was from the Lord against the children of Ephraim, for they transgressed the word of the Lord in going out from Egypt before the period had arrived which the Lord in the days of old had appointed to Israel. ¹⁸ And there also fell a great many of the Philistines, about twenty thousand men, and their brothers carried them and buried them in their cities. ¹⁹ And the slain of the children of Ephraim remained forsaken in the Valley of Gath for many days and years, and were not brought to burial, and the valley was filled with men’s bones. ²⁰ And the men who had escaped from the battle came to Egypt and told all the sons of Israel all that had befallen them. ²¹ And their father Ephraim mourned over them for many days, and his brothers came to console him. ²² And he came to his wife and she bore a son, and he called his name Beriah, for she was unfortunate in his house.

 

CHAPTER 76

And Moses the son of Amram was still king in the land of Cush in those days, and he prospered in his kingdom, and he conducted the government of the children of Cush in justice, in righteousness, and [in] integrity. ² And all the children of Cush loved Moses all the days that he reigned over them, and all the inhabitants of the land of Cush were greatly afraid of him. ³ And in the fortieth year of the reign of Moses over Cush, Moses was sitting on the royal throne while Adoniah the queen was before him, and all the nobles were sitting around him. ⁴ And Adoniah the queen said before the king and the princes, “What is this thing which you, the children of Cush, have done for this long time? ⁵ Surely you know that for forty years that this man has reigned over Cush he has not approached me, nor has he served the gods of the children of Cush. ⁶ Now therefore, hear, O you children of Cush, and let this man no longer reign over you as he is not of our flesh. ⁷ Behold, my son Menacrus is grown up: let him reign over you, for it is better for you to serve the son of your lord, than to serve a stranger, a slave of the king of Egypt.” ⁸ And all the people and nobles of the children of Cush heard the words which Adoniah the queen had spoken in their ears. ⁹ And all the people were preparing until the evening, and in the morning, they rose up early and made Menacrus, son of Kikianus, king over them. ¹⁰ And all the children of Cush were afraid to stretch out their hand against Moses, for the Lord was with Moses, and the children of Cush remembered the oath which they swore to Moses; therefore, they did no harm to him. ¹¹ But the children of Cush gave many presents to Moses and sent him from them with great honor. ¹² So Moses went out from the land of Cush, and went home and ceased to reign over Cush, and Moses was sixty-six years old when he went out of the land of Cush, for the thing was from the Lord, for the period had arrived which He had appointed in the days of old, to bring out Israel from the affliction of the children of Ham. ¹³ So Moses went to Midian, for he was afraid to return to Egypt on account of Pharaoh, and he went and sat at a well of water in Midian. ¹⁴ And the seven daughters of Reuel the Midianite went out to feed their father’s flock. ¹⁵ And they came to the well and drew water to water their father’s flock. ¹⁶ So the shepherds of Midian came and drove them away, and Moses rose up, and helped them, and watered the flock. ¹⁷ And they came home to their father Reuel and told him what Moses did for them. ¹⁸ And they said, “An Egyptian man has delivered us from the hands of the shepherds; he drew up water for us and watered the flock.” ¹⁹ And Reuel said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why have you left the man?” ²⁰ And Reuel sent for him, and fetched him, and brought him home, and he ate bread with him. ²¹ And Moses related to Reuel that he had fled from Egypt, and that he reigned over Cush [for] forty years, and that afterward they had taken the government from him and had sent him away in peace with honor and with presents. ²² And when Reuel had heard the words of Moses, Reuel said within himself, “I will put this man into the prison-house, whereby I will conciliate the children of Cush, for he has fled from them.” ²³ And they took and put him into the prison-house, and Moses was in prison [for] ten years, and while Moses was in the prison-house, Zipporah the daughter of Reuel took pity over him, and supported him with bread and water all the time. ²⁴ And all the sons of Israel were yet in the land of Egypt serving the Egyptians in all manner of hard work, and the hand of Egypt continued in severity over the sons of Israel in those days. ²⁵ At that time the Lord struck Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he was afflicted with the plague of leprosy from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head; this plague was from the Lord on Pharaoh king of Egypt at that time, owing to the cruel treatment of the sons of Israel. ²⁶ For the Lord had listened to the prayer of His people, the sons of Israel, and their cry reached Him on account of their hard work. ²⁷ Still His anger did not turn from them, and the hand of Pharaoh was still stretched out against the sons of Israel, and Pharaoh hardened his neck before the Lord, and increased his yoke over the sons of Israel, and embittered their lives with all manner of hard work. ²⁸ And when