The Lords Witnesses regard this book as factually true for the most part, but not inspired. It is a more detailed account of Genesis in the literal meaning. It is a Genesis2. There is a small fragment of Jashar in the dead sea scrolls.
However the writer of Jashar mistakenly has Terah begetting Abraham aged 70 years old. Whilst this is the most logical literal interpretation of Genesis11:26 which says...
26 And Terah lived 70 years and begat Abram Nahor and Haran (Genesis 11)
i.e. Terah had 70 procreating years, the alternative interpretation, wherein he lived 70 years and then started begetting (Abram was the youngest), is forced by Stephen's words in Acts7...
2
He said: Men, brothers and fathers, hear. The God of glory
appeared to our forefather Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia, before he took up residence in
Haran,
3
and he said to him:
'Go out from your land and from your relatives and come on into the land I shall show
you.'
4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and took up
residence in Haran. And from there, after his father died, [God] caused him to change his residence to this land in which
you now dwell (Acts 7).
Both Genesis11 and Jashar agree that Terah died aged 205 and Abraham crossed the Euphrates aged 75. So since Terah died before Abraham at 75 year old crossed the Euphrates, Terah must have sired Abraham aged 130 not 70. this 60 years discrepancy is why Jashar thinks that Noah died in the 58th year of Abraham and Terah died in the 35th year of Isaac. Both calculations are 60 years out.
So Jashar is not inspired and is not so good at chronology either (a bit like Josephus).
Notable information within it is...
19 These are the generations of Shem; Shem begat Arpachshad and Arpachshad begat Shelach, and Shelach begat Eber and to Eber were born two children, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the sons of men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth was divided.
20 And the name of the second was Yoktan, meaning that in his day the lives of the sons of men were diminished and
lessened (Jashar 7)
This confirms the LW understanding seen before we read Jashar, that the maximum adamic age was reduced (actually from 240 to 120 - see intro15) in the days of Peleg and Joktan.
Jashar confirms that Enoch was a righteous tutor of mankind as was Methuselah.
Jashar says Methuselah was 960 years old at the time of his death. But this is merely accurate to the nearest 10 years (as are other ages in the book).
"Finally, consider how Josephus described the Book of Jasher. He said "by this book are to be understood certain records kept in some safe place on purpose, giving an account of what happened among the Hebrews from year to year, and called Jasher or the upright, on account of the fidelity of the annals." There could be no better description of the book you see before you. The bottom line is that you, as the reader, will have to answer the question of legitimacy for yourself. Whichever side of that issue you take, I think that you will be enlightened by exploring the issue and by reading the book. If you feel as I do, that this book has the powerful credentials to commend it as the biblical Book of Jasher, you will now have in your hands an additional source to investigate when studying the Bible. You will also have much food for thought in regard to the issues of conventional chronology in ancient times." - http://www.ccel.org/a/anonymous/jasher/real.htm.
14 And the Lord
said unto Noah, Take unto thee a wife, and beget children, for I have seen thee
righteous before me in this generation.
15 And thou shalt
raise up seed, and thy children with thee, in the midst of the earth; and Noah
went and took a wife, and he chose Naamah the daughter of Enoch, and she was 580 years old.
16 And Noah was 498 years old, when he took Naamah for a wife.
17 And Naamah
conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Japheth, saying, God has
enlarged me in the earth; and she conceived again and bare a son, and he called
his name
Shem, saying, God has made me a remnant, to raise up seed in the midst of the
earth.
18 And Noah was 502 years old when Naamah bare Shem, and the boys grew
up and went in the ways of the Lord, in all that Methuselah and Noah their
father taught them (Jashar5).
Ham is not mentioned but he was the firstborn. Mrs Noah was Naamah, the daughter of Lamech and Zillah on Cain's side of mankind.
24 And she
conceived and bare a son and she called his name Tubal Cain, saying, After I had
withered away have I obtained him from the Almighty God.
25 And she
conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Naamah, for she said,
After I had withered away have I obtained pleasure and delight (Jashar2).
22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain [was] Naamah. (Genesis 4
KJV)
13 And these are
the generations of Enoch, Methuselah, Elisha, and Elimelech, three sons; and
their sisters were Melca and Nahmah, and Methuselah lived eighty-seven years
and he begat Lamech (Jashar3).
36 And when the kings returned they caused a census to be taken, in order to know the number of remaining men that went with Enoch; and it was upon the seventh day that Enoch ascended into heaven in a whirlwind, with horses and chariots of fire (Jashar3).
CHAPTER
1
1 And God said,
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and God created man in his
own image.
2 And God formed
man from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man
became a living soul endowed with speech.
3 And the Lord
said, It is not good for man to be alone; I will make unto him a helpmeet.
4 And the Lord
caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he took away one of
his ribs, and he built flesh upon it, and formed it and brought it to Adam, and
Adam awoke from
his sleep, and behold a woman was standing before him.
5 And he said,
This is a bone of my bones and it shall be called woman, for this has been taken
from man; and Adam called her name Eve, for she was the mother of all living.
6 And God blessed
them and called their names Adam and Eve in the day that he created them,
and the Lord God said, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
7 And the Lord
God took Adam and his wife, and he placed them in the garden of Eden to dress
it and to keep it; and he commanded them and said unto them, From every tree of
the garden
you may eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not
eat, for in
the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.
8 And when God
had blessed and commanded them, he went from them, and Adam and his wife
dwelt in the garden according to the command which the Lord had commanded them.
9 And the
serpent, which God had created with them in the earth, came to them to incite them
to transgress the command of God which he had commanded them.
10 And the serpent
enticed and persuaded the woman to eat from the tree of knowledge, and the
woman hearkened to the voice of the serpent, and she transgressed the word of
God, and
took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and she ate, and she took
from it and
gave also to her husband and he ate.
11 And Adam and
his wife transgressed the command of God which he commanded them, and
God knew it, and his anger was kindled against them and he cursed them.
12 And the Lord
God drove them that day from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which
they were taken, and they went and dwelt at the east of the garden of Eden; and
Adam knew
his wife Eve and she bore two sons and three daughters.
13 And she called
the name of the first born Cain, saying, I have obtained a man from the Lord,
and the name of the other she called Abel, for she said, In vanity we came into
the earth,
and in vanity we shall be taken from it.
14 And the boys
grew up and their father gave them a possession in the land; and Cain was a
tiller of the ground, and Abel a keeper of sheep.
15 And it was at
the expiration of a few years, that they brought an approximating offering to the
Lord, and Cain brought from the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought from the
firstlings of his
flock from the fat thereof, and God turned and inclined to Abel and his
offering, and a fire came
down from the Lord from heaven and consumed it.
16 And unto Cain
and his offering the Lord did not turn, and he did not incline to it, for he
had brought
from the inferior fruit of the ground before the Lord, and Cain was jealous
against his brother
Abel on account of this, and he sought a pretext to slay him.
17 And in some
time after, Cain and Abel his brother, went one day into the field to do their work;
and they were both in the field, Cain tilling and ploughing his ground, and
Abel feeding his
flock; and the flock passed that part which Cain had ploughed in the ground,
and it sorely grieved
Cain on this account.
18 And Cain
approached his brother Abel in anger, and he said unto him, What is there between
me and thee, that thou comest to dwell and bring thy flock to feed in my land?
19 And Abel
answered his brother Cain and said unto him, What is there between me and thee,
that thou shalt eat the flesh of my flock and clothe thyself with their wool?
20 And now
therefore, put off the wool of my sheep with which thou hast clothed thyself,
and recompense
me for their fruit and flesh which thou hast eaten, and when thou shalt have done
this, I will then go from thy land as thou hast said?
21 And Cain said
to his brother Abel, Surely if I slay thee this day, who will require thy blood from
me?
22 And Abel
answered Cain, saying, Surely God who has made us in the earth, he will avenge
my cause, and he will require my blood from thee shouldst thou slay me, for the
Lord is
the judge and arbiter, and it is he who will requite man according to his evil,
and the wicked man
according to the wickedness that he may do upon earth.
23 And now, if
thou shouldst slay me here, surely God knoweth thy secret views, and will judge
thee for the evil which thou didst declare to do unto me this day.
24 And when Cain
heard the words which Abel his brother had spoken, behold the anger of Cain
was kindled against his brother Abel for declaring this thing.
25 And Cain
hastened and rose up, and took the iron part of his ploughing instrument, with which
he suddenly smote his brother and he slew him, and Cain spilt the blood of his
brother Abel
upon the earth, and the blood of Abel streamed upon the earth before the flock.
26 And after this
Cain repented having slain his brother, and he was sadly grieved, and he wept
over him and it vexed him exceedingly.
27 And Cain rose
up and dug a hole in the field, wherein he put his brother's body, and he turned
the dust over it.
28 And the Lord
knew what Cain had done to his brother, and the Lord appeared to Cain and said
unto him, Where is Abel thy brother that was with thee?
29 And Cain
dissembled, and said, I do not know, am I my brother's keeper? And the Lord said
unto him, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me
from the ground
where thou hast slain him.
30 For thou hast
slain thy brother and hast dissembled before me, and didst imagine in thy heart
that I saw thee not, nor knew all thy actions.
31 But thou didst
this thing and didst slay thy brother for naught and because he spoke rightly
to thee, and now, therefore, cursed be thou from the ground which opened its
mouth to
receive thy brother's blood from thy hand, and wherein thou didst bury him.
32 And it shall be
when thou shalt till it, it shall no more give thee its strength as in the beginning,
for thorns and thistles shall the ground produce, and thou shalt be moving and wandering
in the earth until the day of thy death.
33 And at that
time Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, from the place where he was,
and he went moving and wandering in the land toward the east of Eden, he and
all belonging
to him.
34 And Cain knew
his wife in those days, and she conceived and bare a son, and he called his
name Enoch, saying, In that time the Lord began to give him rest and quiet in
the earth.
35 And at that
time Cain also began to build a city: and he built the city and he called the name
of the city Enoch, according to the name of his son; for in those days the Lord
had given
him rest upon the earth, and he did not move about and wander as in the
beginning.
36 And Irad was
born to Enoch, and Irad begat Mechuyael and Mechuyael begat Methusael.
CHAPTER
2
1 And it was in
the hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Adam upon the earth, that he again
knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare a son in his likeness and in his
image, and
she called his name Seth, saying, Because God has appointed me another seed in
the place
of Abel, for Cain has slain him.
2 And Seth lived
one hundred and five years, and he begat a son; and Seth called the name of
his son Enosh, saying, Because in that time the sons of men began to multiply,
and to afflict
their souls and hearts by transgressing and rebelling against God.
3 And it was in
the days of Enosh that the sons of men continued to rebel and transgress against
God, to increase the anger of the Lord against the sons of men.
4 And the sons of
men went and they served other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had created
them in the earth: and in those days the sons of men made images of brass and
iron, wood
and stone, and they bowed down and served them.
5 And every man
made his god and they bowed down to them, and the sons of men forsook the
Lord all the days of Enosh and his children; and the anger of the Lord was
kindled on account
of their works and abominations which they did in the earth.
6 And the Lord
caused the waters of the river Gihon to overwhelm them, and he destroyed and
consumed them, and he destroyed the third part of the earth, and
notwithstanding this, the
sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and their hands were yet
extended to do evil
in the sight of the Lord.
7 And in those
days there was neither sowing nor reaping in the earth; and there was no food for
the sons of men and the famine was very great in those days.
8 And the seed
which they sowed in those days in the ground became thorns, thistles and briers;
for from the days of Adam was this declaration concerning the earth, of the
curse of God,
which he cursed the earth, on account of the sin which Adam sinned before the
Lord.
9 And it was when
men continued to rebel and transgress against God, and to corrupt their ways,
that the earth also became corrupt.
10 And Enosh lived
ninety years and he begat Cainan;
11 And Cainan grew
up and he was forty years old, and he became wise and had knowledge and
skill in all wisdom, and he reigned over all the sons of men, and he led the
sons of men to
wisdom and knowledge; for Cainan was a very wise man and had understanding in
all wisdom,
and with his wisdom he ruled over spirits and demons;
12 And Cainan knew
by his wisdom that God would destroy the sons of men for having sinned
upon earth, and that the Lord would in the latter days bring upon them the
waters of the
flood.
13 And in those
days Cainan wrote upon tablets of stone, what was to take place in time to come,
and he put them in his treasures.
14 And Cainan
reigned over the whole earth, and he turned some of the sons of men to the service
of God.
15 And when Cainan
was seventy years old, he begat three sons and two daughters.
16 And these are
the names of the children of Cainan; the name of the first born Mahlallel, the
second Enan, and the third Mered, and their sisters were Adah and Zillah; these
are the five
children of Cainan that were born to him.
17 And Lamech, the
son of Methusael, became related to Cainan by marriage, and he took his
two daughters for his wives, and Adah conceived and bare a son to Lamech, and
she called
his name Jabal.
18 And she again
conceived and bare a son, and called his name Jubal; and Zillah, her sister,
was barren in those days and had no offspring.
19 For in those
days the sons of men began to trespass against God, and to transgress the commandments
which he had commanded to Adam, to be fruitful and multiply in the earth.
20 And some of the
sons of men caused their wives to drink a draught that would render them
barren, in order that they might retain their figures and whereby their
beautiful appearance
might not fade.
21 And when the
sons of men caused some of their wives to drink, Zillah drank with them.
22 And the
child-bearing women appeared abominable in the sight of their husbands as widows,
whilst their husbands lived, for to the barren ones only they were attached.
23 And in the end
of days and years, when Zillah became old, the Lord opened her womb.
24 And she
conceived and bare a son and she called his name Tubal Cain, saying, After I had
withered away have I obtained him from the Almighty God.
25 And she
conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Naamah, for she said,
After I had withered away have I obtained pleasure and delight.
26 And Lamech was
old and advanced in years, and his eyes were dim that he could not see,
and Tubal Cain, his son, was leading him and it was one day that Lamech went
into the field
and Tubal Cain his son was with him, and whilst they were walking in the field,
Cain the son
of Adam advanced towards them; for Lamech was very old and could not see much,
and Tubal
Cain his son was very young.
27 And Tubal Cain
told his father to draw his bow, and with the arrows he smote Cain, who was
yet far off, and he slew him, for he appeared to them to be an animal.
28 And the arrows
entered Cain's body although he was distant from them, and he fell to the ground
and died.
29 And the Lord
requited Cain's evil according to his wickedness, which he had done to his brother
Abel, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken.
30 And it came to
pass when Cain had died, that Lamech and Tubal went to see the animal which
they had slain, and they saw, and behold Cain their grandfather was fallen dead
upon the
earth.
31 And Lamech was
very much grieved at having done this, and in clapping his hands together
he struck his son and caused his death.
32. And the wives
of Lamech heard what Lamech had done, and they sought to kill him.
33 And the wives
of Lamech hated him from that day, because he slew Cain and Tubal Cain, and
the wives of Lamech separated from him, and would not hearken to him in those
days.
34 And Lamech came
to his wives, and he pressed them to listen to him about this matter.
35 And he said to
his wives Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice O wives of Lamech, attend to my words,
for now you have imagined and said that I slew a man with my wounds, and a
child with
my stripes for their having done no violence, but surely know that I am old and
greyheaded, and
that my eyes are heavy through age, and I did this thing unknowingly.
36 And the wives
of Lamech listened to him in this matter, and they returned to him with the advice
of their father Adam, but they bore no children to him from that time, knowing
that God's
anger was increasing in those days against the sons of men, to destroy them
with the waters
of the flood for their evil doings.
37 And Mahlallel
the son of Cainan lived sixty-five years and he begat Jared; and Jared lived sixty-two
years and he begat Enoch.
CHAPTER
3
1 And Enoch lived
sixty-five years and he begat Methuselah; and Enoch walked with God after
having begot Methuselah, and he served the Lord, and despised the evil ways of
men.
2 And the soul of
Enoch was wrapped up in the instruction of the Lord, in knowledge and in understanding;
and he wisely retired from the sons of men, and secreted himself from them for
many days.
3 And it was at
the expiration of many years, whilst he was serving the Lord, and praying before
him in his house, that an angel of the Lord called to him from Heaven, and he
said, Here
am I.
4 And he said,
Rise, go forth from thy house and from the place where thou dost hide thyself, and
appear to the sons of men, in order that thou mayest teach them the way in
which they should
go and the work which they must accomplish to enter in the ways of God.
5 And Enoch rose
up according to the word of the Lord, and went forth from his house, from his
place and from the chamber in which he was concealed; and he went to the sons
of men and
taught them the ways of the Lord, and at that time assembled the sons of men
and acquainted
them with the instruction of the Lord.
6 And he ordered
it to be proclaimed in all places where the sons of men dwelt, saying, Where
is the man who wishes to know the ways of the Lord and good works? let him come to
Enoch.
7 And all the
sons of men then assembled to him, for all who desired this thing went to Enoch,
and Enoch reigned over the sons of men according to the word of the Lord, and
they came
and bowed to him and they heard his word.
8 And the spirit
of God was upon Enoch, and he taught all his men the wisdom of God and his
ways, and the sons of men served the Lord all the days of Enoch, and they came
to hear his
wisdom.
9 And all the
kings of the sons of men, both first and last, together with their princes and judges,
came to Enoch when they heard of his wisdom, and they bowed down to him, and they
also required of Enoch to reign over them, to which he consented.
10 And they
assembled in all, one hundred and thirty kings and princes, and they made Enoch
king over them and they were all under his power and command.
11 And Enoch
taught them wisdom, knowledge, and the ways of the Lord; and he made peace
amongst them, and peace was throughout the earth during the life of Enoch.
12 And Enoch
reigned over the sons of men two hundred and forty-three years, and he did justice
and righteousness with all his people, and he led them in the ways of the Lord.
13 And these are
the generations of Enoch, Methuselah, Elisha, and Elimelech, three sons; and
their sisters were Melca and Nahmah, and Methuselah lived eighty-seven years
and he begat
Lamech.
14 And it was in
the fifty-sixth year of the life of Lamech when Adam died; nine hundred and thirty
years old was he at his death, and his two sons, with Enoch and Methuselah his
son, buried
him with great pomp, as at the burial of kings, in the cave which God had told
him.
15 And in that
place all the sons of men made a great mourning and weeping on account of Adam;
it has therefore become a custom among the sons of men to this day.
16 And Adam died
because he ate of the tree of knowledge; he and his children after him, as the
Lord God had spoken.
17 And it was in
the year of Adam's death which was the two hundred and forty-third year of the
reign of Enoch, in that time Enoch resolved to separate himself from the sons
of men and to
secret himself as at first in order to serve the Lord.
18 And Enoch did
so, but did not entirely secret himself from them, but kept away from the sons
of men three days and then went to them for one day.
19 And during the
three days that he was in his chamber, he prayed to, and praised the Lord his
God, and the day on which he went and appeared to his subjects he taught them
the ways
of the Lord, and all they asked him about the Lord he told them.
20 And he did in
this manner for many years, and he afterward concealed himself for six days,
and appeared to his people one day in seven; and after that once in a month,
and then once
in a year, until all the kings, princes and sons of men sought for him, and
desired again to
see the face of Enoch, and to hear his word; but they could not, as all the
sons of men were
greatly afraid of Enoch, and they feared to approach him on account of the
Godlike awe that
was seated upon his countenance; therefore no man could look at him, fearing he
might be
punished and die.
21 And all the
kings and princes resolved to assemble the sons of men, and to come to Enoch,
thinking that they might all speak to him at the time when he should come forth amongst
them, and they did so.
22 And the day
came when Enoch went forth and they all assembled and came to him, and Enoch
spoke to them the words of the Lord and he taught them wisdom and knowledge,
and they
bowed down before him and they said, May the king live! May the king live!
23 And in some
time after, when the kings and princes and the sons of men were speaking to
Enoch, and Enoch was teaching them the ways of God, behold an angel of the Lord
then called
unto Enoch from heaven, and wished to bring him up to heaven to make him reign there
over the sons of God, as he had reigned over the sons of men upon earth.
24 When at that
time Enoch heard this he went and assembled all the inhabitants of the earth,
and taught them wisdom and knowledge and gave them divine instructions, and he said
to them, I have been required to ascend into heaven, I therefore do not know
the day of my
going.
25 And now
therefore I will teach you wisdom and knowledge and will give you instruction before
I leave you, how to act upon earth whereby you may live; and he did so.
26 And he taught
them wisdom and knowledge, and gave them instruction, and he reproved them,
and he placed before them statutes and judgments to do upon earth, and he made peace
amongst them, and he taught them everlasting life, and dwelt with them some
time teaching
them all these things.
27 And at that
time the sons of men were with Enoch, and Enoch was speaking to them, and they
lifted up their eyes and the likeness of a great horse descended from heaven,
and the horse
paced in the air;
28 And they told
Enoch what they had seen, and Enoch said to them, On my account does this
horse descend upon earth; the time is come when I must go from you and I shall
no more
be seen by you.
29 And the horse
descended at that time and stood before Enoch, and all the sons of men that
were with Enoch saw him.
30 And Enoch then
again ordered a voice to be proclaimed, saying, Where is the man who delighteth
to know the ways of the Lord his God, let him come this day to Enoch before he
is taken
from us.
31 And all the
sons of men assembled and came to Enoch that day; and all the kings of the earth
with their princes and counsellors remained with him that day; and Enoch then
taught the
sons of men wisdom and knowledge, and gave them divine instruction; and he bade them
serve the Lord and walk in his ways all the days of their lives, and he
continued to make
peace amongst them.
32 And it was
after this that he rose up and rode upon the horse; and he went forth and all the
sons of men went after him, about eight hundred thousand men; and they went
with him one
day's journey.
33 And the second
day he said to them, Return home to your tents, why will you go? perhaps you
may die; and some of them went from him, and those that remained went with him
six day's
journey; and Enoch said to them every day, Return to your tents, lest you may
die; but they
were not willing to return, and they went with him.
34 And on the
sixth day some of the men remained and clung to him, and they said to him, We
will go with thee to the place where thou goest; as the Lord liveth, death only
shall separate
us.
35 And they urged
so much to go with him, that he ceased speaking to them; and they went after
him and would not return;
36 And when the
kings returned they caused a census to be taken, in order to know the number
of remaining men that went with Enoch; and it was upon the seventh day that
Enoch ascended
into heaven in a whirlwind, with horses and chariots of fire.
37 And on the
eighth day all the kings that had been with Enoch sent to bring back the number
of men that were with Enoch, in that place from which he ascended into heaven.
38 And all those
kings went to the place and they found the earth there filled with snow, and upon
the snow were large stones of snow, and one said to the other, Come, let us
break through
the snow and see, perhaps the men that remained with Enoch are dead, and are now
under the stones of snow, and they searched but could not find him, for he had ascended
into heaven.
CHAPTER
4
1 And all the
days that Enoch lived upon earth, were three hundred and sixty-five years.
2 And when Enoch
had ascended into heaven, all the kings of the earth rose and took Methuselah
his son and anointed him, and they caused him to reign over them in the place
of his
father.
3 And Methuselah
acted uprightly in the sight of God, as his father Enoch had taught him, and
he likewise during the whole of his life taught the sons of men wisdom,
knowledge and the
fear of God, and he did not turn from the good way either to the right or to
the left.
4 But in the
latter days of Methuselah, the sons of men turned from the Lord, they corrupted the
earth, they robbed and plundered each other, and they rebelled against God and
they transgressed,
and they corrupted their ways, and would not hearken to the voice of Methuselah,
but rebelled against him.
5 And the Lord
was exceedingly wroth against them, and the Lord continued to destroy the seed
in those days, so that there was neither sowing nor reaping in the earth.
6 For when they
sowed the ground in order that they might obtain food for their support, behold,
thorns and thistles were produced which they did not sow.
7 And still the
sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and their hands were still extended
to do evil in the sight of God, and they provoked the Lord with their evil
ways, and the
Lord was very wroth, and repented that he had made man.
8 And he thought
to destroy and annihilate them and he did so.
9 In those days
when Lamech the son of Methuselah was one hundred and sixty years old, Seth
the son of Adam died.
10 And all the
days that Seth lived, were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
11 And Lamech was
one hundred and eighty years old when he took Ashmua, the daughter of
Elishaa the son of Enoch his uncle, and she conceived.
12 And at that
time the sons of men sowed the ground, and a little food was produced, yet the
sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and they trespassed and rebelled
against God.
13 And the wife of
Lamech conceived and bare him a son at that time, at the revolution of the year.
14 And Methuselah
called his name Noah, saying, The earth was in his days at rest and free from
corruption, and Lamech his father called his name Menachem, saying, This one
shall comfort
us in our works and miserable toil in the earth, which God had cursed.
15 And the child
grew up and was weaned, and he went in the ways of his father Methuselah,
perfect and upright with God.
16 And all the
sons of men departed from the ways of the Lord in those days as they multiplied
upon the face of the earth with sons and daughters, and they taught one another their
evil practices and they continued sinning against the Lord.
17 And every man
made unto himself a god, and they robbed and plundered every man his neighbor
as well as his relative, and they corrupted the earth, and the earth was filled
with violence.
18 And their
judges and rulers went to the daughters of men and took their wives by force from
their husbands according to their choice, and the sons of men in those days took
from the
cattle of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and
taught the mixture of
animals of one species with the other, in order therewith to provoke the Lord;
and God saw the
whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon
earth, all men and
all animals.
19 And the Lord
said, I will blot out man that I created from the face of the earth, yea from man
to the birds of the air, together with cattle and beasts that are in the field
for I repent that I
made them.
20 And all men who
walked in the ways of the Lord, died in those days, before the Lord brought
the evil upon man which he had declared, for this was from the Lord, that they should
not see the evil which the Lord spoke of concerning the sons of men.
21 And Noah found
grace in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord chose him and his children to raise
up seed from them upon the face of the whole earth.
CHAPTER
5
1 And it was in
the eighty-fourth year of the life of Noah, that Enoch the son of Seth died, he was
nine hundred and five years old at his death.
2 And in the one
hundred and seventy ninth year of the life of Noah, Cainan the son of Enosh died,
and all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
3 And in the two
hundred and thirty fourth year of the life of Noah, Mahlallel the son of Cainan
died, and the days of Mahlallel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and
he died.
4 And Jared the
son of Mahlallel died in those days, in the three hundred and thirty-sixth year of
the life of Noah; and all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two
years, and he died.
5 And all who
followed the Lord died in those days, before they saw the evil which God declared
to do upon earth.
6 And after the
lapse of many years, in the four hundred and eightieth year of the life of Noah,
when all those men, who followed the Lord had died away from amongst the sons
of men,
and only Methuselah was then left, God said unto Noah and Methuselah, saying,
7 Speak ye, and
proclaim to the sons of men, saying, Thus saith the Lord, return from your evil
ways and forsake your works, and the Lord will repent of the evil that he
declared to do to
you, so that it shall not come to pass.
8 For thus saith
the Lord, Behold I give you a period of one hundred and twenty years; if you will
turn to me and forsake your evil ways, then will I also turn away from the evil
which I told you,
and it shall not exist, saith the Lord.
9 And Noah and
Methuselah spoke all the words of the Lord to the sons of men, day after day,
constantly speaking to them.
10 But the sons of
men would not hearken to them, nor incline their ears to their words, and they
were stiffnecked.
11 And the Lord
granted them a period of one hundred and twenty years, saying, If they will return,
then will God repent of the evil, so as not to destroy the earth.
12 Noah the son of
Lamech refrained from taking a wife in those days, to beget children, for he
said, Surely now God will destroy the earth, wherefore then shall I beget
children?
13 And Noah was a
just man, he was perfect in his generation, and the Lord chose him to raise
up seed from his seed upon the face of the earth.
14 And the Lord
said unto Noah, Take unto thee a wife, and beget children, for I have seen thee
righteous before me in this generation.
15 And thou shalt
raise up seed, and thy children with thee, in the midst of the earth; and Noah
went and took a wife, and he chose Naamah the daughter of Enoch, and she was
five hundred
and eighty years old.
16 And Noah was
four hundred and ninety-eight years old, when he took Naamah for a wife.
17 And Naamah
conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Japheth, saying, God has
enlarged me in the earth; and she conceived again and bare a son, and he called
his name
Shem, saying, God has made me a remnant, to raise up seed in the midst of the
earth.
18 And Noah was
five hundred and two years old when Naamah bare Shem, and the boys grew
up and went in the ways of the Lord, in all that Methuselah and Noah their
father taught them.
19 And Lamech the
father of Noah, died in those days; yet verily he did not go with all his heart
in the ways of his father, and he died in the hundred and ninety-fifth year of
the life of Noah.
20 And all the
days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy years, and he died.
21 And all the
sons of men who knew the Lord, died in that year before the Lord brought evil upon
them; for the Lord willed them to die, so as not to behold the evil that God
would bring upon
their brothers and relatives, as he had so declared to do.
22 In that time,
the Lord said to Noah and Methuselah, Stand forth and proclaim to the sons of
men all the words that I spoke to you in those days, peradventure they may turn
from their evil
ways, and I will then repent of the evil and will not bring it.
23 And Noah and
Methuselah stood forth, and said in the ears of the sons of men, all that God
had spoken concerning them.
24 But the sons of
men would not hearken, neither would they incline their ears to all their declarations.
25 And it was
after this that the Lord said to Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me,
on account
of their evil deeds, and behold I will destroy the earth.
26 And do thou
take unto thee gopher wood, and go to a certain place and make a large ark, and
place it in that spot.
27 And thus shalt
thou make it; three hundred cubits its length, fifty cubits broad and thirty cubits
high.
28 And thou shalt
make unto thee a door, open at its side, and to a cubit thou shalt finish above,
and cover it within and without with pitch.
29 And behold I will
bring the flood of waters upon the earth, and all flesh be destroyed, from under
the heavens all that is upon earth shall perish.
30 And thou and
thy household shall go and gather two couple of all living things, male and female,
and shall bring them to the ark, to raise up seed from them upon earth.
31 And gather unto
thee all food that is eaten by all the animals, that there may be food for thee
and for them.
32 And thou shalt
choose for thy sons three maidens, from the daughters of men, and they shall
be wives to thy sons.
33 And Noah rose
up, and he made the ark, in the place where God had commanded him, and
Noah did as God had ordered him.
34 In his five
hundred and ninety-fifth year Noah commenced to make the ark, and he made the
ark in five years, as the Lord had commanded.
35 Then Noah took
the three daughters of Eliakim, son of Methuselah, for wives for his sons, as
the Lord had commanded Noah.
36 And it was at
that time Methuselah the son of Enoch died, nine hundred and sixty years old
was he, at his death.
CHAPTER
6
1 At that time,
after the death of Methuselah, the Lord said to Noah, Go thou with thy household
into the ark; behold I will gather to thee all the animals of the earth, the
beasts of the
field and the fowls of the air, and they shall all come and surround the ark.
2 And thou shalt
go and seat thyself by the doors of the ark, and all the beasts, the animals, and
the fowls, shall assemble and place themselves before thee, and such of them as
shall come
and crouch before thee, shalt thou take and deliver into the hands of thy sons,
who shall
bring them to the ark, and all that will stand before thee thou shalt leave.
3 And the Lord
brought this about on the next day, and animals, beasts and fowls came in great
multitudes and surrounded the ark.
4 And Noah went
and seated himself by the door of the ark, and of all flesh that crouched before
him, he brought into the ark, and all that stood before him he left upon earth.
5 And a lioness
came, with her two whelps, male and female, and the three crouched before Noah,
and the two whelps rose up against the lioness and smote her, and made her flee from
her place, and she went away, and they returned to their places, and crouched
upon the earth
before Noah.
6 And the lioness
ran away, and stood in the place of the lions.
7 And Noah saw
this, and wondered greatly, and he rose and took the two whelps, and brought
them into the ark.
8 And Noah
brought into the ark from all living creatures that were upon earth, so that
there was
none left but which Noah brought into the ark.
9 Two and two
came to Noah into the ark, but from the clean animals, and clean fowls, he brought
seven couples, as God had commanded him.
10 And all the
animals, and beasts, and fowls, were still there, and they surrounded the ark at
every place, and the rain had not descended till seven days after.
11 And on that
day, the Lord caused the whole earth to shake, and the sun darkened, and the
foundations of the world raged, and the whole earth was moved violently, and
the lightning
flashed, and the thunder roared, and all the fountains in the earth were broken
up, such
as was not known to the inhabitants before; and God did this mighty act, in
order to terrify
the sons of men, that there might be no more evil upon earth.
12 And still the
sons of men would not return from their evil ways, and they increased the anger
of the Lord at that time, and did not even direct their hearts to all this.
13 And at the end
of seven days, in the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, the waters of the
flood were upon the earth.
14 And all the
fountains of the deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened,
and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
15 And Noah and
his household, and all the living creatures that were with him, came into the
ark on account of the waters of the flood, and the Lord shut him in.
16 And all the
sons of men that were left upon the earth, became exhausted through evil on account
of the rain, for the waters were coming more violently upon the earth, and the animals
and beasts were still surrounding the ark.
17 And the sons of
men assembled together, about seven hundred thousand men and women,
and they came unto Noah to the ark.
18 And they called
to Noah, saying, Open for us that we may come to thee in the ark--and wherefore
shall we die?
19 And Noah, with
a loud voice, answered them from the ark, saying, Have you not all rebelled
against the Lord, and said that he does not exist? and therefore the Lord
brought upon
you this evil, to destroy and cut you off from the face of the earth.
20 Is not this the
thing that I spoke to you of one hundred and twenty years back, and you would
not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and now do you desire to live upon earth?
21 And they said
to Noah, We are ready to return to the Lord; only open for us that we may live
and not die.
22 And Noah
answered them, saying, Behold now that you see the trouble of your souls, you wish
to return to the Lord; why did you not return during these hundred and twenty
years, which
the Lord granted you as the determined period?
23 But now you
come and tell me this on account of the troubles of your souls, now also the Lord
will not listen to you, neither will he give ear to you on this day, so that
you will not now succeed
in your wishes.
24 And the sons of
men approached in order to break into the ark, to come in on account of the
rain, for they could not bear the rain upon them.
25 And the Lord
sent all the beasts and animals that stood round the ark. And the beasts overpowered
them and drove them from that place, and every man went his way and they again
scattered themselves upon the face of the earth.
26 And the rain
was still descending upon the earth, and it descended forty days and forty nights,
and the waters prevailed greatly upon the earth; and all flesh that was upon
the earth or
in the waters died, whether men, animals, beasts, creeping things or birds of
the air, and there
only remained Noah and those that were with him in the ark.
27 And the waters
prevailed and they greatly increased upon the earth, and they lifted up the ark
and it was raised from the earth.
28 And the ark
floated upon the face of the waters, and it was tossed upon the waters so that all
the living creatures within were turned about like pottage in a cauldron.
29 And great
anxiety seized all the living creatures that were in the ark, and the ark was
like to
be broken.
30 And all the
living creatures that were in the ark were terrified, and the lions roared, and the
oxen lowed, and the wolves howled, and every living creature in the ark spoke
and lamented
in its own language, so that their voices reached to a great distance, and Noah
and his
sons cried and wept in their troubles; they were greatly afraid that they had
reached the gates
of death.
31 And Noah prayed
unto the Lord, and cried unto him on account of this, and he said, O Lord
help us, for we have no strength to bear this evil that has encompassed us, for
the waves
of the waters have surrounded us, mischievous torrents have terrified us, the
snares of
death have come before us; answer us, O Lord, answer us, light up thy
countenance toward
us and be gracious to us, redeem us and deliver us.
32 And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of Noah, and the Lord remembered him.
33 And a wind
passed over the earth, and the waters were still and the ark rested.
34 And the
fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from
heaven was restrained.
35 And the waters
decreased in those days, and the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
36 And Noah then
opened the windows of the ark, and Noah still called out to the Lord at that time
and he said, O Lord, who didst form the earth and the heavens and all that are
therein, bring
forth our souls from this confinement, and from the prison wherein thou hast
placed us, for
I am much wearied with sighing.
37 And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of Noah, and said to him, When though shalt have completed
a full year thou shalt then go forth.
38 And at the
revolution of the year, when a full year was completed to Noah's dwelling in
the ark,
the waters were dried from off the earth, and Noah put off the covering of the
ark.
39 At that time,
on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was dry, but Noah and
his sons, and those that were with him, did not go out from the ark until the
Lord told them.
40 And the day
came that the Lord told them to go out, and they all went out from the ark.
41 And they went
and returned every one to his way and to his place, and Noah and his sons dwelt
in the land that God had told them, and they served the Lord all their days,
and the Lord
blessed Noah and his sons on their going out from the ark.
42 And he said to
them, Be fruitful and fill all the earth; become strong and increase abundantly
in the earth and multiply therein.
CHAPTER
7
1 And these are
the names of the sons of Noah: Japheth, Ham and Shem; and children were born
to them after the flood, for they had taken wives before the flood.
2 These are the
sons of Japheth; Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras, seven
sons.
3 And the sons of
Gomer were Askinaz, Rephath and Tegarmah.
4 And the sons of
Magog were Elichanaf and Lubal.
5 And the
children of Madai were Achon, Zeelo, Chazoni and Lot.
6 And the sons of
Javan were Elisha, Tarshish, Chittim and Dudonim.
7 And the sons of
Tubal were Ariphi, Kesed and Taari.
8 And the sons of
Meshech were Dedon, Zaron and Shebashni.
9 And the sons of
Tiras were Benib, Gera, Lupirion and Gilak; these are the sons of Japheth according
to their families, and their numbers in those days were about four hundred and sixty
men.
10 And these are
the sons of Ham; Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan, four sons; and the sons
of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Satecha, and the sons of Raama
were Sheba
and Dedan.
11 And the sons of
Mitzraim were Lud, Anom and Pathros, Chasloth and Chaphtor.
12 And the sons of
Phut were Gebul, Hadan, Benah and Adan.
13 And the sons of
Canaan were Zidon, Heth, Amori, Gergashi, Hivi, Arkee, Seni, Arodi, Zimodi
and Chamothi.
14 These are the
sons of Ham, according to their families, and their numbers in those days were
about seven hundred and thirty men.
15 And these are
the sons of Shem; Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, five sons; and the
sons of Elam were Shushan, Machul and Harmon.
16 And the sons of
Ashar were Mirus and Mokil, and the sons of Arpachshad were Shelach, Anar
and Ashcol.
17 And the sons of
Lud were Pethor and Bizayon, and the sons of Aram were Uz, Chul, Gather
and Mash.
18 These are the
sons of Shem, according to their families; and their numbers in those days were
about three hundred men.
19 These are the
generations of Shem; Shem begat Arpachshad and Arpachshad begat Shelach,
and Shelach begat Eber and to Eber were born two children, the name of one was Peleg,
for in his days the sons of men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth
was divided.
20 And the name of
the second was Yoktan, meaning that in his day the lives of the sons of men
were diminished and lessened.
21 These are the
sons of Yoktan; Almodad, Shelaf, Chazarmoveth, Yerach, Hadurom, Ozel, Diklah,
Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab; all these are the sons of
Yoktan.
22 And Peleg his
brother begat Yen, and Yen begat Serug, and Serug begat Nahor and Nahor
begat Terah, and Terah was thirty-eight years old, and he begat Haran and
Nahor.
23 And Cush the
son of Ham, the son of Noah, took a wife in those days in his old age, and she
bare a son, and they called his name Nimrod, saying, At that time the sons of
men again began
to rebel and transgress against God, and the child grew up, and his father
loved him exceedingly,
for he was the son of his old age.
24 And the
garments of skin which God made for Adam and his wife, when they went out of the
garden, were given to Cush.
25 For after the
death of Adam and his wife, the garments were given to Enoch, the son of Jared,
and when Enoch was taken up to God, he gave them to Methuselah, his son.
26 And at the
death of Methuselah, Noah took them and brought them to the ark, and they were
with him until he went out of the ark.
27 And in their
going out, Ham stole those garments from Noah his father, and he took them and
hid them from his brothers.
28 And when Ham
begat his first born Cush, he gave him the garments in secret, and they were
with Cush many days.
29 And Cush also
concealed them from his sons and brothers, and when Cush had begotten Nimrod,
he gave him those garments through his love for him, and Nimrod grew up, and when
he was twenty years old he put on those garments.
30 And Nimrod
became strong when he put on the garments, and God gave him might and strength,
and he was a mighty hunter in the earth, yea, he was a mighty hunter in the
field, and
he hunted the animals and he built altars, and he offered upon them the animals
before the
Lord.
31 And Nimrod
strengthened himself, and he rose up from amongst his brethren, and he fought
the battles of his brethren against all their enemies round about.
32 And the Lord
delivered all the enemies of his brethren in his hands, and God prospered him
from time to time in his battles, and he reigned upon earth.
33 Therefore it
became current in those days, when a man ushered forth those that he had trained
up for battle, he would say to them, Like God did to Nimrod, who was a mighty
hunter in
the earth, and who succeeded in the battles that prevailed against his
brethren, that he delivered
them from the hands of their enemies, so may God strengthen us and deliver us this
day.
34 And when Nimrod
was forty years old, at that time there was a war between his brethren and
the children of Japheth, so that they were in the power of their enemies.
35 And Nimrod went
forth at that time, and he assembled all the sons of Cush and their families,
about four hundred and sixty men, and he hired also from some of his friends and acquaintances
about eighty men, and be gave them their hire, and he went with them to battle,
and when he was on the road, Nimrod strengthened the hearts of the people that
went with
him.
36 And he said to
them, Do not fear, neither be alarmed, for all our enemies will be delivered into
our hands, and you may do with them as you please.
37 And all the men
that went were about five hundred, and they fought against their enemies, and
they destroyed them, and subdued them, and Nimrod placed standing officers over
them in
their respective places.
38 And he took
some of their children as security, and they were all servants to Nimrod and to
his brethren, and Nimrod and all the people that were with him turned homeward.
39 And when Nimrod
had joyfully returned from battle, after having conquered his enemies, all
his brethren, together with those who knew him before, assembled to make him
king over them,
and they placed the regal crown upon his head.
40 And he set over
his subjects and people, princes, judges, and rulers, as is the custom amongst
kings.
41 And he placed
Terah the son of Nahor the prince of his host, and he dignified him and elevated
him above all his princes.
42 And whilst he
was reigning according to his heart's desire, after having conquered all his enemies
around, he advised with his counselors to build a city for his palace, and they
did so.
43 And they found
a large valley opposite to the east, and they built him a large and extensive
city, and Nimrod called the name of the city that he built Shinar, for the Lord
had vehemently
shaken his enemies and destroyed them.
44 And Nimrod
dwelt in Shinar, and he reigned securely, and he fought with his enemies and he
subdued them, and he prospered in all his battles, and his kingdom became very
great.
45 And all nations
and tongues heard of his fame, and they gathered themselves to him, and they
bowed down to the earth, and they brought him offerings, and he became their
lord and king,
and they all dwelt with him in the city at Shinar, and Nimrod reigned in the
earth over all the
sons of Noah, and they were all under his power and counsel.
46 And all the
earth was of one tongue and words of union, but Nimrod did not go in the ways
of the Lord, and he was more wicked than all the men that were before him, from
the days
of the flood until those days.
47 And he made
gods of wood and stone, and he bowed down to them, and he rebelled against
the Lord, and taught all his subjects and the people of the earth his wicked
ways; and Mardon
his son was more wicked than his father.
48 And every one
that heard of the acts of Mardon the son of Nimrod would say, concerning him,
From the wicked goeth forth wickedness; therefore it became a proverb in the
whole earth,
saying, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness, and it was current in the words
of men
from that time to this.
49 And Terah the
son of Nahor, prince of Nimrod's host, was in those days very great in the sight
of the king and his subjects, and the king and princes loved him, and they
elevated him very
high.
50 And Terah took
a wife and her name was Amthelo the daughter of Cornebo; and the wife of
Terah conceived and bare him a son in those days.
51 Terah was
seventy years old when he begat him, and Terah called the name of his son that
was born to him Abram, because the king had raised him in those days, and
dignified him
above all his princes that were with him.
CHAPTER
8
1 And it was in
the night that Abram was born, that all the servants of Terah, and all the wise men
of Nimrod, and his conjurors came and ate and drank in the house of Terah, and
they rejoiced
with him on that night.
2 And when all
the wise men and conjurors went out from the house of Terah, they lifted up their
eyes toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and they saw, and behold
one very large
star came from the east and ran in the heavens, and he swallowed up the four
stars from
the four sides of the heavens.
3 And all the
wise men of the king and his conjurors were astonished at the sight, and the sages
understood this matter, and they knew its import.
4 And they said
to each other, This only betokens the child that has been born to Terah this night,
who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and possess all the earth, he
and his children
for ever, and he and his seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands.
5 And the wise
men and conjurors went home that night, and in the morning all these wise men
and conjurors rose up early, and assembled in an appointed house.
6 And they spoke
and said to each other, Behold the sight that we saw last night is hidden from
the king, it has not been made known to him.
7 And should this
thing get known to the king in the latter days, he will say to us, Why have you
concealed this matter from me, and then we shall all suffer death; therefore, now
let us go
and tell the king the sight which we saw, and the interpretation thereof, and
we shall then remain
clear.
8 And they did
so, and they all went to the king and bowed down to him to the ground, and they
said, May the king live, may the king live.
9 We heard that a
son was born to Terah the son of Nahor, the prince of thy host, and we yesternight
came to his house, and we ate and drank and rejoiced with him that night.
10 And when thy
servants went out from the house of Terah, to go to our respective homes to
abide there for the night, we lifted up our eyes to heaven, and we saw a great
star coming from
the east, and the same star ran with great speed, and swallowed up four great
stars, from
the four sides of the heavens.
11 And thy
servants were astonished at the sight which we saw, and were greatly terrified, and
we made our judgment upon the sight, and knew by our wisdom the proper
interpretation thereof,
that this thing applies to the child that is born to Terah, who will grow up
and multiply greatly,
and become powerful, and kill all the kings of the earth, and inherit all their
lands, he and
his seed forever.
12 And now our
lord and king, behold we have truly acquainted thee with what we have seen concerning
this child.
13 If it seemeth
good to the king to give his father value for this child, we will slay him
before he
shall grow up and increase in the land, and his evil increase against us, that
we and our children
perish through his evil.
14 And the king
heard their words and they seemed good in his sight, and he sent and called for
Terah, and Terah came before the king.
15 And the king
said to Terah, I have been told that a son was yesternight born to thee, and after
this manner was observed in the heavens at his birth.
16 And now
therefore give me the child, that we may slay him before his evil springs up against
us, and I will give thee for his value, thy house full of silver and gold.
17 And Terah
answered the king and said to him: My Lord and king, I have heard thy words, and
thy servant shall do all that his king desireth.
18 But my lord and
king, I will tell thee what happened to me yesternight, that I may see what advice
the king will give his servant, and then I will answer the king upon what he
has just spoken;
and the king said, Speak.
19 And Terah said
to the king, Ayon, son of Mored, came to me yesternight, saying,
20 Give unto me
the great and beautiful horse that the king gave thee, and I will give thee silver
and gold, and straw and provender for its value; and I said to him, Wait till I
see the king
concerning thy words, and behold whatever the king saith, that will I do.
21 And now my lord
and king, behold I have made this thing known to thee, and the advice which
my king will give unto his servant, that will I follow.
22 And the king
heard the words of Terah, and his anger was kindled and he considered him in
the light of a fool.
23 And the king
answered Terah, and he said to him, Art thou so silly, ignorant, or deficient
in understanding,
to do this thing, to give thy beautiful horse for silver and gold or even for straw
and provender?
24 Art thou so
short of silver and gold, that thou shouldst do this thing, because thou canst not
obtain straw and provender to feed thy horse? and what is silver and gold to
thee, or straw
and provender, that thou shouldst give away that fine horse which I gave thee,
like which
there is none to be had on the whole earth?
25 And the king
left off speaking, and Terah answered the king, saying, Like unto this has the king
spoken to his servant;
26 I beseech thee,
my lord and king, what is this which thou didst say unto me, saying, Give thy
son that we may slay him, and I will give thee silver and gold for his value;
what shall I do with
silver and gold after the death of my son? who shall inherit me? surely then at
my death, the
silver and gold will return to my king who gave it.
27 And when the
king heard the words of Terah, and the parable which he brought concerning
the king, it grieved him greatly and he was vexed at this thing, and his anger burned
within him.
28 And Terah saw
that the anger of the king was kindled against him, and he answered the king,
saying, All that I have is in the king's power; whatever the king desireth to
do to his servant,
that let him do, yea, even my son, he is in the king's power, without value in exchange,
he and his two brothers that are older than he.
29 And the king
said to Terah, No, but I will purchase thy younger son for a price.
30 And Terah
answered the king, saying, I beseech thee my lord and king to let thy servant speak
a word before thee, and let the king hear the word of his servant, and Terah
said, Let my
king give me three days' time till I consider this matter within myself, and
consult with my family
concerning the words of my king; and he pressed the king greatly to agree to
this.
31 And the king
hearkened to Terah, and he did so and he gave him three days' time, and Terah
went out from the king's presence, and he came home to his family and spoke to
them all
the words of the king; and the people were greatly afraid.
32 And it was in
the third day that the king sent to Terah, saying, Send me thy son for a price as
I spoke to thee; and shouldst thou not do this, I will send and slay all thou
hast in thy house,
so that thou shalt not even have a dog remaining.
33 And Terah
hastened, (as the thing was urgent from the king), and he took a child from one
of his servants, which his handmaid had born to him that day, and Terah brought
the child
to the king and received value for him.
34 And the Lord
was with Terah in this matter, that Nimrod might not cause Abram's death, and
the king took the child from Terah and with all his might dashed his head to
the ground, for
he thought it had been Abram; and this was concealed from him from that day,
and it was forgotten
by the king, as it was the will of Providence not to suffer Abram's death.
35 And Terah took
Abram his son secretly, together with his mother and nurse, and he concealed
them in a cave, and he brought them their provisions monthly.
36 And the Lord
was with Abram in the cave and he grew up, and Abram was in the cave ten years,
and the king and his princes, soothsayers and sages, thought that the king had
killed Abram.
CHAPTER
9
1 And Haran, the
son of Terah, Abram's oldest brother, took a wife in those days.
2 Haran was
thirty-nine years old when he took her; and the wife of Haran conceived and bare
a son, and he called his name Lot.
3 And she
conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Milca; and she again
conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Sarai.
4 Haran was
forty-two years old when he begat Sarai, which was in the tenth year of the
life of
Abram; and in those days Abram and his mother and nurse went out from the cave,
as the king
and his subjects had forgotten the affair of Abram.
5 And when Abram
came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem, and he remained
with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and no man knew where
Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem his son for a long time.
6 And Abram was
in Noah's house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew the Lord from three years
old, and he went in the ways of the Lord until the day of his death, as Noah
and his son Shem
had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against
the Lord, and they rebelled against him and they served other gods, and they
forgot the
Lord who had created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth made
unto themselves,
at that time, every man his god; gods of wood and stone which could neither speak,
hear, nor deliver, and the sons of men served them and they became their gods.
7 And the king
and all his servants, and Terah with all his household were then the first of those
that served gods of wood and stone.
8 And Terah had twelve
gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve months of
the year, and he served each one monthly, and every month Terah would bring his
meat offering
and drink offering to his gods; thus did Terah all the days.
9 And all that
generation were wicked in the sight of the Lord, and they thus made every man his
god, but they forsook the Lord who had created them.
10 And there was
not a man found in those days in the whole earth, who knew the Lord (for they
served each man his own God) except Noah and his household, and all those who
were under
his counsel knew the Lord in those days.
11 And Abram the
son of Terah was waxing great in those days in the house of Noah, and no
man knew it, and the Lord was with him.
12 And the Lord
gave Abram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of that generation
were vain, and that all their gods were vain and were of no avail.
13 And Abram saw
the sun shining upon the earth, and Abram said unto himself Surely now this
sun that shines upon the earth is God, and him will I serve.
14 And Abram
served the sun in that day and he prayed to him, and when evening came the sun
set as usual, and Abram said within himself, Surely this cannot be God?
15 And Abram still
continued to speak within himself, Who is he who made the heavens and the
earth? who created upon earth? where is he?
16 And night
darkened over him, and he lifted up his eyes toward the west, north, south, and east,
and he saw that the sun had vanished from the earth, and the day became dark.
17 And Abram saw
the stars and moon before him, and he said, Surely this is the God who created
the whole earth as well as man, and behold these his servants are gods around
him: and
Abram served the moon and prayed to it all that night.
18 And in the
morning when it was light and the sun shone upon the earth as usual, Abram saw
all the things that the Lord God had made upon earth.
19 And Abram said
unto himself Surely these are not gods that made the earth and all mankind,
but these are the servants of God, and Abram remained in the house of Noah and there
knew the Lord and his ways' and he served the Lord all the days of his life,
and all that generation
forgot the Lord, and served other gods of wood and stone, and rebelled all
their days.
20 And king Nimrod
reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth
was of one tongue and words of union.
21 And all the
princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut, Mitzraim, Cush
and Canaan with their families, and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves
a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves
famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies
may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become
scattered over the earth on account of their wars.
22 And they all
went before the king, and they told the king these words, and the king agreed with
them in this affair, and he did so.
23 And all the
families assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men, and they went
to seek an extensive piece of ground to build the city and the tower, and they
sought in the
whole earth and they found none like one valley at the east of the land of
Shinar, about two
days' walk, and they journeyed there and they dwelt there.
24 And they began
to make bricks and burn fires to build the city and the tower that they had imagined
to complete.
25 And the
building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began
to build
it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined
in their hearts
to war against him and to ascend into heaven.
26 And all these
people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We
will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend
to heaven and
place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will
ascend to heaven
and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their
evil thoughts,
and he saw the city and the tower which they were building.
27 And when they
were building they built themselves a great city and a very high and strong tower;
and on account of its height the mortar and bricks did not reach the builders
in their ascent
to it, until those who went up had completed a full year, and after that, they
reached to the
builders and gave them the mortar and the bricks; thus was it done daily.
28 And behold
these ascended and others descended the whole day; and if a brick should fall
from their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell
and died, none
of them would look at him.
29 And the Lord
knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were building they cast the
arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood,
and when they
saw them they said to each other, Surely we have slain all those that are in
heaven.
30 For this was
from the Lord in order to cause them to err, and in order; to destroy them from
off the face of the ground.
31 And they built
the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and years
were elapsed.
32 And God said to
the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near
to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man
shall not understand
the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them.
33 And from that
day following, they forgot each man his neighbor's tongue, and they could not
understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took from the hands of
his neighbor
lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw
it upon
his neighbor, that he would die.
34 And they did so
many days, and they killed many of them in this manner.
35 And the Lord
smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to
their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our
gods, became
like apes and elephants; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with
arrows, the
Lord killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third
division of those
who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered
them throughout
the earth.
36 And those who
were left amongst them, when they knew and understood the evil which was
coming upon them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered
upon the face
of the whole earth.
37 And they ceased
building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Babel, for there
the Lord confounded the Language of the whole earth; behold it was at the east
of the land
of Shinar.
38 And as to the
tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed
up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another
third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which
was aloft, and its
circumference is three days' walk.
39 And many of the
sons of men died in that tower, a people without number.
CHAPTER
10
1 And Peleg the
son of Eber died in those days, in the forty-eighth year of the life of Abram son
of Terah, and all the days of Peleg were two hundred and thirty-nine years.
2 And when the
Lord had scattered the sons of men on account of their sin at the tower, behold
they spread forth into many divisions, and all the sons of men were dispersed
into the four
corners of the earth.
3 And all the
families became each according to its language, its land, or its city.
4 And the sons of
men built many cities according to their families, in all the places where they
went, and throughout the earth where the Lord had scattered them.
5 And some of
them built cities in places from which they were afterward extirpated, and they called
these cities after their own names, or the names of their children, or after
their particular
occurrences.
6 And the sons of
Japheth the son of Noah went and built themselves cities in the places where
they were scattered, and they called all their cities after their names, and
the sons of Japheth
were divided upon the face of the earth into many divisions and languages.
7 And these are
the sons of Japheth according to their families, Gomer, Magog, Medai, Javan,
Tubal, Meshech and Tiras; these are the children of Japheth according to their generations.
8 And the
children of Gomer, according to their cities, were the Francum, who dwell in
the land
of Franza, by the river Franza, by the river Senah.
9 And the
children of Rephath are the Bartonim, who dwell in the land of Bartonia by the
river Ledah,
which empties its waters in the great sea Gihon, that is, oceanus.
10 And the
children of Tugarma are ten families, and these are their names: Buzar, Parzunac,
Balgar, Elicanum, Ragbib, Tarki, Bid, Zebuc, Ongal and Tilmaz; all these spread and
rested in the north and built themselves cities.
11 And they called
their cities after their own names, those are they who abide by the rivers Hithlah
and Italac unto this day.
12 But the
families of Angoli, Balgar and Parzunac, they dwell by the great river Dubnee;
and the
names of their cities are also according to their own names.
13 And the
children of Javan are the Javanim who dwell in the land of Makdonia, and the children
of Medaiare are the Orelum that dwell in the land of Curson, and the children
of Tubal
are those that dwell in the land of Tuskanah by the river Pashiah.
14 And the
children of Meshech are the Shibashni and the children of Tiras are Rushash, Cushni,
and Ongolis; all these went and built themselves cities; those are the cities
that are situate
by the sea Jabus by the river Cura, which empties itself in the river Tragan.
15 And the
children of Elishah are the Almanim, and they also went and built themselves cities;
those are the cities situate between the mountains of Job and Shibathmo; and of
them were
the people of Lumbardi who dwell opposite the mountains of Job and Shibathmo,
and they
conquered the land of Italia and remained there unto this day.
16 And the
children of Chittim are the Romim who dwell in the valley of Canopia by the
river Tibreu.
17 And the
children of Dudonim are those who dwell in the cities of the sea Gihon, in the
land of
Bordna.
18 These are the
families of the children of Japheth according to their cities and languages, when
they were scattered after the tower, and they called their cities after their
names and occurrences;
and these are the names of all their cities according to their families, which
they built
in those days after the tower.
19 And the
children of Ham were Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan according to their generation
and cities.
20 All these went
and built themselves cities as they found fit places for them, and they called
their cities after the names of their fathers Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan.
21 And the
children of Mitzraim are the Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuchim, Pathrusim, Casluchim
and Caphturim, seven families.
22 All these dwell
by the river Sihor, that is the brook of Egypt, and they built themselves cities
and called them after their own names.
23 And the
children of Pathros and Casloch intermarried together, and from them went forth the
Pelishtim, the Azathim, and the Gerarim, the Githim and the Ekronim, in all
five families; these
also built themselves cities, and they called their cities after the names of
their fathers unto
this day.
24 And the
children of Canaan also built themselves cities, and they called their cities
after their
names, eleven cities and others without number.
25 And four men
from the family of Ham went to the land of the plain; these are the names of the
four men, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim.
26 And these men
built themselves four cities in the land of the plain, and they called the names
of their cities after their own names.
27 And they and
their children and all belonging to them dwelt in those cities, and they were fruitful
and multiplied greatly and dwelt peaceably.
28 And Seir the
son of Hur, son of Hivi, son of Canaan, went and found a valley opposite to Mount
Paran, and he built a city there, and he and his seven sons and his household
dwelt there,
and he called the city which he built Seir, according to his name; that is the
land of Seir unto
this day.
29 These are the
families of the children of Ham, according to their languages and cities, when
they were scattered to their countries after the tower.
30 And some of the
children of Shem son of Noah, father of all the children of Eber, also went
and built themselves cities in the places wherein they were scattered, and they
called their
cities after their names.
31 And the sons of
Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, and they built themselves
cities and called the names of all their cities after their names.
32 And Ashur son
of Shem and his children and household went forth at that time, a very large
body of them, and they went to a distant land that they found, and they met
with a very extensive
valley in the land that they went to, and they built themselves four cities,
and they called
them after their own names and occurrences.
33 And these are
the names of the cities which the children of Ashur built, Ninevah, Resen, Calach
and Rehobother; and the children of Ashur dwell there unto this day.
34 And the
children of Aram also went and built themselves a city, and they called the
name of
the city Uz after their eldest brother, and they dwell therein; that is the
land of Uz to this day.
35 And in the
second year after the tower a man from the house of Ashur, whose name was Bela,
went from the land of Ninevah to sojourn with his household wherever he could
find a place;
and they came until opposite the cities of the plain against Sodom, and they
dwelt there.
36 And the man
rose up and built there a small city, and called its name Bela, after his name; that
is the land of Zoar unto this day.
37 And these are
the families of the children of Shem according to their language and cities, after
they were scattered upon the earth after the tower.
38 And every
kingdom, city, and family of the families of the children of Noah built themselves
many cities after this.
39 And they
established governments in all their cities, in order to be regulated by their orders;
so did all the families of the children of Noah forever.
CHAPTER
11
1 And Nimrod son
of Cush was still in the land of Shinar, and he reigned over it and dwelt there,
and he built cities in the land of Shinar.
2 And these are
the names of the four cities which he built, and he called their names after the
occurrences that happened to them in the building of the tower.
3 And he called
the first Babel, saying, Because the Lord there confounded the language of the
whole earth; and the name of the second he called Erech, because from there God dispersed
them.
4 And the third
he called Eched, saying there was a great battle at that place; and the fourth he
called Calnah, because his princes and mighty men were consumed there, and they vexed
the Lord, they rebelled and transgressed against him.
5 And when Nimrod
had built these cities in the land of Shinar, he placed in them the remainder
of his people, his princes and his mighty men that were left in his kingdom.
6 And Nimrod
dwelt in Babel, and he there renewed his reign over the rest of his subjects, and
he reigned securely, and the subjects and princes of Nimrod called his name
Amraphel, saying
that at the tower his princes and men fell through his means.
7 And
notwithstanding this, Nimrod did not return to the Lord, and he continued in wickedness
and teaching wickedness to the sons of men; and Mardon, his son, was worse than
his father, and continued to add to the abominations of his father.
8 And he caused
the sons of men to sin, therefore it is said, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness.
9 At that time
there was war between the families of the children of Ham, as they were dwelling
in the cities which they had built.
10 And
Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, went away from the families of the children of Ham,
and he
fought with them and he subdued them, and he went to the five cities of the
plain and he fought
against them and he subdued them, and they were under his control.
11 And they served
him twelve years, and they gave him a yearly tax.
12 At that time
died Nahor, son of Serug, in the forty-ninth year of the life of Abram son of Terah.
13 And in the
fiftieth year of the life of Abram son of Terah, Abram came forth from the
house of
Noah, and went to his father's house.
14 And Abram knew
the Lord, and he went in his ways and instructions, and the Lord his God
was with him.
15 And Terah his
father was in those days, still captain of the host of king Nimrod, and he
still followed
strange gods.
16 And Abram came
to his father's house and saw twelve gods standing there in their temples,
and the anger of Abram was kindled when he saw these images in his father's house.
17 And Abram said,
As the Lord liveth these images shall not remain in my father's house; so shall
the Lord who created me do unto me if in three days' time I do not break them
all.
18 And Abram went
from them, and his anger burned within him. And Abram hastened and went
from the chamber to his father's outer court, and he found his father sitting
in the court, and
all his servants with him, and Abram came and sat before him.
19 And Abram asked
his father, saying, Father, tell me where is God who created heaven and
earth, and all the sons of men upon earth, and who created thee and me. And
Terah answered
his son Abram and said, Behold those who created us are all with us in the
house.
20 And Abram said
to his father, My lord, shew them to me I pray thee; and Terah brought Abram
into the chamber of the inner court, and Abram saw, and behold the whole room was full
of gods of wood and stone, twelve great images and others less than they
without number.
21 And Terah said
to his son, Behold these are they which made all thou seest upon earth, and
which created me and thee, and all mankind.
22 And Terah bowed
down to his gods, and he then went away from them, and Abram, his son,
went away with him.
23 And when Abram
had gone from them he went to his mother and sat before her, and he said
to his mother, Behold, my father has shown me those who made heaven and earth,
and all
the sons of men.
24 Now, therefore,
hasten and fetch a kid from the flock, and make of it savory meat, that I may
bring it to my father's gods as an offering for them to eat; perhaps I may
thereby become
acceptable to them.
25 And his mother
did so, and she fetched a kid, and made savory meat thereof, and brought it
to Abram, and Abram took the savory meat from his mother and brought it before
his father's
gods, and he drew nigh to them that they might eat; and Terah his father, did
not know
of it.
26 And Abram saw
on the day when he was sitting amongst them, that they had no voice, no hearing,
no motion, and not one of them could stretch forth his hand to eat.
27 And Abram
mocked them, and said, Surely the savory meat that I prepared has not pleased
them, or perhaps it was too little for them, and for that reason they would not
eat; therefore
tomorrow I will prepare fresh savory meat, better and more plentiful than this,
in order
that I may see the result.
28 And it was on
the next day that Abram directed his mother concerning the savory meat, and
his mother rose and fetched three fine kids from the flock, and she made of
them some excellent
savory meat, such as her son was fond of, and she gave it to her son Abram; and Terah
his father did not know of it.
29 And Abram took
the savory meat from his mother, and brought it before his father's gods into
the chamber; and he came nigh unto them that they might eat, and he placed it
before them,
and Abram sat before them all day, thinking perhaps they might eat.
30 And Abram
viewed them, and behold they had neither voice nor hearing, nor did one of them
stretch forth his hand to the meat to eat.
31 And in the
evening of that day in that house Abram was clothed with the spirit of God.
32 And he called
out and said, Wo unto my father and this wicked generation, whose hearts are
all inclined to vanity, who serve these idols of wood and stone which can
neither eat, smell,
hear nor speak, who have mouths without speech, eyes without sight, ears
without hearing,
hands without feeling, and legs which cannot move; like them are those that
made them
and that trust in them.
33 And when Abram
saw all these things his anger was kindled against his father, and he hastened
and took a hatchet in his hand, and came unto the chamber of the gods, and he broke
all his father's gods.
34 And when he had
done breaking the images, he placed the hatchet in the hand of the great
god which was there before them, and he went out; and Terah his father came
home, for
he had heard at the door the sound of the striking of the hatchet; so Terah
came into the house
to know what this was about.
35 And Terah,
having heard the noise of the hatchet in the room of images, ran to the room to
the images, and he met Abram going out.
36 And Terah entered
the room and found all the idols fallen down and broken, and the hatchet
in the hand of the largest, which was not broken, and the savory meat which
Abram his
son had made was still before them.
37 And when Terah
saw this his anger was greatly kindled, and he hastened and went from the
room to Abram.
38 And he found
Abram his son still sitting in the house; and he said to him, What is this work thou
hast done to my gods?
39 And Abram
answered Terah his father and he said, Not so my lord, for I brought savory meat
before them, and when I came nigh to them with the meat that they might eat,
they all at
once stretched forth their hands to eat before the great one had put forth his
hand to eat.
40 And the large
one saw their works that they did before him, and his anger was violently kindled
against them, and he went and took the hatchet that was in the house and came
to them
and broke them all, and behold the hatchet is yet in his hand as thou seest.
41 And Terah's
anger was kindled against his son Abram, when he spoke this; and Terah said
to Abram his son in his anger, What is this tale that thou hast told? Thou
speakest lies to me.
42 Is there in
these gods spirit, soul or power to do all thou hast told me? Are they not wood and
stone, and have I not myself made them, and canst thou speak such lies, saying
that the large
god that was with them smote them? It is thou that didst place the hatchet in
his hands, and
then sayest he smote them all.
43 And Abram
answered his father and said to him, And how canst thou then serve these idols
in whom there is no power to do any thing? Can those idols in which thou
trustest deliver
thee? can they hear thy prayers when thou callest upon them? can they deliver
thee from
the hands of thy enemies, or will they fight thy battles for thee against thy
enemies, that thou
shouldst serve wood and stone which can neither speak nor hear?
44 And now surely
it is not good for thee nor for the sons of men that are connected with thee,
to do these things; are you so silly, so foolish or so short of understanding
that you will serve
wood and stone, and do after this manner?
45 And forget the
Lord God who made heaven and earth, and who created you in the earth, and
thereby bring a great evil upon your souls in this matter by serving stone and
wood?
46 Did not our
fathers in days of old sin in this matter, and the Lord God of the universe brought
the waters of the flood upon them and destroyed the whole earth?
47 And how can you
continue to do this and serve gods of wood and stone, who cannot hear,
or speak, or deliver you from oppression, thereby bringing down the anger of
the God of
the universe upon you?
48 Now therefore
my father refrain from this, and bring not evil upon thy soul and the souls of thy
household.
49 And Abram
hastened and sprang from before his father, and took the hatchet from his father's
largest idol, with which Abram broke it and ran away.
50 And Terah,
seeing all that Abram had done, hastened to go from his house, and he went to
the king and he came before Nimrod and stood before him, and he bowed down to
the king;
and the king said, What dost thou want?
51 And he said, I
beseech thee my lord, to hear me--Now fifty years back a child was born to me,
and thus has he done to my gods and thus has he spoken; and now therefore, my
lord and
king, send for him that he may come before thee, and judge him according to the
law, that
we may be delivered from his evil.
52 And the king
sent three men of his servants, and they went and brought Abram before the king.
And Nimrod and all his princes and servants were that day sitting before him,
and Terah
sat also before them.
53 And the king
said to Abram, What is this that thou hast done to thy father and to his gods? And
Abram answered the king in the words that he spoke to his father, and he said,
The large
god that was with them in the house did to them what thou hast heard.
54 And the king
said to Abram, Had they power to speak and eat and do as thou hast said? And
Abram answered the king, saying, And if there be no power in them why dost thou
serve them
and cause the sons of men to err through thy follies?
55 Dost thou
imagine that they can deliver thee or do anything small or great, that thou shouldst
serve them? And why wilt thou not sense the God of the whole universe, who created
thee and in whose power it is to kill and keep alive?
56 0 foolish,
simple, and ignorant king, woe unto thee forever.
57 I thought thou
wouldst teach thy servants the upright way, but thou hast not done this, but hast
filled the whole earth with thy sins and the sins of thy people who have
followed thy ways.
58 Dost thou not
know, or hast thou not heard, that this evil which thou doest, our ancestors sinned
therein in days of old, and the eternal God brought the waters of the flood
upon them and
destroyed them all, and also destroyed the whole earth on their account? And
wilt thou and
thy people rise up now and do like unto this work, in order to bring down the
anger of the Lord
God of the universe, and to bring evil upon thee and the whole earth?
59 Now therefore
put away this evil deed which thou doest, and serve the God of the universe,
as thy soul is in his hands, and then it will be well with thee.
60 And if thy
wicked heart will not hearken to my words to cause thee to forsake thy evil ways,
and to serve the eternal God, then wilt thou die in shame in the latter days,
thou, thy people
and all who are connected with thee, hearing thy words or walking in thy evil
ways.
61 And when Abram
had ceased speaking before the king and princes, Abram lifted up his eyes
to the heavens, and he said, The Lord seeth all the wicked, and he will judge
them.
CHAPTER
12
1 And when the
king heard the words of Abram he ordered him to be put into prison; and Abram
was ten days in prison.
2 And at the end
of those days the king ordered that all the kings, princes and governors of different
provinces and the sages should come before him, and they sat before him, and Abram
was still in the house of confinement.
3 And the king
said to the princes and sages, Have you heard what Abram, the son of Terah, has
done to his father? Thus has he done to him, and I ordered him to be brought
before me, and
thus has he spoken; his heart did not misgive him, neither did he stir in my
presence, and
behold now he is confined in the prison.
4 And therefore
decide what judgment is due to this man who reviled the king; who spoke and
did all the things that you heard.
5 And they all
answered the king saying, The man who revileth the king should be hanged upon
a tree; but having done all the things that he said, and having despised our
gods, he must
therefore be burned to death, for this is the law in this matter.
6 If it pleaseth
the king to do this, let him order his servants to kindle a fire both night and
day in
thy brick furnace, and then we will cast this man into it. And the king did so,
and he commanded
his servants that they should prepare a fire for three days and three nights in the
king's furnace, that is in Casdim; and the king ordered them to take Abram from
prison and
bring him out to be burned.
7 And all the
king's servants, princes, lords, governors, and judges, and all the inhabitants
of the
land, about nine hundred thousand men, stood opposite the furnace to see Abram.
8 And all the
women and little ones crowded upon the roofs and towers to see what was doing
with Abram, and they all stood together at a distance; and there was not a man
left that did
not come on that day to behold the scene.
9 And when Abram
was come, the conjurors of the king and the sages saw Abram, and they cried
out to the king, saying, Our sovereign lord, surely this is the man whom we
know to have
been the child at whose birth the great star swallowed the four stars, which we
declared to
the king now fifty years since.
10 And behold now
his father has also transgressed thy commands, and mocked thee by bringing
thee another child, which thou didst kill.
11 And when the
king heard their words, he was exceedingly wroth, and he ordered Terah to be
brought before him.
12 And the king
said, Hast thou heard what the conjurors have spoken? Now tell me truly, how
didst thou; and if thou shalt speak truth thou shalt be acquitted.
13 And seeing that
the king's anger was so much kindled, Terah said to the king, My lord and king,
thou hast heard the truth, and what the sages have spoken is right. And the
king said, How
couldst thou do this thing, to transgress my orders and to give me a child that
thou didst not
beget, and to take value for him?
14 And Terah
answered the king, Because my tender feelings were excited for my son, at that
time, and I took a son of my handmaid, and I brought him to the king.
15 And the king
said Who advised thee to this? Tell me, do not hide aught from me, and then thou
shalt not die.
16 And Terah was
greatly terrified in the king's presence, and he said to the king, It was Haran
my eldest son who advised me to this; and Haran was in those days that Abram
was born,
two and thirty years old.
17 But Haran did
not advise his father to anything, for Terah said this to the king in order to deliver
his soul from the king, for he feared greatly; and the king said to Terah,
Haran thy son who
advised thee to this shall die through fire with Abram; for the sentence of
death is upon him
for having rebelled against the king's desire in doing this thing.
18 And Haran at
that time felt inclined to follow the ways of Abram, but he kept it within himself.
19 And Haran said
in his heart, Behold now the king has seized Abram on account of these things
which Abram did, and it shall come to pass, that if Abram prevail over the king
I will follow
him, but if the king prevail I will go after the king.
20 And when Terah
had spoken this to the king concerning Haran his son, the king ordered Haran
to be seized with Abram.
21 And they
brought them both, Abram and Haran his brother, to cast them into the fire; and all
the inhabitants of the land and the king's servants and princes and all the
women and little ones
were there, standing that day over them.
22 And the king's
servants took Abram and his brother, and they stripped them of all their clothes
excepting their lower garments which were upon them.
23 And they bound
their hands and feet with linen cords, and the servants of the king lifted them
up and cast them both into the furnace.
24 And the Lord
loved Abram and he had compassion over him, and the Lord came down and
delivered Abram from the fire and he was not burned.
25 But all the
cords with which they bound him were burned, while Abram remained and walked
about in the fire.
26 And Haran died
when they had cast him into the fire, and he was burned to ashes, for his heart
was not perfect with the Lord; and those men who cast him into the fire, the
flame of the
fire spread over them, and they were burned, and twelve men of them died.
27 And Abram
walked in the midst of the fire three days and three nights, and all the servants
of the king saw him walking in the fire, and they came and told the king,
saying, Behold
we have seen Abram walking about in the midst of the fire, and even the lower garments
which are upon him are not burned, but the cord with which he was bound is burned.
28 And when the
king heard their words his heart fainted and he would not believe them; so he
sent other faithful princes to see this matter, and they went and saw it and
told it to the king;
and the king rose to go and see it, and he saw Abram walking to and fro in the
midst of the
fire, and he saw Haran's body burned, and the king wondered greatly.
29 And the king
ordered Abram to be taken out from the fire; and his servants approached to take
him out and they could not, for the fire was round about and the flame
ascending toward them
from the furnace.
30 And the king's
servants fled from it, and the king rebuked them, saying, Make haste and bring
Abram out of the fire that you shall not die.
31 And the servants
of the king again approached to bring Abram out, and the flames came upon
them and burned their faces so that eight of them died.
32 And when the
king saw that his servants could not approach the fire lest they should be burned,
the king called to Abram, O servant of the God who is in heaven, go forth from amidst
the fire and come hither before me; and Abram hearkened to the voice of the
king, and
he went forth from the fire and came and stood before the king.
33 And when Abram
came out the king and all his servants saw Abram coming before the king,
with his lower garments upon him, for they were not burned, but the cord with
which he was
bound was burned.
34 And the king
said to Abram, How is it that thou wast not burned in the fire?
35 And Abram said
to the king, The God of heaven and earth in whom I trust and who has all in
his power, he delivered me from the fire into which thou didst cast me.
36 And Haran the
brother of Abram was burned to ashes, and they sought for his body, and they
found it consumed.
37 And Haran was
eighty-two years old when he died in the fire of Casdim. And the king, princes,
and inhabitants of the land, seeing that Abram was delivered from the fire,
they came
and bowed down to Abram.
38 And Abram said
to them, Do not bow down to me, but bow down to the God of the world who
made you, and serve him, and go in his ways for it is he who delivered me from
out of this
fire, and it is he who created the souls and spirits of all men, and formed man
in his mother's
womb, and brought him forth into the world, and it is he who will deliver those
who trust
in him from all pain.
39 And this thing
seemed very wonderful in the eyes of the king and princes, that Abram was saved
from the fire and that Haran was burned; and the king gave Abram many presents
and he
gave him his two head servants from the king's house; the name of one was Oni
and the name
of the other was Eliezer.
40 And all the
kings, princes and servants gave Abram many gifts of silver and gold and pearl,
and the king and his princes sent him away, and he went in peace.
41 And Abram went
forth from the king in peace, and many of the king's servants followed him,
and about three hundred men joined him.
42 And Abram
returned on that day and went to his father's house, he and the men that followed
him, and Abram served the Lord his God all the days of his life, and he walked
in his ways
and followed his law.
43 And from that
day forward Abram inclined the hearts of the sons of men to serve the Lord.
44 And at that
time Nahor and Abram took unto themselves wives, the daughters of their brother
Haran; the wife of Nahor was Milca and the name of Abram's wife was Sarai. And Sarai,
wife of Abram, was barren; she had no offspring in those days.
45 And at the
expiration of two years from Abram's going out of the fire, that is in the
fiftysecond year
of his life, behold king Nimrod sat in Babel upon the throne, and the king fell asleep
and dreamed that he was standing with his troops and hosts in a valley opposite
the king's
furnace.
46 And he lifted
up his eyes and saw a man in the likeness of Abram coming forth from the furnace,
and that he came and stood before the king with his drawn sword, and then
sprang to
the king with his sword, when the king fled from the man, for he was afraid;
and while he was
running, the man threw an egg upon the king's head, and the egg became a great
river.
47 And the king
dreamed that all his troops sank in that river and died, and the king took flight
with three men who were before him and he escaped.
48 And the king
looked at these men and they were clothed in princely dresses as the garments
of kings, and had the appearance and majesty of kings.
49 And while they
were running, the river again turned to an egg before the king, and there came
forth from the egg a young bird which came before the king, and flew at his
head and plucked
out the king's eye.
50 And the king
was grieved at the sight, and he awoke out of his sleep and his spirit was agitated;
and he felt a great terror.
51 And in the
morning the king rose from his couch in fear, and he ordered all the wise men and
magicians to come before him, when the king related his dream to them.
52 And a wise
servant of the king, whose name was Anuki, answered the king, saying, This is
nothing else but the evil of Abram and his seed which will spring up against my
Lord and king
in the latter days.
53 And behold the
day will come when Abram and his seed and the children of his household will
war with my king, and they will smite all the king's hosts and his troops.
54 And as to what
thou hast said concerning three men which thou didst see like unto thyself,
and which did escape, this means that only thou wilt escape with three kings
from the kings
of the earth who will be with thee in battle.
55 And that which
thou sawest of the river which turned to an egg as at first, and the young bird
plucking out thine eye, this means nothing else but the seed of Abram which
will slay the king
in latter days.
56 This is my
king's dream, and this is its interpretation, and the dream is true, and the interpretation
which thy servant has given thee is right.
57 Now therefore
my king, surely thou knowest that it is now fifty-two years since thy sages saw
this at the birth of Abram, and if my king will suffer Abram to live in the
earth it will be to the
injury of my lord and king, for all the days that Abram liveth neither thou nor
thy kingdom will
be established, for this was known formerly at his birth; and why will not my
king slay him,
that his evil may be kept from thee in latter days?
58 And Nimrod
hearkened to the voice of Anuki, and he sent some of his servants in secret to
go and seize Abram, and bring him before the king to suffer death.
59 And Eliezer,
Abram's servant whom the king had given him, was at that time in the presence
of the king, and he heard what Anuki had advised the king, and what the king
had said
to cause Abram's death.
60 And Eliezer
said to Abram, Hasten, rise up and save thy soul, that thou mayest not die through
the hands of the king, for thus did he see in a dream concerning thee, and thus
did Anuki
interpret it, and thus also did Anuki advise the king concerning thee.
61 And Abram
hearkened to the voice of Eliezer, and Abram hastened and ran for safety to the
house of Noah and his son Shem, and he concealed himself there and found a
place of safety;
and the king's servants came to Abram's house to seek him, but they could not
find him,
and they searched through out the country and he was not to be found, and they
went and
searched in every direction and he was not to be met with.
62 And when the
king's servants could not find Abram they returned to the king, but the king's
anger against Abram was stilled, as they did not find him, and the king drove
from his mind
this matter concerning Abram.
63 And Abram was
concealed in Noah's house for one month, until the king had forgotten this
matter, but Abram was still afraid of the king; and Terah came to see Abram his
son secretly
in the house of Noah, and Terah was very great in the eyes of the king.
64 And Abram said
to his father, Dost thou not know that the king thinketh to slay me, and to annihilate
my name from the earth by the advice of his wicked counsellors?
65 Now whom hast
thou here and what hast thou in this land? Arise, let us go together to the land
of Canaan, that we may be delivered from his hand, lest thou perish also
through him in the
latter days.
66 Dost thou not
know or hast thou not heard, that it is not through love that Nimrod giveth thee
all this honor, but it is only for his benefit that he bestoweth all this good
upon thee?
67 And if he do
unto thee greater good than this, surely these are only vanities of the world, for
wealth and riches cannot avail in the day of wrath and anger.
68 Now therefore
hearken to my voice, and let us arise and go to the land of Canaan, out of the
reach of injury from Nimrod; and serve thou the Lord who created thee in the
earth and it will
be well with thee; and cast away all the vain things which thou pursuest.
69 And Abram
ceased to speak, when Noah and his son Shem answered Terah, saying, True
is the word which Abram hath said unto thee.
70 And Terah
hearkened to the voice of his son Abram, and Terah did all that Abram said, for
this was from the Lord, that the king should not cause Abram's death.
CHAPTER
13
1 And Terah took
his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law,
the wife of his son Abram, and all the souls of his household and went with them
from Ur Casdim to go to the land of Canaan. And when they came as far as the
land of Haran
they remained there, for it was exceedingly good land for pasture, and of
sufficient extent
for those who accompanied them.
2 And the people
of the land of Haran saw that Abram was good and upright with God and men,
and that the Lord his God was with him, and some of the people of the land of
Haran came
and joined Abram, and he taught them the instruction of the Lord and his ways;
and these
men remained with Abram in his house and they adhered to him.
3 And Abram
remained in the land three years, and at the expiration of three years the Lord appeared
to Abram and said to him; I am the Lord who brought thee forth from Ur Casdim, and
delivered thee from the hands of all thine enemies.
4 And now
therefore if thou wilt hearken to my voice and keep my commandments, my statutes
and my laws, then will I cause thy enemies to fall before thee, and I will
multiply thy seed
like the stars of heaven, and I will send my blessing upon all the works of thy
hands, and
thou shalt lack nothing.
5 Arise now, take
thy wife and all belonging to thee and go to the land of Canaan and remain there,
and I will there be unto thee for a God, and I will bless thee. And Abram rose
and took his
wife and all belonging to him, and he went to the land of Canaan as the Lord
had told him;
and Abram was fifty years old when he went from Haran.
6 And Abram came
to the land of Canaan and dwelt in the midst of the city, and he there pitched
his tent amongst the children of Canaan, inhabitants of the land.
7 And the Lord
appeared to Abram when he came to the land of Canaan, and said to him, This
is the land which I gave unto thee and to thy seed after thee forever, and I
will make thy seed
like the stars of heaven, and I will give unto thy seed for an inheritance all
the lands which
thou seest.
8 And Abram built
an altar in the place where God had spoken to him, and Abram there called
upon the name of the Lord.
9 At that time,
at the end of three years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, in that year
Noah died, which was the fifty-eighth year of the life of Abram; and all the
days that Noah
lived were nine hundred and fifty years and he died.
10 And Abram dwelt
in the land of Canaan, he, his wife, and all belonging to him, and all those
that accompanied him, together with those that joined him from the people of
the land; but
Nahor, Abram's brother, and Terah his father, and Lot the son of Haran and all
belonging to
them dwelt in Haran.
11 In the fifth
year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan the people of Sodom and Gomorrah
and all the cities of the plain revolted from the power of Chedorlaomer, king
of Elam;
for all the kings of the cities of the plain had served Chedorlaomer for twelve
years, and
given him a yearly tax, but in those days in the thirteenth year, they rebelled
against him.
12 And in the
tenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan there was war between Nimrod
king of Shinar and Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Nimrod came to fight with Chedorlaomer
and to subdue him.
13 For
Chedorlaomer was at that time one of the princes of the hosts of Nimrod, and
when all
the people at the tower were dispersed and those that remained were also
scattered upon the
face of the earth, Chedorlaomer went to the land of Elam and reigned over it
and rebelled against
his lord.
14 And in those
days when Nimrod saw that the cities of the plain had rebelled, he came with pride
and anger to war with Chedorlaomer, and Nimrod assembled all his princes and subjects,
about seven hundred thousand men, and went against Chedorlaomer, and Chedorlaomer
went out to meet him with five thousand men, and they prepared for battle in the
valley of Babel which is between Elam and Shinar.
15 And all those
kings fought there, and Nimrod and his people were smitten before the people
of Chedorlaomer, and there fell from Nimrod's men about six hundred thousand,
and Mardon
the king's son fell amongst them.
16 And Nimrod fled
and returned in shame and disgrace to his land, and he was under subjection
to Chedorlaomer for a long time, and Chedorlaomer returned to his land and sent princes
of his host to the kings that dwelt around him, to Arioch king of Elasar, and
to Tidal king
of Goyim, and made a covenant with them, and they were all obedient to his
commands.
17 And it was in
the fifteenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, which is the seventieth
year of the life of Abram, and the Lord appeared to Abram in that year and he
said to
him, I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur Casdim to give thee this land
for an inheritance.
18 Now therefore walk
before me and be perfect and keep my commands, for to thee and to thy
seed I will give this land for an inheritance, from the river Mitzraim unto the
great river Euphrates.
19 And thou shalt
come to thy fathers in peace and in good age, and the fourth generation shall
return here in this land and shall inherit it forever; and Abram built an
altar, and he called
upon the name of the Lord who appeared to him, and he brought up sacrifices
upon the
altar to the Lord.
20 At that time
Abram returned and went to Haran to see his father and mother, and his father's
household, and Abram and his wife and all belonging to him returned to Haran,
and Abram
dwelt in Haran five years.
21 And many of the
people of Haran, about seventy-two men, followed Abram and Abram taught
them the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and he taught them to know the
Lord.
22 In those days
the Lord appeared to Abram in Haran, and he said to him, Behold, I spoke unto
thee these twenty years back saying,
23 Go forth from
thy land, from thy birth-place and from thy father's house, to the land which I have
shown thee to give it to thee and to thy children, for there in that land will
I bless thee, and
make thee a great nation, and make thy name great, and in thee shall the
families of the earth
be blessed.
24 Now therefore
arise, go forth from this place, thou, thy wife, and all belonging to thee,
also every
one born in thy house and all the souls thou hast made in Haran, and bring them
out with
thee from here, and rise to return to the land of Canaan.
25 And Abram arose
and took his wife Sarai and all belonging to him and all that were born to
him in his house and the souls which they had made in Haran, and they came out
to go to the
land of Canaan.
26 And Abram went
and returned to the land of Canaan, according to the word of the Lord. And
Lot the son of his brother Haran went with him, and Abram was seventy-five
years old when
he went forth from Haran to return to the land of Canaan.
27 And he came to
the land of Canaan according to the word of the Lord to Abram, and he pitched
his tent and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, and with him was Lot his brother's
son, and
all belonging to him.
28 And the Lord
again appeared to Abram and said, To thy seed will I give this land; and he there
built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him, which is still to this day in
the plains of Mamre.
CHAPTER
14
1 In those days
there was in the land of Shinar a wise man who had understanding in all wisdom,
and of a beautiful appearance, but he was poor and indigent; his name was
Rikayon and
he was hard set to support himself.
2 And he resolved
to go to Egypt, to Oswiris the son of Anom king of Egypt, to show the king his
wisdom; for perhaps he might find grace in his sight, to raise him up and give
him maintenance;
and Rikayon did so.
3 And when
Rikayon came to Egypt he asked the inhabitants of Egypt concerning the king, and
the inhabitants of Egypt told him the custom of the king of Egypt, for it was
then the custom
of the king of Egypt that he went from his royal palace and was seen abroad
only one day
in the year, and after that the king would return to his palace to remain
there.