the Lord had inflicted the plague on Pharaoh king of Egypt, he asked his wise men and sorcerers to cure him. ²⁹ And his wise men and sorcerers said to him that if the blood of little children were put into the wounds he would be healed. ³⁰ And Pharaoh listened to them and sent his ministers to Goshen to the sons of Israel to take their little children. ³¹ And Pharaoh’s ministers went and took the infants of the sons of Israel from the bosoms of their mothers by force, and they brought them to Pharaoh daily, a child each day, and the physicians killed them and applied them to the plague; thus they did all the days. ³² And the number of the children which Pharaoh slew was three hundred and seventy-five. ³³ But the Lord did not listen to the physicians of the king of Egypt, and the plague went on increasing mightily. ³⁴ And Pharaoh was afflicted with that plague [for] ten years, yet the heart of Pharaoh was [still] more hardened against the sons of Israel. ³⁵ And at the end of ten years the Lord continued to afflict Pharaoh with destructive plagues. ³⁶ And the Lord struck him with a bad tumor and sickness of the stomach, and that plague turned to a severe boil. ³⁷ At that time the two ministers of Pharaoh came from the land of Goshen where all the sons of Israel were, and went to the house of Pharaoh, and said to him, “We have seen the sons of Israel slackened in their work and negligent in their labor.” ³⁸ And when Pharaoh heard the words of his ministers, his anger was kindled against the sons of Israel exceedingly, for he was greatly grieved at his bodily pain. ³⁹ And he answered and said, “Now that the sons of Israel know that I am sick, they turn and scoff at us; now therefore, harness my chariot for me, and I will go to Goshen myself and will see the scoff of the sons of Israel with which they are deriding me”; so his servants harnessed the chariot for him. ⁴⁰ And they took him and made him ride on a horse, for he was not able to ride by himself; ⁴¹ And he took ten horsemen and ten footmen with him and went to the sons of Israel, to Goshen. ⁴² And when they had come to the border of Egypt, the king’s horse passed into a narrow place, elevated in the hollow part of the vineyard, fenced on both sides, the low, plain country being on the other side. ⁴³ And the horses ran rapidly in that place and pressed each other, and the other horses pressed the king’s horse. ⁴⁴ And the king’s horse fell into the low plain while the king was riding on it, and when he fell, the chariot turned over the king’s face and the horse lay on the king, and the king cried out, for his flesh was very sore. ⁴⁵ And the flesh of the king was torn from him, and his bones were broken, and he could not ride, for this thing was from the Lord to him, for the Lord had heard the cries of His people, the sons of Israel, and their affliction. ⁴⁶ And his servants carried him on their shoulders, a little at a time, and they brought him back to Egypt, and the horsemen who were with him also came back to Egypt. ⁴⁷ And they placed him in his bed, and the king knew that his end had come to die, so Aparanith the queen, his wife, came and cried before the king, and the king wept a great weeping with her. ⁴⁸ And all his nobles and servants came on that day, and saw the king in that affliction, and wept a great weeping with him. ⁴⁹ And the princes of the king and all his counselors advised the king to cause one to reign in his stead in the land, whomsoever he should choose from his sons. ⁵⁰ And the king had three sons and two daughters which Aparanith the queen, his wife, had borne to him besides the king’s children of concubines. ⁵¹ And these were their names: the firstborn Othri, the second Adikam, and the third Morion, and their sisters, the name of the elder Bathia and of the other Acuzi. ⁵² And Othri, the firstborn of the king, was an idiot, precipitate and hurried in his words. ⁵³ But Adikam was a cunning and wise man and knowing in all the wisdom of Egypt, but of unseemly aspect, thick in flesh, and very short in stature; his height was one cubit. ⁵⁴ And when the king saw his son Adikam intelligent and wise in all things, the king resolved that he should be king in his stead after his death. ⁵⁵ And he took a wife for him, Gedudah daughter of Abilot, and he was ten years old, and she bore four sons to him. ⁵⁶ And afterward he went and took three wives and begot eight sons and three daughters. ⁵⁷ And the disorder greatly prevailed over the king, and his flesh stank like the flesh of a carcass cast on the field in summertime, during the heat of the sun. ⁵⁸ And when the king saw that his sickness had greatly strengthened itself over him, he ordered his son Adikam to be brought to him, and they made him king over the land in his place. ⁵⁹ And at the end of three years, the king died in shame, disgrace, and disgust, and his servants carried him and buried him in the tomb of the kings of Egypt in Zoan Mizraim. ⁶⁰ But they did not embalm him as was usual with kings, for his flesh was putrid, and they could not approach to embalm him on account of the stench, so they buried him in haste. ⁶¹ For this calamity was from the Lord to him, for the Lord had paid him back evil for the evil which he had done to Israel in his days. ⁶² And he died with terror and with shame, and his son Adikam reigned in his place.

 

CHAPTER 77

Adikam was twenty years old when he reigned over Egypt; he reigned four years. ² In the two hundred and sixth year of Israel’s going down to Egypt Adikam reigned over Egypt, but he did not continue as long in his reign over Egypt as his fathers had continued their reigns. ³ For his father Melol reigned ninety-four years in Egypt, but he was sick [for] ten years and died, for he had been wicked before the Lord. ⁴ And all the Egyptians called the name of Adikam Pharaoh like the name of his fathers, as was their custom to do in Egypt. ⁵ And all the wise men of Pharaoh called the name of Adikam Ahuz ([he] is called Ahuz for short in the Egyptian language). ⁶ And Adikam was exceedingly ugly, and he was a cubit and a span, and he had a great beard which reached to the soles of his feet. ⁷ And Pharaoh sat on his father’s throne to reign over Egypt, and he conducted the government of Egypt in his wisdom. ⁸ And while he reigned, he exceeded his father and all the preceding kings in wickedness, and he increased his yoke over the sons of Israel. ⁹ And he went with his servants to Goshen, to the sons of Israel, and he strengthened the labor over them and he said to them, “Complete your work—each day’s task—and do not let your hands slacken from our work from this day forward as you did in the days of my father.” ¹⁰ And he placed officers over them from among the sons of Israel, and over these officers he placed taskmasters from among his servants. ¹¹ And he placed over them a measure of bricks for them to do according to that number, day by day, and he turned back and went to Egypt. ¹² At that time the taskmasters of Pharaoh ordered the officers of the sons of Israel according to the command of Pharaoh, saying, ¹³ “Thus says Pharaoh: Do your work each day, and finish your task, and observe the daily measure of bricks; do not diminish anything. ¹⁴ And it will come to pass that if you are deficient in your daily bricks, I will put your young children in their place.” ¹⁵ And the taskmasters of Egypt did so in those days as Pharaoh had ordered them. ¹⁶ And whenever any deficiency was found in the sons of Israel’s measure of their daily bricks, the taskmasters of Pharaoh would go to the wives of the sons of Israel and take infants of the sons of Israel according to the number of deficient bricks; they would take them by force from their mother’s laps and put them in the building instead of the bricks ¹⁷ while their fathers and mothers were crying over them and weeping when they heard the weeping voices of their infants in the wall of the building. ¹⁸ And the taskmasters prevailed over Israel [so] that the Israelites should place their [own] children in the building, so that a man placed his son in the wall and put mortar over him while his eyes wept over him and his tears ran down on his child. ¹⁹ And the taskmasters of Egypt did so to the babies of Israel for many days, and no one pitied or had compassion over the babies of the sons of Israel. ²⁰ And the number of all the children killed in the building was two hundred and seventy, some whom they had built on instead of the bricks which had been left deficient by their fathers, and some whom they had drawn out dead from the building. ²¹ And the labor imposed on the sons of Israel in the days of Adikam exceeded in hardship that which they performed in the days of his father. ²² And the sons of Israel sighed every day on account of their heavy work, for they had said to themselves, “Behold, when Pharaoh will die, his son will rise up and lighten our work!” ²³ But they increased the latter work more than the former, and the sons of Israel sighed at this and their cry ascended to God on account of their labor. ²⁴ And in those days God heard the voice of the sons of Israel and their cry, and God remembered His covenant with them which He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ And God saw the burden of the sons of Israel and their heavy work in those days, and He determined to deliver them. ²⁶ And Moses the son of Amram was still confined in the dungeon in those days, in the house of Reuel the Midianite, and Zipporah the daughter of Reuel secretly supported him with food day by day. ²⁷ And Moses was confined in the dungeon in the house of Reuel for ten years. ²⁸ And at the end of ten years, which was the first year of the reign of Pharaoh over Egypt in the place of his father, ²⁹ Zipporah said to her father Reuel, “No person inquires or seeks after the Hebrew man whom you bound in prison now ten years. ³⁰ Now therefore, if it seems good in your sight, let us send and see whether he is living or dead,” but her father did not know that she had supported him. ³¹ And her father Reuel answered and said to her, “Has such a thing ever happened that a man should be shut up in a prison without food for ten years, and that he should live?” ³² And Zipporah answered her father, saying, “Surely you have heard that the God of the Hebrews is great and awful, and does wonders for them at all times. ³³ It was He who delivered Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans, and Isaac from the sword of his father, and Jacob from the Messenger of the Lord who wrestled with him at the ford of Jabbuk. ³⁴ He has also done many things with