4 And on the day
when the king went forth he passed judgment in the land, and every one having
a suit came before the king that day to obtain his request.
5 And when
Rikayon heard of the custom in Egypt and that he could not come into the presence
of the king, he grieved greatly and was very sorrowful.
6 And in the
evening Rikayon went out and found a house in ruins, formerly a bake house in Egypt,
and he abode there all night in bitterness of soul and pinched with hunger, and
sleep was
removed from his eyes.
7 And Rikayon
considered within himself what he should do in the town until the king made his
appearance, and how he might maintain himself there.
8 And he rose in
the morning and walked about, and met in his way those who sold vegetables
and various sorts of seed with which they supplied the inhabitants.
9 And Rikayon
wished to do the same in order to get a maintenance in the city, but he was unacquainted
with the custom of the people, and he was like a blind man among them.
10 And he went and
obtained vegetables to sell them for his support, and the rabble assembled
about him and ridiculed him, and took his vegetables from him and left him nothing.
11 And he rose up
from there in bitterness of soul, and went sighing to the bake house in which
he had remained all the night before, and he slept there the second night.
12 And on that
night again he reasoned within himself how he could save himself from starvation,
and he devised a scheme how to act.
13 And he rose up
in the morning and acted ingeniously, and went and hired thirty strong men
of the rabble, carrying their war instruments in their hands, and he led them
to the top of the
Egyptian sepulchre, and he placed them there.
14 And he
commanded them, saying, Thus saith the king, Strengthen yourselves and be valiant
men, and let no man be buried here until two hundred pieces of silver be given,
and then
he may be buried; and those men did according to the order of Rikayon to the
people of Egypt
the whole of that year.
15 And in eight
months time Rikayon and his men gathered great riches of silver and gold, and
Rikayon took a great quantity of horses and other animals, and he hired more men,
and he
gave them horses and they remained with him.
16 And when the
year came round, at the time the king went forth into the town, all the inhabitants
of Egypt assembled together to speak to him concerning the work of Rikayon and his
men.
17 And the king
went forth on the appointed day, and all the Egyptians came before him and cried
unto him, saying,
18 May the king
live forever. What is this thing thou doest in the town to thy servants, not to suffer
a dead body to be buried until so much silver and gold be given? Was there ever
the like
unto this done in the whole earth, from the days of former kings yea even from
the days of
Adam, unto this day, that the dead should not be buried only for a set price?
19 We know it to
be the custom of kings to take a yearly tax from the living, but thou dost not only
do this, but from the dead also thou exactest a tax day by day.
20 Now, O king, we
can no more bear this, for the whole city is ruined on this account, and dost
thou not know it?
21 And when the
king heard all that they had spoken he was very wroth, and his anger burned
within him at this affair, for he had known nothing of it.
22 And the king
said, Who and where is he that dares to do this wicked thing in my land without
my command? Surely you will tell me.
23 And they told
him all the works of Rikayon and his men, and the king's anger was aroused,
and he ordered Rikayon and his men to be brought before him.
24 And Rikayon
took about a thousand children, sons and daughters, and clothed them in silk
and embroidery, and he set them upon horses and sent them to the king by means
of his men,
and he also took a great quantity of silver and gold and precious stones, and a
strong and
beautiful horse, as a present for the king, with which he came before the king
and bowed down
to the earth before him; and the king, his servants and all the inhabitants of
Egypt wondered
at the work of Rikayon, and they saw his riches and the present that he had brought
to the king.
25 And it greatly
pleased the king and he wondered at it; and when Rikayon sat before him the
king asked him concerning all his works, and Rikayon spoke all his words wisely
before the
king, his servants and all the inhabitants of Egypt.
26 And when the
king heard the words of Rikayon and his wisdom, Rikayon found grace in his
sight, and he met with grace and kindness from all the servants of the king and
from all the
inhabitants of Egypt, on account of his wisdom and excellent speeches, and from
that time
they loved him exceedingly.
27 And the king
answered and said to Rikayon, Thy name shall no more be called Rikayon but
Pharaoh shall be thy name, since thou didst exact a tax from the dead; and he
called his name
Pharaoh.
28 And the king
and his subjects loved Rikayon for his wisdom, and they consulted with all the
inhabitants of Egypt to make him prefect under the king.
29 And all the
inhabitants of Egypt and its wise men did so, and it was made a law in Egypt.
30 And they made
Rikayon Pharaoh prefect under Oswiris king of Egypt, and Rikayon Pharaoh
governed over Egypt, daily administering justice to the whole city, but Oswiris
the king
would judge the people of the land one day in the year, when he went out to
make his appearance.
31 And Rikayon
Pharaoh cunningly usurped the government of Egypt, and he exacted a tax from
all the inhabitants of Egypt.
32 And all the
inhabitants of Egypt greatly loved Rikayon Pharaoh, and they made a decree to
call every king that should reign over them and their seed in Egypt, Pharaoh.
33 Therefore all
the kings that reigned in Egypt from that time forward were called Pharaoh unto
this day.
CHAPTER
15
1 And in that
year there was a heavy famine throughout the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants
of the land could not remain on account of the famine for it was very grievous.
2 And Abram and
all belonging to him rose and went down to Egypt on account of the famine,
and when they were at the brook Mitzraim they remained there some time to rest from
the fatigue of the road.
3 And Abram and
Sarai were walking at the border of the brook Mitzraim, and Abram beheld his
wife Sarai that she was very beautiful.
4 And Abram said
to his wife Sarai, Since God has created thee with such a beautiful countenance,
I am afraid of the Egyptians lest they should slay me and take thee away, for the
fear of God is not in these places.
5 Surely then
thou shalt do this, Say thou art my sister to all that may ask thee, in order
that it may
be well with me, and that we may live and not be put to death.
6 And Abram
commanded the same to all those that came with him to Egypt on account of the
famine; also his nephew Lot he commanded, saying, If the Egyptians ask thee concerning
Sarai say she is the sister of Abram.
7 And yet with
all these orders Abram did not put confidence in them, but he took Sarai and placed
her in a chest and concealed it amongst their vessels, for Abram was greatly concerned
about Sarai on account of the wickedness of the Egyptians.
8 And Abram and
all belonging to him rose up from the brook Mitzraim and came to Egypt; and
they had scarcely entered the gates of the city when the guards stood up to
them saying, Give
tithe to the king from what you have, and then you may come into the town; and
Abram and
those that were with him did so.
9 And Abram with
the people that were with him came to Egypt, and when they came they brought
the chest in which Sarai was concealed and the Egyptians saw the chest.
10 And the king's
servants approached Abram, saying, What hast thou here in this chest which
we have not seen? Now open thou the chest and give tithe to the king of all
that it contains.
11 And Abram said,
This chest I will not open, but all you demand upon it I will give. And Pharaoh's
officers answered Abram, saying, It is a chest of precious stones, give us the
tenth thereof.
12 Abram said, All
that you desire I will give, but you must not open the chest.
13 And the king's
officers pressed Abram, and they reached the chest and opened it with force,
and they saw, and behold a beautiful woman was in the chest.
14 And when the
officers of the king beheld Sarai they were struck with admiration at her beauty,
and all the princes and servants of Pharaoh assembled to see Sarai, for she was very
beautiful. And the king's officers ran and told Pharaoh all that they had seen,
and they praised
Sarai to the king; and Pharaoh ordered her to be brought, and the woman came before
the king.
15 And Pharaoh
beheld Sarai and she pleased him exceedingly, and he was struck with her beauty,
and the king rejoiced greatly on her account, and made presents to those who brought
him the tidings concerning her.
16 And the woman
was then brought to Pharaoh's house, and Abram grieved on account of his
wife, and he prayed to the Lord to deliver her from the hands of Pharaoh.
17 And Sarai also
prayed at that time and said, O Lord God thou didst tell my Lord Abram to go
from his land and from his father's house to the land of Canaan, and thou didst
promise to do
well with him if he would perform thy commands; now behold we have done that
which thou
didst command us, and we left our land and our families, and we went to a
strange land and
to a people whom we have not known before.
18 And we came to
this land to avoid the famine, and this evil accident has befallen me; now therefore,
O Lord God, deliver us and save us from the hand of this oppressor, and do well with
me for the sake of thy mercy.
19 And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of Sarai, and the Lord sent an angel to deliver Sarai from
the power of Pharaoh.
20 And the king
came and sat before Sarai and behold an angel of the Lord was standing over
them, and he appeared to Sarai and said to her, Do not fear, for the Lord has
heard thy prayer.
21 And the king
approached Sarai and said to her, What is that man to thee who brought thee
hither? and she said, He is my brother.
22 And the king
said, It is incumbent upon us to make him great, to elevate him and to do unto
him all the good which thou shalt command us; and at that time the king sent to
Abram silver
and gold and precious stones in abundance, together with cattle, men servants
and maid
servants; and the king ordered Abram to be brought, and he sat in the court of
the king's
house, and the king greatly exalted Abram on that night.
23 And the king
approached to speak to Sarai, and he reached out his hand to touch her, when
the angel smote him heavily, and he was terrified and he refrained from
reaching to her.
24 And when the
king came near to Sarai, the angel smote him to the ground, and acted thus to
him the whole night, and the king was terrified.
25 And the angel
on that night smote heavily all the servants of the king, and his whole household,
on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation that night amongst the people
of Pharaoh's house.
26 And Pharaoh,
seeing the evil that befell him, said, Surely on account of this woman has this
thing happened to me, and he removed himself at some distance from her and
spoke pleasing
words to her.
27 And the king
said to Sarai, Tell me I pray thee concerning the man with whom thou camest
here; and Sarai said, This man is my husband, and I said to thee that he was my brother
for I was afraid, lest thou shouldst put him to death through wickedness.
28 And the king
kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the angel of the Lord ceased from him
and his household; and Pharaoh knew that he was smitten on account of Sarai,
and the king
was greatly astonished at this.
29 And in the
morning the king called for Abram and said to him, What is this thou hast done to
me? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, owing to which I took her unto me for
a wife, and
this heavy plague has therefore come upon me and my household.
30 Now therefore
here is thy wife, take her and go from our land lest we all die on her account.
And Pharaoh took more cattle, men servants and maid servants, and silver and gold,
to give to Abram, and he returned unto him Sarai his wife.
31 And the king
took a maiden whom he begat by his concubines, and he gave her to Sarai for
a handmaid.
32 And the king
said to his daughter, It is better for thee my daughter to be a handmaid in this
man's house than to be mistress in my house, after we have beheld the evil that
befell us on
account of this woman.
33 And Abram
arose, and he and all belonging to him went away from Egypt; and Pharaoh ordered
some of his men to accompany him and all that went with him.
34 And Abram
returned to the land of Canaan, to the place where he had made the altar, where
he at first had pitched his tent.
35 And Lot the son
of Haran, Abram's brother, had a heavy stock of cattle, flocks and herds and
tents, for the Lord was bountiful to them on account of Abram.
36 And when Abram
was dwelling in the land the herdsmen of Lot quarrelled with the herdsmen
of Abram, for their property was too great for them to remain together in the
land, and
the land could not bear them on account of their cattle.
37 And when
Abram's herdsmen went to feed their flock they would not go into the fields of the
people of the land, but the cattle of Lot's herdsmen did otherwise, for they
were suffered to
feed in the fields of the people of the land.
38 And the people
of the land saw this occurrence daily, and they came to Abram and quarrelled
with him on account of Lot's herdsmen.
39 And Abram said
to Lot, What is this thou art doing to me, to make me despicable to the inhabitants
of the land, that thou orderest thy herdsman to feed thy cattle in the fields
of other people?
Dost thou not know that I am a stranger in this land amongst the children of
Canaan, and
why wilt thou do this unto me?
40 And Abram
quarrelled daily with Lot on account of this, but Lot would not listen to
Abram, and
he continued to do the same and the inhabitants of the land came and told
Abram.
41 And Abram said
unto Lot, How long wilt thou be to me for a stumbling block with the inhabitants
of the land? Now I beseech thee let there be no more quarrelling between us,
for we
are kinsmen.
42 But I pray thee
separate from me, go and choose a place where thou mayest dwell with thy
cattle and all belonging to thee, but Keep thyself at a distance from me, thou
and thy household.
43 And be not
afraid in going from me, for if any one do an injury to thee, let me know and I will
avenge thy cause from him, only remove from me.
44 And when Abram
had spoken all these words to Lot, then Lot arose and lifted up his eyes toward
the plain of Jordan.
45 And he saw that
the whole of this place was well watered, and good for man as well as affording
pasture for the cattle.
46 And Lot went
from Abram to that place, and he there pitched his tent and he dwelt in Sodom,
and they were separated from each other.
47 And Abram dwelt
in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and he pitched his tent there, and
Abram remained in that place many years.
CHAPTER
16
1 At that time
Chedorlaomer king of Elam sent to all the neighboring kings, to Nimrod, king of Shinar
who was then under his power, and to Tidal, king of Goyim, and to Arioch, king
of Elasar,
with whom he made a covenant, saying, Come up to me and assist me, that we may smite
all the towns of Sodom and its inhabitants, for they have rebelled against me
these thirteen
years.
2 And these four
kings went up with all their camps, about eight hundred thousand men, and they
went as they were, and smote every man they found in their road.
3 And the five
kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim,
Bera king of Sodom, Bersha king of Gomorrah, and Bela king of Zoar, went out to meet
them, and they all joined together in the valley of Siddim.
4 And these nine
kings made war in the valley of Siddim; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah
were smitten before the kings of Elam.
5 And the valley
of Siddim was full of lime pits and the kings of Elam pursued the kings of Sodom,
and the kings of Sodom with their camps fled and fell into the lime pits, and
all that remained
went to the mountain for safety, and the five kings of Elam came after them and pursued
them to the gates of Sodom, and they took all that there was in Sodom.
6 And they
plundered all the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they also took Lot, Abram's brother's
son, and his property, and they seized all the goods of the cities of Sodom,
and they
went away; and Unic, Abram's servant, who was in the battle, saw this, and told
Abram all
that the kings had done to the cities of Sodom, and that Lot was taken captive
by them.
7 And Abram heard
this, and he rose up with about three hundred and eighteen men that were
with him, and he that night pursued these kings and smote them, and they all
fell before Abram
and his men, and there was none remaining but the four kings who fled, and they went
each his own road.
8 And Abram
recovered all the property of Sodom, and he also recovered Lot and his property,
his wives and little ones and all belonging to him, so that Lot lacked nothing.
9 And when he
returned from smiting these kings, he and his men passed the valley of Siddim
where the kings had made war together.
10 And Bera king
of Sodom, and the rest of his men that were with him, went out from the lime
pits into which they had fallen, to meet Abram and his men.
11 And Adonizedek
king of Jerusalem, the same was Shem, went out with his men to meet Abram
and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained together in the valley
of Melech.
12 And Adonizedek
blessed Abram, and Abram gave him a tenth from all that he had brought
from the spoil of his enemies, for Adonizedek was a priest before God.
13 And all the
kings of Sodom and Gomorrah who were there, with their servants, approached
Abram and begged of him to return them their servants whom he had made captive,
and to take unto himself all the property.
14 And Abram
answered the kings of Sodom, saying, As the Lord liveth who created heaven and
earth, and who redeemed my soul from all affliction, and who delivered me this
day from my
enemies, and gave them into my hand, I will not take anything belonging to you,
that you may
not boast tomorrow, saying, Abram became rich from our property that he saved.
15 For the Lord my
God in whom I trust said unto me, Thou shalt lack nothing, for I will bless thee
in all the works of thy hands.
16 And now
therefore behold, here is all belonging to you, take it and go; as the Lord
liveth I will
not take from you from a living soul down to a shoetie or thread, excepting the
expense of
the food of those who went out with me to battle, as also the portions of the
men who went with
me, Anar, Ashcol, and Mamre, they and their men, as well as those also who had remained
to watch the baggage, they shall take their portion of the spoil.
17 And the kings
of Sodom gave Abram according to all that he had said, and they pressed him
to take of whatever he chose, but he would not.
18 And he sent
away the kings of Sodom and the remainder of their men, and he gave them orders
about Lot, and they went to their respective places.
19 And Lot, his
brother's son, he also sent away with his property, and he went with them, and
Lot returned to his home, to Sodom, and Abram and his people returned to their
home to the
plains of Mamre, which is in Hebron.
20 At that time
the Lord again appeared to Abram in Hebron, and he said to him, Do not fear, thy
reward is very great before me, for I will not leave thee, until I shall have
multiplied thee, and
blessed thee and made thy seed like the stars in heaven, which cannot be
measured nor numbered.
21 And I will give
unto thy seed all these lands that thou seest with thine eyes, to them will I give
them for an inheritance forever, only be strong and do not fear, walk before me
and be perfect.
22 And in the
seventy-eighth year of the life of Abram, in that year died Reu, the son of Peleg,
and all the days of Reu were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.
23 And Sarai, the
daughter of Haran, Abram's wife, was still barren in those days; she did not bear
to Abram either son or daughter.
24 And when she
saw that she bare no children she took her handmaid Hagar, whom Pharaoh
had given her, and she gave her to Abram her husband for a wife.
25 For Hagar
learned all the ways of Sarai as Sarai taught her, she was not in any way deficient
in following her good ways.
26 And Sarai said
to Abram, Behold here is my handmaid Hagar, go to her that she may bring
forth upon my knees, that I may also obtain children through her.
27 And at the end
of ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, which is the
eightyfifth year
of Abram's life, Sarai gave Hagar unto him.
28 And Abram
hearkened to the voice of his wife Sarai, and he took his handmaid Hagar and Abram
came to her and she conceived.
29 And when Hagar
saw that she had conceived she rejoiced greatly, and her mistress was despised
in her eyes, and she said within herself, This can only be that I am better
before God
than Sarai my mistress, for all the days that my mistress has been with my
lord, she did not
conceive, but me the Lord has caused in so short a time to conceive by him.
30 And when Sarai
saw that Hagar had conceived by Abram, Sarai was jealous of her handmaid,
and Sarai said within herself, This is surely nothing else but that she must be better
than I am.
31 And Sarai said
unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee, for at the time when thou didst pray before
the Lord for children why didst thou not pray on my account, that the Lord
should give me
seed from thee?
32 And when I
speak to Hagar in thy presence, she despiseth my words, because she has conceived,
and thou wilt say nothing to her; may the Lord judge between me and thee for what
thou hast done to me.
33 And Abram said
to Sarai, Behold thy handmaid is in thy hand, do unto her as it may seem good
in thy eyes; and Sarai afflicted her, and Hagar fled from her to the
wilderness.
34 And an angel of
the Lord found her in the place where she had fled, by a well, and he said to
her, Do not fear, for I will multiply thy seed, for thou shalt bear a son and
thou shalt call his name
Ishmael; now then return to Sarai thy mistress, and submit thyself under her
hands.
35 And Hagar
called the place of that well Beer-lahai-roi, it is between Kadesh and the wilderness
of Bered.
36 And Hagar at
that time returned to her master's house, and at the end of days Hagar bare a
son to Abram, and Abram called his name Ishmael; and Abram was eighty-six years
old when
he begat him.
CHAPTER
17
1 And in those
days, in the ninety-first year of the life of Abram, the children of Chittim
made war
with the children of Tubal, for when the Lord had scattered the sons of men
upon the face
of the earth, the children of Chittim went and embodied themselves in the plain
of Canopia,
and they built themselves cities there and dwelt by the river Tibreu.
2 And the
children of Tubal dwelt in Tuscanah, and their boundaries reached the river
Tibreu, and
the children of Tubal built a city in Tuscanan, and they called the name
Sabinah, after the
name of Sabinah son of Tubal their father, and they dwelt there unto this day.
3 And it was at
that time the children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal, and the children
of Tubal were smitten before the children of Chittim, and the children of
Chittim caused
three hundred and seventy men to fall from the children of Tubal.
4 And at that
time the children of Tubal swore to the children of Chittim, saying, You shall
not intermarry
amongst us, and no man shall give his daughter to any of the sons of Chittim.
5 For all the
daughters of Tubal were in those days fair, for no women were then found in the whole
earth so fair as the daughters of Tubal.
6 And all who
delighted in the beauty of women went to the daughters of Tubal and took wives
from them, and the sons of men, kings and princes, who greatly delighted in the beauty
of women, took wives in those days from the daughters of Tubal.
7 And at the end
of three years after the children of Tubal had sworn to the children of Chittim
not to give them their daughters for wives, about twenty men of the children of
Chittim went
to take some of the daughters of Tubal, but they found none.
8 For the
children of Tubal kept their oaths not to intermarry with them, and they would
not break
their oaths.
9 And in the days
of harvest the children of Tubal went into their fields to get in their
harvest, when
the young men of Chittim assembled and went to the city of Sabinah, and each
man took
a young woman from the daughters of Tubal, and they came to their cities.
10 And the
children of Tubal heard of it and they went to make war with them, and they
could not
prevail over them, for the mountain was exceedingly high from them, and when
they saw they
could not prevail over them they returned to their land.
11 And at the
revolution of the year the children of Tubal went and hired about ten thousand men
from those cities that were near them, and they went to war with the children
of Chittim.
12 And the
children of Tubal went to war with the children of Chittim, to destroy their
land and to
distress them, and in this engagement the children of Tubal prevailed over the
children of Chittim,
and the children of Chittim, seeing that they were greatly distressed, lifted
up the children
which they had had by the daughters of Tubal, upon the wall which had been
built, to
be before the eyes of the children of Tubal.
13 And the
children of Chittim said to them, Have you come to make war with your own sons and
daughters, and have we not been considered your flesh and bones from that time
till now?
14 And when the
children of Tubal heard this they ceased to make war with the children of Chittim,
and they went away.
15 And they
returned to their cities, and the children of Chittim at that time assembled
and built
two cities by the sea, and they called one Purtu and the other Ariza.
16 And Abram the
son of Terah was then ninety-nine years old.
17 At that time
the Lord appeared to him and he said to him, I will make my covenant between
me and thee, and I will greatly multiply thy seed, and this is the covenant
which I make
between me and thee, that every male child be circumcised, thou and thy seed
after thee.
18 At eight days
old shall it be circumcised, and this covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting
covenant.
19 And now
therefore thy name shall no more be called Abram but Abraham, and thy wife shall
no more be called Sarai but Sarah.
20 For I will
bless you both, and I will multiply your seed after you that you shall become a great
nation, and kings shall come forth from you.
CHAPTER
18
1 And Abraham
rose and did all that God had ordered him, and he took the men of his household
and those bought with his money, and he circumcised them as the Lord had commanded
him.
2 And there was
not one left whom he did not circumcise, and Abraham and his son Ishmael were
circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin; thirteen years old was Ishmael when
he was circumcised
in the flesh of his foreskin.
3 And in the
third day Abraham went out of his tent and sat at the door to enjoy the heat of the
sun, during the pain of his flesh.
4 And the Lord
appeared to him in the plain of Mamre, and sent three of his ministering angels
to visit him, and he was sitting at the door of the tent, and he lifted his
eyes and saw, and
lo three men were coming from a distance, and he rose up and ran to meet them,
and he bowed
down to them and brought them into his house.
5 And he said to
them, If now I have found favor in your sight, turn in and eat a morsel of bread;
and he pressed them, and they turned in and he gave them water and they washed their
feet, and he placed them under a tree at the door of the tent.
6 And Abraham ran
and took a calf, tender and good, and he hastened to kill it, and gave it to his
servant Eliezer to dress.
7 And Abraham
came to Sarah into the tent, and he said to her, Make ready quickly three measures
of fine meal, knead it and make cakes to cover the pot containing the meat, and she
did so.
8 And Abraham
hastened and brought before them butter and milk, beef and mutton, and gave
it before them to eat before the flesh of the calf was sufficiently done, and
they did eat.
9 And when they
had done eating one of them said to him, I will return to thee according to the
time of life, and Sarah thy wife shall have a son.
10 And the men
afterward departed and went their ways, to the places to which they were sent.
11 In those days
all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the whole five cities, were exceedingly
wicked and sinful against the Lord and they provoked the Lord with their abominations,
and they strengthened in aging abominably and scornfully before the Lord, and
their wickedness and crimes were in those days great before the Lord.
12 And they had in
their land a very extensive valley, about half a day's walk, and in it there were
fountains of water and a great deal of herbage surrounding the water.
13 And all the
people of Sodom and Gomorrah went there four times in the year, with their wives
and children and all belonging to them, and they rejoiced there with timbrels
and dances.
14 And in the time
of rejoicing they would all rise and lay hold of their neighbor's wives, and some,
the virgin daughters of their neighbors, and they enjoyed them, and each man
saw his wife
and daughter in the hands of his neighbor and did not say a word.
15 And they did so
from morning to night, and they afterward returned home each man to his house
and each woman to her tent; so they always did four times in the year.
16 Also when a
stranger came into their cities and brought goods which he had purchased with
a view to dispose of there, the people of these cities would assemble, men,
women and children,
young and old, and go to the man and take his goods by force, giving a little
to each man
until there was an end to all the goods of the owner which he had brought into
the land.
17 And if the
owner of the goods quarreled with them, saying, What is this work which you have
done to me, then they would approach to him one by one, and each would show him the
little which he took and taunt him, saying, I only took that little which thou
didst give me; and
when he heard this from them all, he would arise and go from them in sorrow and bitterness
of soul, when they would all arise and go after him, and drive him out of the
city with
great noise and tumult.
18 And there was a
man from the country of Elam who was leisurely going on the road, seated
upon his ass, which carried a fine mantle of divers colors, and the mantle was
bound with
a cord upon the ass.
19 And the man was
on his journey passing through the street of Sodom when the sun set in the
evening, and he remained there in order to abide during the night, but no one
would let him
into his house; and at that time there was in Sodom a wicked and mischievous
man, one skillful
to do evil, and his name was Hedad.
20 And he lifted
up his eyes and saw the traveler in the street of the city, and he came to him and
said, Whence comest thou and whither dost thou go?
21 And the man
said to him, I am traveling from Hebron to Elam where I belong, and as I passed
the sun set and no one would suffer me to enter his house, though I had bread
and water
and also straw and provender for my ass, and am short of nothing.
22 And Hedad
answered and said to him, All that thou shalt want shall be supplied by me, but
in the street thou shalt not abide all night.
23 And Hedad
brought him to his house, and he took off the mantle from the ass with the cord,
and brought them to his house, and he gave the ass straw and provender whilst
the traveler
ate and drank in Hedad's house, and he abode there that night.
24 And in the
morning the traveler rose up early to continue his journey, when Hedad said to him,
Wait, comfort thy heart with a morsel of bread and then go, and the man did so;
and he remained
with him, and they both ate and drank together during the day, when the man
rose up
to go.
25 And Hedad said
to him, Behold now the day is declining, thou hadst better remain all night that
thy heart may be comforted; and he pressed him so that he tarried there all
night, and on the
second day he rose up early to go away, when Hedad pressed him, saying, Comfort
thy heart
with a morsel of bread and then go, and he remained and ate with him also the
second day,
and then the man rose up to continue his journey.
26 And Hedad said
to him, Behold now the day is declining, remain with me to comfort thy heart
and in the morning rise up early and go thy way.
27 And the man
would not remain, but rose and saddled his ass, and whilst he was saddling his
ass the wife of Hedad said to her husband, Behold this man has remained with us
for two days
eating and drinking and he has given us nothing, and now shall he go away from
us without
giving anything? and Hedad said to her, Be silent.
28 And the man
saddled his ass to go, and he asked Hedad to give him the cord and mantle to
tie it upon the ass.
29 And Hedad said
to him, What sayest thou? And he said to him, That thou my lord shalt give
me the cord and the mantle made with divers colors which thou didst conceal
with thee in
thy house to take care of it.
30 And Hedad
answered the man, saying, This is the interpretation of thy dream, the cord which
thou didst see, means that thy life will be lengthened out like a cord, and
having seen the
mantle colored with all sorts of colors, means that thou shalt have a vineyard
in which thou
wilt plant trees of all fruits.
31 And the
traveler answered, saying, Not so my lord, for I was awake when I gave thee the cord
and also a mantle woven with different colors, which thou didst take off the
ass to put them
by for me; and Hedad answered and said, Surely I have told thee the
interpretation of thy
dream and it is a good dream, and this is the interpretation thereof.
32 Now the sons of
men give me four pieces of silver, which is my charge for interpreting dreams,
and of thee only I require three pieces of silver.
33 And the man was
provoked at the words of Hedad, and he cried bitterly, and he brought Hedad
to Serak judge of Sodom.
34 And the man
laid his cause before Serak the judge, when Hedad replied, saying, It is not so,
but thus the matter stands; and the judge said to the traveler, This man Hedad
telleth thee
truth, for he is famed in the cities for the accurate interpretation of dreams.
35 And the man
cried at the word of the judge, and he said, Not so my Lord, for it was in the day
that I gave him the cord and mantle which was upon the ass, in order to put
them by in his
house; and they both disputed before the judge, the one saying, Thus the matter
was, and
the other declaring otherwise.
36 And Hedad said
to the man, Give me four pieces of silver that I charge for my interpretations
of dreams; I will not make any allowance; and give me the expense of the four meals
that thou didst eat in my house.
37 And the man
said to Hedad, Truly I will pay thee for what I ate in thy house, only give me the
cord and mantle which thou didst conceal in thy house.
38 And Hedad
replied before the judge and said to the man, Did I not tell thee the interpretation
of thy dream? the cord means that thy days shall be prolonged like a cord, and the
mantle, that thou wilt have a vineyard in which thou wilt plant all kinds of
fruit trees.
39 This is the
proper interpretation of thy dream, now give me the four pieces of silver that
I require
as a compensation, for I will make thee no allowance.
40 And the man
cried at the words of Hedad and they both quarreled before the judge, and the
judge gave orders to his servants, who drove them rashly from the house.
41 And they went
away quarreling from the judge, when the people of Sodom heard them, and
they gathered about them and they exclaimed against the stranger, and they
drove him rashly
from the city.
42 And the man
continued his journey upon his ass with bitterness of soul, lamenting and weeping.
43 And whilst he
was going along he wept at what had happened to him in the corrupt city of Sodom.
CHAPTER
19
1 And the cities
of Sodom had four judges to four cities, and these were their names, Serak in
the city of Sodom, Sharkad in Gomorrah, Zabnac in Admah, and Menon in Zeboyim.
2 And Eliezer
Abraham's servant applied to them different names, and he converted Serak to Shakra,
Sharkad to Shakrura, Zebnac to Kezobim, and Menon to Matzlodin.
3 And by desire of
their four judges the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had beds erected in the
streets of the cities, and if a man came to these places they laid hold of him
and brought him
to one of their beds, and by force made him to lie in them.
4 And as he lay
down, three men would stand at his head and three at his feet, and measure him
by the length of the bed, and if the man was less than the bed these six men
would stretch
him at each end, and when he cried out to them they would not answer him.
5 And if he was
longer than the bed they would draw together the two sides of the bed at each
end, until the man had reached the gates of death.
6 And if he
continued to cry out to them, they would answer him, saying, Thus shall it be done
to a man that cometh into our land.
7 And when men
heard all these things that the people of the cities of Sodom did, they refrained
from coming there.
8 And when a poor
man came to their land they would give him silver and gold, and cause a proclamation
in the whole city not to give him a morsel of bread to eat, and if the stranger should
remain there some days, and die from hunger, not having been able to obtain a morsel
of bread, then at his death all the people of the city would come and take
their silver and
gold which they had given to him.
9 And those that
could recognize the silver or gold which they had given him took it back, and
at his death they also stripped him of his garments, and they would fight about
them, and he
that prevailed over his neighbor took them.
10 They would after
that carry him and bury him under some of the shrubs in the deserts; so they
did all the days to any one that came to them and died in their land.
11 And in the
course of time Sarah sent Eliezer to Sodom, to see Lot and inquire after his welfare.
12 And Eliezer
went to Sodom, and he met a man of Sodom fighting with a stranger, and the man
of Sodom stripped the poor man of all his clothes and went away.
13 And this poor
man cried to Eliezer and supplicated his favor on account of what the man of
Sodom had done to him.
14 And he said to
him, Why dost thou act thus to the poor man who came to thy land?
15 And the man of
Sodom answered Eliezer, saying, Is this man thy brother, or have the people
of Sodom made thee a judge this day, that thou speakest about this man?
16 And Eliezer
strove with the man of Sodom on account of the poor man, and when Eliezer approached
to recover the poor man's clothes from the man of Sodom, he hastened and with a
stone smote Eliezer in the forehead.
17 And the blood
flowed copiously from Eliezer's forehead, and when the man saw the blood he
caught hold of Eliezer, saying, Give me my hire for having rid thee of this bad
blood that was
in thy forehead, for such is the custom and the law in our land.
18 And Eliezer
said to him, Thou hast wounded me and requirest me to pay thee thy hire; and
Eliezer would not hearken to the words of the man of Sodom.
19 And the man
laid hold of Eliezer and brought him to Shakra the judge of Sodom for judgment.
20 And the man
spoke to the judge, saying, I beseech thee my lord, thus has this man done, for
I smote him with a stone that the blood flowed from his forehead, and he is
unwilling to give
me my hire.
21 And the judge
said to Eliezer, This man speaketh truth to thee, give him his hire, for this
is the
custom in our land; and Eliezer heard the words of the judge, and he lifted up
a stone and
smote the judge, and the stone struck on his forehead, and the blood flowed
copiously from
the forehead of the judge, and Eliezer said, If this then is the custom in your
land give thou
unto this man what I should have given him, for this has been thy decision,
thou didst decree
it.
22 And Eliezer
left the man of Sodom with the judge, and he went away.
23 And when the
kings of Elam had made war with the kings of Sodom, the kings of Elam captured
all the property of Sodom, and they took Lot captive, with his property, and
when it was
told to Abraham he went and made war with the kings of Elam, and he recovered
from their
hands all the property of Lot as well as the property of Sodom.
24 At that time
the wife of Lot bare him a daughter, and he called her name Paltith, saying, Because
God had delivered him and his whole household from the kings of Elam; and
Paltith daughter
of Lot grew up, and one of the men of Sodom took her for a wife.
25 And a poor man
came into the city to seek a maintenance, and he remained in the city some
days, and all the people of Sodom caused a proclamation of their custom not to
give this
man a morsel of bread to eat, until he dropped dead upon the earth, and they
did so.
26 And Paltith the
daughter of Lot saw this man lying in the streets starved with hunger, and no
one would give him any thing to keep him alive, and he was just upon the point
of death.
27 And her soul
was filled with pity on account of the man, and she fed him secretly with bread
for many days, and the soul of this man was revived.
28 For when she
went forth to fetch water she would put the bread in the water pitcher, and when
she came to the place where the poor man was, she took the bread from the
pitcher and
gave it him to eat; so she did many days.
29 And all the
people of Sodom and Gomorrah wondered how this man could bear starvation for
so many days.
30 And they said
to each other, This can only be that he eats and drinks, for no man can bear
starvation for so many days or live as this man has, without even his
countenance changing;
and three men concealed themselves in a place where the poor man was stationed,
to know who it was that brought him bread to eat.
31 And Paltith
daughter of Lot went forth that day to fetch water, and she put bread into her pitcher
of water, and she went to draw water by the poor man's place, and she took out
the bread
from the pitcher and gave it to the poor man and he ate it.
32 And the three men
saw what Paltith did to the poor man, and they said to her, It is thou then
who hast supported him, and therefore has he not starved, nor changed in
appearance nor
died like the rest.
33 And the three
men went out of the place in which they were concealed, and they seized Paltith
and the bread which was in the poor man's hand.
34 And they took
Paltith and brought her before their judges, and they said to them, Thus did she
do, and it is she who supplied the poor man with bread, therefore did he not
die all this time;
now therefore declare to us the punishment due to this woman for having
transgressed our
law.
35 And the people
of Sodom and Gomorrah assembled and kindled a fire in the street of the city,
and they took the woman and cast her into the fire and she was burned to ashes.
36 And in the city
of Admah there was a woman to whom they did the like.
37 For a traveler
came into the city of Admah to abide there all night, with the intention of going
home in the morning, and he sat opposite the door of the house of the young
woman's father,
to remain there, as the sun had set when be had reached that place; and the
young woman
saw him sitting by the door of the house.
38 And he asked
her for a drink of water and she said to him, Who art thou? and he said to her,
I was this day going on the road, and reached here when the sun set, so I will
abide here all
night, and in the morning I will arise early and continue my journey.
39 And the young
woman went into the house and fetched the man bread and water to eat and
drink.
40 And this affair
became known to the people of Admah, and they assembled and brought the
young woman before the judges, that they should judge her for this act.
41 And the judge
said, The judgment of death must pass upon this woman because she transgressed
our law, and this therefore is the decision concerning her.
42 And the people
of those cities assembled and brought out the young woman, and anointed
her with honey from head to foot, as the judge had decreed, and they placed her before
a swarm of bees which were then in their hives, and the bees flew upon her and
stung her
that her whole body was swelled.
43 And the young
woman cried out on account of the bees, but no one took notice of her or pitied
her, and her cries ascended to heaven.
44 And the Lord
was provoked at this and at all the works of the cities of Sodom, for they had abundance
of food, and had tranquility amongst them, and still would not sustain the poor and
the needy, and in those days their evil doings and sins became great before the
Lord.
45 And the Lord
sent for two of the angels that had come to Abraham's house, to destroy Sodom
and its cities.
46 And the angels
rose up from the door of Abraham's tent, after they had eaten and drunk, and
they reached Sodom in the evening, and Lot was then sitting in the gate of
Sodom, and when
he saw them he rose to meet them, and he bowed down to the ground.
47 And he pressed
them greatly and brought them into his house, and he gave them victuals which
they ate, and they abode all night in his house.
48 And the angels
said to Lot, Arise, go forth from this place, thou and all belonging to thee, lest
thou be consumed in the iniquity of this city, for the Lord will destroy this
place.
49 And the angels
laid hold upon the hand of Lot and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the
hands of his children, and all belonging to him, and they brought him forth and
set him without
the cities.
50 And they said
to Lot, Escape for thy life, and he fled and all belonging to him.
51 Then the Lord
rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah and upon all these cities brimstone
and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
52 And he
overthrew these cities, all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities,
and that which
grew upon the ground; and Ado the wife of Lot looked back to see the
destruction of the
cities, for her compassion was moved on account of her daughters who remained
in Sodom,
for they did not go with her.
53 And when she
looked back she became a pillar of salt, and it is yet in that place unto this day.
54 And the oxen
which stood in that place daily licked up the salt to the extremities of their feet,
and in the morning it would spring forth afresh, and they again licked it up
unto this day.
55 And Lot and two
of his daughters that remained with him fled and escaped to the cave of Adullam,
and they remained there for some time.
56 And Abraham
rose up early in the morning to see what had been done to the cities of Sodom;
and he looked and beheld the smoke of the cities going up like the smoke of a furnace.
57 And Lot and his
two daughters remained in the cave, and they made their father drink wine,
and they lay with him, for they said there was no man upon earth that could
raise up seed
from them, for they thought that the whole earth was destroyed.
58 And they both
lay with their father, and they conceived and bare sons, and the first born called
the name of her son Moab, saying, From my father did I conceive him; he is the
father of
the Moabites unto this day.
59 And the younger
also called her son Benami; he is the father of the children of Ammon unto
this day.
60 And after this
Lot and his two daughters went away from there, and he dwelt on the other side
of the Jordan with his two daughters and their sons, and the sons of Lot grew
up, and they
went and took themselves wives from the land of Canaan, and they begat children
and they
were fruitful and multiplied.
CHAPTER
20
1 And at that
time Abraham journeyed from the plain of Mamre, and he went to the land of the
Philistines, and he dwelt in Gerar; it was in the twenty-fifth year of
Abraham's being in the land
of Canaan, and the hundredth year of the life of Abraham, that he came to Gerar
in the land
of the Philistines.
2 And when they
entered the land he said to Sarah his wife, Say thou art my sister, to any one
that shall ask thee, in order that we may escape the evil of the inhabitants of
the land.
3 And as Abraham
was dwelling in the land of the Philistines, the servants of Abimelech, king of
the Philistines, saw that Sarah was exceedingly beautiful, and they asked
Abraham concerning
her, and he said, She is my sister.
4 And the
servants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying, A man from the land of Canaan is
come to dwell in the land, and he has a sister that is exceeding fair.
5 And Abimelech
heard the words of his servants who praised Sarah to him, and Abimelech sent
his officers, and they brought Sarah to the king.
6 And Sarah came
to the house of Abimelech, and the king saw that Sarah was beautiful, and
she pleased him exceedingly.
7 And he
approached her and said to her, What is that man to thee with whom thou didst come
to our land? and Sarah answered and said He is my brother, and we came from the land
of Canaan to dwell wherever we could find a place.
8 And Abimelech
said to Sarah, Behold my land is before thee, place thy brother in any part of
this land that pleases thee, and it will be our duty to exalt and elevate him
above all the people
of the land since he is thy brother.
9 And Abimelech
sent for Abraham, and Abraham came to Abimelech.
10 And Abimelech
said to Abraham, Behold I have given orders that thou shalt be honored as
thou desirest on account of thy sister Sarah.
11 And Abraham
went forth from the king, and the king's present followed him.
12 As at evening
time, before men lie down to rest, the king was sitting upon his throne, and a
deep sleep fell upon him, and he lay upon the throne and slept till morning.
13 And he dreamed
that an angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword in his hand, and
the angel stood over Abimelech, and wished to slay him with the sword, and the
king was
terrified in his dream, and said to the angel, In what have I sinned against
thee that thou comest
to slay me with thy sword?
14 And the angel
answered and said to Abimelech, Behold thou diest on account of the woman
which thou didst yesternight bring to thy house, for she is a married woman,
the wife of
Abraham who came to thy house; now therefore return that man his wife, for she
is his wife;
and shouldst thou not return her, know that thou wilt surely die, thou and all
belonging to
thee.
15 And on that
night there was a great outcry in the land of the Philistines, and the inhabitants
of the land saw the figure of a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand,
and he
smote the inhabitants of the land with the sword, yea he continued to smite
them.
16 And the angel
of the Lord smote the whole land of the Philistines on that night, and there was
a great confusion on that night and on the following morning.
17 And every womb
was closed, and all their issues, and the hand of the Lord was upon them
on account of Sarah, wife of Abraham, whom Abimelech had taken.
18 And in the
morning Abimelech rose with terror and confusion and with a great dread, and he
sent and had his servants called in, and he related his dream to them, and the
people were
greatly afraid.
19 And one man
standing amongst the servants of the king answered the king, saying, O sovereign
king, restore this woman to her husband, for he is her husband, for the like happened
to the king of Egypt when this man came to Egypt.
20 And he said
concerning his wife, She is my sister, for such is his manner of doing when he
cometh to dwell in the land in which he is a stranger.
21 And Pharaoh
sent and took this woman for a wife and the Lord brought upon him grievous plagues
until he returned the woman to her husband.
22 Now therefore,
O sovereign king, know what happened yesternight to the whole land, for there
was a very great consternation and great pain and lamentation, and we know that
it was
on account of the woman which thou didst take.
23 Now, therefore,
restore this woman to her husband, lest it should befall us as it did to Pharaoh
king of Egypt and his subjects, and that we may not die; and Abimelech hastened and
called and had Sarah called for, and she came before him, and he had Abraham
called for,
and he came before him.
24 And Abimelech
said to them, What is this work you have been doing in saying you are brother
and sister, and I took this woman for a wife?
25 And Abraham
said, Because I thought I should suffer death on account of my wife; and Abimelech
took flocks and herds, and men servants and maid servants, and a thousand pieces
of silver, and he gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah to him.
26 And Abimelech
said to Abraham, Behold the whole land is before thee, dwell in it wherever
thou shalt choose.
27 And Abraham and
Sarah, his wife, went forth from the king's presence with honor and respect,
and they dwelt in the land, even in Gerar.
28 And all the
inhabitants of the land of the Philistines and the king's servants were still
in pain,
through the plague which the angel had inflicted upon them the whole night on
account of
Sarah.
29 And Abimelech
sent for Abraham, saying, Pray now for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that
he may put away this mortality from amongst us.
30 And Abraham
prayed on account of Abimelech and his subjects, and the Lord heard the prayer
of Abraham, and he healed Abimelech and all his subjects.
CHAPTER
21
1 And it was at
that time at the end of a year and four months of Abraham's dwelling in the land
of the Philistines in Gerar, that God visited Sarah, and the Lord remembered
her, and she
conceived and bare a son to Abraham.
2 And Abraham
called the name of the son which was born to him, which Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
3 And Abraham
circumcised his son Isaac at eight days old, as God had commanded Abraham
to do unto his seed after him; and Abraham was one hundred, and Sarah ninety years
old, when Isaac was born to them.
4 And the child
grew up and he was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast upon the day that
Isaac was weaned.
5 And Shem and
Eber and all the great people of the land, and Abimelech king of the Philistines,
and his servants, and Phicol, the captain of his host, came to eat and drink
and rejoice
at the feast which Abraham made upon the day of his son Isaac's being weaned.
6 Also Terah, the
father of Abraham, and Nahor his brother, came from Haran, they and all belonging
to them, for they greatly rejoiced on hearing that a son had been born to
Sarah.
7 And they came
to Abraham, and they ate and drank at the feast which Abraham made upon
the day of Isaac's being weaned.
8 And Terah and
Nahor rejoiced with Abraham, and they remained with him many days in the
land of the Philistines.
9 At that time
Serug the son of Reu died, in the first year of the birth of Isaac son of Abraham.
10 And all the
days of Serug were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.
11 And Ishmael the
son of Abraham was grown up in those days; he was fourteen years old when
Sarah bare Isaac to Abraham.
12 And God was
with Ishmael the son of Abraham, and he grew up, and he learned to use the
bow and became an archer.
13 And when Isaac
was five years old he was sitting with Ishmael at the door of the tent.
14 And Ishmael
came to Isaac and seated himself opposite to him, and he took the bow and drew
it and put the arrow in it, and intended to slay Isaac.
15 And Sarah saw
the act which Ishmael desired to do to her son Isaac, and it grieved her exceedingly
on account of her son, and she sent for Abraham, and said to him, Cast out this bondwoman
and her son, for her son shall not be heir with my son, for thus did he seek to
do unto
him this day.
16 And Abraham
hearkened to the voice of Sarah, and he rose up early in the morning, and he
took twelve loaves and a bottle of water which he gave to Hagar, and sent her
away with her
son, and Hagar went with her son to the wilderness, and they dwelt in the
wilderness of Paran
with the inhabitants of the wilderness, and Ishmael was an archer, and he dwelt
in the wilderness
a long time.
17 And he and his
mother afterward went to the land of Egypt, and they dwelt there, and Hagar
took a wife for her son from Egypt, and her name was Meribah.
18 And the wife of
Ishmael conceived and bare four sons and two daughters, and Ishmael and
his mother and his wife and children afterward went and returned to the
wilderness.
19 And they made
themselves tents in the wilderness, in which they dwelt, and they continued
to travel and then to rest monthly and yearly.
20 And God gave
Ishmael flocks and herds and tents on account of Abraham his father, and the
man increased in cattle.
21 And Ishmael
dwelt in deserts and in tents, traveling and resting for a long time, and he
did not
see the face of his father.
22 And in some
time after, Abraham said to Sarah his wife, I will go and see my son Ishmael, for
I have a desire to see him, for I have not seen him for a long time.
23 And Abraham
rode upon one of his camels to the wilderness to seek his son Ishmael, for he
heard that he was dwelling in a tent in the wilderness with all belonging to
him.
24 And Abraham
went to the wilderness, and he reached the tent of Ishmael about noon, and he
asked after Ishmael, and he found the wife of Ishmael sitting in the tent with
her children, and
Ishmael her husband and his mother were not with them.
25 And Abraham
asked the wife of Ishmael, saying, Where has Ishmael gone? and she said, He
has gone to the field to hunt, and Abraham was still mounted upon the camel,
for he would
not get off to the ground as he had sworn to his wife Sarah that he would not
get off from
the camel.
26 And Abraham
said to Ishmael's wife, My daughter, give me a little water that I may drink, for
I am fatigued from the journey.
27 And Ishmael's
wife answered and said to Abraham, We have neither water nor bread, and she
continued sitting in the tent and did not notice Abraham, neither did she ask
him who he was.
28 But she was
beating her children in the tent, and she was cursing them, and she also cursed
her husband Ishmael and reproached him, and Abraham heard the words of Ishmael's
wife to her children, and he was very angry and displeased.
29 And Abraham
called to the woman to come out to him from the tent, and the woman came and
stood opposite to Abraham, for Abraham was still mounted upon the camel.
30 And Abraham
said to Ishmael's wife, When thy husband Ishmael returneth home say these
words to him,
31 A very old man
from the land of the Philistines came hither to seek thee, and thus was his appearance
and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing thou wast not here he spoke
unto me and said, When Ishmael thy husband returneth tell him thus did this man
say, When
thou comest home put away this nail of the tent which thou hast placed here,
and place
another nail in its stead.
32 And Abraham
finished his instructions to the woman, and he turned and went off on the camel
homeward.
33 And after that
Ishmael came from the chase he and his mother, and returned to the tent, and
his wife spoke these words to him,
34 A very old man
from the land of the Philistines came to seek thee, and thus was his appearance
and figure; I did not ask him who he was, and seeing thou wast not at home he said
to me, When thy husband cometh home tell him, thus saith the old man, Put away
the nail
of the tent which thou hast placed here and place another nail in its stead.
35 And Ishmael
heard the words of his wife, and he knew that it was his father, and that his wife
did not honor him.
36 And Ishmael
understood his father's words that he had spoken to his wife, and Ishmael hearkened
to the voice of his father, and Ishmael cast off that woman and she went away.
37 And Ishmael
afterward went to the land of Canaan, and he took another wife and he brought
her to his tent to the place where he then dwelt.
38 And at the end
of three years Abraham said, I will go again and see Ishmael my son, for I have
not seen him for a long time.
39 And he rode
upon his camel and went to the wilderness, and he reached the tent of Ishmael
about noon.
40 And he asked after
Ishmael, and his wife came out of the tent and she said, He is not here
my lord, for he has gone to hunt in the fields, and to feed the camels, and the
woman said
to Abraham, Turn in my lord into the tent, and eat a morsel of bread, for thy
soul must be
wearied on account of the journey.
41 And Abraham
said to her, I will not stop for I am in haste to continue my journey, but give me
a little water to drink, for I have thirst; and the woman hastened and ran into
the tent and she
brought out water and bread to Abraham, which she placed before him and she
urged him
to eat, and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted and he blessed his son Ishmael.
42 And he finished
his meal and he blessed the Lord, and he said to Ishmael's wife, When Ishmael
cometh home say these words to him,
43 A very old man
from the land of the Philistines came hither and asked after thee, and thou wast
not here; and I brought him out bread and water and he ate and drank and his
heart was
comforted.
44 And he spoke
these words to me: When Ishmael thy husband cometh home, say unto him,
The nail of the tent which thou hast is very good, do not put it away from the
tent.
45 And Abraham
finished commanding the woman, and he rode off to his home to the land of the
Philistines; and when Ishmael came to his tent his wife went forth to meet him
with joy and
a cheerful heart.
46 And she said to
him, An old man came here from the land of the Philistines and thus was his
appearance, and he asked after thee and thou wast not here, so I brought out
bread and water,
and he ate and drank and his heart was comforted.
47 And he spoke
these words to me, When Ishmael thy husband cometh home say to him, The
nail of the tent which thou hast is very good, do not put it away from the
tent.
48 And Ishmael knew
that it was his father, and that his wife had honored him, and the Lord blessed
Ishmael.
CHAPTER
22
1 And Ishmael
then rose up and took his wife and his children and his cattle and all belonging
to him, and he journeyed from there and he went to his father in the land of
the Philistines.
2 And Abraham
related to Ishmael his son the transaction with the first wife that Ishmael took,
according to what she did.
3 And Ishmael and
his children dwelt with Abraham many days in that land, and Abraham dwelt
in the land of the Philistines a long time.
4 And the days
increased and reached twenty six years, and after that Abraham with his servants
and all belonging to him went from the land of the Philistines and removed to a great
distance, and they came near to Hebron, and they remained there, and the
servants of Abraham
dug wells of water, and Abraham and all belonging to him dwelt by the water,
and the
servants of Abimelech king of the Philistines heard the report that Abraham's
servants had
dug wells of water in the borders of the land.
5 And they came
and quarreled with the servants of Abraham, and they robbed them of the great
well which they had dug.
6 And Abimelech
king of the Philistines heard of this affair, and he with Phicol the captain of his
host and twenty of his men came to Abraham, and Abimelech spoke to Abraham concerning
his servants, and Abraham rebuked Abimelech concerning the well of which his servants
had robbed him.
7 And Abimelech
said to Abraham, As the Lord liveth who created the whole earth, I did not hear
of the act which my servants did unto thy servants until this day.
8 And Abraham
took seven ewe lambs and gave them to Abimelech, saying, Take these, I pray
thee, from my hands that it may be a testimony for me that I dug this well.
9 And Abimelech
took the seven ewe lambs which Abraham had given to him, for he had also
given him cattle and herds in abundance, and Abimelech swore to Abraham
concerning the
well, therefore he called that well Beersheba, for there they both swore
concerning it.
10 And they both
made a covenant in Beersheba, and Abimelech rose up with Phicol the captain
of his host and all his men, and they returned to the land of the Philistines,
and Abraham
and all belonging to him dwelt in Beersheba and he was in that land a long
time.
11 And Abraham
planted a large grove in Beersheba, and he made to it four gates facing the four
sides of the earth, and he planted a vineyard in it, so that if a traveler came
to Abraham he
entered any gate which was in his road, and remained there and ate and drank
and satisfied
himself and then departed.
12 For the house
of Abraham was always open to the sons of men that passed and repassed,
who came daily to eat and drink in the house of Abraham.
13 And any man who
had hunger and came to Abraham's house, Abraham would give him bread
that he might eat and drink and be satisfied, and any one that came naked to
his house
he would clothe with garments as he might choose, and give him silver and gold
and make
known to him the Lord who had created him in the earth; this did Abraham all
his life.
14 And Abraham and
his children and all belonging to him dwelt in Beersheba, and he pitched
his tent as far as Hebron.
15 And Abraham's
brother Nahor and his father and all belonging to them dwelt in Haran, for they
did not come with Abraham to the land of Canaan.
16 And children
were born to Nahor which Milca the daughter of Haran, and sister to Sarah, Abraham's
wife, bare to him.
17 And these are
the names of those that were born to him, Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Kesed, Chazo, Pildash,
Tidlaf, and Bethuel, being eight sons, these are the children of Milca which
she bare to
Nahor, Abraham's brother.
18 And Nahor had a
concubine and her name was Reumah, and she also bare to Nahor, Zebach,
Gachash, Tachash and Maacha, being four sons.
19 And the
children that were born to Nahor were twelve sons besides his daughters, and they
also had children born to them in Haran.
20 And the
children of Uz the first born of Nahor were Abi, Cheref, Gadin, Melus, and Deborah
their sister.
21 And the sons of
Buz were Berachel, Naamath, Sheva, and Madonu.
22 And the sons of
Kemuel were Aram and Rechob.
23 And the sons of
Kesed were Anamlech, Meshai, Benon and Yifi; and the sons of Chazo were
Pildash, Mechi and Opher.
24 And the sons of
Pildash were Arud, Chamum, Mered and Moloch.
25 And the sons of
Tidlaf were Mushan, Cushan and Mutzi.
26 And the
children of Bethuel were Sechar, Laban and their sister Rebecca.
27 These are the
families of the children of Nahor, that were born to them in Haran; and Aram
the son of Kemuel and Rechob his brother went away from Haran, and they found a valley
in the land by the river Euphrates.
28 And they built
a city there, and they called the name of the city after the name of Pethor the
son of Aram, that is Aram Naherayim unto this day.
29 And the
children of Kesed also went to dwell where they could find a place, and they
went and
they found a valley opposite to the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
30 And they there
built themselves a city, and they called the name at the city Kesed after the
name of their father, that is the land Kasdim unto this day, and the Kasdim
dwelt in that land
and they were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly.
31 And Terah,
father of Nahor and Abraham, went and took another wife in his old age, and her
name was Pelilah, and she conceived and bare him a son and he called his name
Zoba.
32 And Terah lived
twenty-five years after he begat Zoba.
33 And Terah died
in that year, that is in the thirty-fifth year of the birth of Isaac son of Abraham.
34 And the days of
Terah were two hundred and five years, and he was buried in Haran.
35 And Zoba the
son of Terah lived thirty years and he begat Aram, Achlis and Merik.
36 And Aram son of
Zoba son of Terah, had three wives and he begat twelve sons and three daughters;
and the Lord gave to Aram the son of Zoba, riches and possessions, and abundance
of cattle, and flocks and herds, and the man increased greatly.
37 And Aram the
son of Zoba and his brother and all his household journeyed from Haran, and
they went to dwell where they should find a place, for their property was too
great to remain
in Haran; for they could not stop in Haran together with their brethren the
children of Nahor.
38 And Aram the
son of Zoba went with his brethren, and they found a valley at a distance toward
the eastern country and they dwelt there.
39 And they also
built a city there, and they called the name thereof Aram, after the name of their
eldest brother; that is Aram Zoba to this day.
40 And Isaac the
son of Abraham was growing up in those days, and Abraham his father taught
him the way of the Lord to know the Lord, and the Lord was with him.
41 And when Isaac
was thirty-seven years old, Ishmael his brother was going about with him in
the tent.
42 And Ishmael
boasted of himself to Isaac, saying, I was thirteen years old when the Lord spoke
to my father to circumcise us, and I did according to the word of the Lord
which he spoke
to my father, and I gave my soul unto the Lord, and I did not transgress his
word which he
commanded my father.
43 And Isaac
answered Ishmael, saying, Why dost thou boast to me about this, about a little bit
of thy flesh which thou didst take from thy body, concerning which the Lord
commanded thee?
44 As the Lord
liveth, the God of my father Abraham, if the Lord should say unto my father, Take
now thy son Isaac and bring him up an offering before me, I would not refrain
but I would
joyfully accede to it.
45 And the Lord
heard the word that Isaac spoke to Ishmael, and it seemed good in the sight of
the Lord, and he thought to try Abraham in this matter.
46 And the day
arrived when the sons of God came and placed themselves before the Lord, and
Satan also came with the sons of God before the Lord.
47 And the Lord
said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the Lord and said,
From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
48 And the Lord
said to Satan, What is thy word to me concerning all the children of the earth?
and Satan answered the Lord and said, I have seen all the children of the earth
who serve
thee and remember thee when they require anything from thee.
49 And when thou
givest them the thing which they require from thee, they sit at their ease, and
forsake thee and they remember thee no more.
50 Hast thou seen
Abraham the son of Terah, who at first had no children, and he served thee
and erected altars to thee wherever he came, and he brought up offerings upon
them, and
he proclaimed thy name continually to all the children of the earth.
51 And now that his
son Isaac is born to him, he has forsaken thee, he has made a great feast
for all the inhabitants of the land, and the Lord he has forgotten.
52 For amidst all
that he has done he brought thee no offering; neither burnt offering nor peace
offering, neither ox, lamb nor goat of all that he killed on the day that his
son was weaned.
53 Even from the
time of his son's birth till now, being thirty-seven years, he built no altar before
thee, nor brought any offering to thee, for he saw that thou didst give what he requested
before thee, and he therefore forsook thee.
54 And the Lord
said to Satan, Hast thou thus considered my servant Abraham? for there is none
like him upon earth, a perfect and an upright man before me, one that feareth
God and avoideth
evil; as I live, were I to say unto him, Bring up Isaac thy son before me, he
would not
withhold him from me, much more if I told him to bring up a burnt offering
before me from his
flock or herds.
55 And Satan
answered the Lord and said, Speak then now unto Abraham as thou hast said, and
thou wilt see whether he will not this day transgress and cast aside thy words.
CHAPTER
23
1 At that time
the word of the Lord came to Abraham, and he said unto him, Abraham, and he
said, Here I am.
2 And he said to
him, Take now thy son, thine only son whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and go
to the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the
mountains which
shall be shown to thee, for there wilt thou see a cloud and the glory of the
Lord.
3 And Abraham
said within himself, How shall I separate my son Isaac from Sarah his mother,
in order to bring him up for a burnt offering before the Lord?
4 And Abraham
came into the tent, and he sat before Sarah his wife, and he spoke these words
to her,
5 My son Isaac is
grown up and he has not for some time studied the service of his God, now tomorrow
I will go and bring him to Shem, and Eber his son, and there he will learn the
ways of
the Lord, for they will teach him to know the Lord as well as to know that when
he prayeth continually
before the Lord, he will answer him, therefore there he will know the way of serving
the Lord his God.
6 And Sarah said,
Thou hast spoken well, go my lord and do unto him as thou hast said, but remove
him not at a great distance from me, neither let him remain there too long, for
my soul
is bound within his soul.
7 And Abraham
said unto Sarah, My daughter, let us pray to the Lord our God that he may do
good with us.
8 And Sarah took
her son Isaac and he abode all that night with her, and she kissed and embraced
him, and gave him instructions till morning.
9 And she said to
him, O my son, how can my soul separate itself from thee? And she still kissed
him and embraced him, and she gave Abraham instructions concerning him.
10 And Sarah said
to Abraham, O my lord, I pray thee take heed of thy son, and place thine eyes
over him, for I have no other son nor daughter but him.
11 O forsake him
not. If he be hungry give him bread, and if he be thirsty give him water to drink;
do not let him go on foot, neither let him sit in the sun.
12 Neither let him
go by himself in the road, neither force him from whatever he may desire, but
do unto him as he may say to thee.
13 And Sarah wept
bitterly the whole night on account of Isaac, and she gave him instructions
till morning.
14 And in the
morning Sarah selected a very fine and beautiful garment from those garments which
she had in the house, that Abimelech had given to her.
15 And she dressed
Isaac her son therewith, and she put a turban upon his head, and she enclosed
a precious stone in the top of the turban, and she gave them provision for the
road, and
they went forth, and Isaac went with his father Abraham, and some of their
servants accompanied
them to see them off the road.
16 And Sarah went
out with them, and she accompanied them upon the road to see them off, and
they said to her, Return to the tent.
17 And when Sarah
heard the words of her son Isaac she wept bitterly, and Abraham her husband
wept with her, and their son wept with them a great weeping; also those who
went with
them wept greatly.
18 And Sarah
caught hold of her son Isaac, and she held him in her arms, and she embraced
him and continued to weep with him, and Sarah said, Who knoweth if after this day
I shall ever see thee again?
19 And they still
wept together, Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, and all those that accompanied them
on the road wept with them, and Sarah afterward turned away from her son,
weeping bitterly,
and all her men servants and maid servants returned with her to the tent.
20 And Abraham
went with Isaac his son to bring him up as an offering before the Lord, as He
had commanded him.
21 And Abraham
took two of his young men with him, Ishmael the son of Hagar and Eliezer his
servant, and they went together with them, and whilst they were walking in the
road the young
men spoke these words to themselves,
22 And Ishmael
said to Eliezer, Now my father Abraham is going with Isaac to bring him up for
a burnt offering to the Lord, as He commanded him.
23 Now when he
returneth he will give unto me all that he possesses, to inherit after him, for I
am his first born.
24 And Eliezer
answered Ishmael and said, Surely Abraham did cast thee away with thy mother,
and swear that thou shouldst not inherit any thing of all he possesses, and to
whom will
he give all that he has, with all his treasures, but unto me his servant, who
has been faithful
in his house, who has served him night and day, and has done all that he
desired me?
to me will he bequeath at his death all that he possesses.
25 And whilst
Abraham was proceeding with his son Isaac along the road, Satan came and appeared
to Abraham in the figure of a very aged man, humble and of contrite spirit, and
he approached
Abraham and said to him, Art thou silly or brutish, that thou goest to do this
thing this
day to thine only son?
26 For God gave
thee a son in thy latter days, in thy old age, and wilt thou go and slaughter him
this day because he committed no violence, and wilt thou cause the soul of
thine only son
to perish from the earth?
27 Dost thou not
know and understand that this thing cannot be from the Lord? for the Lord cannot
do unto man such evil upon earth to say to him, Go slaughter thy child.
28 And Abraham
heard this and knew that it was the word of Satan who endeavored to draw him
aside from the way of the Lord, but Abraham would not hearken to the voice of
Satan, and
Abraham rebuked him so that he went away.
29 And Satan
returned and came to Isaac; and he appeared unto Isaac in the figure of a young
man comely and well favored.
30 And he
approached Isaac and said unto him, Dost thou not know and understand that thy old
silly father bringeth thee to the slaughter this day for naught?
31 Now therefore,
my son, do not listen nor attend to him, for he is a silly old man, and let not thy
precious soul and beautiful figure be lost from the earth.
32 And Isaac heard
this, and said unto Abraham, Hast thou heard, my father, that which this man
has spoken? even thus has he spoken.
33 And Abraham
answered his son Isaac and said to him, Take heed of him and do not listen to
his words, nor attend to him, for he is Satan, endeavoring to draw us aside
this day from the
commands of God.
34 And Abraham
still rebuked Satan, and Satan went from them, and seeing he could not prevail
over them he hid himself from them, and he went and passed before them in the road;
and he transformed himself to a large brook of water in the road, and Abraham
and Isaac
and his two young men reached that place, and they saw a brook large and
powerful as
the mighty waters.
35 And they
entered the brook and passed through it, and the waters at first reached their legs.
36 And they went
deeper in the brook and the waters reached up to their necks, and they were
all terrified on account of the water; and whilst they were going over the
brook Abraham recognized
that place, and he knew that there was no water there before.
37 And Abraham
said to his son Isaac, I know this place in which there was no brook nor water,
now therefore it is this Satan who does all this to us, to draw us aside this
day from the
commands of God.
38 And Abraham
rebuked him and said unto him, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, begone from
us for we go by the commands of God.
39 And Satan was
terrified at the voice of Abraham, and he went away from them, and the place
again became dry land as it was at first.
40 And Abraham
went with Isaac toward the place that God had told him.
41 And on the
third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place at a distance which God
had told him of.
42 And a pillar of
fire appeared to him that reached from the earth to heaven, and a cloud of glory
upon the mountain, and the glory of the Lord was seen in the cloud.
43 And Abraham
said to Isaac, My son, dost thou see in that mountain, which we perceive at a
distance, that which I see upon it?
44 And Isaac
answered and said unto his father, I see and lo a pillar of fire and a cloud,
and the
glory of the Lord is seen upon the cloud.
45 And Abraham
knew that his son Isaac was accepted before the Lord for a burnt offering.
46 And Abraham
said unto Eliezer and unto Ishmael his son, Do you also see that which we see
upon the mountain which is at a distance?
47 And they
answered and said, We see nothing more than like the other mountains of the earth.
And Abraham knew that they were not accepted before the Lord to go with them,
and Abraham
said to them, Abide ye here with the ass whilst I and Isaac my son will go to
yonder mount
and worship there before the Lord and then return to you.
48 And Eliezer and
Ishmael remained in that place, as Abraham had commanded.
49 And Abraham
took wood for a burnt offering and placed it upon his son Isaac, and he took the
fire and the knife, and they both went to that place.
50 And when they
were going along Isaac said to his father, Behold, I see here the fire and wood,
and where then is the lamb that is to be the burnt offering before the Lord?
51 And Abraham
answered his son Isaac, saying, The Lord has made choice of thee my son, to
be a perfect burnt offering instead of the lamb.
52 And Isaac said unto
his father, I will do all that the Lord spoke to thee with joy and cheerfulness
of heart.
53 And Abraham
again said unto Isaac his son, Is there in thy heart any thought or counsel concerning
this, which is not proper? tell me my son, I pray thee, O my son conceal it not from
me.
54 And Isaac
answered his father Abraham and said unto him, O my father, as the Lord liveth
and as thy soul liveth, there is nothing in my heart to cause me to deviate
either to the right
or to the left from the word that he has spoken to thee.
55 Neither limb
nor muscle has moved or stirred at this, nor is there in my heart any thought or
evil counsel concerning this.
56 But I am of
joyful and cheerful heart in this matter, and I say, Blessed is the Lord who
has this
day chosen me to be a burnt offering before Him.
57 And Abraham
greatly rejoiced at the words of Isaac, and they went on and came together to
that place that the Lord had spoken of.
58 And Abraham
approached to build the altar in that place, and Abraham was weeping, and Isaac
took stones and mortar until they had finished building the altar.
59 And Abraham
took the wood and placed it in order upon the altar which he had built.
60 And he took his
son Isaac and bound him in order to place him upon the wood which was upon
the altar, to slay him for a burnt offering before the Lord.
61 And Isaac said
to his father, Bind me securely and then place me upon the altar lest I should
turn and move, and break loose from the force of the knife upon my flesh and
thereof profane
the burnt offering; and Abraham did so.
62 And Isaac still
said to his father, O my father, when thou shalt have slain me and burnt me for
an offering, take with thee that which shall remain of my ashes to bring to
Sarah my mother,
and say to her, This is the sweet smelling savor of Isaac; but do not tell her
this if she
should sit near a well or upon any high place, lest she should cast her soul
after me and die.
63 And Abraham
heard the words of Isaac, and he lifted up his voice and wept when Isaac spake
these words; and Abraham's tears gushed down upon Isaac his son, and Isaac wept bitterly,
and he said to his father, Hasten thou, O my father, and do with me the will of
the Lord
our God as He has commanded thee.
64 And the hearts
of Abraham and Isaac rejoiced at this thing which the Lord had commanded
them; but the eye wept bitterly whilst the heart rejoiced.
65 And Abraham
bound his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar upon the wood, and Isaac stretched
forth his neck upon the altar before his father, and Abraham stretched forth
his hand
to take the knife to slay his son as a burnt offering before the Lord.
66 At that time
the angels of mercy came before the Lord and spake to him concerning Isaac,
saying,
67 0 Lord, thou art
a merciful and compassionate King over all that thou hast created in heaven
and in earth, and thou supportest them all; give therefore ransom and
redemption instead
of thy servant Isaac, and pity and have compassion upon Abraham and Isaac his son,
who are this day performing thy commands.
68 Hast thou seen,
O Lord, how Isaac the son of Abraham thy servant is bound down to the slaughter
like an animal? now therefore let thy pity be roused for them, O Lord.
69 At that time
the Lord appeared unto Abraham, and called to him, from heaven, and said unto
him, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him, for
now I know that
thou fearest God in performing this act, and in not withholding thy son, thine
only son, from
me.
70 And Abraham
lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram was caught in a thicket by his horns;
that was the ram which the Lord God had created in the earth in the day that he
made earth
and heaven.
71 For the Lord
had prepared this ram from that day, to be a burnt offering instead of Isaac.
72 And this ram
was advancing to Abraham when Satan caught hold of him and entangled his
horns in the thicket, that he might not advance to Abraham, in order that
Abraham might slay
his son.
73 And Abraham,
seeing the ram advancing to him and Satan withholding him, fetched him and
brought him before the altar, and he loosened his son Isaac from his binding,
and he put the
ram in his stead, and Abraham killed the ram upon the altar, and brought it up
as an offering
in the place of his son Isaac.
74 And Abraham
sprinkled some of the blood of the ram upon the altar, and he exclaimed and
said, This is in the place of my son, and may this be considered this day as
the blood of my
son before the Lord.
75 And all that
Abraham did on this occasion by the altar, he would exclaim and say, This is in
the room of my son, and may it this day be considered before the Lord in the
place of my son;
and Abraham finished the whole of the service by the altar, and the service was accepted
before the Lord, and was accounted as if it had been Isaac; and the Lord
blessed Abraham
and his seed on that day.
76 And Satan went
to Sarah, and he appeared to her in the figure of an old man very humble and
meek, and Abraham was yet engaged in the burnt offering before the Lord.
77 And he said
unto her, Dost thou not know all the work that Abraham has made with thine only
son this day? for he took Isaac and built an altar, and killed him, and brought
him up as a
sacrifice upon the altar, and Isaac cried and wept before his father, but he
looked not at him,
neither did he have compassion over him.
78 And Satan
repeated these words, and he went away from her, and Sarah heard all the words
of Satan, and she imagined him to be an old man from amongst the sons of men
who had
been with her son, and had come and told her these things.
79 And Sarah
lifted up her voice and wept and cried out bitterly on account of her son; and she
threw herself upon the ground and she cast dust upon her head, and she said, O
my son,
Isaac my son, O that I had this day died instead of thee. And she continued to
weep and said,
It grieves me for thee, O my son, my son Isaac, O that I had died this day in
thy stead.
80 And she still
continued to weep, and said, It grieves me for thee after that I have reared thee
and have brought thee up; now my joy is turned into mourning over thee, I that
had a longing
for thee, and cried and prayed to God till I bare thee at ninety years old; and
now hast
thou served this day for the knife and the fire, to be made an offering.
81 But I console
myself with thee, my son, in its being the word of the Lord, for thou didst perform
the command of thy God; for who can transgress the word of our God, in whose hands
is the soul of every living creature?
82 Thou art just,
O Lord our God, for all thy works are good and righteous; for I also am rejoiced
with thy word which thou didst command, and whilst mine eye weepeth bitterly my heart
rejoiceth.
83 And Sarah laid
her head upon the bosom of one of her handmaids, and she became as still
as a stone.
84 She afterward
rose up and went about making inquiries till she came to Hebron, and she inquired
of all those whom she met walking in the road, and no one could tell her what
had happened
to her son.
85 And she came
with her maid servants and men servants to Kireath-arba, which is Hebron, and
she asked concerning her Son, and she remained there while she sent some of her servants
to seek where Abraham had gone with Isaac; they went to seek him in the house
of Shem
and Eber, and they could not find him, and they sought throughout the land and
he was
not there.
86 And behold,
Satan came to Sarah in the shape of an old man, and he came and stood before
her, and he said unto her, I spoke falsely unto thee, for Abraham did not kill
his son and
he is not dead; and when she heard the word her joy was so exceedingly violent
on account
of her son, that her soul went out through joy; she died and was gathered to
her people.
87 And when
Abraham had finished his service he returned with his son Isaac to his young men,
and they rose up and went together to Beersheba, and they came home.
88 And Abraham
sought for Sarah, and could not find her, and he made inquiries concerning her,
and they said unto him, She went as far as Hebron to seek you both where you
had gone,
for thus was she informed.
89 And Abraham and
Isaac went to her to Hebron, and when they found that she was dead they
lifted up their voices and wept bitterly over her; and Isaac fell upon his
mother's face and wept
over her, and he said, O my mother, my mother, how hast thou left me, and where
hast thou
gone? O how, how hast thou left me!
90 And Abraham and
Isaac wept greatly and all their servants wept with them on account of Sarah,
and they mourned over her a great and heavy mourning.
CHAPTER
24
1 And the life of
Sarah was one hundred and twenty-seven years, and Sarah died; and Abraham
rose up from before his dead to seek a burial place to bury his wife Sarah; and
he went
and spoke to the children of Heth, the inhabitants of the land, saying,
2 I am a stranger
and a sojourner with you in your land; give me a possession of a burial place
in your land, that I may bury my dead from before me.
3 And the
children of Heth said unto Abraham, behold the land is before thee, in the
choice of
our sepulchers bury thy dead, for no man shall withhold thee from burying thy
dead.
4 And Abraham
said unto them, If you are agreeable to this go and entreat for me to Ephron, the
son of Zochar, requesting that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which is
in the end
of his field, and I will purchase it of him for whatever he desire for it.
5 And Ephron
dwelt among the children of Heth, and they went and called for him, and he came
before Abraham, and Ephron said unto Abraham, Behold all thou requirest thy
servant will
do; and Abraham said, No, but I will buy the cave and the field which thou hast
for value, In
order that it may be for a possession of a burial place for ever.
6 And Ephron
answered and said, Behold the field and the cave are before thee, give whatever
thou desirest; and Abraham said, Only at full value will I buy it from thy
hand, and from
the hands of those that go in at the gate of thy city, and from the hand of thy
seed for ever.
7 And Ephron and
all his brethren heard this, and Abraham weighed to Ephron four hundred shekels
of silver in the hands of Ephron and in the hands of all his brethren; and
Abraham wrote
this transaction, and he wrote it and testified it with four witnesses.
8 And these are
the names of the witnesses, Amigal son of Abishna the Hittite, Adichorom son
of Ashunach the Hivite, Abdon son of Achiram the Gomerite, Bakdil the son of
Abudish the
Zidonite.
9 And Abraham
took the book of the purchase, and placed it in his treasures, and these are the
words that Abraham wrote in the book, namely:
10 That the cave
and the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite, and from his seed, and
from those that go out of his city, and from their seed for ever, are to be a
purchase to Abraham
and to his seed and to those that go forth from his loins, for a possession of
a burial place
for ever; and he put a signet to it and testified it with witnesses.
11 And the field
and the cave that was in it and all that place were made sure unto Abraham and
unto his seed after him, from the children of Heth; behold it is before Mamre
in Hebron, which
is in the land of Canaan.
12 And after this
Abraham buried his wife Sarah there, and that place and all its boundary became
to Abraham and unto his seed for a possession of a burial place.
13 And Abraham
buried Sarah with pomp as observed at the interment of kings, and she was buried
in very fine and beautiful garments.
14 And at her bier
was Shem, his sons Eber and Abimelech, together with Anar, Ashcol and Mamre,
and all the grandees of the land followed her bier.
15 And the days of
Sarah were one hundred and twenty-seven years and she died, and Abraham
made a great and heavy mourning, and he performed the rites of mourning for seven
days.
16 And all the
inhabitants of the land comforted Abraham and Isaac his son on account of Sarah.
17 And when the
days of their mourning passed by Abraham sent away his son Isaac, and he
went to the house of Shem and Eber, to learn the ways of the Lord and his
instructions, and
Abraham remained there three years.
18 At that time
Abraham rose up with all his servants, and they went and returned homeward to
Beersheba, and Abraham and all his servants remained in Beersheba.
19 And at the
revolution of the year Abimelech king of the Philistines died in that year; he was
one hundred and ninety-three years old at his death; and Abraham went with his
people to
the land of the Philistines, and they comforted the whole household and all his
servants, and
he then turned and went home.
20 And it was
after the death of Abimelech that the people of Gerar took Benmalich his son, and
he was only twelve years old, and they made him lying in the place of his
father.
21 And they called
his name Abimelech after the name of his father, for thus was it their custom
to do in Gerar, and Abimelech reigned instead of Abimelech his father, and he
sat upon
his throne.
22 And Lot the son
of Haran also died in those days, in the thirty-ninth year of the life of Isaac,
and all the days that Lot lived were one hundred and forty years and he died.
23 And these are
the children of Lot, that were born to him by his daughters, the name of the first
born was Moab, and the name of the second was Benami.
24 And the two
sons of Lot went and took themselves wives from the land of Canaan, and they
bare children to them, and the children of Moab were Ed, Mayon, Tarsus, and
Kanvil, four
sons, these are fathers to the children of Moab unto this day.
25 And all the
families of the children of Lot went to dwell wherever they should light upon, for
they were fruitful and increased abundantly.
26 And they went
and built themselves cities in the land where they dwelt, and they called the
names of the cities which they built after their own names.
27 And Nahor the
son of Terah, brother to Abraham, died in those days in the fortieth year of the
life of Isaac, and all the days of Nahor were one hundred and seventy-two years
and he died
and was buried in Haran.
28 And when
Abraham heard that his brother was dead he grieved sadly, and he mourned over
his brother many days.
29 And Abraham
called for Eliezer his head servant, to give him orders concerning his house,
and he came and stood before him.
30 And Abraham
said to him, Behold I am old, I do not know the day of my death; for I am advanced
in days; now therefore rise up, go forth and do not take a wife for my son from
this place
and from this land, from the daughters of the Canaanites amongst whom we dwell.
31 But go to my
land and to my birthplace, and take from thence a wife for my son, and the Lord
God of Heaven and earth who took me from my father's house and brought me to
this place,
and said unto me, To thy seed will I give this land for an inheritance for
ever, he will send
his angel before thee and prosper thy way, that thou mayest obtain a wife for
my son from
my family and from my father's house.
32 And the servant
answered his master Abraham and said, Behold I go to thy birthplace and to
thy father's house, and take a wife for thy son from there; but if the woman be
not willing to follow
me to this land, shall I take thy son back to the land of thy birthplace?
33 And Abraham
said unto him, Take heed that thou bring not my son hither again, for the Lord
before whom I have walked he will send his angel before thee and prosper thy
way.
34 And Eliezer did
as Abraham ordered him, and Eliezer swore unto Abraham his master upon
this matter; and Eliezer rose up and took ten camels of the camels of his
master, and ten
men from his master's servants with him, and they rose up and went to Haran,
the city of Abraham
and Nahor, in order to fetch a wife for Isaac the son of Abraham; and whilst
they were
gone Abraham sent to the house of Shem and Eber, and they brought from thence
his son
Isaac.
35 And Isaac came
home to his father's house to Beersheba, whilst Eliezer and his men came
to Haran; and they stopped in the city by the watering place, and he made his
camels to
kneel down by the water and they remained there.
36 And Eliezer,
Abraham's servant, prayed and said, O God of Abraham my master; send me
I pray thee good speed this day and show kindness unto my master, that thou shalt appoint
this day a wife for my master's son from his family.
37 And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of Eliezer, for the sake of his servant Abraham, and he
happened to meet with the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of
Nahor, brother
to Abraham, and Eliezer came to her house.
38 And Eliezer
related to them all his concerns, and that he was Abraham's servant, and they greatly
rejoiced at him.
39 And they all
blessed the Lord who brought this thing about, and they gave him Rebecca, the
daughter of Bethuel, for a wife for Isaac.
40 And the young
woman was of very comely appearance, she was a virgin, and Rebecca was
ten years old in those days.
41 And Bethuel and
Laban and his children made a feast on that night, and Eliezer and his men
came and ate and drank and rejoiced there on that night.
42 And Eliezer
rose up in the morning, he and the men that were with him, and he called to the
whole household of Bethuel, saying, Send me away that I may go to my master;
and they rose
up and sent away Rebecca and her nurse Deborah, the daughter of Uz, and they
gave her
silver and gold, men servants and maid servants, and they blessed her.
43 And they sent
Eliezer away with his men; and the servants took Rebecca, and he went and
returned to his master to the land of Canaan.
44 And Isaac took
Rebecca and she became his wife, and he brought her into the tent.
45 And Isaac was
forty years old when he took Rebecca, the daughter of his uncle Bethuel, for
a wife.
CHAPTER
25
1 And it was at
that time that Abraham again took a wife in his old age, and her name was Keturah,
from the land of Canaan.
2 And she bare
unto him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuach, being six sons.
And the children of Zimran were Abihen, Molich and Narim.
3 And the sons of
Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan, and the sons of Medan were Amida, Joab,
Gochi, Elisha and Nothach; and the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Chanoch, Abida
and Eldaah.
4 And the sons of
Ishbak were Makiro, Beyodua and Tator.
5 And the sons of
Shuach were Bildad, Mamdad, Munan and Meban; all these are the families
of the children of Keturah the Canaanitish woman which she bare unto Abraham
the Hebrew.
6 And Abraham
sent all these away, and he gave them gifts, and they went away from his son
Isaac to dwell wherever they should find a place.
7 And all these
went to the mountain at the east, and they built themselves six cities in which they
dwelt unto this day.
8 But the
children of Sheba and Dedan, children of Jokshan, with their children, did not
dwell with
their brethren in their cities, and they journeyed and encamped in the
countries and wildernesses
unto this day.
9 And the
children of Midian, son of Abraham, went to the east of the land of Cush, and
they there
found a large valley in the eastern country, and they remained there and built
a city, and
they dwelt therein, that is the land of Midian unto this day.
10 And Midian
dwelt in the city which he built, he and his five sons and all belonging to
him.
11 And these are
the names of the sons of Midian according to their names in their cities, Ephah,
Epher, Chanoch, Abida and Eldaah.
12 And the sons of
Ephah were Methach, Meshar, Avi and Tzanua, and the sons of Epher were
Ephron, Zur, Alirun and Medin, and the sons of Chanoch were Reuel, Rekem, Azi, Alyoshub
and Alad.
13 And the sons of
Abida were Chur, Melud, Kerury, Molchi; and the sons of Eldaah were Miker,
and Reba, and Malchiyah and Gabol; these are the names of the Midianites
according to
their families; and afterward the families of Midian spread throughout the land
of Midian.
14 And these are
the generations of Ishmael the son Abraham, whom Hagar, Sarah's handmaid,
bare unto Abraham.
15 And Ishmael
took a wife from the land of Egypt, and her name was Ribah, the same is Meribah.
16 And Ribah bare
unto Ishmael Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam and their sister Bosmath.
17 And Ishmael
cast away his wife Ribah, and she went from him and returned to Egypt to the
house of her father, and she dwelt there, for she had been very bad in the
sight of Ishmael,
and in the sight of his father Abraham.
18 And Ishmael
afterward took a wife from the land of Canaan, and her name was Malchuth, and
she bare unto him Nishma, Dumah, Masa, Chadad, Tema, Yetur, Naphish and Kedma.
19 These are the
sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, being twelve princes according
to their nations; and the families of Ishmael afterward spread forth, and
Ishmael took
his children and all the property that he had gained, together with the souls
of his household
and all belonging to him, and they went to dwell where they should find a
place.
20 And they went
and dwelt near the wilderness of Paran, and their dwelling was from Havilah
unto Shur, that is before Egypt as thou comest toward Assyria.
21 And Ishmael and
his sons dwelt in the land, and they had children born to them, and they were
fruitful and increased abundantly.
22 And these are
the names of the sons of Nebayoth the first born of Ishmael; Me nd, Send, Mayon;
and the sons of Kedar were Alyon, Kezem, Chamad and Eli.
23 And the sons of
Adbeel were Chamad and Jabin; and the sons of Mibsam were Obadiah, Ebedmelech
and Yeush; these are the families of the children of Ribah the wife of Ishmael.
24 And the sons of
Mishma the son of Ishmael were Shamua, Zecaryon and Obed; and the sons
of Dumah were Kezed, Eli, Machmad and Amed.
25 And the sons of
Masa were Melon, Mula and Ebidadon; and the sons of Chadad were Azur,
Minzar and Ebedmelech; and the sons of Tema were Seir, Sadon and Yakol.
26 And the sons of
Yetur were Merith, Yaish, Alyo, and Pachoth; and the sons of Naphish were
Ebed-Tamed, Abiyasaph and Mir; and the sons of Kedma were Calip, Tachti, and
Omir; these
were the children of Malchuth the wife of Ishmael according to their families.
27 All these are
the families of Ishmael according to their generations, and they dwelt in those
lands wherein they had built themselves cities unto this day.
28 And Rebecca the
daughter of Bethuel, the wife of Abraham's son Isaac, was barren in those
days, she had no offspring; and Isaac dwelt with his father in the land of
Canaan; and the
Lord was with Isaac; and Arpachshad the son of Shem the son of Noah died in
those days,
in the forty-eighth year of the life of Isaac, and all the days that Arpachshad
lived were four
hundred and thirty-eight years, and he died.
CHAPTER
26
1 And in the
fifty-ninth year of the life of Isaac the son of Abraham, Rebecca his wife was
still barren
in those days.
2 And Rebecca
said unto Isaac, Truly I have heard, my lord, that thy mother Sarah was barren
in her days until my Lord Abraham, thy father, prayed for her and she conceived
by him.
3 Now therefore
stand up, pray thou also to God and he will hear thy prayer and remember us
through his mercies.
4 And Isaac
answered his wife Rebecca, saying, Abraham has already prayed for me to God to
multiply his seed, now therefore this barrenness must proceed to us from thee.
5 And Rebecca
said unto him, But arise now thou also and pray, that the Lord may hear thy prayer
and grant me children, and Isaac hearkened to the words of his wife, and Isaac
and his
wife rose up and went to the land of Moriah to pray there and to seek the Lord,
and when they
had reached that place Isaac stood up and prayed to the Lord on account of his
wife because
she was barren.
6 And Isaac said,
O Lord God of heaven and earth, whose goodness and mercies fill the earth,
thou who didst take my father from his father's house and from his birthplace,
and didst
bring him unto this land, and didst say unto him, To thy seed will I give the
land, and thou
didst promise him and didst declare unto him, I will multiply thy seed as the
stars of heaven
and as the sand of the sea, now may thy words be verified which thou didst
speak unto
my father.
7 For thou art
the Lord our God, our eyes are toward thee to give us seed of men, as thou didst
promise us, for thou art the Lord our God and our eyes are directed toward thee
only.
8 And the Lord
heard the prayer of Isaac the son of Abraham, and the Lord was entreated of him
and Rebecca his wife conceived.
9 And in about
seven months after the children struggled together within her, and it pained her
greatly that she was wearied on account of them, and she said to all the women
who were
then in the land, Did such a thing happen to you as it has to me? and they said
unto her,
No.
10 And she said
unto them, Why am I alone in this amongst all the women that were upon earth?
and she went to the land of Moriah to seek the Lord on account of this; and she
went to
Shem and Eber his son to make inquiries of them in this matter, and that they
should seek the
Lord in this thing respecting her.
11 And she also
asked Abraham to seek and inquire of the Lord about all that had befallen her.
12 And they all
inquired of the Lord concerning this matter, and they brought her word from the
Lord and told her, Two children are in thy womb, and two nations shall rise
from them; and
one nation shall be stronger than the other, and the greater shall serve the
younger.