this man: He delivered him from the river in Egypt, and from the sword of Pharaoh, and from the children of Cush—so He can also deliver him from famine and make him live.” ³⁵ And the thing seemed good in the sight of Reuel, so he did according to the word of his daughter and sent to the dungeon to ascertain what became of Moses. ³⁶ And he saw, and behold, the man Moses was living in the dungeon, standing on his feet, praising and praying to the God of his ancestors. ³⁷ And Reuel commanded Moses to be brought out of the dungeon, so they shaved him, and he changed his prison garments and ate bread. ³⁸ And afterward Moses went into the garden of Reuel which was behind the house, and there he prayed to the Lord his God who had done mighty wonders for him. ³⁹ And it was that while he prayed, he looked opposite to him, and behold, a sapphire stick was placed in the ground, which was planted in the midst of the garden. ⁴⁰ And he approached the stick and looked, and behold, the Name of the Lord God of Hosts was engraved thereon, written and developed on the stick. ⁴¹ And he read it, and stretched out his hand, and plucked it like a forest tree from the thicket, and the stick was in his hand. ⁴² And this is the stick with which all the works of our God were performed after He had created the heavens and earth, and all the host of them, seas, rivers, and all their fishes. ⁴³ And when God had driven Adam from the garden of Eden, he took the stick in his hand and went and tilled the ground from which he was taken. ⁴⁴ And the stick came down to Noah and was given to Shem and his descendants until it came into the hand of Abraham the Hebrew. ⁴⁵ And when Abraham had given all he had to his son Isaac, he also gave this stick to him. ⁴⁶ And when Jacob had fled to Padan-Aram, he took it into his hand, and when he returned to his father, he had not left it behind him. ⁴⁷ Also when he went down to Egypt, he took it into his hand and gave it to Joseph, one portion above his brothers, for Jacob had taken it by force from his brother Esau. ⁴⁸ And after the death of Joseph, the nobles of Egypt came into the house of Joseph, and the stick came into the hand of Reuel the Midianite, and when he went out of Egypt, he took it in his hand and planted it in his garden. ⁴⁹ And all the mighty men of the Kinites tried to pluck it when they endeavored to get his daughter Zipporah, but they were unsuccessful. ⁵⁰ So that stick remained planted in the garden of Reuel until he came who had a right to it and took it. ⁵¹ And when Reuel saw the stick in the hand of Moses, he wondered at it, and he gave him his daughter Zipporah for a wife.

CHAPTER 78

At that time Ba’al Channan son of Achbor, king of Edom, died, and he was buried in his house in the land of Edom. ² And after his death the children of Esau sent to the land of Edom and took a man from there who was in Edom, whose name was Hadad, and they made him king over them in the place of Ba’al Channan, their king. ³ And Hadad reigned over the children of Edom [for] forty-eight years. ⁴ And when he reigned, he resolved to fight against the children of Moab, to bring them under the power of the children of Esau as they were before, but he was not able, because the children of Moab heard this thing, and they rose up and hastened to choose a king over them from among their brothers. ⁵ And afterward they gathered a great people together and sent to their brothers, the children of Ammon, for help to fight against Hadad king of Edom. ⁶ And Hadad heard the thing which the children of Moab had done, and was greatly afraid of them, and refrained from fighting against them. ⁷ In those days Moses the son of Amram took Zipporah the daughter of Reuel, the Midianite, for a wife in Midian. ⁸ And Zipporah walked in the ways of the daughters of Jacob; she was nothing short of the righteousness of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah. ⁹ And Zipporah conceived and bore a son and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I was a stranger in a foreign land”; but he did not circumcise his foreskin at the command of his father-in-law Reuel. ¹⁰ And she conceived again and bore a son, but circumcised his foreskin, and he called his name Eliezer, for Moses said, “Because the God of my fathers was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.” ¹¹ And Pharaoh king of Egypt greatly increased the labor of the sons of Israel in those days and continued to make his yoke heavier on the sons of Israel. ¹² And he ordered a proclamation to be made in Egypt, saying, “No longer give straw to the people to make bricks with; let them go and gather straw themselves as they can find it. ¹³ Also, let them give the number of bricks which they must make each day, and diminish nothing from them, for they are idle in their work.” ¹⁴ And the sons of Israel heard this, and they mourned and sighed, and they cried to the Lord on account of the bitterness of their souls. ¹⁵ And the Lord heard the cries of the sons of Israel and saw the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them. ¹⁶ And the Lord was jealous for His people and His inheritance, and heard their voice, and resolved to take them out of the affliction of Egypt, to give them the land of Canaan for a possession.