13 And when her
days to be delivered were completed, she knelt down, and behold there were
twins in her womb, as the Lord had spoken to her.
14 And the first
came out red all over like a hairy garment, and all the people of the land called
his name Esau, saying, That this one was made complete from the womb.
15 And after that
came his brother, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel, therefore they called
his name Jacob.
16 And Isaac, the
son of Abraham, was sixty years old when he begat them.
17 And the boys
grew up to their fifteenth year, and they came amongst the society of men. Esau
was a designing and deceitful man, and an expert hunter in the field, and Jacob
was a man
perfect and wise, dwelling in tents, feeding flocks and learning the
instructions of the Lord
and the commands of his father and mother.
18 And Isaac and
the children of his household dwelt with his father Abraham in the land of Canaan,
as God had commanded them.
19 And Ishmael the
son of Abraham went with his children and all belonging to them, and they
returned there to the land of Havilah, and they dwelt there.
20 And all the
children of Abraham's concubines went to dwell in the land of the east, for Abraham
had sent them away from his son, and had given them presents, and they went away.
21 And Abraham
gave all that he had to his son Isaac, and he also gave him all his treasures.
22 And he
commanded him saying, Dost thou not know and understand the Lord is God in heaven
and in earth, and there is no other beside him?
23 And it was he
who took me from my father's house, and from my birth place, and gave me all
the delights upon earth; who delivered me from the counsel of the wicked, for
in him did I trust.
24 And he brought
me to this place, and he delivered me from Ur Casdim; and he said unto me,
To thy seed will I give all these lands, and they shall inherit them when they
keep my commandments,
my statutes and my judgments that I have commanded thee, and which I shall
command them.
25 Now therefore
my son, hearken to my voice, and keep the commandments of the Lord thy God,
which I commanded thee, do not turn from the right way either to the right or
to the left, in
order that it may be well with thee and thy children after thee forever.
26 And remember
the wonderful works of the Lord, and his kindness that he has shown toward
us, in having delivered us from the hands of our enemies, and the Lord our God caused
them to fall into our hands; and now therefore keep all that I have commanded
thee, and
turn not away from the commandments of thy God, and serve none beside him, in
order that
it may be well with thee and thy seed after thee.
27 And teach thou
thy children and thy seed the instructions of the Lord and his commandments,
and teach them the upright way in which they should go, in order that it may be
well with them forever.
28 And Isaac
answered his father and said unto him, That which my Lord has commanded that
will I do, and I will not depart from the commands of the Lord my God, I will
keep all that he
commanded me; and Abraham blessed his son Isaac, and also his children; and
Abraham taught
Jacob the instruction of the Lord and his ways.
29 And it was at
that time that Abraham died, in the fifteenth year of the life of Jacob and Esau,
the sons of Isaac, and all the days of Abraham were one hundred and
seventy-five years,
and he died and was gathered to his people in good old age, old and satisfied
with days,
and Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him.
30 And when the
inhabitants of Canaan heard that Abraham was dead, they all came with their
kings and princes and all their men to bury Abraham.
31 And all the
inhabitants of the land of Haran, and all the families of the house of Abraham, and
all the princes and grandees, and the sons of Abraham by the concubines, all
came when
they heard of Abraham's death, and they requited Abraham's kindness, and
comforted Isaac
his son, and they buried Abraham in the cave which he bought from Ephron the
Hittite and
his children, for the possession of a burial place.
32 And all the
inhabitants of Canaan, and all those who had known Abraham, wept for Abraham
a whole year, and men and women mourned over him.
33 And all the
little children, and all the inhabitants of the land wept on account of
Abraham, for
Abraham had been good to them all, and because he had been upright with God and men.
34 And there arose
not a man who feared God like unto Abraham, for he had feared his God from
his youth, and had served the Lord, and had gone in all his ways during his
life, from his childhood
to the day of his death.
35 And the Lord
was with him and delivered him from the counsel of Nimrod and his people, and
when he made war with the four kings of Elam he conquered them.
36 And he brought
all the children of the earth to the service of God, and he taught them the ways
of the Lord, and caused them to know the Lord.
37 And he formed a
grove and he planted a vineyard therein, and he had always prepared in his
tent meat and drink to those that passed through the land, that they might
satisfy themselves
in his house.
38 And the Lord
God delivered the whole earth on account of Abraham.
39 And it was
after the death of Abraham that God blessed his son Isaac and his children, and
the Lord was with Isaac as he had been with his father Abraham, for Isaac kept
all the commandments
of the Lord as Abraham his father had commanded him; he did not turn to the
right or to the left from the right path which his father had commanded him.
CHAPTER
27
1 And Esau at
that time, after the death of Abraham, frequently went in the field to hunt.
2 And Nimrod king
of Babel, the same was Amraphel, also frequently went with his mighty men
to hunt in the field, and to walk about with his men in the cool of the day.
3 And Nimrod was
observing Esau all the days, for a jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod
against Esau all the days.
4 And on a
certain day Esau went in the field to hunt, and he found Nimrod walking in the wilderness
with his two men.
5 And all his
mighty men and his people were with him in the wilderness, but they removed at a
distance from him, and they went from him in different directions to hunt, and
Esau concealed
himself for Nimrod, and he lurked for him in the wilderness.
6 And Nimrod and
his men that were with him did not know him, and Nimrod and his men frequently
walked about in the field at the cool of the day, and to know where his men
were hunting
in the field.
7 And Nimrod and
two of his men that were with him came to the place where they were, when
Esau started suddenly from his lurking place, and drew his sword, and hastened
and ran
to Nimrod and cut off his head.
8 And Esau fought
a desperate fight with the two men that were with Nimrod, and when they called
out to him, Esau turned to them and smote them to death with his sword.
9 And all the
mighty men of Nimrod, who had left him to go to the wilderness, heard the cry at
a distance, and they knew the voices of those two men, and they ran to know the
cause of it,
when they found their king and the two men that were with him lying dead in the wilderness.
10 And when Esau
saw the mighty men of Nimrod coming at a distance, he fled, and thereby escaped;
and Esau took the valuable garments of Nimrod, which Nimrod's father had bequeathed
to Nimrod, and with which Nimrod prevailed over the whole land, and he ran and concealed
them in his house.
11 And Esau took
those garments and ran into the city on account of Nimrod's men, and he came
unto his father's house wearied and exhausted from fight, and he was ready to
die through
grief when he approached his brother Jacob and sat before him.
12 And he said
unto his brother Jacob, Behold I shall die this day, and wherefore then do I want
the birthright? And Jacob acted wisely with Esau in this matter, and Esau sold
his birthright
to Jacob, for it was so brought about by the Lord.
13 And Esau's
portion in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the
children of Heth for the possession of a burial ground, Esau also sold to
Jacob, and Jacob
bought all this from his brother Esau for value given.
14 And Jacob wrote
the whole of this in a book, and he testified the same with witnesses, and
he sealed it, and the book remained in the hands of Jacob.
15 And when Nimrod
the son of Cush died, his men lifted him up and brought him in consternation,
and buried him in his city, and all the days that Nimrod lived were two hundred and
fifteen years and he died.
16 And the days
that Nimrod reigned upon the people of the land were one hundred and eighty-five
years; and Nimrod died by the sword of Esau in shame and contempt, and the seed
of Abraham caused his death as he had seen in his dream.
17 And at the
death of Nimrod his kingdom became divided into many divisions, and all those parts
that Nimrod reigned over were restored to the respective kings of the land, who recovered
them after the death of Nimrod, and all the people of the house of Nimrod were
for a
long time enslaved to all the other kings of the land.
CHAPTER
28
1 And in those
days, after the death of Abraham, in that year the Lord brought a heavy famine
in the land, and whilst the famine was raging in the land of Canaan, Isaac rose
up to go
down to Egypt on account of the famine, as his father Abraham had done.
2 And the Lord
appeared that night to Isaac and he said to him, Do not go down to Egypt but rise
and go to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines, and remain there till
the famine shall
cease.
3 And Isaac rose
up and went to Gerar, as the Lord commanded him, and he remained there a
full year.
4 And when Isaac
came to Gerar, the people of the land saw that Rebecca his wife was of a beautiful
appearance, and the people of Gerar asked Isaac concerning his wife, and he
said, She
is my sister, for he was afraid to say she was his wife lest the people of the
land should slay
him on account of her.
5 And the princes
of Abimelech went and praised the woman to the king, but he answered them
not, neither did he attend to their words.
6 But he heard
them say that Isaac declared her to be his sister, so the king reserved this within
himself.
7 And when Isaac
had remained three months in the land, Abimelech looked out at the window,
and he saw, and behold Isaac was sporting with Rebecca his wife, for Isaac
dwelt in the
outer house belonging to the king, so that the house of Isaac was opposite the
house of the
king.
8 And the king
said unto Isaac, What is this thou hast done to us in saying of thy wife, She
is my
sister? how easily might one of the great men of the people have lain with her,
and thou wouldst
then have brought guilt upon us.
9 And Isaac said
unto Abimelech, Because I was afraid lest I die on account of my wife, therefore
I said, She is my sister.
10 At that time
Abimelech gave orders to all his princes and great men, and they took Isaac and
Rebecca his wife and brought them before the king.
11 And the king
commanded that they should dress them in princely garments, and make them
ride through the streets of the city, and proclaim before them throughout the
land, saying,
This is the man and this is his wife; whoever toucheth this man or his wife
shall surely die.
And Isaac returned with his wife to the king's house, and the Lord was with
Isaac and he continued
to wax great and lacked nothing.
12 And the Lord
caused Isaac to find favor in the sight of Abimelech, and in the sight of all his
subjects, and Abimelech acted well with Isaac, for Abimelech remembered the
oath and the
covenant that existed between his father and Abraham.
13 And Abimelech
said unto Isaac, Behold the whole earth is before thee; dwell wherever it may
seem good in thy sight until thou shalt return to thy land; and Abimelech gave
Isaac fields
and vineyards and the best part of the land of Gerar, to sow and reap and eat
the fruits of
the ground until the days of the famine should have passed by.
14 And Isaac sowed
in that land, and received a hundred-fold in the same year, and the Lord blessed
him.
15 And the man
waxed great, and he had possession of flocks and possession of herds and great
store of servants.
16 And when the
days of the famine had passed away the Lord appeared to Isaac and said unto
him, Rise up, go forth from this place and return to thy land, to the land of
Canaan; and Isaac
rose up and returned to Hebron which is in the land of Canaan, he and all
belonging to him
as the Lord commanded him.
17 And after this
Shelach the son at Arpachshad died in that year, which is the eighteenth year
of the lives of Jacob and Esau; and all the days that Shelach lived were four
hundred and
thirty-three years and he died.
18 At that time
Isaac sent his younger son Jacob to the house of Shem and Eber, and he learned
the instructions of the Lord, and Jacob remained in the house of Shem and Eber
for thirty-two
years, and Esau his brother did not go, for he was not willing to go, and he remained
in his father's house in the land of Canaan.
19 And Esau was
continually hunting in the fields to bring home what he could get, so did Esau
all the days.
20 And Esau was a
designing and deceitful man, one who hunted after the hearts of men and
inveigled them, and Esau was a valiant man in the field, and in the course of
time went as
usual to hunt; and he came as far as the field of Seir, the same is Edom.
21 And he remained
in the land of Seir hunting in the field a year and four months.
22 And Esau there
saw in the land of Seir the daughter of a man of Canaan, and her name was
Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, son of Epher, from the families of Heth the
son of Canaan.
23 And Esau took
her for a wife, and he came unto her; forty years old was Esau when he took
her, and he brought her to Hebron, the land of his father's dwelling place, and
he dwelt there.
24 And it came to
pass in those days, in the hundred and tenth year of the life of Isaac, that is
in the fiftieth year of the life of Jacob, in that year died Shem the son of
Noah; Shem was six
hundred years old at his death.
25 And when Shem
died Jacob returned to his father to Hebron which is in the land of Canaan.
26 And in the
fifty-sixth year of the life of Jacob, people came from Haran, and Rebecca was told
concerning her brother Laban the son of Bethuel.
27 For the wife of
Laban was barren in those days, and bare no children, and also all his handmaids
bare none to him.
28 And the Lord
afterward remembered Adinah the wife of Laban, and she conceived and bare
twin daughters, and Laban called the names of his daughters, the name of the
elder Leah,
and the name of the younger Rachel.
29 And those
people came and told these things to Rebecca, and Rebecca rejoiced greatly that
the Lord had visited her brother and that he had got children.
CHAPTER
29
1 And Isaac the
son of Abraham became old and advanced in days, and his eyes became heavy
through age; they were dim and could not see.
2 At that time
Isaac called unto Esau his son, saying, Get I pray thee thy weapons, thy quiver and
thy bow, rise up and go forth into the field and get me some venison, and make
me savory
meat and bring it to me, that I may eat in order that I may bless thee before
my death, as
I have now become old and gray-headed.
3 And Esau did
so; and he took his weapon and went forth into the field to hunt for venison, as
usual, to bring to his father as he had ordered him, so that he might bless
him.
4 And Rebecca
heard all the words that Isaac had spoken unto Esau, and she hastened and called
her son Jacob, saying, Thus did thy father speak unto thy brother Esau, and
thus did I hear,
now therefore hasten thou and make that which I shall tell thee.
5 Rise up and go,
I pray thee, to the flock and fetch me two fine kids of the goats, and I will get
the savory meat for thy father, and thou shalt bring the savory meat that he
may eat before
thy brother shall have come from the chase, in order that thy father may bless
thee.
6 And Jacob
hastened and did as his mother had commanded him, and he made the savory meat
and brought it before his father before Esau had come from his chase.
7 And Isaac said
unto Jacob, Who art thou, my son? And he said, I am thy first born Esau, I have
done as thou didst order me, now therefore rise up I pray thee, and eat of my
hunt, in order
that thy soul may bless me as thou didst speak unto me.
8 And Isaac rose
up and he ate and he drank, and his heart was comforted, and he blessed Jacob
and Jacob went away from his father; and as soon as Isaac had blessed Jacob and
he had
gone away from him, behold Esau came from his hunt from the field, and he also
made savory
meat and brought it to his father to eat thereof and to bless him.
9 And Isaac said
unto Esau, And who was he that has taken venison and brought it me before
thou camest and whom I did bless? And Esau knew that his brother Jacob had done this,
and the anger of Esau was kindled against his brother Jacob that he had acted
thus toward
him.
10 And Esau said,
Is he not rightly called Jacob? for he has supplanted me twice, he took away
my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing; and Esau wept greatly; and when
Isaac heard the voice of his son Esau weeping, Isaac said unto Esau, What can I
do, my
son, thy brother came with subtlety and took away thy blessing; and Esau hated
his brother
Jacob on account of the blessing that his father had given him, and his anger
was greatly
roused against him.
11 And Jacob was
very much afraid of his brother Esau, and he rose up and fled to the house
of Eber the son of Shem, and he concealed himself there on account of his
brother, and
Jacob was sixty-three years old when he went forth from the land of Canaan from Hebron,
and Jacob was concealed in Eber's house fourteen years on account of his
brother Esau,
and he there continued to learn the ways of the Lord and his commandments.
12 And when Esau
saw that Jacob had fled and escaped from him, and that Jacob had cunningly
obtained the blessing, then Esau grieved exceedingly, and he was also vexed at his
father and mother; and he also rose up and took his wife and went away from his
father and
mother to the land of Seir, and he dwelt there; and Esau saw there a woman from amongst
the daughters of Heth whose name was Bosmath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and
he took her for a wife in addition to his first wife, and Esau called her name
Adah, saying the
blessing had in that time passed from him.
13 And Esau dwelt
in the land of Seir six months without seeing his father and mother, and afterward
Esau took his wives and rose up and returned to the land of Canaan, and Esau placed
his two wives in his father's house in Hebron.
14 And the wives
of Esau vexed and provoked Isaac and Rebecca with their works, for they walked
not in the ways of the Lord, but served their father's gods of wood and stone
as their father
had taught them, and they were more wicked than their father.
15 And they went
according to the evil desires of their hearts, and they sacrificed and burnt incense
to the Baalim, and Isaac and Rebecca became weary of them.
16 And Rebecca
said, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob take a
wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the
land, what good
then is life unto me?
17 And in those
days Adah the wife of Esau conceived and bare him a son, and Esau called the
name of the son that was born unto him Eliphaz, and Esau was sixty-five years
old when she
bare him.
18 And Ishmael the
son of Abraham died in those days, in the sixty-forth year of the life of Jacob,
and all the days that Ishmael lived were one hundred and thirty-seven years and
he died.
19 And when Isaac
heard that Ishmael was dead he mourned for him, and Isaac lamented over
him many days.
20 And at the end
of fourteen years of Jacob's residing in the house of Eber, Jacob desired to
see his father and mother, and Jacob came to the house of his father and mother
to Hebron,
and Esau had in those days forgotten what Jacob had done to him in having taken the
blessing from him in those days.
21 And when Esau
saw Jacob coming to his father and mother he remembered what Jacob had
done to him, and he was greatly incensed against him and he sought to slay him.
22 And Isaac the
son of Abraham was old and advanced in days, and Esau said, Now my father's
time is drawing nigh that he must die, and when he shall die I will slay my
brother Jacob.
23 And this was
told to Rebecca, and she hastened and sent and called for Jacob her son, and
she said unto him, Arise, go and flee to Haran to my brother Laban, and remain
there for some
time, until thy brother's anger be turned from thee and then shalt thou come
back.
24 And Isaac
called unto Jacob and said unto him, Take not a wife from the daughters of Canaan,
for thus did our father Abraham command us according to the word of the Lord which
he had commanded him, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; if thy
children keep my
covenant that I have made with thee, then will I also perform to thy children
that which I have
spoken unto thee and I will not forsake them.
25 Now therefore
my son hearken to my voice, to all that I shall command thee, and refrain from
taking a wife from amongst the daughters of Canaan; arise, go to Haran to the
house of Bethuel
thy mother's father, and take unto thee a wife from there from the daughters of Laban
thy mother's brother.
26 Therefore take
heed lest thou shouldst forget the Lord thy God and all his ways in the land
to which thou goest, and shouldst get connected with the people of the land and
pursue vanity
and forsake the Lord thy God.
27 But when thou
comest to the land serve there the Lord, do not turn to the right or to the left
from the way which I commanded thee and which thou didst learn.
28 And may the
Almighty God grant thee favor in the sight of the people of the earth, that thou
mayest take there a wife according to thy choice; one who is good and upright
in the ways
of the Lord.
29 And may God
give unto thee and thy seed the blessing of thy father Abraham, and make thee
fruitful and multiply thee, and mayest thou become a multitude of people in the
land whither
thou goest, and may God cause thee to return to this land, the land of thy
father's dwelling,
with children and with great riches, with joy and with pleasure.
30 And Isaac
finished commanding Jacob and blessing him, and he gave him many gifts, together
with silver and gold, and he sent him away; and Jacob hearkened to his father
and mother;
he kissed them and arose and went to Padan-aram; and Jacob was seventy-seven years
old when he went out from the land of Canaan from Beersheba.
31 And when Jacob
went away to go to Haran Esau called unto his son Eliphaz, and secretly spoke
unto him, saying, Now hasten, take thy sword in thy hand and pursue Jacob and
pass before
him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with thy sword in one of the
mountains, and
take all belonging to him and come back.
32 And Eliphaz the
son of Esau was an active man and expert with the bow as his father had taught
him, and he was a noted hunter in the field and a valiant man.
33 And Eliphaz did
as his father had commanded him, and Eliphaz was at that time thirteen years
old, and Eliphaz rose up and went and took ten of his mother's brothers with
him and pursued
Jacob.
34 And he closely
followed Jacob, and he lurked for him in the border of the land of Canaan opposite
to the city of Shechem.
35 And Jacob saw
Eliphaz and his men pursuing him, and Jacob stood still in the place in which
he was going, in order to know what this was, for he did not know the thing;
and Eliphaz
drew his sword and he went on advancing, he and his men, toward Jacob; and Jacob
said unto them, What is to do with you that you have come hither, and what
meaneth it that
you pursue with your swords.
36 And Eliphaz came
near to Jacob and he answered and said unto him, Thus did my father command
me, and now therefore I will not deviate from the orders which my father gave
me; and
when Jacob saw that Esau had spoken to Eliphaz to employ force, Jacob then approached
and supplicated Eliphaz and his men, saying to him,
37 Behold all that
I have and which my father and mother gave unto me, that take unto thee and
go from me, and do not slay me, and may this thing be accounted unto thee a righteousness.
38 And the Lord
caused Jacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and his men,
and they hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and they did not put him to death,
and Eliphaz
and his men took all belonging to Jacob together with the silver and gold that
he had brought
with him from Beersheba; they left him nothing.
39 And Eliphaz and
his men went away from him and they returned to Esau to Beersheba, and
they told him all that had occurred to them with Jacob, and they gave him all
that they had
taken from Jacob.
40 And Esau was
indignant at Eliphaz his son, and at his men that were with him, because they
had not put Jacob to death.
41 And they
answered and said unto Esau, Because Jacob supplicated us in this matter not to
slay him, our pity was excited toward him, and we took all belonging to him and
brought it unto
thee; and Esau took all the silver and gold which Eliphaz had taken from Jacob
and he put
them by in his house.
42 At that time
when Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and had commanded him, saying,
Thou shalt not take a wife from amongst the daughters of Canaan, and that the daughters
of Canaan were bad in the sight of Isaac and Rebecca,
43 Then he went to
the house of Ishmael his uncle, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath
the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.
CHAPTER
30
1 And Jacob went
forth continuing his road to Haran, and he came as far as mount Moriah, and
he tarried there all night near the city of Luz; and the Lord appeared there
unto Jacob on that
night, and he said unto him, I am the Lord God of Abraham and the God of Isaac
thy father;
the land upon which thou liest I will give unto thee and thy seed.
2 And behold I am
with thee and will keep thee wherever thou goest, and I will multiply thy seed
as the stars of Heaven, and I will cause all thine enemies to fall before thee;
and when they
shall make war with thee they shall not prevail over thee, and I will bring
thee again unto this
land with joy, with children, and with great riches.
3 And Jacob awoke
from his sleep and he rejoiced greatly at the vision which he had seen; and
he called the name of that place Bethel.
4 And Jacob rose
up from that place quite rejoiced, and when he walked his feet felt light to him
for joy, and he went from there to the land of the children of the East, and he
returned to Haran
and he set by the shepherd's well.
5 And he there
found some men; going from Haran to feed their flocks, and Jacob made inquiries
of them, and they said, We are from Haran.
6 And he said
unto them, Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor? and they said, We know him,
and behold his daughter Rachel is coming along to feed her father's flock.
7 Whilst he was
yet speaking with them, Rachel the daughter of Laban came to feed her father's
sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
8 And when Jacob
saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, he ran and kissed
her, and lifted up his voice and wept.
9 And Jacob told
Rachel that he was the son of Rebecca, her father's sister, and Rachel ran and
told her father, and Jacob continued to cry because he had nothing with him to
bring to the
house of Laban.
10 And when Laban
heard that his sister's son Jacob had come, he ran and kissed him and embraced
him and brought him into the house and gave him bread, and he ate.
11 And Jacob
related to Laban what his brother Esau had done to him, and what his son Eliphaz
had done to him in the road.
12 And Jacob
resided in Laban's house for one month, and Jacob ate and drank in the house of
Laban, and afterward Laban said unto Jacob, Tell me what shall be thy wages,
for how canst
thou serve me for nought?
13 And Laban had
no sons but only daughters, and his other wives and handmaids were still barren
in those days; and these are the names of Laban's daughters which his wife
Adinah had
borne unto him; the name of the elder was Leah and the name of the younger was Rachel;
and Leah was tender-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well favored, and Jacob loved
her.
14 And Jacob said
unto Laban, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter;
and Laban consented to this and Jacob served Laban seven years for his daughter Rachel.
15 And in the
second year of Jacob's dwelling in Haran, that is in the seventy ninth year of the
life of Jacob, in that year died Eber the son of Shem, he was four hundred and
sixty-four years
old at his death.
16 And when Jacob
heard that Eber was dead he grieved exceedingly, and he lamented and mourned
over him many days.
17 And in the
third year of Jacob's dwelling in Haran, Bosmath, the daughter of Ishmael, the wife
of Esau, bare unto him a son, and Esau called his name Reuel.
18 And in the
fourth year of Jacob's residence in the house of Laban, the Lord visited Laban and
remembered him on account of Jacob, and sons were born unto him, and his first
born was
Beor, his second was Alib, and the third was Chorash.
19 And the Lord
gave Laban riches and honor, sons and daughters, and the man increased greatly
on account of Jacob.
20 And Jacob in
those days served Laban in all manner of work, in the house and in the field, and
the blessing of the Lord was in all that belonged to Laban in the house and in
the field.
21 And in the
fifth year died Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, the wife of Esau, in the land
of Canaan,
and she had no sons but daughters only.
22 And these are
the names of her daughters which she bare to Esau, the name of the elder was
Marzith, and the name of the younger was Puith.
23 And when
Jehudith died, Esau rose up and went to Seir to hunt in the field, as usual,
and Esau
dwelt in the land of Seir for a long time.
24 And in the
sixth year Esau took for a wife, in addition to his other wives, Ahlibamah, the daughter
of Zebeon the Hivite, and Esau brought her to the land of Canaan.
25 And Ahlibamah
conceived and bare unto Esau three sons, Yeush, Yaalan, and Korah.
26 And in those
days, in the land of Canaan, there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Esau
and the herdsmen of the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, for Esau's cattle
and goods were
too abundant for him to remain in the land of Canaan, in his father's house,
and the land
of Canaan could not bear him on account of his cattle.
27 And when Esau
saw that his quarreling increased with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan,
he rose up and took his wives and his sons and his daughters, and all belonging
to him,
and the cattle which he possessed, and all his property that he had acquired in
the land of
Canaan, and he went away from the inhabitants of the land to the land of Seir,
and Esau and
all belonging to him dwelt in the land of Seir.
28 But from time
to time Esau would go and see his father and mother in the land of Canaan, and
Esau intermarried with the Horites, and he gave his daughters to the sons of
Seir, the Horite.
29 And he gave his
elder daughter Marzith to Anah, the son of Zebeon, his wife's brother, and
Puith he gave to Azar, the son of Bilhan the Horite; and Esau dwelt in the
mountain, he and
his children, and they were fruitful and multiplied.
CHAPTER
31
1 And in the
seventh year, Jacob's service which he served Laban was completed, and Jacob
said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for the days of my service are fulfilled; and
Laban did
so, and Laban and Jacob assembled all the people of that place and they made a
feast.
2 And in the
evening Laban came to the house, and afterward Jacob came there with the people
of the feast, and Laban extinguished all the lights that were there in the
house.
3 And Jacob said
unto Laban, Wherefore dost thou do this thing unto us? and Laban answered,
Such is our custom to act in this land.
4 And afterward
Laban took his daughter Leah, and he brought her to Jacob, and he came to her
and Jacob did not know that she was Leah.
5 And Laban gave
his daughter Leah his maid Zilpah for a handmaid.
6 And all the
people at the feast knew what Laban had done to Jacob, but they did not tell the
thing to Jacob.
7 And all the
neighbors came that night to Jacob's house, and they ate and drank and rejoiced,
and played before Leah upon timbrels, and with dances, and they responded
before Jacob,
Heleah, Heleah.
8 And Jacob heard
their words but did not understand their meaning, but he thought such might
be their custom in this land.
9 And the
neighbors spoke these words before Jacob during the night, and all the lights
that were
in the house Laban had that night extinguished.
10 And in the
morning, when daylight appeared, Jacob turned to his wife and he saw, and behold
it was Leah that had been lying in his bosom, and Jacob said, Behold now I know what
the neighbors said last night, Heleah, they said, and I knew it not.
11 And Jacob
called unto Laban, and said unto him, What is this that thou didst unto me? Surely
I served thee for Rachel, and why didst thou deceive me and didst give me Leah?
12 And Laban
answered Jacob, saying, Not so is it done in our place to give the younger before
the elder now therefore if thou desirest to take her sister likewise, take her
unto thee for
the service which thou wilt serve me for another seven years.
13 And Jacob did
so, and he also took Rachel for a wife, and he served Laban seven years more,
and Jacob also came to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and Laban gave
her his maid Bilhah for a handmaid.
14 And when the
Lord saw that Leah was hated, the Lord opened her womb, and she conceived
and bare Jacob four sons in those days.
15 And these are
their names, Reuben Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and she afterward left bearing.
16 And at that
time Rachel was barren, and she had no offspring, and Rachel envied her sister
Leah, and when Rachel saw that she bare no children to Jacob, she took her handmaid
Bilhah, and she bare Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali.
17 And when Leah
saw that she had left bearing, she also took her handmaid Zilpah, and she
gave her to Jacob for a wife, and Jacob also came to Zilpah, and she also bare
Jacob two
sons, Gad and Asher.
18 And Leah again
conceived and bare Jacob in those days two sons and one daughter, and these
are their names, Issachar, Zebulon, and their sister Dinah.
19 And Rachel was
still barren in those days, and Rachel prayed unto the Lord at that time, and
she said, O Lord God remember me and visit me, I beseech thee, for now my
husband will
cast me off, for I have borne him no children.
20 Now O Lord God,
hear my supplication before thee, and see my affliction, and give me children
like one of the handmaids, that I may no more bear my reproach.
21 And God heard
her and opened her womb, and Rachel conceived and bare a son, and she
said, The Lord has taken away my reproach, and she called his name Joseph,
saying, May
the Lord add to me another son; and Jacob was ninety-one years old when she
bare him.
22 At that time
Jacob's mother, Rebecca, sent her nurse Deborah the daughter of Uz, and two
of Isaac's servants unto Jacob.
23 And they came
to Jacob to Haran and they said unto him, Rebecca has sent us to thee that
thou shalt return to thy father's house to the land of Canaan; and Jacob
hearkened unto them
in this which his mother had spoken.
24 At that time,
the other seven years which Jacob served Laban for Rachel were completed, and
it was at the end of fourteen years that he had dwelt in Haran that Jacob said
unto Laban,
give me my wives and send me away, that I may go to my land, for behold my
mother did
send unto me from the land at Canaan that I should return to my father's house.
25 And Laban said
unto him, Not so I pray thee; if I have found favor in thy sight do not leave me;
appoint me thy wages and I will give them, and remain with me.
26 And Jacob said
unto him, This is what thou shalt give me for wages, that I shall this day pass
through all thy flock and take away from them every lamb that is speckled and
spotted and
such as are brown amongst the sheep, and amongst the goats, and if thou wilt do
this thing
for me I will return and feed thy flock and keep them as at first.
27 And Laban did
so, and Laban removed from his flock all that Jacob had said and gave them
to him.
28 And Jacob
placed all that he had removed from Laban's flock in the hands of his sons, and
Jacob was feeding the remainder of Laban's flock.
29 And when the
servants of Isaac which he had sent unto Jacob saw that Jacob would not then
return with them to the land of Canaan to his father, they then went away from
him, and they
returned home to the land of Canaan.
30 And Deborah
remained with Jacob in Haran, and she did not return with the servants of Isaac
to the land of Canaan, and Deborah resided with Jacob's wives and children in
Haran.
31 And Jacob
served Laban six years longer, and when the sheep brought forth, Jacob removed
from them such as were speckled and spotted, as he had determined with Laban, and
Jacob did so at Laban's for six years, and the man increased abundantly and he
had cattle
and maid servants and men servants, camels, and asses.
32 And Jacob had
two hundred drove of cattle, and his cattle were of large size and of beautiful
appearance and were very productive, and all the families of the sons of men desired
to get some of the cattle of Jacob, for they were exceedingly prosperous.
33 And many of the
sons of men came to procure some of Jacob's flock, and Jacob gave them
a sheep for a man servant or a maid servant or for an ass or a camel, or
whatever Jacob
desired from them they gave him.
34 And Jacob
obtained riches and honor and possessions by means of these transactions with
the sons of men, and the children of Laban envied him of this honor.
35 And in the
course of time he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken away
all that was our father's, and of that which was our father's has he acquired
all this glory.
36 And Jacob
beheld the countenance of Laban and of his children, and behold it was not toward
him in those days as it had been before.
37 And the Lord
appeared to Jacob at the expiration of the six years, and said unto him, Arise,
go forth out of this land, and return to the land of thy birthplace and I will
be with thee.
38 And Jacob rose
up at that time and he mounted his children and wives and all belonging to
him upon camels, and he went forth to go to the land of Canaan to his father
Isaac.
39 And Laban did
not know that Jacob had gone from him, for Laban had been that day sheep-shearing.
40 And Rachel
stole her father's images, and she took them and she concealed them upon the
camel upon which she sat, and she went on.
41 And this is the
manner of the images; in taking a man who is the first born and slaying him and
taking the hair off his head, and taking salt and salting the head and
anointing it in oil, then
taking a small tablet of copper or a tablet of gold and writing the name upon
it, and placing
the tablet under his tongue, and taking the head with the tablet under the
tongue and putting
it in the house, and lighting up lights before it and bowing down to it.
42 And at the time
when they bow down to it, it speaketh to them in all matters that they ask of
it, through the power of the name which is written in it.
43 And some make
them in the figures of men, of gold and silver, and go to them in times known
to them, and the figures receive the influence of the stars, and tell them
future things, and
in this manner were the images which Rachel stole from her father.
44 And Rachel
stole these images which were her father's, in order that Laban might not know
through them where Jacob had gone.
45 And Laban came
home and he asked concerning Jacob and his household, and he was not
to be found, and Laban sought his images to know where Jacob had gone, and
could not find
them, and he went to some other images, and he inquired of them and they told
him that Jacob
had fled from him to his father's, to the land of Canaan.
46 And Laban then
rose up and he took his brothers and all his servants, and he went forth and
pursued Jacob, and he overtook him in mount Gilead.
47 And Laban said
unto Jacob, What is this thou hast done to me to flee and deceive me, and
lead my daughters and their children as captives taken by the sword?
48 And thou didst
not suffer me to kiss them and send them away with joy, and thou didst steal
my gods and didst go away.
49 And Jacob
answered Laban, saying, Because I was afraid lest thou wouldst take thy daughters
by force from me; and now with whomsoever thou findest thy gods he shall die.
50 And Laban
searched for the images and he examined in all Jacob's tents and furniture, but
could not find them.
51 And Laban said
unto Jacob, We will make a covenant together and it shall be a testimony between
me and thee; if thou shalt afflict my daughters, or shalt take other wives
besides my daughters,
even God shall be a witness between me and thee in this matter.
52 And they took
stones and made a heap, and Laban said, This heap is a witness between me
and thee, therefore he called the name thereof Gilead.
53 And Jacob and
Laban offered sacrifice upon the mount, and they ate there by the heap, and
they tarried in the mount all night, and Laban rose up early in the morning,
and he wept with
his daughters and he kissed them, and he returned unto his place.
54 And he hastened
and sent off his son Beor, who was seventeen years old, with Abichorof the
son of Uz, the son of Nahor, and with them were ten men.
55 And they
hastened and went and passed on the road before Jacob, and they came by another
road to the land of Seir.
56 And they came
unto Esau and said unto him, Thus saith thy brother and relative, thy mother's
brother Laban, the son of Bethuel, saying,
57 Hast thou heard
what Jacob thy brother has done unto me, who first came to me naked and
bare, and I went to meet him, and brought him to my house with honor, and I
made him great,
and I gave him my two daughters for wives and also two of my maids.
58 And God blessed
him on my account, and he increased abundantly, and had sons, daughters
and maid servants.
59 He has also an
immense stock of flocks and herds, camels and asses, also silver and gold
in abundance; and when he saw that his wealth increased, he left me whilst I
went to shear
my sheep, and he rose up and fled in secrecy.
60 And he lifted
his wives and children upon camels, and he led away all his cattle and property
which he acquired in my land, and he lifted up his countenance to go to his
father Isaac,
to the land of Canaan.
61 And he did not
suffer me to kiss my daughters and their children, and he led my daughters
as captives taken by the sword, and he also stole my gods and he fled.
62 And now I have
left him in the mountain of the brook of Jabuk, him and all belonging to him;
he lacketh nothing.
63 If it be thy
wish to go to him, go then and there wilt thou find him, and thou canst do unto him
as thy soul desireth; and Laban's messengers came and told Esau all these
things.
64 And Esau heard
all the words of Laban's messengers, and his anger was greatly kindled against
Jacob, and he remembered his hatred, and his anger burned within him.
65 And Esau
hastened and took his children and servants and the souls of his household, being
sixty men, and he went and assembled all the children of Seir the Horite and
their people,
being three hundred and forty men, and took all this number of four hundred men with
drawn swords, and he went unto Jacob to smite him.
66 And Esau
divided this number into several parts, and he took the sixty men of his
children and
servants and the souls of his household as one head, and gave them in care of
Eliphaz his
eldest son.
67 And the
remaining heads he gave to the care of the six sons of Seir the Horite, and he placed
every man over his generations and children.
68 And the whole
of this camp went as it was, and Esau went amongst them toward Jacob, and
he conducted them with speed.
69 And Laban's
messengers departed from Esau and went to the land of Canaan, and they came
to the house of Rebecca the mother of Jacob and Esau.
70 And they told
her saying, Behold thy son Esau has gone against his brother Jacob with four
hundred men, for he heard that he was coming, and he is gone to make war with
him, and
to smite him and to take all that he has.
71 And Rebecca
hastened and sent seventy two men from the servants of Isaac to meet Jacob
on the road; for she said, Peradventure, Esau may make war in the road when he meets
him.
72 And these
messengers went on the road to meet Jacob, and they met him in the road of the
brook on the opposite side of the brook Jabuk, and Jacob said when he saw them,
This camp
is destined to me from God, and Jacob called the name of that place Machnayim.
73 And Jacob knew
all his father's people, and he kissed them and embraced them and came
with them, and Jacob asked them concerning his father and mother, and they
said, They
were well.
74 And these
messengers said unto Jacob, Rebecca thy mother has sent us to thee, saying, I
have heard, my son, that thy brother Esau has gone forth against thee on the
road with men from
the children of Seir the Horite.
75 And therefore,
my son, hearken to my voice and see with thy counsel what thou wilt do, and
when he cometh up to thee, supplicate him, and do not speak rashly to him, and
give him
a present from what thou possessest, and from what God has favored thee with.
76 And when he
asketh thee concerning thy affairs, conceal nothing from him, perhaps he may
turn from his anger against thee and thou wilt thereby save thy soul, thou and
all belonging
to thee, for it is thy duty to honor him, for he is thy elder brother.
77 And when Jacob
heard the words of his mother which the messengers had spoken to him,
Jacob lifted up his voice and wept bitterly, and did as his mother then
commanded him.
CHAPTER
32
1 And at that
time Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau toward the land of Seir, and he
spoke to him words of supplication.
2 And he
commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye say to my lord, to Esau, Thus saith thy servant
Jacob, Let not my lord imagine that my father's blessing with which he did
bless me has
proved beneficial to me.
3 For I have been
these twenty years with Laban, and he deceived me and changed my wages
ten times, as it has all been already told unto my lord.
4 And I served
him in his house very laboriously, and God afterward saw my affliction, my labor
and the work of my hands, and he caused me to find grace and favor in his
sight.
5 And I afterward
through God's great mercy and kindness acquired oxen and asses and cattle,
and men servants and maid servants.
6 And now I am
coming to my land and my home to my father and mother, who are in the land
of Canaan; and I have sent to let my lord know all this in order to find favor
in the sight of
my lord, so that he may not imagine that I have of myself obtained wealth, or
that the blessing
with which my father blessed me has benefited me.
7 And those
messengers went to Esau, and found him on the borders of the land of Edom going
toward Jacob, and four hundred men of the children of Seir the Horite were
standing with
drawn swords.
8 And the
messengers of Jacob told Esau all the words that Jacob had spoken to them concerning
Esau.
9 And Esau
answered them with pride and contempt, and said unto them, Surely I have heard
and truly it has been told unto me what Jacob has done to Laban, who exalted
him in his
house and gave him his daughters for wives, and he begat sons and daughters,
and abundantly
increased in wealth and riches in Laban's house through his means.
10 And when he saw
that his wealth was abundant and his riches great he fled with all belonging
to him, from Laban's house, and he led Laban's daughters away from the face of their
father, as captives taken by the sword without telling him of it.
11 And not only to
Laban has Jacob done thus but also unto me has he done so and has twice
supplanted me, and shall I be silent?
12 Now therefore I
have this day come with my camps to meet him, and I will do unto him according
to the desire of my heart.
13 And the
messengers returned and came to Jacob and said unto him, We came to thy brother,
to Esau, and we told him all thy words, and thus has he answered us, and behold
he cometh
to meet thee with four hundred men.
14 Now then know
and see what thou shalt do, and pray before God to deliver thee from him.
15 And when he
heard the words of his brother which he had spoken to the messengers of Jacob,
Jacob was greatly afraid and he was distressed.
16 And Jacob
prayed to the Lord his God, and he said, O Lord God of my fathers, Abraham and
Isaac, thou didst say unto me when I went away from my father's house, saying,
17 I am the Lord
God of thy father Abraham and the God of Isaac, unto thee do I give this land
and thy seed after thee, and I will make thy seed as the stars of heaven, and
thou shalt spread
forth to the four sides of heaven, and in thee and in thy seed shall all the
families of the
earth be blessed.
18 And thou didst
establish thy words, and didst give unto me riches and children and cattle, as
the utmost wishes of my heart didst thou give unto thy servant; thou didst give
unto me all that
I asked from thee, so that I lacked nothing.
19 And thou didst
afterward say unto me, Return to thy parents and to thy birth place and I will
still do well with thee.
20 And now that I
have come, and thou didst deliver me from Laban, I shall fall in the hands of
Esau who will slay me, yea, together with the mothers of my children.
21 Now therefore,
O Lord God, deliver me, I pray thee, also from the hands of my brother Esau,
for I am greatly afraid of him.
22 And if there is
no righteousness in me, do it for the sake of Abraham and my father Isaac.
23 For I know that
through kindness and mercy have I acquired this wealth; now therefore I beseech
thee to deliver me this day with thy kindness and to answer me.
24 And Jacob
ceased praying to the Lord, and he divided the people that were with him with the
flocks and cattle into two camps, and he gave the half to the care of Damesek,
the son of Eliezer,
Abraham's servant, for a camp, with his children, and the other half he gave to
the care
of his brother Elianus the son of Eliezer, to be for a camp with his children.
25 And he
commanded them, saying, Keep yourselves at a distance with your camps, and do
not come too near each other, and if Esau come to one camp and slay it, the
other camp at
a distance from it will escape him.
26 And Jacob
tarried there that night, and during the whole night he gave his servants instructions
concerning the forces and his children.
27 And the Lord
heard the prayer of Jacob on that day, and the Lord then delivered Jacob from
the hands of his brother Esau.
28 And the Lord
sent three angels of the angels of heaven, and they went before Esau and came
to him.
29 And these
angels appeared unto Esau and his people as two thousand men, riding upon horses
furnished with all sorts of war instruments, and they appeared in the sight of
Esau and
all his men to be divided into four camps, with four chiefs to them.
30 And one camp
went on and they found Esau coming with four hundred men toward his brother
Jacob, and this camp ran toward Esau and his people and terrified them, and
Esau fell
off the horse in alarm, and all his men separated from him in that place, for
they were greatly
afraid.
31 And the whole
of the camp shouted after them when they fled from Esau, and all the warlike
men answered, saying,
32 Surely we are
the servants of Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who then can stand against
us? And Esau said unto them, O then, my lord and brother Jacob is your lord,
whom I
have not seen for these twenty years, and now that I have this day come to see
him, do you treat
me in this manner?
33 And the angels
answered him saying, As the Lord liveth, were not Jacob of whom thou speaketh
thy brother, we had not let one remaining from thee and thy people, but only on account
of Jacob we will do nothing to them.
34 And this camp
passed from Esau and his men and it went away, and Esau and his men had
gone from them about a league when the second camp came toward him with all
sorts of weapons,
and they also did unto Esau and his men as the first camp had done to them.
35 And when they
had left it to go on, behold the third camp came toward him and they were all
terrified, and Esau fell off the horse, and the whole camp cried out, and said,
Surely we are
the servants of Jacob, who is the servant of God, and who can stand against us?
36 And Esau again
answered them saying, O then, Jacob my lord and your lord is my brother,
and for twenty years I have not seen his countenance and hearing this day that
he was
coming, I went this day to meet him, and do you treat me in this manner?
37 And they
answered him, and said unto him, As the Lord liveth, were not Jacob thy brother as
thou didst say, we had not left a remnant from thee and thy men, but on account
of Jacob of
whom thou speakest being thy brother, we will not meddle with thee or thy men.
38 And the third
camp also passed from them, and he still continued his road with his men toward
Jacob, when the fourth camp came toward him, and they also did unto him and his men
as the others had done.
39 And when Esau
beheld the evil which the four angels had done to him and to his men, he became
greatly afraid of his brother Jacob, and he went to meet him in peace.
40 And Esau
concealed his hatred against Jacob, because he was afraid of his life on account
of his brother Jacob, and because he imagined that the four camps that he had lighted
upon were Jacob's servants.
41 And Jacob
tarried that night with his servants in their camps, and he resolved with his servants
to give unto Esau a present from all that he had with him, and from all his
property; and
Jacob rose up in the morning, he and his men, and they chose from amongst the
cattle a present
for Esau.
42 And this is the
amount of the present which Jacob chose from his flock to give unto his brother
Esau: and he selected two hundred and forty head from the flocks, and he
selected from
the camels and asses thirty each, and of the herds he chose fifty kine.
43 And he put them
all in ten droves, and he placed each sort by itself, and he delivered them
into the hands of ten of his servants, each drove by itself.
44 And he
commanded them, and said unto them, Keep yourselves at a distance from each other,
and put a space between the droves, and when Esau and those who are with him
shall meet
you and ask you, saying, Whose are you, and whither do you go, and to whom belongeth
all this before you, you shall say unto them, We are the servants of Jacob, and
we come
to meet Esau in peace, and behold Jacob cometh behind us.
45 And that which
is before us is a present sent from Jacob to his brother Esau.
46 And if they
shall say unto you, Why doth he delay behind you, from coming to meet his brother
and to see his face, then you shall say unto them, Surely he cometh joyfully
behind us
to meet his brother, for he said, I will appease him with the present that
goeth to him, and after
this I will see his face, peradventure he will accept of me.
47 So the whole
present passed on in the hands of his servants, and went before him on that day,
and he lodged that night with his camps by the border of the brook of Jabuk,
and he rose
up in the midst of the night, and he took his wives and his maid servants, and
all belonging
to him, and he that night passed them over the ford Jabuk.
48 And when he passed
all belonging to him over the brook, Jacob was left by himself, and a man
met him, and he wrestled with him that night until the breaking of the day, and
the hollow
of Jacob's thigh was out of joint through wrestling with him.
49 And at the
break of day the man left Jacob there, and he blessed him and went away, and Jacob
passed the brook at the break of day, and he halted upon his thigh.
50 And the sun
rose upon him when he had passed the brook, and he came up to the place of
his cattle and children.
51 And they went
on till midday, and whilst they were going the present was passing on before
them.
52 And Jacob
lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold Esau was at a distance, coming along
with many men, about four hundred, and Jacob was greatly afraid of his brother.
53 And Jacob
hastened and divided his children unto his wives and his handmaids, and his daughter
Dinah he put in a chest, and delivered her into the hands of his servants.
54 And he passed
before his children and wives to meet his brother, and he bowed down to the
ground, yea he bowed down seven times until he approached his brother, and God caused
Jacob to find grace and favor in the sight of Esau and his men, for God had
heard the
prayer of Jacob.
55 And the fear of
Jacob and his terror fell upon his brother Esau, for Esau was greatly afraid of
Jacob for what the angels of God had done to Esau, and Esau's anger against
Jacob was turned
into kindness.
56 And when Esau
saw Jacob running toward him, he also ran toward him and he embraced him,
and he fell upon his neck, and they kissed and they wept.
57 And God put
fear and kindness toward Jacob in the hearts of the men that came with Esau,
and they also kissed Jacob and embraced him.
58 And also
Eliphaz, the son of Esau, with his four brothers, sons of Esau, wept with
Jacob, and
they kissed him and embraced him, for the fear of Jacob had fallen upon them
all.
59 And Esau lifted
up his eyes and saw the women with their offspring, the children of Jacob, walking
behind Jacob and bowing along the road to Esau.
60 And Esau said
unto Jacob, Who are these with thee, my brother? are they thy children or thy
servants? and Jacob answered Esau and said, They are my children which God hath graciously
given to thy servant.
61 And whilst
Jacob was speaking to Esau and his men, Esau beheld the whole camp, and he
said unto Jacob, Whence didst thou get the whole of the camp that I met
yesternight? and Jacob
said, To find favor in the sight of my lord, it is that which God graciously
gave to thy servant.
62 And the present
came before Esau, and Jacob pressed Esau, saying, Take I pray thee the
present that I have brought to my lord, and Esau said, Wherefore is this my
purpose? keep
that which thou hast unto thyself.
63 And Jacob said,
It is incumbent upon me to give all this, since I have seen thy face, that thou
still livest in peace.
64 And Esau
refused to take the present, and Jacob said unto him, I beseech thee my lord,
if now
I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand, for I have
therefore seen
thy face, as though I had seen a god-like face, because thou wast pleased with
me.
65 And Esau took
the present, and Jacob also gave unto Esau silver and gold and bdellium, for
he pressed him so much that he took them.
66 And Esau
divided the cattle that were in the camp, and he gave the half to the men who had
come with him, for they had come on hire, and the other half he delivered unto
the hands of
his children.
67 And the silver
and gold and bdellium he gave in the hands of Eliphaz his eldest son, and Esau
said unto Jacob, Let us remain with thee, and we will go slowly along with thee
until thou
comest to my place with me, that we may dwell there together.
68 And Jacob
answered his brother and said, I would do as my lord speaketh unto me, but my
lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with their
young who are
with me, go but slowly, for if they went swiftly they would all die, for thou
knowest their burdens
and their fatigue.
69 Therefore let
my lord pass on before his servant, and I will go on slowly for the sake of the children
and the flock, until I come to my lord's place to Seir.
70 And Esau said
unto Jacob, I will place with thee some of the people that are with me to take
care of thee in the road, and to bear thy fatigue and burden, and he said, What
needeth it
my lord, if I may find grace in thy sight?
71 Behold I will
come unto thee to Seir to dwell there together as thou hast spoken, go thou then
with thy people for I will follow thee.
72 And Jacob said
this to Esau in order to remove Esau and his men from him, so that Jacob might
afterward go to his father's house to the land of Canaan.
73 And Esau
hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and Esau returned with the four hundred men that
were with him on their road to Seir, and Jacob and all belonging to him went
that day as far
as the extremity of the land of Canaan in its borders, and he remained there
some time.
CHAPTER
33
1 And in some
time after Jacob went away from the borders of the land, and he came to the land
of Shalem, that is the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, and he
rested in front
of the city.
2 And he bought a
parcel of the field which was there, from the children of Hamor the people of
the land, for five shekels.
3 And Jacob there
built himself a house, and he pitched his tent there, and he made booths for
his cattle, therefore he called the name of that place Succoth.
4 And Jacob
remained in Succoth a year and six months.
5 At that time
some of the women of the inhabitants of the land went to the city of Shechem to
dance and rejoice with the daughters of the people of the city, and when they
went forth then
Rachel and Leah the wives of Jacob with their families also went to behold the
rejoicing of
the daughters of the city.
6 And Dinah the daughter
of Jacob also went along with them and saw the daughters of the city,
and they remained there before these daughters whilst all the people of the
city were standing
by them to behold their rejoicings, and all the great people of the city were
there.
7 And Shechem the
son of Hamor, the prince of the land was also standing there to see them.
8 And Shechem
beheld Dinah the daughter of Jacob sitting with her mother before the daughters
of the city, and the damsel pleased him greatly, and he there asked his friends and
his people, saying, Whose daughter is that sitting amongst the women, whom I do
not know
in this city?
9 And they said
unto him, Surely this is the daughter of Jacob the son of Isaac the Hebrew, who
has dwelt in this city for some time, and when it was reported that the
daughters of the land
were going forth to rejoice she went with her mother and maid servants to sit
amongst them
as thou seest.
10 And Shechem
beheld Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and when he looked at her his soul became
fixed upon Dinah.
11 And he sent and
had her taken by force, and Dinah came to the house of Shechem and he
seized her forcibly and lay with her and humbled her, and he loved her
exceedingly and placed
her in his house.
12 And they came
and told the thing unto Jacob, and when Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled
his daughter Dinah, Jacob sent twelve of his servants to fetch Dinah from the
house of
Shechem, and they went and came to the house of Shechem to take away Dinah from there.
13 And when they
came Shechem went out to them with his men and drove them from his house,
and he would not suffer them to come before Dinah, but Shechem was sitting with Dinah
kissing and embracing her before their eyes.
14 And the
servants of Jacob came back and told him, saying, When we came, he and his men
drove us away, and thus did Shechem do unto Dinah before our eyes.
15 And Jacob knew
moreover that Shechem had defiled his daughter, but he said nothing, and
his sons were feeding his cattle in the field, and Jacob remained silent till
their return.
16 And before his
sons came home Jacob sent two maidens from his servants' daughters to take
care of Dinah in the house of Shechem, and to remain with her, and Shechem sent three
of his friends to his father Hamor the son of Chiddekem, the son of Pered,
saying, Get me
this damsel for a wife.
17 And Hamor the
son of Chiddekem the Hivite came to the house of Shechem his son, and he
sat before him, and Hamor said unto his son, Shechem, Is there then no woman
amongst the
daughters of thy people that thou wilt take an Hebrew woman who is not of thy
people?
18 And Shechem
said to him, Her only must thou get for me, for she is delightful in my sight; and
Hamor did according to the word of his son, for he was greatly beloved by him.
19 And Hamor went
forth to Jacob to commune with him concerning this matter, and when he
had gone from the house of his son Shechem, before he came to Jacob to speak
unto him,
behold the sons of Jacob had come from the field, as soon as they heard the
thing that Shechem
the son of Hamor had done.
20 And the men
were very much grieved concerning their sister, and they all came home fired
with anger, before the time of gathering in their cattle.
21 And they came
and sat before their father and they spoke unto him kindled with wrath, saying,
Surely death is due to this man and to his household, because the Lord God of
the whole
earth commanded Noah and his children that man shall never rob, nor commit adultery;
now behold Shechem has both ravaged and committed fornication with our sister, and
not one of all the people of the city spoke a word to him.
22 Surely thou
knowest and understandest that the judgment of death is due to Shechem, and
to his father, and to the whole city on account of the thing which he has done.
23 And whilst they
were speaking before their father in this matter, behold Hamor the father of
Shechem came to speak to Jacob the words of his son concerning Dinah, and he
sat before
Jacob and before his sons.
24 And Hamor spoke
unto them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter;
I pray you give her unto him for a wife and intermarry with us; give us your daughters
and we will give you our daughters, and you shall dwell with us in our land and
we will
be as one people in the land.
25 For our land is
very extensive, so dwell ye and trade therein and get possessions in it, and
do therein as you desire, and no one shall prevent you by saying a word to you.
26 And Hamor
ceased speaking unto Jacob and his sons, and behold Shechem his son had come
after him, and he sat before them.
27 And Shechem
spoke before Jacob and his sons, saying, May I find favor in your sight that you
will give me your daughter, and whatever you say unto me that will I do for
her.
28 Ask me for
abundance of dowry and gift, and I will give it, and whatever you shall say
unto me
that will I do, and whoever he be that will rebel against your orders, he shall
die; only give me
the damsel for a wife.
29 And Simeon and
Levi answered Hamor and Shechem his son deceitfully, saying, All you have
spoken unto us we will do for you.
30 And behold our
sister is in your house, but keep away from her until we send to our father Isaac
concerning this matter, for we can do nothing without his consent.
31 For he knoweth
the ways of our father Abraham, and whatever he sayeth unto us we will tell
you, we will conceal nothing from you.
32 And Simeon and
Levi spoke this unto Shechem and his father in order to find a pretext, and
to seek counsel what was to be done to Shechem and to his city in this matter.
33 And when
Shechem and his father heard the words of Simeon and Levi, it seemed good in
their sight, and Shechem and his father came forth to go home.
34 And when they
had gone, the sons of Jacob said unto their father, saying, Behold, we know
that death is due to these wicked ones and to their city, because they
transgressed that which
God had commanded unto Noah and his children and his seed after them.
35 And also
because Shechem did this thing to our sister Dinah in defiling her, for such vileness
shall never be done amongst us.
36 Now therefore
know and see what you will do, and seek counsel and pretext what is to be done
to them, in order to kill all the inhabitants of this city.
37 And Simeon said
to them, Here is a proper advice for you: tell them to circumcise every male
amongst them as we are circumcised, and if they do not wish to do this, we
shall take our
daughter from them and go away.
38 And if they
consent to do this and will do it, then when they are sunk down with pain, we will
attack them with our swords, as upon one who is quiet and peaceable, and we
will slay every
male person amongst them.
39 And Simeon's
advice pleased them, and Simeon and Levi resolved to do unto them as it was
proposed.
40 And on the next
morning Shechem and Hamor his father came again unto Jacob and his sons,
to speak concerning Dinah, and to hear what answer the sons of Jacob would give
to their
words.
41 And the sons of
Jacob spoke deceitfully to them, saying, We told our father Isaac all your words,
and your words pleased him.
42 But he spoke
unto us, saying, Thus did Abraham his father command him from God the Lord
of the whole earth, that any man who is not of his descendants that should wish
to take one
of his daughters, shall cause every male belonging to him to be circumcised, as
we are circumcised,
and then we may give him our daughter for a wife.
43 Now we have
made known to you all our ways that our father spoke unto us, for we cannot
do this of which you spoke unto us, to give our daughter to an uncircumcised
man, for it
is a disgrace to us.
44 But herein will
we consent to you, to give you our daughter, and we will also take unto ourselves
your daughters, and will dwell amongst you and be one people as you have spoken,
if you will hearken to us, and consent to be like us, to circumcise every male belonging
to you, as we are circumcised.
45 And if you will
not hearken unto us, to have every male circumcised as we are circumcised,
as we have commanded, then we will come to you, and take our daughter from you
and go away.
46 And Shechem and
his father Hamor heard the words of the sons of Jacob, and the thing pleased
them exceedingly, and Shechem and his father Hamor hastened to do the wishes of the
sons of Jacob, for Shechem was very fond of Dinah, and his soul was riveted to
her.
47 And Shechem and
his father Hamor hastened to the gate of the city, and they assembled all
the men of their city and spoke unto them the words of the sons of Jacob,
saying,
48 We came to
these men, the sons of Jacob, and we spoke unto them concerning their daughter,
and these men will consent to do according to our wishes, and behold our land
is of
great extent for them, and they will dwell in it, and trade in it, and we shall
be one people; we
will take their daughters, and our daughters we will give unto them for wives.
49 But only on
this condition will these men consent to do this thing, that every male amongst us
be circumcised as they are circumcised, as their God commanded them, and when
we shall
have done according to their instructions to be circumcised, then will they
dwell amongst
us, together with their cattle and possessions, and we shall be as one people
with them.
50 And when all
the men of the city heard the words of Shechem and his father Hamor, then all
the men of their city were agreeable to this proposal, and they obeyed to be
circumcised, for
Shechem and his father Hamor were greatly esteemed by them, being the princes
of the land.
51 And on the next
day, Shechem and Hamor his father rose up early in the morning, and they
assembled all the men of their city into the middle of the city, and they
called for the sons
of Jacob, who circumcised every male belonging to them on that day and the
next.
52 And they
circumcised Shechem and Hamor his father, and the five brothers of Shechem, and
then every one rose up and went home, for this thing was from the Lord against
the city of
Shechem, and from the Lord was Simeon's counsel in this matter, in order that
the Lord might
deliver the city of Shechem into the hands of Jacob's two sons.
CHAPTER
34
1 And the number
of all the males that were circumcised, were six hundred and forty-five men,
and two hundred and forty-six children.
2 But Chiddekem,
son of Pered, the father of Hamor, and his six brothers, would not listen unto
Shechem and his father Hamor, and they would not be circumcised, for the
proposal of the
sons of Jacob was loathsome in their sight, and their anger was greatly roused
at this, that
the people of the city had not hearkened to them.
3 And in the
evening of the second day, they found eight small children who had not been circumcised,
for their mothers had concealed them from Shechem and his father Hamor, and from
the men of the city.
4 And Shechem and
his father Hamor sent to have them brought before them to be circumcised,
when Chiddekem and his six brothers sprang at them with their swords, and sought
to slay them.
5 And they sought
to slay also Shechem and his father Hamor and they sought to slay Dinah with
them on account of this matter.
6 And they said unto
them, What is this thing that you have done? are there no women amongst
the daughters of your brethren the Canaanites, that you wish to take unto yourselves
daughters of the Hebrews, whom ye knew not before, and will do this act which your
fathers never commanded you?
7 Do you imagine
that you will succeed through this act which you have done? and what will you
answer in this affair to your brethren the Canaanites, who will come tomorrow
and ask you
concerning this thing?
8 And if your act
shall not appear just and good in their sight, what will you do for your lives, and
me for our lives, in your not having hearkened to our voices?
9 And if the
inhabitants of the land and all your brethren the children of Ham, shall hear
of your
act, saying,
10 On account of a
Hebrew woman did Shechem and Hamor his father, and all the inhabitants
of their city, do that with which they had been unacquainted and which their ancestors
never commanded them, where then will you fly or where conceal your shame, all your
days before your brethren, the inhabitants of the land of Canaan?
11 Now therefore
we cannot bear up against this thing which you have done, neither can we be
burdened with this yoke upon us, which our ancestors did not command us.
12 Behold tomorrow
we will go and assemble all our brethren, the Canaanitish brethren who dwell
in the land, and we will all come and smite you and all those who trust in you,
that there shall
not be a remnant left from you or them.
13 And when Hamor
and his son Shechem and all the people of the city heard the words of Chiddekem
and his brothers, they were terribly afraid of their lives at their words, and
they repented
of what they had done.
14 And Shechem and
his father Hamor answered their father Chiddekem and his brethren, and
they said unto them, All the words which you spoke unto us are true.
15 Now do not say,
nor imagine in your hearts that on account of the love of the Hebrews we did
this thing that our ancestors did not command us.
16 But because we
saw that it was not their intention and desire to accede to our wishes concerning
their daughter as to our taking her, except on this condition, so we hearkened
to their
voices and did this act which you saw, in order to obtain our desire from them.
17 And when we
shall have obtained our request from them, we will then return to them and do
unto them that which you say unto us.
18 We beseech you
then to wait and tarry until our flesh shall be healed and we again become
strong, and we will then go together against them, and do unto them that which
is in your
hearts and in ours.
19 And Dinah the
daughter of Jacob heard all these words which Chiddekem and his brothers
had spoken, and what Hamor and his son Shechem and the people of their city had answered
them.
20 And she
hastened and sent one of her maidens, that her father had sent to take care of her
in the house of Shechem, to Jacob her father and to her brethren, saying:
21 Thus did
Chiddekem and his brothers advise concerning you, and thus did Hamor and Shechem
and the people of the city answer them.
22 And when Jacob
heard these words he was filled with wrath, and he was indignant at them,
and his anger was kindled against them.
23 And Simeon and
Levi swore and said, As the Lord liveth, the God of the whole earth, by this
time tomorrow, there shall not be a remnant left in the whole city.
24 And twenty
young men had concealed themselves who were not circumcised, and these young
men fought against Simeon and Levi, and Simeon and Levi killed eighteen of
them, and
two fled from them and escaped to some lime pits that were in the city, and
Simeon and Levi
sought for them, but could not find them.
25 And Simeon and
Levi continued to go about in the city, and they killed all the people of the
city at the edge of the sword, and they left none remaining.
26 And there was a
great consternation in the midst of the city, and the cry of the people of the
city ascended to heaven, and all the women and children cried aloud.
27 And Simeon and
Levi slew all the city; they left not a male remaining in the whole city.
28 And they slew
Hamor and Shechem his son at the edge of the sword, and they brought away
Dinah from the house of Shechem and they went from there.
29 And the sons of
Jacob went and returned, and came upon the slain, and spoiled all their property
which was in the city and the field.
30 And whilst they
were taking the spoil, three hundred men stood up and threw dust at them and
struck them with stones, when Simeon turned to them and he slew them all with
the edge
of the sword, and Simeon turned before Levi, and came into the city.
31 And they took
away their sheep and their oxen and their cattle, and also the remainder of the
women and little ones, and they led all these away, and they opened a gate and
went out and
came unto their father Jacob with vigor.
32 And when Jacob
saw all that they had done to the city, and saw the spoil that they took from
them, Jacob was very angry at them, and Jacob said unto them, What is this that
you have
done to me? behold I obtained rest amongst the Canaanitish inhabitants of the
land, and
none of them meddled with me.
33 And now you
have done to make me obnoxious to the inhabitants of the land, amongst the
Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I am but of a small number, and they will
all assemble against
me and slay me when they hear of your work with their brethren, and I and my household
will be destroyed.
34 And Simeon and
Levi and all their brothers with them answered their father Jacob and said
unto him, Behold we live in the land, and shall Shechem do this to our sister?
why art thou
silent at all that Shechem has done? and shall he deal with our sister as with
a harlot in the
streets?
35 And the number
of women whom Simeon and Levi took captives from the city of Shechem,
whom they did not slay, was eighty-five who had not known man.
36 And amongst
them was a young damsel of beautiful appearance and well favored, whose name
was Bunah, and Simeon took her for a wife, and the number of the males which
they took
captives and did not slay, was forty-seven men, and the rest they slew.
37 And all the
young men and women that Simeon and Levi had taken captives from the city of
Shechem, were servants to the sons of Jacob and to their children after them,
until the day of
the sons of Jacob going forth from the land of Egypt.
38 And when Simeon
and Levi had gone forth from the city, the two young men that were left,
who had concealed themselves in the city, and did not die amongst the people of
the city,
rose up, and these young men went into the city and walked about in it, and
found the city
desolate without man, and only women weeping, and these young men cried out and said,
Behold, this is the evil which the sons of Jacob the Hebrew did to this city in
their having
this day destroyed one of the Canaanitish cities, and were not afraid of their
lives of all
the land of Canaan.
39 And these men
left the city and went to the city of Tapnach, and they came there and told the
inhabitants of Tapnach all that had befallen them, and all that the sons of
Jacob had done
to the city of Shechem.
40 And the
information reached Jashub king of Tapnach, and he sent men to the city of Shechem
to see those young men, for the king did not believe them in this account,
saying, How
could two men lay waste such a large town as Shechem?
41 And the
messengers of Jashub came back and told him, saying, We came unto the city, and
it is destroyed, there is not a man there; only weeping women; neither is any
flock or cattle
there, for all that was in the city the sons of Jacob took away.
42 And Jashub
wondered at this, saying, How could two men do this thing, to destroy so large
a city, and not one man able to stand against them?
43 For the like
has not been from the days of Nimrod, and not even from the remotest time, has
the like taken place; and Jashub, king of Tapnach, said to his people, Be
courageous and
we will go and fight against these Hebrews, and do unto them as they did unto
the city, and
we will avenge the cause of the people of the city.
44 And Jashub,
king of Tapnach, consulted with his counsellors about this matter, and his advisers
said unto him, Alone thou wilt not prevail over the Hebrews, for they must be powerful
to do this work to the whole city.
45 If two of them
laid waste the whole city, and no one stood against them, surely if thou wilt go
against them, they will all rise against us and destroy us likewise.
46 But if thou
wilt send to all the kings that surround us, and let them come together, then
we will
go with them and fight against the sons of Jacob; then wilt thou prevail
against them.
47 And Jashub
heard the words of his counsellors, and their words pleased him and his people,
and he did so; and Jashub king of Tapnach sent to all the kings of the Amorites
that surrounded
Shechem and Tapnach, saying,
48 Go up with me
and assist me, and we will smite Jacob the Hebrew and all his sons, and destroy
them from the earth, for thus did he do to the city of Shechem, and do you not
know of
it?
49 And all the
kings of the Amorites heard the evil that the sons of Jacob had done to the
city of
Shechem, and they were greatly astonished at them.
50 And the seven
kings of the Amorites assembled with all their armies, about ten thousand men
with drawn swords, and they came to fight against the sons of Jacob; and Jacob
heard that
the kings of the Amorites had assembled to fight against his sons, and Jacob
was greatly
afraid, and it distressed him.
51 And Jacob
exclaimed against Simeon and Levi, saying, What is this act that you did? why have
you injured me, to bring against me all the children of Canaan to destroy me
and my household?
for I was at rest, even I and my household, and you have done this thing to me, and
provoked the inhabitants of the land against me by your proceedings.
52 And Judah
answered his father, saying, Was it for naught my brothers Simeon and Levi killed
all the inhabitants of Shechem? Surely it was because Shechem had humbled our sister,
and transgressed the command of our God to Noah and his children, for Shechem took
our sister away by force, and committed adultery with her.
53 And Shechem did
all this evil and not one of the inhabitants of his city interfered with him, to
say, Why wilt thou do this? surely for this my brothers went and smote the
city, and the Lord
delivered it into their hands, because its inhabitants had transgressed the
commands of our
God. Is it then for naught that they have done all this?
54 And now why art
thou afraid or distressed, and why art thou displeased at my brothers, and
why is thine anger kindled against them?
55 Surely our God
who delivered into their hand the city of Shechem and its people, he will also
deliver into our hands all the Canaanitish kings who are coming against us, and
we will do
unto them as my brothers did unto Shechem.
56 Now be tranquil
about them and cast away thy fears, but trust in the Lord our God, and pray
unto him to assist us and deliver us, and deliver our enemies into our hands.
57 And Judah
called to one of his father's servants, Go now and see where those kings, who are
coming against us, are situated with their armies.
58 And the servant
went and looked far off, and went up opposite Mount Sihon, and saw all the
camps of the kings standing in the fields, and he returned to Judah and said,
Behold the kings
are situated in the field with all their camps, a people exceedingly numerous,
like unto the
sand upon the sea shore.
59 And Judah said
unto Simeon and Levi, and unto all his brothers, Strengthen yourselves and
be sons of valor, for the Lord our God is with us, do not fear them.
60 Stand forth
each man, girt with his weapons of war, his bow and his sword, and we will go and
fight against these uncircumcised men; the Lord is our God, He will save us.
61 And they rose
up, and each girt on his weapons of war, great and small, eleven sons of Jacob,
and all the servants of Jacob with them.
62 And all the
servants of Isaac who were with Isaac in Hebron, all came to them equipped in all
sorts of war instruments, and the sons of Jacob and their servants, being one
hundred and
twelve men, went towards these kings, and Jacob also went with them.
63 And the sons of
Jacob sent unto their father Isaac the son of Abraham to Hebron, the same
is Kireath-arba, saying,
64 Pray we beseech
thee for us unto the Lord our God, to protect us from the hands of the Canaanites
who are coming against us, and to deliver them into our hands.
65 And Isaac the
son of Abraham prayed unto the Lord for his sons, and he said, O Lord God,
thou didst promise my father, saying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of
heaven, and thou
didst also promise me, and establish thou thy word, now that the kings of
Canaan are coming
together, to make war with my children because they committed no violence.
66 Now therefore,
O Lord God, God of the whole earth, pervert, I pray thee, the counsel of these
kings that they may not fight against my sons.
67 And impress the
hearts of these kings and their people with the terror of my sons and bring
down their pride, and that they may turn away from my sons.
68 And with thy
strong hand and outstretched arm deliver my sons and their servants from them,
for power and might are in thy hands to do all this.
69 And the sons of
Jacob and their servants went toward these kings, and they trusted in the Lord
their God, and whilst they were going, Jacob their father also prayed unto the
Lord and said,
O Lord God, powerful and exalted God, who has reigned from days of old, from
thence till
now and forever;
70 Thou art He who
stirreth up wars and causeth them to cease, in thy hand are power and might
to exalt and to bring down; O may my prayer be acceptable before thee that thou mayest
turn to me with thy mercies, to impress the hearts of these kings and their
people with
the terror of my sons, and terrify them and their camps, and with thy great
kindness deliver
all those that trust in thee, for it is thou who canst bring people under us
and reduce nations
under our power.
CHAPTER
35
1 And all the
kings of the Amorites came and took their stand in the field to consult with
their counsellors
what was to be done with the sons of Jacob, for they were still afraid of them, saying,
Behold, two of them slew the whole of the city of Shechem.
2 And the Lord
heard the prayers of Isaac and Jacob, and he filled the hearts of all these kings'
advisers with great fear and terror that they unanimously exclaimed,
3 Are you silly
this day, or is there no understanding in you, that you will fight with the Hebrews,
and why will you take a delight in your own destruction this day?
4 Behold two of
them came to the city of Shechem without fear or terror, and they killed all the
inhabitants of the city, that no man stood up against them, and how will you be
able to fight
with them all?
5 Surely you know
that their God is exceedingly fond of them, and has done mighty things for them,
such as have not been done from days of old, and amongst all the gods of
nations, there
is none can do like unto his mighty deeds.
6 Surely he
delivered their father Abraham, the Hebrew, from the hand of Nimrod, and from the
hand of all his people who had many times sought to slay him.
7 He delivered
him also from the fire in which king Nimrod had cast him, and his God delivered
him from it.
8 And who else
can do the like? surely it was Abraham who slew the five kings of Elam, when
they had touched his brother's son who in those days dwelt in Sodom.
9 And took his
servant that was faithful in his house and a few of his men, and they pursued the
kings of Elam in one night and killed them, and restored to his brother's son
all his property
which they had taken from him.
10 And surely you
know the God of these Hebrews is much delighted with them, and they are
also delighted with him, for they know that he delivered them from all their
enemies.
11 And behold
through his love toward his God, Abraham took his only and precious son and intended
to bring him up as a burnt offering to his God, and had it not been for God who prevented
him from doing this, he would then have done it through his love to his God.
12 And God saw all
his works, and swore unto him, and promised him that he would deliver his
sons and all his seed from every trouble that would befall them, because he had
done this
thing, and through his love to his God stifled his compassion for his child.
13 And have you
not heard what their God did to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to Abimelech king
of Gerar, through taking Abraham's wife, who said of her, She is my sister,
lest they might
slay him on account of her, and think of taking her for a wife? and God did
unto them and
their people all that you heard of.
14 And behold, we
ourselves saw with our eyes that Esau, the brother of Jacob, came to him with
four hundred men, with the intention of slaying him, for he called to mind that
he had taken
away from him his father's blessing.
15 And he went to
meet him when he came from Syria, to smite the mother with the children, and
who delivered him from his hands but his God in whom he trusted? he delivered
him from
the hand of his brother and also from the hands of his enemies, and surely he
again will protect
them.
16 Who does not
know that it was their God who inspired them with strength to do to the town
of Shechem the evil which you heard of?
17 Could it then
be with their own strength that two men could destroy such a large city as Shechem
had it not been for their God in whom they trusted? he said and did unto them
all this
to slay the inhabitants of the city in their city.
18 And can you
then prevail over them who have come forth together from your city to fight with
the whole of them, even if a thousand times as many more should come to your assistance?
19 Surely you know
and understand that you do not come to fight with them, but you come to war
with their God who made choice of them, and you have therefore all come this
day to be destroyed.
20 Now therefore
refrain from this evil which you are endeavoring to bring upon yourselves, and
it will be better for you not to go to battle with them, although they are but
few in numbers,
because their God is with them.
21 And when the
kings of the Amorites heard all the words of their advisers, their hearts were filled
with terror, and they were afraid of the sons of Jacob and would not fight
against them.
22 And they
inclined their ears to the words of their advisers, and they listened to all
their words,
and the words of the counsellors greatly pleased the kings, and they did so.
23 And the kings
turned and refrained from the sons of Jacob, for they durst not approach them
to make war with them, for they were greatly afraid of them, and their hearts
melted within
them from their fear of them.
24 For this
proceeded from the Lord to them, for he heard the prayers of his servants Isaac and
Jacob, for they trusted in him; and all these kings returned with their camps
on that day, each
to his own city, and they did not at that time fight with the sons of Jacob.
25 And the sons of
Jacob kept their station that day till evening opposite mount Sihon, and seeing
that these kings did not come to fight against them, the sons of Jacob returned
home.
CHAPTER
36
1 At that time
the Lord appeared unto Jacob saying, Arise, go to Bethel and remain there, and
make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth unto thee, who delivered thee and
thy sons
from affliction.
2 And Jacob rose
up with his sons and all belonging to him, and they went and came to Bethel
according to the word of the Lord.
3 And Jacob was
ninety-nine years old when he went up to Bethel, and Jacob and his sons and
all the people that were with him, remained in Bethel in Luz, and he there
built an altar to the
Lord who appeared unto him, and Jacob and his sons remained in Bethel six
months.
4 At that time
died Deborah the daughter of Uz, the nurse of Rebecca, who had been with Jacob;
and Jacob buried her beneath Bethel under an oak that was there.
5 And Rebecca the
daughter of Bethuel, the mother of Jacob, also died at that time in Hebron,
the same is Kireath-arba, and she was buried in the cave of Machpelah which Abraham
had bought from the children of Heth.
6 And the life of
Rebecca was one hundred and thirty-three years, and she died and when Jacob
heard that his mother Rebecca was dead he wept bitterly for his mother, and
made a great
mourning for her, and for Deborah her nurse beneath the oak, and he called the
name of
that place Allon-bachuth.
7 And Laban the
Syrian died in those days, for God smote him because he transgressed the covenant
that existed between him and Jacob.
8 And Jacob was a
hundred years old when the Lord appeared unto him, and blessed him and
called his name Israel, and Rachel the wife of Jacob conceived in those days.
9 And at that
time Jacob and all belonging to him journeyed from Bethel to go to his father's house,
to Hebron.
10 And whilst they
were going on the road, and there was yet but a little way to come to Ephrath,
Rachel bare a son and she had hard labor and she died.
11 And Jacob
buried her in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, and he set a pillar upon her
grave, which is there unto this day; and the days of Rachel were forty-five
years and she died.
12 And Jacob
called the name of his son that was born to him, which Rachel bare unto him, Benjamin,
for he was born to him in the land on the right hand.
13 And it was
after the death of Rachel, that Jacob pitched his tent in the tent of her handmaid
Bilhah.
14 And Reuben was
jealous for his mother Leah on account of this, and he was filled with anger,
and he rose up in his anger and went and entered the tent of Bilhah and he
thence removed
his father's bed.
15 At that time
the portion of birthright, together with the kingly and priestly offices, was removed
from the sons of Reuben, for he had profaned his father's bed, and the
birthright was
given unto Joseph, the kingly office to Judah, and the priesthood unto Levi,
because Reuben
had defiled his father's bed.
16 And these are
the generations of Jacob who were born to him in Padan-aram, and the sons
of Jacob were twelve.
17 The sons of
Leah were Reuben the first born, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
and their sister Dinah; and the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
18 The sons of
Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, were Gad and Asher, and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's
handmaid, were Dan and Naphtali; these are the sons of Jacob which were born to him
in Padan-aram.
19 And Jacob and
his sons and all belonging to him journeyed and came to Mamre, which is Kireath-arba,
that is in Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned, and Jacob with his sons
and all belonging to him, dwelt with his father in Hebron.
20 And his brother
Esau and his sons, and all belonging to him went to the land of Seir and dwelt
there, and had possessions in the land of Seir, and the children of Esau were
fruitful and
multiplied exceedingly in the land of Seir.
21 And these are
the generations of Esau that were born to him in the land of Canaan, and the
sons of Esau were five.
22 And Adah bare
to Esau his first born Eliphaz, and she also bare to him Reuel, and Ahlibamah
bare to him Jeush, Yaalam and Korah.
23 These are the
children of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan; and the sons of
Eliphaz the son of Esau were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz and Amalex, and
the sons
of Reuel were Nachath, Zerach, Shamah and Mizzah.
24 And the sons of
Jeush were Timnah, Alvah, Jetheth; and the sons of Yaalam were Alah, Phinor
and Kenaz.
25 And the sons of
Korah were Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Eram; these are the families of the
sons of Esau according to their dukedoms in the land of Seir.
26 And these are
the names of the sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land of Seir, Lotan,
Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishan, Ezer and Dishon, being seven sons.
27 And the
children of Lotan were Hori, Heman and their sister Timna, that is Timna who came
to Jacob and his sons, and they would not give ear to her, and she went and
became a concubine
to Eliphaz the son of Esau, and she bare to him Amalek.
28 And the sons of
Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam, and the sons of Zibeon
were Ajah, and Anah, this was that Anah who found the Yemim in the wilderness when
he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.
29 And whilst he
was feeding his father's asses he led them to the wilderness at different times
to feed them.
30 And there was a
day that he brought them to one of the deserts on the sea shore, opposite
the wilderness of the people, and whilst he was feeding them, behold a very
heavy storm
came from the other side of the sea and rested upon the asses that were feeding there,
and they all stood still.
31 And afterward
about one hundred and twenty great and terrible animals came out from the
wilderness at the other side of the sea, and they all came to the place where
the asses were,
and they placed themselves there.
32 And those
animals, from their middle downward, were in the shape of the children of men, and
from their middle upward, some had the likeness of bears, and some the likeness
of the keephas,
with tails behind them from between their shoulders reaching down to the earth, like
the tails of the ducheephath, and these animals came and mounted and rode upon
these asses,
and led them away, and they went away unto this day.
33 And one of
these animals approached Anah and smote him with his tail, and then fled from
that place.
34 And when he saw
this work he was exceedingly afraid of his life, and he fled and escaped to
the city.
35 And he related
to his sons and brothers all that had happened to him, and many men went
to seek the asses but could not find them, and Anah and his brothers went no
more to that
place from that day following, for they were greatly afraid of their lives.
36 And the
children of Anah the son of Seir, were Dishon and his sister Ahlibamah, and the children
of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Cheran, and the children of Ezer were Bilhan,
Zaavan and Akan, and the children of Dishon were Uz and Aran.
37 These are the
families of the children of Seir the Horite, according to their dukedoms in the
land of Seir.
38 And Esau and
his children dwelt in the land of Seir the Horite, the inhabitant of the land, and
they had possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly, and
Jacob and his
children and all belonging to them, dwelt with their father Isaac in the land
of Canaan, as the
Lord had commanded Abraham their father.
CHAPTER
37
1 And in the one
hundred and fifth year of the life of Jacob, that is the ninth year of Jacob's dwelling
with his children in the land of Canaan, he came from Padan-aram.
2 And in those
days Jacob journeyed with his children from Hebron, and they went and returned
to the city of Shechem, they and all belonging to them, and they dwelt there,
for the children
of Jacob obtained good and fat pasture land for their cattle in the city of
Shechem, the
city of Shechem having then been rebuilt, and there were in it about three
hundred men and
women.
3 And Jacob and
his children and all belonging to him dwelt in the part of the field which Jacob
had bought from Hamor the father of Shechem, when he came from Padan-aram before
Simeon and Levi had smitten the city.
4 And all those
kings of the Canaanites and Amorites that surrounded the city of Shechem, heard
that the sons of Jacob had again come to Shechem and dwelt there.
5 And they said,
Shall the sons of Jacob the Hebrew again come to the city and dwell therein,
after that they have smitten its inhabitants and driven them out? shall they
now return
and also drive out those who are dwelling in the city or slay them?
6 And all the
kings of Canaan again assembled, and they came together to make war with Jacob
and his sons.
7 And Jashub king
of Tapnach sent also to all his neighboring kings, to Elan king of Gaash, and
to Ihuri king of Shiloh, and to Parathon king of Chazar, and to Susi king of
Sarton, and to Laban
king of Bethchoran, and to Shabir king of Othnay-mah, saying,
8 Come up to me
and assist me, and let us smite Jacob the Hebrew and his sons, and all belonging
to him, for they are again come to Shechem to possess it and to slay its inhabitants
as before.
9 And all these
kings assembled together and came with all their camps, a people exceedingly
plentiful like the sand upon the sea shore, and they were all opposite to Tapnach.
10 And Jashub king
of Tapnach went forth to them with all his army, and he encamped with them
opposite to Tapnach without the city, and all these kings they divided into
seven divisions,
being seven camps against the sons of Jacob.
11 And they sent a
declaration to Jacob and his son, saying, Come you all forth to us that we may
have an interview together in the plain, and revenge the cause of the men of
Shechem whom
you slew in their city, and you will now again return to the city of Shechem
and dwell therein,
and slay its inhabitants as before.
12 And the sons of
Jacob heard this and their anger was kindled exceedingly at the words of the
kings of Canaan, and ten of the sons of Jacob hastened and rose up, and each of
them girt
on his weapons of war; and there were one hundred and two of their servants
with them equipped
in battle array.
13 And all these
men, the sons of Jacob with their servants, went toward these kings, and Jacob
their father was with them, and they all stood upon the heap of Shechem.
14 And Jacob
prayed to the Lord for his sons, and he spread forth his hands to the Lord, and he
said, O God, thou art an Almighty God, thou art our father, thou didst form us
and we are the
works of thine hands; I pray thee deliver my sons through thy mercy from the
hand of their
enemies, who are this day coming to fight with them and save them from their
hand, for in
thy hand is power and might, to save the few from the many.
15 And give unto
my sons, thy servants, strength of heart and might to fight with their enemies,
to subdue them, and make their enemies fall before them, and let not my sons
and their
servants die through the hands of the children of Canaan.
16 But if it
seemeth good in thine eyes to take away the lives of my sons and their
servants, take
them in thy great mercy through the hands of thy ministers, that they may not
perish this day
by the hands of the kings of the Amorites.
17 And when Jacob
ceased praying to the Lord the earth shook from its place, and the sun darkened,
and all these kings were terrified and a great consternation seized them.
18 And the Lord
hearkened to the prayer of Jacob, and the Lord impressed the hearts of all the
kings and their hosts with the terror and awe of the sons of Jacob.
19 For the Lord
caused them to hear the voice of chariots, and the voice of mighty horses from
the sons of Jacob, and the voice of a great army accompanying them.
20 And these kings
were seized with great terror at the sons of Jacob, and whilst they were standing
in their quarters, behold the sons of Jacob advanced upon them, with one
hundred and
twelve men, with a great and tremendous shouting.
21 And when the
kings saw the sons of Jacob advancing toward them, they were still more panic
struck, and they were inclined to retreat from before the sons of Jacob as at
first, and not
to fight with them.
22 But they did
not retreat, saying, It would be a disgrace to us thus twice to retreat from before
the Hebrews.
23 And the sons of
Jacob came near and advanced against all these kings and their armies, and
they saw, and behold it was a very mighty people, numerous as the sand of the
sea.
24 And the sons of
Jacob called unto the Lord and said, Help us O Lord, help us and answer us,
for we trust in thee, and let us not die by the hands of these uncircumcised
men, who this day
have come against us.
25 And the sons of
Jacob girt on their weapons of war, and they took in their hands each man
his shield and his javelin, and they approached to battle.
26 And Judah, the
son of Jacob, ran first before his brethren, and ten of his servants with him,
and he went toward these kings.
27 And Jashub,
king of Tapnach, also came forth first with his army before Judah, and Judah saw
Jashub and his army coming toward him, and Judah's wrath was kindled, and his
anger burned
within him, and he approached to battle in which Judah ventured his life.
28 And Jashub and
all his army were advancing toward Judah, and he was riding upon a very
strong and powerful horse, and Jashub was a very valiant man, and covered with
iron and
brass from head to foot.
29 And whilst he
was upon the horse, he shot arrows with both hands from before and behind,
as was his manner in all his battles, and he never missed the place to which he aimed
his arrows.
30 And when Jashub
came to fight with Judah, and was darting many arrows against Judah, the
Lord bound the hand of Jashub, and all the arrows that he shot rebounded upon
his own men.
31 And
notwithstanding this, Jashub kept advancing toward Judah, to challenge him with
the arrows,
but the distance between them was about thirty cubits, and when Judah saw
Jashub darting
forth his arrows against him, he ran to him with his wrath-excited might.
32 And Judah took
up a large stone from the ground, and its weight was sixty shekels, and Judah
ran toward Jashub, and with the stone struck him on his shield, that Jashub was stunned
with the blow, and fell off from his horse to the ground.
33 And the shield
burst asunder out of the hand of Jashub, and through the force of the blow sprang
to the distance of about fifteen cubits, and the shield fell before the second
camp.
34 And the kings
that came with Jashub saw at a distance the strength of Judah, the son of Jacob,
and what he had done to Jashub, and they were terribly afraid of Judah.
35 And they
assembled near Jashub's camp, seeing his confusion, and Judah drew his sword
and smote forty-two men of the camp of Jashub, and the whole of Jashub's cam p
fled before
Judah, and no man stood against him, and they left Jashub and fled from him,
and Jashub
was still prostrate upon the ground.
36 And Jashub
seeing that all the men of his camp had fled from him, hastened and rose up with
terror against Judah, and stood upon his legs opposite Judah.
37 And Jashub had
a single combat with Judah, placing shield toward shield, and Jashub's men
all fled, for they were greatly afraid of Judah.
38 And Jashub took
his spear in his hand to strike Judah upon his head, but Judah had quickly
placed his shield to his head against Jashub's spear, so that the shield of
Judah received
the blow from Jashub's spear, and the shield was split in too.