 

CHAPTER 79

And in those days Moses was feeding the flock of Reuel the Midianite, his father-in-law, beyond the wilderness of Sin, and the stick which he took from his father-in-law was in his hand. ² And it came to pass one day that a kid of goats strayed from the flock, and Moses pursued it, and it came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. ³ And when he came to Horeb, the Lord appeared there to him in the bush, and he found the bush burning with fire, but the fire had no power over the bush to consume it. ⁴ And Moses was greatly astonished at this sight, why the bush was not consumed, and he approached to see this mighty thing, and the Lord called to Moses out of the fire and commanded him to go down to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to send the sons of Israel from his service. ⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go; return to Egypt, for all those men who sought your life are dead, and you will speak to Pharaoh to send out the sons of Israel from his land.” ⁶ And the Lord commanded him to do signs and wonders in Egypt before the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes of his subjects in order that they might believe that the Lord had sent him. ⁷ And Moses listened to all that the Lord had commanded him, and he returned to his father-in-law and told him the thing, and Reuel said to him, “Go in peace.” ⁸ And Moses rose up to go to Egypt, and he took his wife and sons with him, and he was at an inn in the road, and a messenger of God came down and sought an occasion against him. ⁹ And he wished to kill him on account of his firstborn son, because he had not circumcised him, and had transgressed the covenant which the Lord had made with Abraham. ¹⁰ For Moses had listened to the words of his father-in-law which he had spoken to him, [so as] not to circumcise his firstborn son, therefore he did not circumcise him. ¹¹ And Zipporah saw the messenger of the Lord seeking an occasion against Moses, and she knew that this thing was owing to his not having circumcised her son Gershom. ¹² And Zipporah hastened and took of the sharp rock stones that were there, and she circumcised her son, and delivered her husband and her son from the hand of the messenger of the Lord. ¹³ And Aaron the son of Amram, the brother of Moses, was in Egypt walking at the riverside on that day. ¹⁴ And the Lord appeared to him in that place, and He said to him, “Go now toward Moses in the wilderness,” and he went and met him in the mountain of God, and he kissed him. ¹⁵ And Aaron lifted up his eyes and saw Zipporah the wife of Moses and her children, and he said to Moses, “Who are these to you?” ¹⁶ And Moses said to him, “They are my wife and sons, which God gave to me in Midian”; and the thing grieved Aaron on account of the woman and her children. ¹⁷ And Aaron said to Moses, “Send the woman and her children away that they may go to her father’s house,” and Moses listened to the words of Aaron, and did so. ¹⁸ And Zipporah returned with her children, and they went to the house of Reuel, and remained there until the time arrived when the Lord had visited His people and brought them out from Egypt from the hand of Pharaoh. ¹⁹ And Moses and Aaron came to Egypt to the community of the sons of Israel, and they spoke to them all the words of the Lord, and the people rejoiced an exceedingly great rejoicing. ²⁰ And Moses and Aaron rose up early on the next day, and they went to the house of Pharaoh, and they took the stick of God in their hands. ²¹ And when they came to the king’s gate, two young lions were confined there with iron instruments, and no person went out or came in from before them, unless those whom the king ordered to come, when the conjurers came and withdrew the lions by their incantations, and this brought them to the king. ²² And Moses hastened and lifted up the stick on the lions, and he loosed them, and Moses and Aaron came into the king’s house. ²³ The lions also came with them in joy, and they followed them and rejoiced as a dog rejoices over his master when he comes from the field. ²⁴ And when Pharaoh saw this thing, he was astonished at it, and he was greatly terrified at the report, for their appearance was like the appearance of the children of God. ²⁵ And Pharaoh said to Moses, “What do you require?” and they answered him, saying, “The Lord God of the Hebrews has sent us to you, to say, Send out My people that they may serve Me.” ²⁶ And when Pharaoh heard their words he was greatly terrified before them, and he said to them, “Go today and come back to me tomorrow,” and they did according to the word of the king. ²⁷ And when they had gone, Pharaoh sent for Balaam the magician, and to his sons Jannes and Jambres, and to all the magicians, and conjurers, and counselors which belonged to the king, and they all came and sat before the king. ²⁸ And the king told them all the words which Moses and his brother Aaron had spoken to him, and the magicians said to the king, “But how did the men come to you with the lions which were confined at the gate?” ²⁹ And the king said, “Because they lifted up their rod against the lions and loosed them, and came to me, and the lions also rejoiced at them as a dog rejoices to meet his master.” ³⁰ And Balaam the son of Beor, the magician, answered the king, saying, “These are nothing other than magicians like ourselves. ³¹ Now therefore, send for them, and let them come, and we will try them,” and the king did so. ³² And in the morning Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron to come before the king, and they took the rod of God, and came to the king, and spoke to him, saying, ³³ “Thus said the Lord God of the Hebrews: Send My people that they may serve Me.” ³⁴ And the king said to them, “But who will believe you that you are the messengers of God and that you come to me by His order? ³⁵ Now therefore, give a wonder or sign in this matter, and then the words which you speak will be believed.” ³⁶ And Aaron hastened and threw the rod out of his hand before Pharaoh and before his servants, and the rod turned into a serpent. ³⁷ And the sorcerers saw this, and each man cast his rod on the ground and they became serpents. ³⁸ And the serpent of Aaron’s rod lifted up its head and opened its mouth to swallow the rods of the magicians. ³⁹ And Balaam the magician answered and said, “This thing has been from the days of old, that a serpent should swallow its fellow, and that living things devour each other. ⁴⁰ Now therefore, restore it to a rod as it was at first, and we will also restore our rods as they were at first, and if your rod will swallow our rods, then we will know that the Spirit of God is in you, and if not, you are only a craftsman like ourselves.” ⁴¹ And Aaron hastened, and stretched out his hand, and caught hold of the serpent’s tail, and it became a rod in his hand, and the sorcerers did the same with their rods, and each man took hold of the tail of his serpent, and they became rods as at first. ⁴² And when they were restored to rods, the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods. ⁴³ And when the king saw this thing, he ordered the scroll of records that related to the kings of Egypt to be brought, and they brought the scroll of records, the chronicles of the kings of Egypt, in which all the idols of Egypt were inscribed, for they thought of finding the Name of the Lord therein, but they did not find it. ⁴⁴ And Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, “Behold, I have not found the Name of your God written in this scroll, and I do not recognize His Name.” ⁴⁵ And the counselors and wise men answered the king, “We have heard that the God of the Hebrews is a son of the wise, the son of ancient kings.” ⁴⁶ And Pharaoh turned to Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I do not know the Lord whom you have declared; neither will I send His people.” ⁴⁷ And they answered and said to the king, “The Lord God of gods is His Name, and He proclaimed His Name over us from the days of our ancestors, and sent us, saying, Go to Pharaoh and say to him, Send My people that they may serve Me. ⁴⁸ Now therefore, send us [so] that we may take a journey for three days in the wilderness, and may sacrifice to Him there, for from the days of our going down to Egypt, He has not taken from our hands either burnt-offering, oblation, or sacrifice, and if you will not send us, His anger will be kindled against you, and He will strike Egypt either with the plague or with the sword.” ⁴⁹ And Pharaoh said to them, “Tell me now of His power and His might”; and they said to him, “He created the heavens and the earth, the seas and all their fishes; He formed the light, created the darkness, caused rain on the earth and watered it, and made the herbage and grass to sprout; He created man, and beast, and the animals of the forest, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and by His mouth they live and die. ⁵⁰ He surely created you in your mother’s womb, and put into you the breath of life, and reared you, and placed you on the royal throne of Egypt, and He will take your breath and soul from you, and return you to the ground from where you were taken.” ⁵¹ And the anger of the king was kindled at their words, and he said to them, “But who among all the gods of the nations can do this? my river is my own, and I have made it for myself.” ⁵² And he drove them from him, and he ordered the labor on Israel to be more severe than it was yesterday and before. ⁵³ And Moses and Aaron went out from the king’s presence, and they saw the sons of Israel in an evil condition, for the taskmasters had made their labor exceedingly heavy. ⁵⁴ And Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why have you mistreated Your people? for since I came to speak to Pharaoh—the reason You sent me—he has exceedingly mistreated the sons of Israel.” ⁵⁵ And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you will see that with an outstretched hand and heavy plagues, Pharaoh will send the sons of Israel from his land.” ⁵⁶ And Moses and Aaron dwelt in Egypt among their brothers, the sons of Israel. ⁵⁷ And as for the sons of Israel: the Egyptians embittered their lives with the heavy work which they imposed on them.