39 And when Judah
saw that his shield was split, he hastily drew his sword and smote Jashub
at his ankles, and cut off his feet that Jashub fell upon the ground, and the
spear fell from
his hand.
40 And Judah
hastily picked up Jashub's spear, with which he severed his head and cast it next
to his feet.
41 And when the
sons of Jacob saw what Judah had done to Jashub, they all ran into the ranks
of the other kings, and the sons of Jacob fought with the army of Jashub, and
the armies
of all the kings that were there.
42 And the sons of
Jacob caused fifteen thousand of their men to fall, and they smote them as
if smiting at gourds, and the rest fled for their lives.
43 And Judah was
still standing by the body of Jashub, and stripped Jashub of his coat of mail.
44 And Judah also
took off the iron and brass that was about Jashub, and behold nine men of
the captains of Jashub came along to fight against Judah.
45 And Judah
hastened and took up a stone from the ground, and with it smote one of them upon
the head, and his skull was fractured, and the body also fell from the horse to
the ground.
46 And the eight
captains that remained, seeing the strength of Judah, were greatly afraid and
they fled, and Judah with his ten men pursued them, and they overtook them and
slew them.
47 And the sons of
Jacob were still smiting the armies of the kings, and they slew many of them,
but those kings daringly kept their stand with their captains, and did not
retreat from their
places, and they exclaimed against those of their armies that fled from before
the sons of
Jacob, but none would listen to them, for they were afraid of their lives lest
they should die.
48 And all the
sons of Jacob, after having smitten the armies of the kings, returned and came before
Judah, and Judah was still slaying the eight captains of Jashub, and stripping
off their garments.
49 And Levi saw
Elon, king of Gaash, advancing toward him, with his fourteen captains to smite
him, but Levi did not know it for certain.
50 And Elon with
his captains approached nearer, and Levi looked back and saw that battle was
given him in the rear, and Levi ran with twelve of his servants, and they went
and slew Elon
and his captains with the edge of the sword.
CHAPTER
38
1 And Ihuri king
of Shiloh came up to assist Elon, and he approached Jacob, when Jacob drew
his bow that was in his hand and with an arrow struck Ihuri which caused his
death.
2 And when Ihuri
king of Shiloh was dead, the four remaining kings fled from their station with
the rest of the captains, and they endeavored to retreat, saying, We have no
more strength
with the Hebrews after their having killed the three kings and their captains
who were
more powerful than we are.
3 And when the
sons of Jacob saw that the remaining kings had removed from their station, they
pursued them, and Jacob also came from the heap of Shechem from the place where he
was standing, and they went after the kings and they approached them with their servants.
4 And the kings
and the captains with the rest of their armies, seeing that the sons of Jacob approached
them, were afraid of their lives and fled till they reached the city of Chazar.
5 And the sons of
Jacob pursued them to the gate of the city of Chazar, and they smote a great
smiting amongst the kings and their armies, about four thousand men, and whilst
they were
smiting the army of the kings, Jacob was occupied with his bow confining
himself to smiting
the kings, and he slew them all.
6 And he slew
Parathon king of Chazar at the gate of the city of Chazar, and he afterward smote
Susi king of Sarton, and Laban king of Bethchorin, and Shabir king of
Machnaymah, and
he slew them all with arrows, an arrow to each of them, and they died.
7 And the sons of
Jacob seeing that all the kings were dead and that they were broken up and
retreating, continued to carry on the battle with the armies of the kings
opposite the gate of
Chazar, and they still smote about four hundred of their men.
8 And three men
of the servants of Jacob fell in that battle, and when Judah saw that three of his
servants had died, it grieved him greatly, and his anger burned within him
against the Amorites.
9 And all the men
that remained of the armies of the kings were greatly afraid of their lives, and
they ran and broke the gate of the walls of the city of Chazar, and they all
entered the city
for safety.
10 And they
concealed themselves in the midst of the city of Chazar, for the city of Chazar was
very large and extensive, and when all these armies had entered the city, the
sons of Jacob
ran after them to the city.
11 And four mighty
men, experienced in battle, went forth from the city and stood against the entrance
of the city, with drawn swords and spears in their hands, and they placed themselves
opposite the sons of Jacob, and would not suffer them to enter the city.
12 And Naphtali
ran and came between them and with his sword smote two of them, and cut off
their heads at one stroke.
13 And he turned
to the other two, and behold they had fled, and he pursued them, overtook them,
smote them and slew them.
14 And the sons of
Jacob came to the city and saw, and behold there was another wall to the city,
and they sought for the gate of the wall and could not find it, and Judah
sprang upon the top
of the wall, and Simeon and Levi followed him, and they all three descended
from the wall
into the city.
15 And Simeon and
Levi slew all the men who ran for safety into the city, and also the inhabitants
of the city with their wives and little ones, they slew with the edge of the
sword, and
the cries of the city ascended up to heaven.
16 And Dan and
Naphtali sprang upon the wall to see what caused the noise of lamentation, for
the sons of Jacob felt anxious about their brothers, and they heard the
inhabitants of the city
speaking with weeping and supplications, saying, Take all that we possess in
the city and
go away, only do not put us to death.
17 And when Judah,
Simeon, and Levi had ceased smiting the inhabitants of the city, they ascended
the wall and called to Dan and Naphtali, who were upon the wall, and to the
rest of their
brothers, and Simeon and Levi informed them of the entrance into the city, and
all the sons
of Jacob came to fetch the spoil.
18 And the sons of
Jacob took the spoil of the city of Chazar, the flocks and herds, and the property,
and they took all that could be captured, and went away that day from the city.
19 And on the next
day the sons of Jacob went to Sarton, for they heard that the men of Sarton
who had remained in the city were assembling to fight with them for having
slain their king,
and Sarton was a very high and fortified city, and it had a deep rampart
surrounding the city.
20 And the pillar
of the rampart was about fifty cubits and its breadth forty cubits, and there was
no place for a man to enter the city on account of the rampart, and the sons of
Jacob saw
the rampart of the city, and they sought an entrance in it but could not find
it.
21 For the
entrance to the city was at the rear, and every man that wished to come into
the city
came by that road and went around the whole city, and he afterwards entered the
city.
22 And the sons of
Jacob seeing they could not find the way into the city, their anger was kindled
greatly, and the inhabitants of the city seeing that the sons of Jacob were
coming to them
were greatly afraid of them, for they had heard of their strength and what they
had done to
Chazar.
23 And the
inhabitants of the city of Sarton could not go out toward the sons of Jacob
after having
assembled in the city to fight against them, lest they might thereby get into
the city, but
when they saw that they were coming toward them, they were greatly afraid of
them, for they
had heard of their strength and what they had done to Chazar.
24 So the
inhabitants of Sarton speedily took away the bridge of the road of the city,
from its place,
before the sons of Jacob came, and they brought it into the city.
25 And the sons of
Jacob came and sought the way into the city, and could not find it and the inhabitants
of the city went up to the top of the wall, and saw, and behold the sons of
Jacob were
seeking an entrance into the city.
26 And the
inhabitants of the city reproached the sons of Jacob from the top of the wall,
and they
cursed them, and the sons of Jacob heard the reproaches, and they were greatly incensed,
and their anger burned within them.
27 And the sons of
Jacob were provoked at them, and they all rose and sprang over the rampart
with the force of their strength, and through their might passed the forty
cubits' breadth
of the rampart.
28 And when they
had passed the rampart they stood under the wall of the city, and they found
all the gates of the city enclosed with iron doors.
29 And the sons of
Jacob came near to break open the doors of the gates of the city, and the inhabitants
did not let them, for from the top of the wall they were casting stones and
arrows upon
them.
30 And the number
of the people that were upon the wall was about four hundred men, and when
the sons of Jacob saw that the men of the city would not let them open the
gates of the city,
they sprang and ascended the top of the wall, and Judah went up first to the
east part of the
city.
31 And Gad and
Asher went up after him to the west corner of the city, and Simeon and Levi to
the north, and Dan and Reuben to the south.
32 And the men who
were on the top of the wall, the inhabitants of the city, seeing that the sons
of Jacob were coming up to them, they all fled from the wall, descended into
the city, and
concealed themselves in the midst of the city.
33 And Issachar
and Naphtali that remained under the wall approached and broke the gates of
the city, and kindled a fire at the gates of the city, that the iron melted,
and all the sons of Jacob
came into the city, they and all their men, and they fought with the
inhabitants of the city
of Sarton, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and no man stood up
before them.
34 And about two
hundred men fled from the city, and they all went and hid themselves in a certain
tower in the city, and Judah pursued them to the tower and he broke down the
tower, which
fell upon the men, and they all died.
35 And the sons of
Jacob went up the road of the roof of that tower, and they saw, and behold
there was another strong and high tower at a distance in the city, and the top
of it reached
to heaven, and the sons of Jacob hastened and descended, and went with all
their men
to that tower, and found it filled with about three hundred men, women and
little ones.
36 And the sons of
Jacob smote a great smiting amongst those men in the tower and they ran
away and fled from them.
37 And Simeon and
Levi pursued them, when twelve mighty and valiant men came out to them
from the place where they had concealed themselves.
38 And those
twelve men maintained a strong battle against Simeon and Levi, and Simeon and
Levi could not prevail over them, and those valiant men broke the shields of
Simeon and Levi,
and one of them struck at Levi's head with his sword, when Levi hastily placed
his hand to
his head, for he was afraid of the sword, and the sword struck Levi's hand, and
it wanted but
little to the hand of Levi being cut off.
39 And Levi seized
the sword of the valiant man in his hand, and took it forcibly from the man,
and with it he struck at the head of the powerful man, and he severed his head.
40 And eleven men
approached to fight with Levi, for they saw that one of them was killed, and
the sons of Jacob fought, but the sons of Jacob could not prevail over them,
for those men
were very powerful.
41 And the sons of
Jacob seeing that they could not prevail over them, Simeon gave a loud and
tremendous shriek, and the eleven powerful men were stunned at the voice of
Simeon's shrieking.
42 And Judah at a
distance knew the voice of Simeon's shouting, and Naphtali and Judah ran
with their shields to Simeon and Levi, and found them fighting with those
powerful men, unable
to prevail over them as their shields were broken.
43 And Naphtali
saw that the shields of Simeon and Levi were broken, and he took two shields
from his servants and brought them to Simeon and Levi.
44 And Simeon,
Levi and Judah on that day fought all three against the eleven mighty men until
the time of sunset, but they could not prevail over them.
45 And this was
told unto Jacob, and he was sorely grieved, and he prayed unto the Lord, and
he and Naphtali his son went against these mighty men.
46 And Jacob
approached and drew his bow, and came nigh unto the mighty men, and slew three
of their men with the bow, and the remaining eight turned back, and behold, the
war waged
against them in the front and rear, and they were greatly afraid of their
lives, and could
not stand before the sons of Jacob, and they fled from before them.
47 And in their
flight they met Dan and Asher coming toward them, and they suddenly fell upon
them, and fought with them, and slew two of them, and Judah and his brothers
pursued them,
and smote the remainder of them, and slew them.
48 And all the
sons of Jacob returned and walked about the city, searching if they could find any
men, and they found about twenty young men in a cave in the city, and Gad and
Asher smote
them all, and Dan and Naphtali lighted upon the rest of the men who had fled
and escaped
from the second tower, and they smote them all.
49 And the sons of
Jacob smote all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton, but the women and little
ones they left in the city and did not slay them.
50 And all the
inhabitants of the city of Sarton were powerful men, one of them would pursue a
thousand, and two of them would not flee from ten thousand of the rest of men.
51 And the sons of
Jacob slew all the inhabitants of the city of Sarton with the edge of the sword,
that no man stood up against them, and they left the women in the city.
52 And the sons of
Jacob took all the spoil of the city, and captured what they desired, and they
took flocks and herds and property from the city, and the sons of Jacob did
unto Sarton and
its inhabitants as they had done to Chazar and its inhabitants, and they turned
and went away.
CHAPTER
39
1 And when the
sons of Jacob went from the city of Sarton, they had gone about two hundred
cubits when they met the inhabitants of Tapnach coming toward them, for they
went out
to fight with them, because they had smitten the king of Tapnach and all his
men.
2 So all that
remained in the city of Tapnach came out to fight with the sons of Jacob, and they
thought to retake from them the booty and the spoil which they had captured
from Chazar
and Sarton.
3 And the rest of
the men of Tapnach fought with the sons of Jacob in that place, and the sons
of Jacob smote them, and they fled before them, and they pursued them to the
city of Arbelan,
and they all fell before the sons of Jacob.
4 And the sons of
Jacob returned and came to Tapnach, to take away the spoil of Tapnach, and
when they came to Tapnach they heard that the people of Arbelan had gone out to
meet them
to save the spoil of their brethren, and the sons of Jacob left ten of their
men in Tapnach
to plunder the city, and they went out toward the people of Arbelan.
5 And the men of
Arbelan went out with their wives to fight with the sons of Jacob, for their wives
were experienced in battle, and they went out, about four hundred men and
women.
6 And all the
sons of Jacob shouted with a loud voice, and they all ran toward the
inhabitants of
Arbelan, and with a great and tremendous voice.
7 And the
inhabitants of Arbelan heard the noise of the shouting of the sons of Jacob,
and their
roaring like the noise of lions and like the roaring of the sea and its waves.
8 And fear and
terror possessed their hearts on account of the sons of Jacob, and they were terribly
afraid of them, and they retreated and fled before them into the city, and the
sons of Jacob
pursued them to the gate of the city, and they came upon them in the city.
9 And the sons of
Jacob fought with them in the city, and all their women were engaged in slinging
against the sons of Jacob, and the combat was very severe amongst them the
whole of
that day till evening.
10 And the sons of
Jacob could not prevail over them, and the sons of Jacob had almost perished
in that battle, and the sons of Jacob cried unto the Lord and greatly gained
strength toward
evening, and the sons of Jacob smote all the inhabitants of Arbelan by the edge
of the
sword, men, women and little ones.
11 And also the
remainder of the people who had fled from Sarton, the sons of Jacob smote them
in Arbelan, and the sons of Jacob did unto Arbelan and Tapnach as they had done
to Chazar
and Sarton, and when the women saw that all the men were dead, they went upon the
roofs of the city and smote the sons of Jacob by showering down stones like
rain.
12 And the sons of
Jacob hastened and came into the city and seized all the women and smote
them with the edge of the sword, and the sons of Jacob captured all the spoil
and booty,
flocks and herds and cattle.
13 And the sons of
Jacob did unto Machnaymah as they had done to Tapnach, to Chazar and
to Shiloh, and they turned from there and went away.
14 And on the
fifth day the sons of Jacob heard that the people of Gaash had gathered against
them to battle, because they had slain their king and their captains, for there
had been
fourteen captains in the city of Gaash, and the sons of Jacob had slain them
all in the first
battle.
15 And the sons of
Jacob that day girt on their weapons of war, and they marched to battle against
the inhabitants of Gaash, and in Gaash there was a strong and mighty people of
the people
of the Amorites, and Gaash was the strongest and best fortified city of all the
cities of the
Amorites, and it had three walls.
16 And the sons of
Jacob came to Gaash and they found the gates of the city locked, and about
five hundred men standing at the top of the outer-most wall, and a people
numerous as
the sand upon the sea shore were in ambush for the sons of Jacob from without
the city at the
rear thereof.
17 And the sons of
Jacob approached to open the gates of the city, and whilst they were drawing
nigh, behold those who were in ambush at the rear of the city came forth from
their places
and surrounded the sons of Jacob.
18 And the sons of
Jacob were enclosed between the people of Gaash, and the battle was both
to their front and rear, and all the men that were upon the wall, were casting
from the wall
upon them, arrows and stones.
19 And Judah,
seeing that the men of Gaash were getting too heavy for them, gave a most piercing
and tremendous shriek and all the men of Gaash were terrified at the voice of Judah's
cry, and men fell from the wall at his powerful shriek, and all those that were
from without
and within the city were greatly afraid of their lives.
20 And the sons of
Jacob still came nigh to break the doors of the city, when the men of Gaash
threw stones and arrows upon them from the top of the wall, and made them flee
from the
gate.
21 And the sons of
Jacob returned against the men of Gaash who were with them from without
the city, and they smote them terribly, as striking against gourds, and they
could not stand
against the sons of Jacob, for fright and terror had seized them at the shriek
of Judah.
22 And the sons of
Jacob slew all those men who were without the city, and the sons of Jacob
still drew nigh to effect an entrance into the city, and to fight under the
city walls, but they
could not for all the inhabitants of Gaash who remained in the city had
surrounded the walls
of Gaash in every direction, so that the sons of Jacob were unable to approach
the city to
fight with them.
23 And the sons of
Jacob came nigh to one corner to fight under the wall, the inhabitants of Gaash
threw arrows and stones upon them like showers of rain, and they fled from under
the wall.
24 And the people
of Gaash who were upon the wall, seeing that the sons of Jacob could not prevail
over them from under the wall, reproached the sons of Jacob in these words,
saying,
25 What is the
matter with you in the battle that you cannot prevail? can you then do unto the mighty
city of Gaash and its inhabitants as you did to the cities of the Amorites that
were not so
powerful? Surely to those weak ones amongst us you did those things, and slew
them in the
entrance of the city, for they had no strength when they were terrified at the
sound of your
shouting.
26 And will you
now then be able to fight in this place? Surely here you will all die, and we will
avenge the cause of those cities that you have laid waste.
27 And the
inhabitants of Gaash greatly reproached the sons of Jacob and reviled them with their
gods, and continued to cast arrows and stones upon them from the wall.
28 And Judah and
his brothers heard the words of the inhabitants of Gaash and their anger was
greatly roused, and Judah was jealous of his God in this matter, and he called
out and said,
O Lord, help, send help to us and our brothers.
29 And he ran at a
distance with all his might, with his drawn sword in his hand, and he sprang
from the earth and by dint of his strength, mounted the wall, and his sword
fell from his
hand.
30 And Judah
shouted upon the wall, and all the men that were upon the wall were terrified, and
some of them fell from the wall into the city and died, and those who were yet
upon the wall,
when they saw Judah's strength, they were greatly afraid and fled for their
lives into the city
for safety.
31 And some were
emboldened to fight with Judah upon the wall, and they came nigh to slay him
when they saw there was no sword in Judah's hand, and they thought of casting
him from
the wall to his brothers, and twenty men of the city came up to assist them,
and they surrounded
Judah and they all shouted over him, and approached him with drawn swords, and
they terrified Judah, and Judah cried out to his brothers from the wall.
32 And Jacob and
his sons drew the bow from under the wall, and smote three of the men that
were upon the top of the wall, and Judah continued to cry and he exclaimed, O
Lord help us,
O Lord deliver us, and he cried out with a loud voice upon the wall, and the
cry was heard at
a great distance.
33 And after this
cry he again repeated to shout, and all the men who surrounded Judah on the
top of the wall were terrified, and they each threw his sword from his hand at
the sound of Judah's
shouting and his tremor, and fled.
34 And Judah took
the swords which had fallen from their hands, and Judah fought with them
and slew twenty of their men upon the wall.
35 And about
eighty men and women still ascended the wall from the city and they all surrounded
Judah, and the Lord impressed the fear of Judah in their hearts, that they were unable
to approach him.
36 And Jacob and
all who were with him drew the bow from under the wall, and they slew ten men
upon the wall, and they fell below the wall, before Jacob and his sons.
37 And the people
upon the wall seeing that twenty of their men had fallen, they still ran toward
Judah with drawn swords, but they could not approach him for they were greatly terrified
at Judah's strength.
38 And one of
their mighty men whose name was Arud approached to strike Judah upon the head
with his sword, when Judah hastily put his shield to his head, and the sword
hit the shield,
and it was split in two.
39 And this mighty
man after he had struck Judah ran for his life, at the fear of Judah, and his
feet slipped upon the wall and he fell amongst the sons of Jacob who were below
the wall,
and the sons of Jacob smote him and slew him.
40 And Judah's
head pained him from the blow of the powerful man, and Judah had nearly died
from it.
41 And Judah cried
out upon the wall owing to the pain produced by the blow, when Dan heard
him, and his anger burned within him, and he also rose up and went at a
distance and ran
and sprang from the earth and mounted the wall with his wrath-excited strength.
42 And when Dan
came upon the wall near unto Judah all the men upon the wall fled, who had
stood against Judah, and they went up to the second wall, and they threw arrows
and stones
upon Dan and Judah from the second wall, and endeavored to drive them from the wall.
43 And the arrows
and stones struck Dan and Judah, and they had nearly been killed upon the
wall, and wherever Dan and Judah fled from the wall, they were attacked with
arrows and stones
from the second wall.
44 And Jacob and
his sons were still at the entrance of the city below the first wall, and they were
not able to draw their bow against the inhabitants of the city, as they could
not be seen by
them, being upon the second wall.
45 And Dan and
Judah when they could no longer bear the stones and arrows that fell upon them
from the second wall, they both sprang upon the second wall near the people of
the city,
and when the people of the city who were upon the second wall saw that Dan and
Judah had
come to them upon the second wall, they all cried out and descended below
between the
walls.
46 And Jacob and
his sons heard the noise of the shouting from the people of the city, and they
were still at the entrance of the city, and they were anxious about Dan and
Judah who were
not seen by them, they being upon the second wall.
47 And Naphtali
went up with his wrath-excited might and sprang upon the first wall to see what
caused the noise of shouting which they had heard in the city, and Issachar and Zebulun
drew nigh to break the doors of the city, and they opened the gates of the city
and came
into the city.
48 And Naphtali
leaped from the first wall to the second, and came to assist his brothers, and the
inhabitants of Gaash who were upon the wall, seeing that Naphtali was the third
who had come
up to assist his brothers, they all fled and descended into the city, and Jacob
and all his
sons and all their young men came into the city to them.
49 And Judah and
Dan and Naphtali descended from the wall into the city and pursued the inhabitants
of the city, and Simeon and Levi were from without the city and knew not that
the gate
was opened, and they went up from there to the wall and came down to their
brothers into
the city.
50 And the
inhabitants of the city had all descended into the city, and the sons of Jacob came
to them in different directions, and the battle waged against them from the
front and the
rear, and the sons of Jacob smote them terribly, and slew about twenty thousand
of them men
and women, not one of them could stand up against the sons of Jacob.
51 And the blood
flowed plentifully in the city, and it was like a brook of water, and the blood flowed
like a brook to the outer part of the city, and reached the desert of
Bethchorin.
52 And the people
of Bethchorin saw at a distance the blood flowing from the city of Gaash, and
about seventy men from amongst them ran to see the blood, and they came to the
place where
the blood was.
53 And they
followed the track of the blood and came to the wall of the city of Gaash, and they
saw the blood issue from the city, and they heard the voice of crying from the inhabitants
of Gaash, for it ascended unto heaven, and the blood was continuing to flow abundantly
like a brook of water.
54 And all the
sons of Jacob were still smiting the inhabitants of Gaash, and were engaged in slaying
them till evening, about twenty thousand men and women, and the people of
Chorin said,
Surely this is the work of the Hebrews, for they are still carrying on war in
all the cities of
the Amorites.
55 And those
people hastened and ran to Bethchorin, and each took his weapons of war, and
they cried out to all the inhabitants of Bethchorin, who also girt on their
weapons of war to
go and fight with the sons of Jacob.
56 And when the
sons of Jacob had done smiting the inhabitants of Gaash, they walked about
the city to strip all the slain, and coming in the innermost part of the city
and farther on they
met three very powerful men, and there was no sword in their hand.
57 And the sons of
Jacob came up to the place where they were, and the powerful men ran away,
and one of them had taken Zebulun, who he saw was a young lad and of short
stature, and
with his might dashed him to the ground.
58 And Jacob ran
to him with his sword and Jacob smote him below his loins with the sword, and
cut him in two, and the body fell upon Zebulun.
59 And the second
one approached and seized Jacob to fell him to the ground, and Jacob turned
to him and shouted to him, whilst Simeon and Levi ran and smote him on the hips
with the
sword and felled him to the ground.
60 And the
powerful man rose up from the ground with wrath-excited might, and Judah came to
him before he had gained his footing, and struck him upon the head with the
sword, and his
head was split and he died.
61 And the third
powerful man, seeing that his companions were killed, ran from before the sons
of Jacob, and the sons of Jacob pursued him in the city; and whilst the
powerful man was
fleeing he found one of the swords of the inhabitants of the city, and he
picked it up and turned
to the sons of Jacob and fought them with that sword.
62 And the
powerful man ran to Judah to strike him upon the head with the sword, and there was
no shield in the hand of Judah; and whilst he was aiming to strike him,
Naphtali hastily took
his shield and put it to Judah's head, and the sword of the powerful man hit
the shield of Naphtali
and Judah escaped the sword.
63 And Simeon and
Levi ran upon the powerful man with their swords and struck at him forcibly
with their swords, and the two swords entered the body of the powerful man and divided
it in two, length-wise.
64 And the sons of
Jacob smote the three mighty men at that time, together with all the inhabitants
of Gaash, and the day was about to decline.
65 And the sons of
Jacob walked about Gaash and took all the spoil of the city, even the little ones
and women they did not suffer to live, and the sons of Jacob did unto Gaash as
they had
done to Sarton and Shiloh.
CHAPTER
40
1 And the sons of
Jacob led away all the spoil of Gaash, and went out of the city by night.
2 They were going
out marching toward the castle of Bethchorin, and the inhabitants of Bethchorin
were going to the castle to meet them, and on that night the sons of Jacob
fought with
the inhabitants of Bethchorin, in the castle of Bethchorin.
3 And all the
inhabitants of Bethchorin were mighty men, one of them would not flee from before
a thousand men, and they fought on that night upon the castle, and their shouts
were heard
on that night from afar, and the earth quaked at their shouting.
4 And all the
sons of Jacob were afraid of those men, as they were not accustomed to fight in the
dark, and they were greatly confounded, and the sons of Jacob cried unto the
Lord, saying,
Give help to us O Lord, deliver us that we may not die by the hands of these uncircumcised
men.
5 And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of the sons of Jacob, and the Lord caused great terror and
confusion to seize the people of Bethchorin, and they fought amongst themselves
the one
with the other in the darkness of night, and smote each other in great numbers.
6 And the sons of
Jacob, knowing that the Lord had brought a spirit of perverseness amongst those
men, and that they fought each man with his neighbor, went forth from among the bands
of the people of Bethchorin and went as far as the descent of the castle of
Bethchorin, and
farther, and they tarried there securely with their young men on that night.
7 And the people
of Bethchorin fought the whole night, one man with his brother, and the other
with his neighbor, and they cried out in every direction upon the castle, and
their cry was
heard at a distance, and the whole earth shook at their voice, for they were
powerful above
all the people of the earth.
8 And all the
inhabitants of the cities of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the
Hivites and
all the kings of Canaan, and also those who were on the other side of the
Jordan, heard the
noise of the shouting on that night.
9 And they said,
Surely these are the battles of the Hebrews who are fighting against the seven
cities, who came nigh unto them; and who can stand against those Hebrews?
10 And all the
inhabitants of the cities of the Canaanites, and all those who were on the
other side
of the Jordan, were greatly afraid of the sons of Jacob, for they said, Behold
the same will
be done to us as was done to those cities, for who can stand against their
mighty strength?
11 And the cries
of the Chorinites were very great on that night, and continued to increase; and
they smote each other till morning, and numbers of them were killed.
12 And the morning
appeared, and all the sons of Jacob rose up at daybreak and went up to the
castle, and they smote those who remained of the Chorinites in a terrible
manner, and they
were all killed in the castle.
13 And the sixth
day appeared, and all the inhabitants of Canaan saw at a distance all the people
of Bethchorin lying dead in the castle of Bethchorin, and strewed about as the carcasses
of lambs and goats.
14 And the sons of
Jacob led all the spoil which they had captured from Gaash and went to Bethchorin,
and they found the city full of people like the sand of the sea, and they
fought with
them, and the sons of Jacob smote them there till evening time.
15 And the sons of
Jacob did unto Bethchorin as they had done to Gaash and Tapnach, and as
they had done to Chazar, to Sarton and to Shiloh.
16 And the sons of
Jacob took with them the spoil of Bethchorin and all the spoil of the cities, and
on that day they went home to Shechem.
17 And the sons of
Jacob came home to the city of Shechem, and they remained without the city,
and they then rested there from the war, and tarried there all night.
18 And all their
servants together with all the spoil that they had taken from the cities, they left
without the city, and they did not enter the city, for they said, Peradventure
there may be yet
more fighting against us, and they may come to besiege us in Shechem.
19 And Jacob and
his sons and their servants remained on that night and the next day in the portion
of the field which Jacob had purchased from Hamor for five shekels, and all
that they had
captured was with them.
20 And all the
booty which the sons of Jacob had captured, was in the portion of the field, immense
as the sand upon the sea shore.
21 And the
inhabitants of the land observed them from afar, and all the inhabitants of the land
were afraid of the sons of Jacob who had done this thing, for no king from the
days of old
had ever done the like.
22 And the seven
kings of the Canaanites resolved to make peace with the sons of Jacob, for
they were greatly afraid of their lives, on account of the sons of Jacob.
23 And on that
day, being the seventh day, Japhia king of Hebron sent secretly to the king of Ai,
and to the king of Gibeon, and to the king of Shalem, and to the king of Adulam,
and to the
king of Lachish, and to the king of Chazar, and to all the Canaanitish kings
who were under
their subjection, saying,
24 Go up with me,
and come to me that we may go to the sons of Jacob, and I will make peace
with them, and form a treaty with them, lest all your lands be destroyed by the
swords of
the sons of Jacob, as they did to Shechem and the cities around it, as you have
heard and seen.
25 And when you
come to me, do not come with many men, but let every king bring his three head
captains, and every captain bring three of his officers.
26 And come all of
you to Hebron, and we will go together to the sons of Jacob, and supplicate
them that they shall form a treaty of peace with us.
27 And all those
kings did as the king of Hebron had sent to them, for they were all under his counsel
and command, and all the kings of Canaan assembled to go to the sons of Jacob,
to make
peace with them; and the sons of Jacob returned and went to the portion of the
field that
was in Shechem, for they did not put confidence in the kings of the land.
28 And the sons of
Jacob returned and remained in the portion of the field ten days, and no one
came to make war with them.
29 And when the
sons of Jacob saw that there was no appearance of war, they all assembled
and went to the city of Shechem, and the sons of Jacob remained in Shechem.
30 And at the
expiration of forty days, all the kings of the Amorites assembled from all
their places
and came to Hebron, to Japhia, king of Hebron.
31 And the number
of kings that came to Hebron, to make peace with the sons of Jacob, was twenty-one
kings, and the number of captains that came with them was sixty-nine, and their men
were one hundred and eighty-nine, and all these kings and their men rested by
Mount Hebron.
32 And the king of
Hebron went out with his three captains and nine men, and these kings resolved
to go to the sons of Jacob to make peace.
33 And they said
unto the king of Hebron, Go thou before us with thy men, and speak for us unto
the sons of Jacob, and we will come after thee and confirm thy words, and the
king of Hebron
did so.
34 And the sons of
Jacob heard that all the kings of Canaan had gathered together and rested
in Hebron, and the sons of Jacob sent four of their servants as spies, saying,
Go and spy
these kings, and search and examine their men whether they are few or many, and
if they
are but few in number, number them all and come back.
35 And the
servants of Jacob went secretly to these kings, and did as the sons of Jacob
had commanded
them, and on that day they came back to the sons of Jacob, and said unto them,
We came unto those kings, and they are but few in number, and we numbered them all,
and behold, they were two hundred and eighty-eight, kings and men.
36 And the sons of
Jacob said, They are but few in number, therefore we will not all go out to them;
and in the morning the sons of Jacob rose up and chose sixty two of their men,
and ten
of the sons of Jacob went with them; and they girt on their weapons of war, for
they said, They
are coming to make war with us, for they knew not that they were coming to make peace
with them.
37 And the sons of
Jacob went with their servants to the gate of Shechem, toward those kings,
and their father Jacob was with them.
38 And when they
had come forth, behold, the king of Hebron and his three captains and nine
men with him were coming along the road against the sons of Jacob, and the sons
of Jacob
lifted up their eyes, and saw at a distance Japhia, king of Hebron, with his
captains, coming
toward them, and the sons of Jacob took their stand at the place of the gate of Shechem,
and did not proceed.
39 And the king of
Hebron continued to advance, he and his captains, until he came nigh to the
sons of Jacob, and he and his captains bowed down to them to the ground, and
the king of
Hebron sat with his captains before Jacob and his sons.
40 And the sons of
Jacob said unto him, What has befallen thee, O king of Hebron? why hast thou
come to us this day? what dost thou require from us? and the king of Hebron
said unto Jacob,
I beseech thee my lord, all the kings of the Canaanites have this day come to
make peace
with you.
41 And the sons of
Jacob heard the words of the king of Hebron, and they would not consent to
his proposals, for the sons of Jacob had no faith in him, for they imagined
that the king of Hebron
had spoken deceitfully to them.
42 And the king of
Hebron knew from the words of the sons of Jacob, that they did not believe
his words, and the king of Hebron approached nearer to Jacob, and said unto
him, I beseech
thee, my lord, to be assured that all these kings have come to you on peaceable terms,
for they have not come with all their men, neither did they bring their weapons
of war with
them, for they have come to seek peace from my lord and his sons.
43 And the sons of
Jacob answered the king of Hebron, saying, Send thou to all these kings, and
if thou speakest truth unto us, let them each come singly before us, and if
they come unto
us unarmed, we shall then know that they seek peace from us.
44 And Japhia, king
of Hebron, sent one of his men to the kings, and they all came before the
sons of Jacob, and bowed down to them to the ground, and these kings sat before
Jacob and
his sons, and they spoke unto them, saying,
45 We have heard
all that you did unto the kings of the Amorites with your sword and exceedingly
mighty arm, so that no man could stand up before you, and we were afraid of you
for the sake of our lives, lest it should befall us as it did to them.
46 So we have come
unto you to form a treaty of peace between us, and now therefore contract
with us a covenant of peace and truth, that you will not meddle with us,
inasmuch as we
have not meddled with you.
47 And the sons of
Jacob knew that they had really come to seek peace from them, and the sons
of Jacob listened to them, and formed a covenant with them.
48 And the sons of
Jacob swore unto them that they would not meddle with them, and all the kings
of the Canaanites swore also to them, and the sons of Jacob made them tributary
from that
day forward.
49 And after this
all the captains of these kings came with their men before Jacob, with presents
in their hands for Jacob and his sons, and they bowed down to him to the
ground.
50 And these kings
then urged the sons of Jacob and begged of them to return all the spoil they
had captured from the seven cities of the Amorites, and the sons of Jacob did
so, and they
returned all that they had captured, the women, the little ones, the cattle and
all the spoil which
they had taken, and they sent them off, and they went away each to his city.
51 And all these
kings again bowed down to the sons of Jacob, and they sent or brought them
many gifts in those days, and the sons of Jacob sent off these kings and their
men, and they
went peaceably away from them to their cities, and the sons of Jacob also
returned to their
home, to Shechem.
52 And there was
peace from that day forward between the sons of Jacob and the kings of the
Canaanites, until the children of Israel came to inherit the land of Canaan.
CHAPTER
41
1 And at the
revolution of the year the sons of Jacob journeyed from Shechem, and they came
to Hebron, to their father Isaac, and they dwelt there, but their flocks and
herds they fed
daily in Shechem, for there was there in those days good and fat pasture, and Jacob
and his
sons and all their household dwelt in the valley of Hebron.
2 And it was in
those days, in that year, being the hundred and sixth year of the life of
Jacob, in
the tenth year of Jacob's coming from Padan-aram, that Leah the wife of Jacob
died; she was
fifty-one years old when she died in Hebron.
3 And Jacob and
his sons buried her in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is in Hebron,
which Abraham had bought from the children of Heth, for the possession of a
burial place.
4 And the sons of
Jacob dwelt with their father in the valley of Hebron, and all the inhabitants of
the land knew their strength and their fame went throughout the land.
5 And Joseph the
son of Jacob, and his brother Benjamin, the sons of Rachel, the wife of Jacob,
were yet young in those days, and did not go out with their brethren during
their battles
in all the cities of the Amorites.
6 And when Joseph
saw the strength of his brethren, and their greatness, he praised them and
extolled them, but he ranked himself greater than them, and extolled himself
above them;
and Jacob, his father, also loved him more than any of his sons, for he was a
son of his
old age, and through his love toward him, he made him a coat of many colors.
7 And when Joseph
saw that his father loved him more than his brethren, he continued to exalt
himself above his brethren, and he brought unto his father evil reports
concerning them.
8 And the sons of
Jacob seeing the whole of Joseph's conduct toward them, and that their father
loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak peaceably
to him
all the days.
9 And Joseph was
seventeen years old, and he was still magnifying himself above his brethren,
and thought of raising himself above them.
10 At that time he
dreamed a dream, and he came unto his brothers and told them his dream,
and he said unto them, I dreamed a dream, and behold we were all binding
sheaves in
the field, and my sheaf rose and placed itself upon the ground and your sheaves surrounded
it and bowed down to it.
11 And his
brethren answered him and said unto him, What meaneth this dream that thou didst
dream? dost thou imagine in thy heart to reign or rule over us?
12 And he still
came, and told the thing to his father Jacob, and Jacob kissed Joseph when he
heard these words from his mouth, and Jacob blessed Joseph.
13 And when the
sons of Jacob saw that their father had blessed Joseph and had kissed him,
and that he loved him exceedingly, they became jealous of him and hated him the
more.
14 And after this
Joseph dreamed another dream and related the dream to his father in the presence
of his brethren, and Joseph said unto his father and brethren, Behold I have
again dreamed
a dream, and behold the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.
15 And his father
heard the words of Joseph and his dream, and seeing that his brethren hated
Joseph on account of this matter, Jacob therefore rebuked Joseph before his
brethren on
account of this thing, saying, What meaneth this dream which thou hast dreamed,
and this
magnifying thyself before thy brethren who are older than thou art?
16 Dost thou
imagine in thy heart that I and thy mother and thy eleven brethren will come and
bow down to thee, that thou speakest these things?
17 And his
brethren were jealous of him on account of his words and dreams, and they continued
to hate him, and Jacob reserved the dreams in his heart.
18 And the sons of
Jacob went one day to feed their father's flock in Shechem, for they were still
herdsmen in those days; and whilst the sons of Jacob were that day feeding in
Shechem they
delayed, and the time of gathering in the cattle was passed, and they had not
arrived.
19 And Jacob saw
that his sons were delayed in Shechem, and Jacob said within himself, Peradventure
the people of Shechem have risen up to fight against them, therefore they have
delayed coming this day.
20 And Jacob
called Joseph his son and commanded him, saying, Behold thy brethren are feeding
in Shechem this day, and behold they have not yet come back; go now therefore
and see
where they are, and bring me word back concerning the welfare of thy brethren
and the welfare
of the flock.
21 And Jacob sent
his son Joseph to the valley of Hebron, and Joseph came for his brothers to
Shechem, and could not find them, and Joseph went about the field which was
near Shechem,
to see where his brothers had turned, and he missed his road in the wilderness, and
knew not which way he should go.
22 And an angel of
the Lord found him wandering in the road toward the field, and Joseph said
unto the angel of the Lord, I seek my brethren; hast thou not heard where they
are feeding?
and the angel of the Lord said unto Joseph, I saw thy brethren feeding here,
and I heard
them say they would go to feed in Dothan.
23 And Joseph
hearkened to the voice of the angel of the Lord, and he went to his brethren in
Dothan and he found them in Dothan feeding the flock.
24 And Joseph
advanced to his brethren, and before he had come nigh unto them, they had resolved
to slay him.
25 And Simeon said
to his brethren, Behold the man of dreams is coming unto us this day, and
now therefore come and let us kill him and cast him in one of the pits that are
in the wilderness,
and when his father shall seek him from us, we will say an evil beast has devoured
him.
26 And Reuben heard
the words of his brethren concerning Joseph, and he said unto them, You
should not do this thing, for how can we look up to our father Jacob? Cast him
into this pit
to die there, but stretch not forth a hand upon him to spill his blood; and
Reuben said this in
order to deliver him from their hand, to bring him back to his father.
27 And when Joseph
came to his brethren he sat before them, and they rose upon him and seized
him and smote him to the earth, and stripped the coat of many colors which he
had on.
28 And they took
him and cast him into a pit, and in the pit there was no water, but serpents and
scorpions. And Joseph was afraid of the serpents and scorpions that were in the
pit. And Joseph
cried out with a loud voice, and the Lord hid the serpents and scorpions in the
sides of
the pit, and they did no harm unto Joseph.
29 And Joseph
called out from the pit to his brethren, and said unto them, What have I done unto
you, and in what have I sinned? why do you not fear the Lord concerning me? am
I not of
your bones and flesh, and is not Jacob your father, my father? why do you do
this thing unto
me this day, and how will you be able to look up to our father Jacob?
30 And he
continued to cry out and call unto his brethren from the pit, and he said, O
Judah, Simeon,
and Levi, my brethren, lift me up from the place of darkness in which you have placed
me, and come this day to have compassion on me, ye children of the Lord, and
sons of
Jacob my father. And if I have sinned unto you, are you not the sons of Abraham,
Isaac, and
Jacob? if they saw an orphan they had compassion over him, or one that was
hungry, they
gave him bread to eat, or one that was thirsty, they gave him water to drink,
or one that was
naked, they covered him with garments!
31 And how then will
you withhold your pity from your brother, for I am of your flesh and bones,
and if I have sinned unto you, surely you will do this on account of my father!
32 And Joseph
spoke these words from the pit, and his brethren could not listen to him, nor incline
their ears to the words of Joseph, and Joseph was crying and weeping in the
pit.
33 And Joseph
said, O that my father knew, this day, the act which my brothers have done unto
me, and the words which they have this day spoken unto me.
34 And all his
brethren heard his cries and weeping in the pit, and his brethren went and removed
themselves from the pit, so that they might not hear the cries of Joseph and
his weeping
in the pit.
CHAPTER
42
1 And they went
and sat on the opposite side, about the distance of a bow-shot, and they sat there
to eat bread, and whilst they were eating, they held counsel together what was
to be done
with him, whether to slay him or to bring him back to his father.
2 They were
holding the counsel, when they lifted up their eyes, and saw, and behold there was
a company of Ishmaelites coming at a distance by the road of Gilead, going down
to Egypt.
3 And Judah said
unto them, What gain will it be to us if we slay our brother? peradventure God
will require him from us; this then is the counsel proposed concerning him,
which you shall
do unto him: Behold this company of Ishmaelites going down to Egypt,
4 Now therefore,
come let us dispose of him to them, and let not our hand be upon him, and they
will lead him along with them, and he will be lost amongst the people of the
land, and we will
not put him to death with our own hands. And the proposal pleased his brethren
and they did
according to the word of Judah.
5 And whilst they
were discoursing about this matter, and before the company of Ishmaelites had
come up to them, seven trading men of Midian passed by them, and as they passed they
were thirsty, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the pit in which Joseph was
immured, and
they looked, and behold every species of bird was upon him.
6 And these
Midianites ran to the pit to drink water, for they thought that it contained
water, and
on coming before the pit they heard the voice of Joseph crying and weeping in
the pit, and
they looked down into the pit, and they saw and behold there was a youth of
comely appearance
and well favored.
7 And they called
unto him and said, Who art thou and who brought thee hither, and who placed
thee in this pit, in the wilderness? and they all assisted to raise up Joseph
and they drew
him out, and brought him up from the pit, and took him and went away on their
journey and
passed by his brethren.
8 And these said
unto them, Why do you do this, to take our servant from us and to go away?
surely we placed this youth in the pit because he rebelled against us, and you
come and
bring him up and lead him away; now then give us back our servant.
9 And the
Midianites answered and said unto the sons of Jacob, Is this your servant, or
does this
man attend you? peradventure you are all his servants, for he is more comely
and well favored
than any of you, and why do you all speak falsely unto us?
10 Now therefore
we will not listen to your words, nor attend to you, for we found the youth in the
pit in the wilderness, and we took him; we will therefore go on.
11 And all the
sons of Jacob approached them and rose up to them and said unto them, Give us
back our servant, and why will you all die by the edge of the sword? And the
Midianites cried
out against them, and they drew their swords, and approached to fight with the
sons of Jacob.
12 And behold
Simeon rose up from his seat against them, and sprang upon the ground and drew
his sword and approached the Midianites and he gave a terrible shout before
them, so that
his shouting was heard at a distance, and the earth shook at Simeon's shouting.
13 And the
Midianites were terrified on account of Simeon and the noise of his shouting,
and they
fell upon their faces, and were excessively alarmed.
14 And Simeon said
unto them, Verily I am Simeon, the son of Jacob the Hebrew, who have, only
with my brother, destroyed the city of Shechem and the cities of the Amorites;
so shall God
moreover do unto me, that if all your brethren the people of Midian, and also
the kings of Canaan,
were to come with you, they could not fight against me.