 

CHAPTER 80

And at the end of two years, the Lord sent Moses to Pharaoh again to bring out the sons of Israel, and to send them out of the land of Egypt. ² And Moses went and came to the house of Pharaoh, and he spoke to him the words of the Lord who had sent him, but Pharaoh would not listen to the voice of the Lord, and God roused His might in Egypt on Pharaoh and his subjects, and God struck Pharaoh and his people with very great and severe plagues. ³ And the Lord sent by the hand of Aaron and turned all the waters of Egypt into blood, with all their streams and rivers. ⁴ And when an Egyptian came to drink and draw water, he looked into his pitcher, and behold, all the water was turned into blood; and when he came to drink from his cup, the water in the cup became blood. ⁵ And when a woman kneaded her dough and cooked her victuals, their appearance was turned to that of blood. ⁶ And the Lord sent again and caused all their waters to bring out frogs, and all the frogs came into the houses of the Egyptians. ⁷ And when the Egyptians drank, their bellies were filled with frogs and they danced in their bellies as they dance when in the river. ⁸ And all their drinking water and cooking water turned to frogs; also, when they lay in their beds their perspiration bred frogs. ⁹ Notwithstanding all this, the anger of the Lord did not turn from them, and His hand was stretched out against all the Egyptians to strike them with every heavy plague. ¹⁰ And He sent and struck their dust to lice, and the lice became in Egypt to the height of two cubits on the earth. ¹¹ The lice were also very numerous in the flesh of man and beast in all the inhabitants of Egypt; the Lord also sent the lice on the king and queen, and it grieved Egypt exceedingly on account of the lice. ¹² Notwithstanding this, the anger of the Lord did not turn away, and His hand was still stretched out over Egypt. ¹³ And the Lord sent all kinds of beasts of the field into Egypt, and they came and destroyed all Egypt—man, and beast, and trees, and all things that were in Egypt. ¹⁴ And the Lord sent fiery serpents, scorpions, mice, weasels, toads, together with others creeping in dust— ¹⁵ flies, hornets, fleas, bugs, and gnats, each swarm according to its kind. ¹⁶ And all reptiles and winged animals according to their kind came to Egypt and grieved the Egyptians exceedingly. ¹⁷ And the fleas and flies came into the eyes and ears of the Egyptians. ¹⁸ And the hornet came on them and drove them away, and they removed from it into their inner rooms, and it pursued them. ¹⁹ And when the Egyptians hid themselves on account of the swarm of animals, they locked their doors after them, and God ordered the Sulanuth, which was in the sea, to come up and go into Egypt. ²⁰ And she had long arms—ten cubits in length of the cubit of a man. ²¹ And she went on the roofs and uncovered the raftering and flooring, and cut them, and stretched out her arm into the house, and removed the lock and the bolt, and opened the houses of Egypt. ²² Afterward, the swarm of animals came into the houses of Egypt, and the swarm of animals destroyed the Egyptians, and it grieved them exceedingly. ²³ Notwithstanding this, the anger of the Lord did not turn away from the Egyptians, and His hand was yet stretched out against them. ²⁴ And God sent the pestilence, and the pestilence pervaded Egypt, in the horses and donkeys, and in the camels, in herds of oxen and sheep, and in man. ²⁵ And when the Egyptians rose up early in the morning to take their cattle to pasture, they found all their cattle dead. ²⁶ And there remained of the cattle of the Egyptians only one in ten, and of the cattle belonging to Israel in Goshen not one died. ²⁷ And God sent a burning inflammation in the flesh of the Egyptians, which burst their skins, and it became a severe itch in all the Egyptians from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads. ²⁸ And many boils were in their flesh [so] that their flesh wasted away until they became rotten and putrid. ²⁹ Notwithstanding this, the anger of the Lord did not turn away, and His hand was still stretched out over all Egypt. ³⁰ And the Lord sent a very heavy hail, which struck their vines, and broke their fruit trees, and dried them up that they fell on them. ³¹ Also every green herb became dry and perished, for a mingling fire descended amidst the hail; therefore, the hail and the fire consumed all things. ³² Also men and beasts that were found abroad perished by the flames of fire and of the hail, and all the young lions were exhausted. ³³ And the Lord sent and brought numerous locusts into Egypt: the Chasel, Salom, Chargol, and Chagole—locusts each after its kind, which devoured all that the hail had left remaining. ³⁴ Then the Egyptians rejoiced at the locusts, although they consumed the produce of the field, and they caught them in abundance and salted them for food. ³⁵ And the Lord turned a mighty wind of the sea which took away all the locusts, even those that were salted, and thrust them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the boundaries of Egypt. ³⁶ And God sent darkness over Egypt [so] that the whole land of Egypt and Pathros became dark for three days, so that a man could not see his hand when he lifted it to his mouth. ³⁷ At that time many of the people of Israel died who had rebelled against the Lord, and who would not listen to Moses and Aaron, and did not believe in them, that God had sent them, ³⁸ and who had said, “We will not go out from Egypt lest we perish with hunger in a desolate wilderness,” and who would not listen to the voice of Moses. ³⁹ And the Lord plagued them in the three days of darkness, and the Israelites buried them in those days without the Egyptians knowing of them or rejoicing over them. ⁴⁰ And the darkness was very great in Egypt for three days, and any person who was standing when the darkness came remained standing in his place, and he that was sitting remained sitting, and he that was lying continued lying in the same state, and he that was walking remained sitting on the ground in the same spot; and this thing happened to all the Egyptians until the darkness had passed away. ⁴¹ And the days of darkness passed away, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron to the sons of Israel, saying, “Celebrate your feast and make your Passover, for behold, I come in the midst of the night among all the Egyptians, and I will strike all their firstborn, from the firstborn of a man to the firstborn of a beast, and when I see your Passover, I will pass over you.” ⁴² And the sons of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron—thus they did in that night. ⁴³ And it came to pass in the middle of the night that the Lord went out in the midst of Egypt and struck all the firstborn of the Egyptians, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beast. ⁴⁴ And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry throughout Egypt in that night, for there was not a house in which there was not a corpse. ⁴⁵ Also the likenesses of the firstborn of Egypt, which were carved in the walls of their houses, were destroyed and fell to the ground. ⁴⁶ Even the bones of their firstborn, who had died before this and whom they had buried in their houses, were raked up by the dogs of Egypt on that night, and dragged before the Egyptians, and cast before them. ⁴⁷ And all the Egyptians saw this evil which had suddenly come on them, and all the Egyptians cried out with a loud voice. ⁴⁸ And all the families of Egypt wept on that night, each man for his son and each man for his daughter, being the firstborn, and the tumult of Egypt was heard at a distance on that night. ⁴⁹ And Bathia the daughter of Pharaoh went out with the king on that night to seek Moses and Aaron in their houses, and they found them in their houses eating, and drinking, and rejoicing with all Israel. ⁵⁰ And Bathia said to Moses, “Is this the reward for the good which I have done to you, who have reared you and stretched you out, and you have brought this calamity on me and my father’s house?” ⁵¹ And Moses said to her, “Surely the Lord brought ten plagues on Egypt; did any evil accrue to you from any of them? did one of them affect you?” and she said, “No.” ⁵² And Moses said to her, “Although you are the firstborn to your mother, you will not die, and no calamity will reach you in the midst of Egypt.” ⁵³ And she said, “What advantage is it to me when I see the king, my brother, and all his household and subjects in this calamity, whose firstborn perish with all the firstborn of Egypt?” ⁵⁴ And Moses said to her, “Surely your brother and his household and subjects, the families of Egypt, would not listen to the words of the Lord, therefore this calamity came on them.” ⁵⁵ And Pharaoh king of Egypt approached Moses, and Aaron, and some of the sons of Israel who were with them in that place, and he prayed to them, saying, ⁵⁶ “Rise up and take your brothers, all the sons of Israel who are in the land, with their sheep and oxen, and all belonging to them—they will leave nothing remaining; only pray for me to the Lord your God.” ⁵⁷ And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Behold, though you are your mother’s firstborn, yet do not fear, for you will not die, for the Lord has commanded that you will live in order to show you His great might and strong outstretched arm.” ⁵⁸ And Pharaoh ordered the sons of Israel to be sent away, and all the Egyptians strengthened themselves to send them, for they said, “We are all perishing.” ⁵⁹ And all the Egyptians sent the Israelites out with great riches—sheep, and oxen, and precious things—according to the oath of the Lord between him and our Father Abraham. ⁶⁰ And the sons of Israel delayed going out at night, and when the Egyptians came to them to bring them out, they said to them, “Are we thieves that we should go out at night?” ⁶¹ And the sons of Israel asked of the Egyptians vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and the sons of Israel stripped the Egyptians. ⁶² And Moses hastened, and rose up, and went to the river of Egypt, and brought up the coffin of Joseph from there, and took it with him. ⁶³ Each man [of] the sons of Israel also brought up his father’s coffin with him, and each man [brought up] the coffins of his tribe.