15 Now therefore
give us back the youth whom you have taken, lest I give your flesh to the birds
of the skies and the beasts of the earth.
16 And the
Midianites were more afraid of Simeon, and they approached the sons of Jacob with
terror and fright, and with pathetic words, saying,
17 Surely you have
said that the young man is your servant, and that he rebelled against you,
and therefore you placed him in the pit; what then will you do with a servant
who rebels against
his master? Now therefore sell him unto us, and we will give you all that you
require for
him; and the Lord was pleased to do this in order that the sons of Jacob should
not slay their
brother.
18 And the
Midianites saw that Joseph was of a comely appearance and well-favored; they desired
him in their hearts and were urgent to purchase him from his brethren.
19 And the sons of
Jacob hearkened to the Midianites and they sold their brother Joseph to them
for twenty pieces of silver, and Reuben their brother was not with them, and
the Midianites
took Joseph and continued their journey to Gilead.
20 They were going
along the road, and the Midianites repented of what they had done, in having
purchased the young man, and one said to the other, What is this thing that we
have done,
in taking this youth from the Hebrews, who is of comely appearance and well
favored.
21 Perhaps this
youth is stolen from the land of the Hebrews, and why then have we done this
thing? and if he should be sought for and found in our hands we shall die
through him.
22 Now surely
hardy and powerful men have sold him to us, the strength of one of whom you saw
this day; perhaps they stole him from his land with their might and with their
powerful arm,
and have therefore sold him to us for the small value which we gave unto them.
23 And whilst they
were thus discoursing together, they looked, and behold the company of Ishmaelites
which was coming at first, and which the sons of Jacob saw, was advancing toward
the Midianites, and the Midianites said to each other, Come let us sell this
youth to the
company of Ishmaelites who are coming toward us, and we will take for him the
little that we
gave for him, and we will be delivered from his evil.
24 And they did
so, and they reached the Ishmaelites, and the Midianites sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites
for twenty pieces of silver which they had given for him to his brethren.
25 And the
Midianites went on their road to Gilead, and the Ishmaelites took Joseph and
they let
him ride upon one of the camels, and they were leading him to Egypt.
26 And Joseph
heard that the Ishmaelites were proceeding to Egypt, and Joseph lamented and
wept at this thing that he was to be so far removed from the land of Canaan,
from his father,
and he wept bitterly whilst he was riding upon the camel, and one of their men observed
him, and made him go down from the camel and walk on foot, and notwithstanding this
Joseph continued to cry and weep, and he said, O my father, my father.
27 And one of the
Ishmaelites rose up and smote Joseph upon the cheek, and still he continued
to weep; and Joseph was fatigued in the road, and was unable to proceed on account
of the bitterness of his soul, and they all smote him and afflicted him in the
road, and they
terrified him in order that he might cease from weeping.
28 And the Lord saw
the ambition of Joseph and his trouble, and the Lord brought down upon
those men darkness and confusion, and the hand of every one that smote him
became withered.
29 And they said
to each other, What is this thing that God has done to us in the road? and they
knew not that this befell them on account of Joseph. And the men proceeded on
the road,
and they passed along the road of Ephrath where Rachel was buried.
30 And Joseph
reached his mother's grave, and Joseph hastened and ran to his mother's grave,
and fell upon the grave and wept.
31 And Joseph
cried aloud upon his mother's grave, and he said, O my mother, my mother, O
thou who didst give me birth, awake now, and rise and see thy son, how he has
been sold for
a slave, and no one to pity him.
32 O rise and see
thy son, weep with me on account of my troubles, and see the heart of my brethren.
33 Arouse my
mother, arouse, awake from thy sleep for me, and direct thy battles against my brethren.
O how have they stripped me of my coat, and sold me already twice for a slave, and
separated me from my father, and there is no one to pity me.
34 Arouse and lay
thy cause against them before God, and see whom God will justify in the judgment,
and whom he will condemn.
35 Rise, O my
mother, rise, awake from thy sleep and see my father how his soul is with me this
day, and comfort him and ease his heart.
36 And Joseph
continued to speak these words, and Joseph cried aloud and wept bitterly upon
his mother's grave; and he ceased speaking, and from bitterness of heart he
became still
as a stone upon the grave.
37 And Joseph
heard a voice speaking to him from beneath the ground, which answered him with
bitterness of heart, and with a voice of weeping and praying in these words:
38 My son, my son
Joseph, I have heard the voice of thy weeping and the voice of thy lamentation;
I have seen thy tears; I know thy troubles, my son, and it grieves me for thy sake,
and abundant grief is added to my grief.
39 Now therefore
my son, Joseph my son, hope to the Lord, and wait for him and do not fear, for
the Lord is with thee, he will deliver thee from all trouble.
40 Rise my son, go
down unto Egypt with thy masters, and do not fear, for the Lord is with thee,
my son. And she continued to speak like unto these words unto Joseph, and she
was still.
41 And Joseph
heard this, and he wondered greatly at this, and he continued to weep; and after
this one of the Ishmaelites observed him crying and weeping upon the grave, and
his anger
was kindled against him, and he drove him from there, and he smote him and
cursed him.
42 And Joseph said
unto the men, May I find grace in your sight to take me back to my father's
house, and he will give you abundance of riches.
43 And they
answered him, saying, Art thou not a slave, and where is thy father? and if
thou hadst
a father thou wouldst not already twice have been sold for a slave for so
little value; and
their anger was still roused against him, and they continued to smite him and
to chastise him,
and Joseph wept bitterly.
44 And the Lord
saw Joseph's affliction, and Lord again smote these men, and chastised them,
and the Lord caused darkness to envelope them upon the earth, and the lightning flashed
and the thunder roared, and the earth shook at the voice of the thunder and of
the mighty
wind, and the men were terrified and knew not where they should go.
45 And the beasts
and camels stood still, and they led them, but they would not go, they smote
them, and they crouched upon the ground; and the men said to each other, What
is this
that God has done to us? what are our transgressions, and what are our sins
that this thing
has thus befallen us?
46 And one of them
answered and said unto them, Perhaps on account of the sin of afflicting this
slave has this thing happened this day to us; now therefore implore him
strongly to forgive
us, and then we shall know on whose account this evil befalleth us, and if God
shall have
compassion over us, then we shall know that all this cometh to us on account of
the sin of
afflicting this slave.
47 And the men did
so, and they supplicated Joseph and pressed him to forgive them; and they
said, We have sinned to the Lord and to thee, now therefore vouchsafe to
request of thy God
that he shall put away this death from amongst us, for we have sinned to him.
48 And Joseph did according
to their words, and the Lord hearkened to Joseph, and the Lord put
away the plague which he had inflicted upon those men on account of Joseph, and
the beasts
rose up from the ground and they conducted them, and they went on, and the
raging storm
abated and the earth became tranquilized, and the men proceeded on their
journey to go
down to Egypt, and the men knew that this evil had befallen them on account of
Joseph.
49 And they said
to each other, Behold we know that it was on account of his affliction that this
evil befell us; now therefore why shall we bring this death upon our souls? Let
us hold counsel
what to do to this slave.
50 And one
answered and said, Surely he told us to bring him back to his father; now therefore
come, let us take him back and we will go to the place that he will tell us,
and take from
his family the price that we gave for him and we will then go away.
51 And one
answered again and said, Behold this counsel is very good, but we cannot do so for
the way is very far from us, and we cannot go out of our road.
52 And one more
answered and said unto them, This is the counsel to be adopted, we will not
swerve from it; behold we are this day going to Egypt, and when we shall have
come to Egypt,
we will sell him there at a high price, and we will be delivered from his evil.
53 And this thing
pleased the men and they did so, and they continued their journey to Egypt with
Joseph.
CHAPTER
43
1 And when the
sons of Jacob had sold their brother Joseph to the Midianites, their hearts were
smitten on account of him, and they repented of their acts, and they sought for
him to bring
him back, but could not find him.
2 And Reuben
returned to the pit in which Joseph had been put, in order to lift him out, and restore
him to his father, and Reuben stood by the pit, and he heard not a word, and he called
out Joseph! Joseph! and no one answered or uttered a word.
3 And Reuben
said, Joseph has died through fright, or some serpent has caused his death; and
Reuben descended into the pit, and he searched for Joseph and could not find
him in the
pit, and he came out again.
4 And Reuben tore
his garments and he said, The child is not there, and how shall I reconcile my
father about him if he be dead? and he went to his brethren and found them
grieving on account
of Joseph, and counseling together how to reconcile their father about him, and Reuben
said unto his brethren, I came to the pit and behold Joseph was not there, what
then shall
we say unto our father, for my father will only seek the lad from me.
5 And his
brethren answered him saying, Thus and thus we did, and our hearts afterward smote
us on account of this act, and we now sit to seek a pretext how we shall
reconcile our father
to it.
6 And Reuben said
unto them, What is this you have done to bring down the grey hairs of our
father in sorrow to the grave? the thing is not good, that you have done.
7 And Reuben sat
with them, and they all rose up and swore to each other not to tell this thing
unto Jacob, and they all said, The man who will tell this to our father or his
household, or
who will report this to any of the children of the land, we will all rise up
against him and slay
him with the sword.
8 And the sons of
Jacob feared each other in this matter, from the youngest to the oldest, and
no one spoke a word, and they concealed the thing in their hearts.
9 And they
afterward sat down to determine and invent something to say unto their father Jacob
concerning all these things.
10 And Issachar
said unto them, Here is an advice for you if it seem good in your eyes to do this
thing, take the coat which belongeth to Joseph and tear it, and kill a kid of
the goats and dip
it in its blood.
11 And send it to
our father and when he seeth it he will say an evil beast has devoured him, therefore
tear ye his coat and behold his blood will be upon his coat, and by your doing
this we
shall be free of our father's murmurings.
12 And Issachar's
advice pleased them, and they hearkened unto him and they did according to
the word of Issachar which he had counselled them.
13 And they
hastened and took Joseph's coat and tore it, and they killed a kid of the goats and
dipped the coat in the blood of the kid, and then trampled it in the dust, and
they sent the coat
to their father Jacob by the hand of Naphtali, and they commanded him to say
these words:
14 We had gathered
in the cattle and had come as far as the road to Shechem and farther, when
we found this coat upon the road in the wilderness dipped in blood and in dust;
now therefore
know whether it be thy son's coat or not.
15 And Naphtali
went and he came unto his father and he gave him the coat, and he spoke unto
him all the words which his brethren had commanded him.
16 And Jacob saw
Joseph's coat and he knew it and he fell upon his face to the ground, and became
as still as a stone, and he afterward rose up and cried out with a loud and
weeping voice
and he said, It is the coat of my son Joseph!
17 And Jacob
hastened and sent one of his servants to his sons, who went to them and found
them coming along the road with the flock.
18 And the sons of
Jacob came to their father about evening, and behold their garments were
torn and dust was upon their heads, and they found their father crying out and
weeping with
a loud voice.
19 And Jacob said
unto his sons, Tell me truly what evil have you this day suddenly brought upon
me? and they answered their father Jacob, saying, We were coming along this day after
the flock had been gathered in, and we came as far as the city of Shechem by
the road in
the wilderness, and we found this coat filled with blood upon the ground, and
we knew it and
we sent unto thee if thou couldst know it.
20 And Jacob heard
the words of his sons and he cried out with a loud voice, and he said, It is
the coat of my son, an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is rent in pieces,
for I sent him this
day to see whether it was well with you and well with the flocks and to bring
me word again
from you, and he went as I commanded him, and this has happened to him this day whilst
I thought my son was with you.
21 And the sons of
Jacob answered and said, He did not come to us, neither have we seen him
from the time of our going out from thee until now.
22 And when Jacob
heard their words he again cried out aloud, and he rose up and tore his garments,
and he put sackcloth upon his loins, and he wept bitterly and he mourned and lifted
up his voice in weeping and exclaimed and said these words,
23 Joseph my son,
O my son Joseph, I sent thee this day after the welfare of thy brethren, and
behold thou hast been torn in pieces; through my hand has this happened to my
son.
24 It grieves me
for thee Joseph my son, it grieves me for thee; how sweet wast thou to me during
life, and now how exceedingly bitter is thy death to me.
25 O that I had died
in thy stead Joseph my son, for it grieves me sadly for thee my son, O my
son, my son. Joseph my son, where art thou, and where hast thou been drawn?
arouse, arouse
from thy place, and come and see my grief for thee, O my son Joseph.
26 Come now and
number the tears gushing from my eyes down my cheeks, and bring them up
before the Lord, that his anger may turn from me.
27 0 Joseph my son,
how didst thou fall, by the hand of one by whom no one had fallen from the
beginning of the world unto this day; for thou hast been put to death by the
smiting of an enemy,
inflicted with cruelty, but surely I know that this has happened to thee, on
account of the
multitude of my sins.
28 Arouse now and
see how bitter is my trouble for thee my son, although I did not rear thee, nor
fashion thee, nor give thee breath and soul, but it was God who formed thee and
built thy bones
and covered them with flesh, and breathed in thy nostrils the breath of life,
and then he
gave thee unto me.
29 Now truly God
who gave thee unto me, he has taken thee from me, and such then has befallen
thee
30 And Jacob
continued to speak like unto these words concerning Joseph, and he wept bitterly;
he fell to the ground and became still.
31 And all the
sons of Jacob seeing their father's trouble, they repented of what they had done,
and they also wept bitterly.
32 And Judah rose
up and lifted his father's head from the ground, and placed it upon his lap, and
he wiped his father's tears from his cheeks, and Judah wept an exceeding great weeping,
whilst his father's head was reclining upon his lap, still as a stone.
33 And the sons of
Jacob saw their father's trouble, and they lifted up their voices and continued
to weep, and Jacob was yet lying upon the ground still as a stone.
34 And all his
sons and his servants and his servant's children rose up and stood round him to
comfort him, and he refused to be comforted.
35 And the whole
household of Jacob rose up and mourned a great mourning on account of Joseph
and their father's trouble, and the intelligence reached Isaac, the son of
Abraham, the father
of Jacob, and he wept bitterly on account of Joseph, he and all his household,
and he went
from the place where he dwelt in Hebron, and his men with him, and he comforted Jacob
his son, and he refused to be comforted.
36 And after this,
Jacob rose up from the ground, and his tears were running down his cheeks,
and he said unto his sons, Rise up and take your swords and your bows, and go forth
into the field, and seek whether you can find my son's body and bring it unto
me that I may
bury it.
37 Seek also, I
pray you, among the beasts and hunt them, and that which shall come the first
before you seize and bring it unto me, perhaps the Lord will this day pity my
affliction, and
prepare before you that which did tear my son in pieces, and bring it unto me,
and I will avenge
the cause of my son.
38 And his sons
did as their father had commanded them, and they rose up early in the morning,
and each took his sword and his bow in his hand, and they went forth into the
field to
hunt the beasts.
39 And Jacob was
still crying aloud and weeping and walking to and fro in the house, and smiting
his hands together, saying, Joseph my son, Joseph my son.
40 And the sons of
Jacob went into the wilderness to seize the beasts, and behold a wolf came
toward them, and they seized him, and brought him unto their father, and they
said unto
him, This is the first we have found, and we have brought him unto thee as thou
didst command
us, and thy son's body we could not find.
41 And Jacob took
the beast from the hands of his sons, and he cried out with a loud and weeping
voice, holding the beast in his hand, and he spoke with a bitter heart unto the
beast, Why
didst thou devour my son Joseph, and how didst thou have no fear of the God of
the earth,
or of my trouble for my son Joseph?
42 And thou didst
devour my son for naught, because he committed no violence, and didst thereby
render me culpable on his account, therefore God will require him that is
persecuted.
43 And the Lord
opened the mouth of the beast in order to comfort Jacob with its words, and it
answered Jacob and spoke these words unto him,
44 As God liveth
who created us in the earth, and as thy soul liveth, my lord, I did not see thy son,
neither did I tear him to pieces, but from a distant land I also came to seek
my son who went
from me this day, and I know not whether he be living or dead.
45 And I came this
day into the field to seek my son, and your sons found me, and seized me and
increased my grief, and have this day brought me before thee, and I have now
spoken all
my words to thee.
46 And now
therefore, O son of man, I am in thy hands, and do unto me this day as it may seem
good in thy sight, but by the life of God who created me, I did not see thy
son, nor did I tear
him to pieces, neither has the flesh of man entered my mouth all the days of my
life.
47 And when Jacob
heard the words of the beast he was greatly astonished, and sent forth the
beast from his hand, and she went her way.
48 And Jacob was
still crying aloud and weeping for Joseph day after day, and he mourned for
his son many days.
CHAPTER
44
1 And the sons of
Ishmael who had bought Joseph from the Midianites, who had bought him from
his brethren, went to Egypt with Joseph, and they came upon the borders of
Egypt, and when
they came near unto Egypt, they met four men of the sons of Medan the son of Abraham,
who had gone forth from the land of Egypt on their journey.
2 And the
Ishmaelites said unto them, Do you desire to purchase this slave from us? and they
said, Deliver him over to us, and they delivered Joseph over to them, and they
beheld him,
that he was a very comely youth and they purchased him for twenty shekels.
3 And the
Ishmaelites continued their journey to Egypt and the Medanim also returned that day
to Egypt, and the Medanim said to each other, Behold we have heard that
Potiphar, an officer
of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, seeketh a good servant who shall stand before
him to
attend him, and to make him overseer over his house and all belonging to him.
4 Now therefore
come let us sell him to him for what we may desire, if he be able to give unto us
that which we shall require for him.
5 And these
Medanim went and came to the house of Potiphar, and said unto him, We have heard
that thou seekest a good servant to attend thee, behold we have a servant that
will please
thee, if thou canst give unto us that which we may desire, and we will sell him
unto thee.
6 And Potiphar
said, Bring him before me, and I will see him, and if he please me I will give unto
you that which you may require for him.
7 And the Medanim
went and brought Joseph and placed him before Potiphar, and he saw him,
and he pleased him exceedingly, and Potiphar said unto them, Tell me what you
require for
this youth?
8 And they said,
Four hundred pieces of silver we desire for him, and Potiphar said, I will give it
you if you bring me the record of his sale to you, and will tell me his
history, for perhaps he may
be stolen, for this youth is neither a slave, nor the son of a slave, but I
observe in him the
appearance of a goodly and handsome person.
9 And the Medanim
went and brought unto him the Ishmaelites who had sold him to them, and
they told him, saying, He is a slave and we sold him to them.
10 And Potiphar
heard the words of the Ishmaelites in his giving the silver unto the Medanim, and
the Medanim took the silver and went on their journey, and the Ishmaelites also
returned home.
11 And Potiphar
took Joseph and brought him to his house that he might serve him, and Joseph
found favor in the sight of Potiphar, and he placed confidence in him, and made
him overseer
over his house, and all that belonged to him he delivered over into his hand.
12 And the Lord
was with Joseph and he became a prosperous man, and the Lord blessed the
house of Potiphar for the sake of Joseph.
13 And Potiphar
left all that he had in the hand of Joseph, and Joseph was one that caused things
to come in and go out, and everything was regulated by his wish in the house of Potiphar.
14 And Joseph was
eighteen years old, a youth with beautiful eyes and of comely appearance,
and like unto him was not in the whole land of Egypt.
15 At that time
whilst he was in his master's house, going in and out of the house and attending
his master, Zelicah, his master's wife, lifted up her eyes toward Joseph and
she looked
at him, and behold he was a youth comely and well favored.
16 And she coveted
his beauty in her heart, and her soul was fixed upon Joseph, and she enticed
him day after day, and Zelicah persuaded Joseph daily, but Joseph did not lift
up his eyes
to behold his master's wife.
17 And Zelicah
said unto him, How goodly are thy appearance and form, truly I have looked at
all the slaves, and have not seen so beautiful a slave as thou art; and Joseph
said unto her,
Surely he who created me in my mother's womb created all mankind.
18 And she said
unto him, How beautiful are thine eyes, with which thou hast dazzled all the inhabitants
of Egypt, men and women; and he said unto her, How beautiful they are whilst we
are alive, but shouldst thou behold them in the grave, surely thou wouldst move
away from
them.
19 And she said
unto him, How beautiful and pleasing are all thy words; take now, I pray thee,
the harp which is in the house, and play with thy hands and let us hear thy
words.
20 And he said
unto her, How beautiful and pleasing are my words when I speak the praise of
my God and his glory; and she said unto him, How very beautiful is the hair of
thy head, behold
the golden comb which is in the house, take it I pray thee, and curl the hair
of thy head.
21 And he said
unto her, How long wilt thou speak these words? cease to utter these words to
me, and rise and attend to thy domestic affairs.
22 And she said
unto him, There is no one in my house, and there is nothing to attend to but to
thy words and to thy wish; yet notwithstanding all this, she could not bring
Joseph unto her,
neither did he place his eye upon her, but directed his eyes below to the
ground.
23 And Zelicah
desired Joseph in her heart, that he should lie with her, and at the time that Joseph
was sitting in the house doing his work, Zelicah came and sat before him, and
she enticed
him daily with her discourse to lie with her, or ever to look at her, but
Joseph would not
hearken to her.
24 And she said
unto him, If thou wilt not do according to my words, I will chastise thee with the
punishment of death, and put an iron yoke upon thee.
25 And Joseph said
unto her, Surely God who created man looseth the fetters of prisoners, and
it is he who will deliver me from thy prison and from thy judgment.
26 And when she
could not prevail over him, to persuade him, and her soul being still fixed upon
him, her desire threw her into a grievous sickness.
27 And all the
women of Egypt came to visit her, and they said unto her, Why art thou in this declining
state? thou that lackest nothing; surely thy husband is a great and esteemed
prince in
the sight of the king, shouldst thou lack anything of what thy heart desireth?
28 And Zelicah
answered them, saying, This day it shall be made known to you, whence this disorder
springs in which you see me, and she commanded her maid servants to prepare food
for all the women, and she made a banquet for them, and all the women ate in
the house
of Zelicah.
29 And she gave
them knives to peel the citrons to eat them, and she commanded that they should
dress Joseph in costly garments, and that he should appear before them, and
Joseph came
before their eyes and all the women looked on Joseph, and could not take their
eyes from
off him, and they all cut their hands with the knives that they had in their
hands, and all the
citrons that were in their hands were filled with blood.
30 And they knew
not what they had done but they continued to look at the beauty of Joseph,
and did not turn their eyelids from him.
31 And Zelicah saw
what they had done, and she said unto them, What is this work that you have
done? behold I gave you citrons to eat and you have all cut your hands.
32 And all the
women saw their hands, and behold they were full of blood, and their blood flowed
down upon their garments, and they said unto her, this slave in your house has overcome
us, and we could not turn our eyelids from him on account of his beauty.
33 And she said
unto them, Surely this happened to you in the moment that you looked at him,
and you could not contain yourselves from him; how then can I refrain when he
is constantly
in my house, and I see him day after day going in and out of my house? how then can
I keep from declining or even from perishing on account of this?
34 And they said
unto her, the words are true, for who can see this beautiful form in the house
and refrain from him, and is he not thy slave and attendant in thy house, and
why dost thou
not tell him that which is in thy heart, and sufferest thy soul to perish
through this matter?
35 And she said
unto them, I am daily endeavoring to persuade him, and he will not consent to
my wishes, and I promised him everything that is good, and yet I could meet
with no return from
him; I am therefore in a declining state as you see.
36 And Zelicah became
very ill on account of her desire toward Joseph, and she was desperately
lovesick on account of him, and all the people of the house of Zelicah and her husband
knew nothing of this matter, that Zelicah was ill on account of her love to
Joseph.
37 And all the
people of her house asked her, saying, Why art thou ill and declining, and lackest
nothing? and she said unto them, I know not this thing which is daily
increasing upon me.
38 And all the
women and her friends came daily to see her, and they spoke with her, and she
said unto them, This can only be through the love of Joseph; and they said unto
her, Entice
him and seize him secretly, perhaps he may hearken to thee, and put off this
death from
thee.
39 And Zelicah
became worse from her love to Joseph, and she continued to decline, till she had
scarce strength to stand.
40 And on a
certain day Joseph was doing his master's work in the house, and Zelicah came secretly
and fell suddenly upon him, and Joseph rose up against her, and he was more powerful
than she, and he brought her down to the ground.
41 And Zelicah
wept on account of the desire of her heart toward him, and she supplicated him
with weeping, and her tears flowed down her cheeks, and she spoke unto him in a
voice of
supplication and in bitterness of soul, saying,
42 Hast thou ever
heard, seen or known of so beautiful a woman as I am, or better than myself,
who speak daily unto thee, fall into a decline through love for thee, confer
all this honor
upon thee, and still thou wilt not hearken to my voice?
43 And if it be
through fear of thy master lest he punish thee, as the king liveth no harm
shall come
to thee from thy master through this thing; now, therefore pray listen to me,
and consent
for the sake of the honor which I have conferred upon thee, and put off this
death from
me, and why should I die for thy sake? and she ceased to speak.
44 And Joseph
answered her, saying, Refrain from me, and leave this matter to my master; behold
my master knoweth not what there is with me in the house, for all that
belongeth to him
he has delivered into my hand, and how shall I do these things in my master's
house?
45 For he hath
also greatly honored me in his house, and he hath also made me overseer over
his house, and he hath exalted me, and there is no one greater in this house
than I am, and
my master hath refrained nothing from me, excepting thee who art his wife, how
then canst
thou speak these words unto me, and how can I do this great evil and sin to God
and to
thy husband?
46 Now therefore
refrain from me, and speak no more such words as these, for I will not hearken
to thy words. But Zelicah would not hearken to Joseph when he spoke these words unto
her, but she daily enticed him to listen to her.
47 And it was
after this that the brook of Egypt was filled above all its sides, and all the inhabitants
of Egypt went forth, and also the king and princes went forth with timbrels and dances,
for it was a great rejoicing in Egypt, and a holiday at the time of the
inundation of the sea
Sihor, and they went there to rejoice all the day.
48 And when the
Egyptians went out to the river to rejoice, as was their custom, all the people
of the house of Potiphar went with them, but Zelicah would not go with them,
for she said,
I am indisposed, and she remained alone in the house, and no other person was
with her
in the house.
49 And she rose up
and ascended to her temple in the house, and dressed herself in princely garments,
and she placed upon her head precious stones of onyx stones, inlaid with silver and
gold, and she beautified her face and skin with all sorts of women's purifying
liquids, and she
perfumed the temple and the house with cassia and frankincense, and she spread
myrrh and
aloes, and she afterward sat in the entrance of the temple, in the passage of
the house, through
which Joseph passed to do his work, and behold Joseph came from the field, and entered
the house to do his master's work.
50 And he came to
the place through which he had to pass, and he saw all the work of Zelicah,
and he turned back.
51 And Zelicah saw
Joseph turning back from her, and she called out to him, saying What aileth
thee Joseph? come to thy work, and behold I will make room for thee until thou
shalt have
passed to thy seat.
52 And Joseph
returned and came to the house, and passed from thence to the place of his seat,
and he sat down to do his master's work as usual and behold Zelicah came to him
and stood
before him in princely garments, and the scent from her clothes was spread to a distance.
53 And she
hastened and caught hold of Joseph and his garments, and she said unto him, As
the king liveth if thou wilt not perform my request thou shalt die this day,
and she hastened
and stretched forth her other hand and drew a sword from beneath her garments, and
she placed it upon Joseph's neck, and she said, Rise and perform my request,
and if not thou
diest this day.
54 And Joseph was
afraid of her at her doing this thing, and he rose up to flee from her, and she
seized the front of his garments, and in the terror of his flight the garment
which Zelicah seized
was torn, and Joseph left the garment in the hand of Zelicah, and he fled and
got out, for
he was in fear.
55 And when
Zelicah saw that Joseph's garment was torn, and that he had left it in her
hand, and
had fled, she was afraid of her life, lest the report should spread concerning
her, and she rose
up and acted with cunning, and put off the garments in which she was dressed,
and she put
on her other garments.
56 And she took
Joseph's garment, and she laid it beside her, and she went and seated herself
in the place where she had sat in her illness, before the people of her house
had gone
out to the river, and she called a young lad who was then in the house, and she ordered
him to call the people of the house to her.
57 And when she saw
them she said unto them with a loud voice and lamentation, See what a
Hebrew your master has brought to me in the house, for he came this day to lie
with me.
58 For when you
had gone out he came to the house, and seeing that there was no person in
the house, he came unto me, and caught hold of me, with intent to lie with me.
59 And I seized
his garments and tore them and called out against him with a loud voice, and when
I had lifted up my voice he was afraid of his life and left his garment before
me, and fled.
60 And the people
of her house spoke nothing, but their wrath was very much kindled against
Joseph, and they went to his master and told him the words of his wile.
61 And Potiphar
came home enraged, and his wife cried out to him, saying, What is this thing that
thou hast done unto me in bringing a He. brew servant into my house, for he
came unto me
this day to sport with me; thus did he do unto me this day.
62 And Potiphar
heard the words of his wife, and he ordered Joseph to be punished with severe
stripes, and they did so to him.
63 And whilst they
were smiting him, Joseph called out with a loud voice, and he lifted up his eyes
to heaven, and he said, O Lord God, thou knowest that I am innocent of all
these things,
and why shall I die this day through falsehood, by the hand of these
uncircumcised wicked
men, whom thou knowest?
64 And whilst
Potiphar's men were beating Joseph, he continued to cry out and weep, and there
was a child there eleven months old, and the Lord opened the mouth of the
child, and he
spake these words before Potiphar's men, who were smiting Joseph, saying,
65 What do you
want of this man, and why do you do this evil unto him? my mother speaketh falsely
and uttereth lies; thus was the transaction.
66 And the child
told them accurately all that happened, and all the words of Zelicah to Joseph
day after day did he declare unto them.
67 And all the men
heard the words of the child and they wondered greatly at the child's words,
and the child ceased to speak and became still.
68 And Potiphar
was very much ashamed at the words of his son, and he commanded his men
not to beat Joseph any more, and the men ceased beating Joseph.
69 And Potiphar
took Joseph and ordered him to be brought to justice before the priests, who were
judges belonging to the king, in order to judge him concerning this affair.
70 And Potiphar
and Joseph came before the priests who were the king's judges, and he said
unto them, Decide I pray you, what judgment is due to a servant, for thus has
he done.
71 And the priests
said unto Joseph, Why didst thou do this thing to thy master? and Joseph answered
them, saying, Not so my lords, thus was the matter; and Potiphar said unto Joseph,
Surely I entrusted in thy hands all that belonged to me, and I withheld nothing
from thee
but my wife, and how couldst thou do this evil?
72 And Joseph
answered saying, Not so my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, my
lord, the word which thou didst hear from thy wife is untrue, for thus was the
affair this day.
73 A year has elapsed
to me since I have been in thy house; hast thou seen any iniquity in me,
or any thing which might cause thee to demand my life?
74 And the priests
said unto Potiphar, Send, we pray thee, and let them bring before us Joseph's
torn garment, and let us see the tear in it, and if it shall be that the tear
is in front of the
garment, then his face must have been opposite to her and she must have caught
hold of him,
to come to her, and with deceit did thy wife do all that she has spoken.
75 And they brought
Joseph's garment before the priests who were judges, and they saw and
behold the tear was in front of Joseph, and all the judging priests knew that
she had pressed
him, and they said, The judgment of death is not due to this slave for he has
done nothing,
but his judgment is, that he be placed in the prison house on account of the
report, which
through him has gone forth against thy wife.
76 And Potiphar
heard their words, and he placed him in the prison house, the place where the
king's prisoners are confined, and Joseph was in the house of confinement
twelve years.
77 And
notwithstanding this, his master's wife did not turn from him, and she did not
cease from
speaking to him day after day to hearken to her, and at the end of three months
Zelicah continued
going to Joseph to the house of confinement day by day, and she enticed him to hearken
to her, and Zelicah said unto Joseph, How long wilt thou remain in this house?
but hearken
now to my voice, and I will bring thee out of this house.
78 And Joseph answered
her, saying, It is better for me to remain in this house than to hearken
to thy words, to sin against God; and she said unto him, If thou wilt not
perform my wish,
I will pluck out thine eyes, add fetters to thy feet, and will deliver thee
into the hands of them
whom thou didst not know before.
79 And Joseph
answered her and said, Behold the God of the whole earth is able to deliver me
from all that thou canst do unto me, for he openeth the eyes of the blind, and
looseth those
that are bound, and preserveth all strangers who are unacquainted with the
land.
80 And when
Zelicah was unable to persuade Joseph to hearken to her, she left off going to entice
him; and Joseph was still confined in the house of confinement. And Jacob the
father of
Joseph, and all his brethren who were in the land of Canaan still mourned and
wept in those
days on account of Joseph, for Jacob refused to be comforted for his son
Joseph, and Jacob
cried aloud, and wept and mourned all those days.
CHAPTER
45
1 And it was at
that time in that year, which is the year of Joseph's going down to Egypt after his
brothers had sold him, that Reuben the son of Jacob went to Timnah and took
unto him for
a wife Eliuram, the daughter of Avi the Canaanite, and he came to her.
2 And Eliuram the
wife of Reuben conceived and bare him Hanoch, Palu, Chetzron and Carmi,
four sons; and Simeon his brother took his sister Dinah for a wife, and she
bare unto him
Memuel, Yamin, Ohad, Jachin and Zochar, five sons.
3 And he
afterward came to Bunah the Canaanitish woman, the same is Bunah whom Simeon
took captive from the city of Shechem, and Bunah was before Dinah and attended upon
her, and Simeon came to her, and she bare unto him Saul.
4 And Judah went
at that time to Adulam, and he came to a man of Adulam, and his name was
Hirah, and Judah saw there the daughter of a man from Canaan, and her name was Aliyath,
the daughter of Shua, and he took her, and came to her, and Aliyath bare unto Judah,
Er, Onan and Shiloh; three sons.
5 And Levi and
Issachar went to the land of the east, and they took unto themselves for wives
the daughters of Jobab the son of Yoktan, the son of Eber; and Jobab the son of Yoktan
had two daughters; the name of the elder was Adinah, and the name of the
younger was
Aridah.
6 And Levi took Adinah,
and Issachar took Aridah, and they came to the land of Canaan, to their
father's house, and Adinah bare unto Levi, Gershon, Kehath and Merari; three
sons.
7 And Aridah bare
unto Issachar Tola, Puvah, Job and Shomron, four sons; and Dan went to the
land of Moab and took for a wife Aphlaleth, the daughter of Chamudan the
Moabite, and he
brought her to the land of Canaan.
8 And Aphlaleth
was barren, she had no offspring, and God afterward remembered Aphlaleth the
wife of Dan, and she conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Chushim.
9 And Gad and
Naphtali went to Haran and took from thence the daughters of Amuram the son
of Uz, the son of Nahor, for wives.
10 And these are
the names of the daughters of Amuram; the name of the elder was Merimah,
and the name of the younger Uzith; and Naphtali took Merimah, and Gad took Uzith;
and brought them to the land of Canaan, to their father's house.
11 And Merimah
bare unto Naphtali Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer and Shalem, four sons; and Uzith bare
unto Gad Zephion, Chagi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Arali, seven sons.
12 And Asher went
forth and took Adon the daughter of Aphlal, the son of Hadad, the son of Ishmael,
for a wife, and he brought her to the land of Canaan.
13 And Adon the
wife of Asher died in those days: she had no offspring; and it was after the death
of Adon that Asher went to the other side of the river and took for a wife
Hadurah the daughter
of Abimael, the son of Eber, the son of Shem.
14 And the young
woman was of a comely appearance, and a woman of sense, and she had been
the wife of Malkiel the son of Elam, the son of Shem.
15 And Hadurah
bare a daughter unto Malkiel, and he called her name Serach, and Malkiel died
after this, and Hadurah went and remained in her father's house.
16 And after the
death of the wife at Asher he went and took Hadurah for a wife, and brought her
to the land of Canaan, and Serach her daughter he also brought with them, and
she was three
years old, and the damsel was brought up in Jacob's house.
17 And the damsel
was of a comely appearance, and she went in the sanctified ways of the children
of Jacob; she lacked nothing, and the Lord gave her wisdom and understanding.
18 And Hadurah the
wife of Asher conceived and bare unto him Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi and Beriah;
four sons.
19 And Zebulun
went to Midian, and took for a wife Merishah the daughter of Molad, the son of
Abida, the son of Midian, and brought her to the land of Canaan.
20 And Merushah
bare unto Zebulun Sered, Elon and Yachleel; three sons.
21 And Jacob sent
to Aram, the son of Zoba, the son of Terah, and he took for his son Benjamin
Mechalia the daughter of Aram, and she came to the land of Canaan to the house of
Jacob; and Benjamin was ten years old when he took Mechalia the daughter of
Aram for a wife.
22 And Mechalia
conceived and bare unto Benjamin Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera and Naaman,
five sons; and Benjamin went afterward and took for a wife Aribath, the
daughter of Shomron,
the son of Abraham, in addition to his first wife, and he was eighteen years old; and
Aribath bare unto Benjamin Achi, Vosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord; five sons.
23 And in those
days Judah went to the house of Shem and took Tamar the daughter of Elam,
the son of Shem, for a wife for his first born Er.
24 And Er came to
his wife Tamar, and she became his wife, and when he came to her he outwardly
destroyed his seed, and his work was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the
Lord slew
him.
25 And it was
after the death of Er, Judah's first born, that Judah said unto Onan, go to thy brother's
wife and marry her as the next of kin, and raise up seed to thy brother.
26 And Onan took
Tamar for a wife and he came to her, and Onan also did like unto the work of
his brother, and his work was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him
also.
27 And when Onan
died, Judah said unto Tamar, Remain in thy father's house until my son Shiloh
shall have grown up, and Judah did no more delight in Tamar, to give her unto
Shiloh, for
he said, Peradventure he will also die like his brothers.
28 And Tamar rose
up and went and remained in her father's house, and Tamar was in her father's
house for some time.
29 And at the
revolution of the year, Aliyath the wife of Judah died; and Judah was comforted for
his wife, and after the death of Aliyath, Judah went up with his friend Hirah
to Timnah to shear
their sheep.
30 And Tamar heard
that Judah had gone up to Timnah to shear the sheep, and that Shiloh was
grown up, and Judah did not delight in her.
31 And Tamar rose
up and put off the garments of her widowhood, and she put a vail upon her,
and she entirely covered herself, and she went and sat in the public
thoroughfare, which is
upon the road to Timnah.
32 And Judah
passed and saw her and took her and he came to her, and she conceived by him,
and at the time of being delivered, behold, there were twins in her womb, and
he called the
name of the first Perez, and the name of the second Zarah.
CHAPTER
46
1 In those days
Joseph was still confined in the prison house in the land of Egypt.
2 At that time
the attendants of Pharaoh were standing before him, the chief of the butlers and
the chief of the bakers which belonged to the king of Egypt.
3 And the butler
took wine and placed it before the king to drink, and the baker placed bread before
the king to eat, and the king drank of the wine and ate of the bread, he and
his servants
and ministers that ate at the king's table.
4 And whilst they
were eating and drinking, the butler and the baker remained there, and Pharaoh's
ministers found many flies in the wine, which the butler had brought, and
stones of nitre
were found in the baker's bread.
5 And the captain
of the guard placed Joseph as an attendant on Pharaoh's officers, and Pharaoh's
officers were in confinement one year.
6 And at the end
of the year, they both dreamed dreams in one night, in the place of confinement
where they were, and in the morning Joseph came to them to attend upon them as
usual, and he saw them, and behold their countenances were dejected and sad.
7 And Joseph
asked them, Why are your countenances sad and dejected this day? and they said
unto him, We dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it; and Joseph
said unto them,
Relate, I pray you, your dream unto me, and God shall give you an answer of
peace as you
desire.
8 And the butler
related his dream unto Joseph, and he said, I saw in my dream, and behold a
large vine was before me, and upon that vine I saw three branches, and the vine
speedily blossomed
and reached a great height, and its clusters were ripened and became grapes.
9 And I took the
grapes and pressed them in a cup, and placed it in Pharaoh's hand and he drank;
and Joseph said unto him, The three branches that were upon the vine are three days.
10 Yet within
three days, the king will order thee to be brought out and he will restore thee
to thy
office, and thou shalt give the king his wine to drink as at first when thou
wast his butler; but
let me find favor in thy sight, that thou shalt remember me to Pharaoh when it
will be well with
thee, and do kindness unto me, and get me brought forth from this prison, for I
was stolen
away from the land of Canaan and was sold for a slave in this place.
11 And also that
which was told thee concerning my master's wife is false, for they placed me
in this dungeon for naught; and the butler answered Joseph, saying, If the king
deal well with
me as at first, as thou last interpreted to me, I will do all that thou
desirest, and get thee brought
out of this dungeon.
12 And the baker,
seeing that Joseph had accurately interpreted the butler's dream, also approached,
and related the whole of his dream to Joseph.
13 And he said
unto him, In my dream I saw and behold three white baskets upon my head, and
I looked, and behold there were in the upper-most basket all manner of baked
meats for Pharaoh,
and behold the birds were eating them from off my head.
14 And Joseph said
unto him, The three baskets which thou didst see are three days, yet within
three days Pharaoh will take off thy head, and hang thee upon a tree, and the
birds will eat
thy flesh from off thee, as thou sawest in thy dream.
15 In those days
the queen was about to be delivered, and upon that day she bare a son unto
the king of Egypt, and they proclaimed that the king had gotten his first born
son and all the
people of Egypt together with the officers and servants of Pharaoh rejoiced
greatly.
16 And upon the
third day of his birth Pharaoh made a feast for his officers and servants, for the
hosts of the land of Zoar and of the land of Egypt.
17 And all the
people of Egypt and the servants of Pharaoh came to eat and drink with the king
at the feast of his son, and to rejoice at the king's rejoicing.
18 And all the
officers of the king and his servants were rejoicing at that time for eight
days at the
feast, and they made merry with all sorts of musical instruments, with timbrels
and with dances
in the king's house for eight days.
19 And the butler,
to whom Joseph had interpreted his dream, forgot Joseph, and he did not mention
him to the king as he had promised, for this thing was from the Lord in order
to punish
Joseph because he had trusted in man.
20 And Joseph
remained after this in the prison house two years, until he had completed twelve
years.
CHAPTER
47
1 And Isaac the
son of Abraham was still living in those days in the land of Canaan; he was very
aged, one hundred and eighty years old, and Esau his son, the brother of Jacob,
was in the
land of Edom, and he and his sons had possessions in it amongst the children of
Seir.
2 And Esau heard
that his father's time was drawing nigh to die, and he and his sons and household
came unto the land of Canaan, unto his father's house, and Jacob and his sons went
forth from the place where they dwelt in Hebron, and they all came to their
father Isaac, and
they found Esau and his sons in the tent.
3 And Jacob and
his sons sat before his father Isaac, and Jacob was still mourning for his son
Joseph.
4 And Isaac said
unto Jacob, Bring me hither thy sons and I will bless them; and Jacob brought
his eleven children before his father Isaac.
5 And Isaac
placed his hands upon all the sons of Jacob, and he took hold of them and embraced
them, and kissed them one by one, and Isaac blessed them on that day, and he said
unto them, May the God of your fathers bless you and increase your seed like
the stars of
heaven for number.
6 And Isaac also
blessed the sons of Esau, saying, May God cause you to be a dread and a terror
to all that will behold you, and to all your enemies.
7 And Isaac
called Jacob and his sons, and they all came and sat before Isaac, and Isaac said
unto Jacob, The Lord God of the whole earth said unto me, Unto thy seed will I
give this land
for an inheritance if thy children keep my statutes and my ways, and I will
perform unto them
the oath which I swore unto thy father Abraham.
8 Now therefore
my son, teach thy children and thy children's children to fear the Lord, and to go
in the good way which will please the Lord thy God, for if you keep the ways of
the Lord and
his statutes the Lord will also keep unto you his covenant with Abraham, and
will do well with
you and your seed all the days.
9 And when Isaac
had finished commanding Jacob and his children, he gave up the ghost and
died, and was gathered unto his people.
10 And Jacob and
Esau fell upon the face of their father Isaac, and they wept, and Isaac was one
hundred and eighty years old when he died in the land of Canaan, in Hebron, and
his sons
carried him to the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought from the
children of Heth
for a possession of a burial place.
11 And all the
kings of the land of Canaan went with Jacob and Esau to bury Isaac, and all the
kings of Canaan showed Isaac great honor at his death.
12 And the sons of
Jacob and the sons of Esau went barefooted round about, walking and lamenting
until they reached Kireath-arba.
13 And Jacob and
Esau buried their father Isaac in the cave of Machpelah, which is in Kireath-arba
in Hebron, and they buried him with very great honor, as at the funeral of
kings.
14 And Jacob and
his sons, and Esau and his sons, and all the kings of Canaan made a great
and heavy mourning, and they buried him and mourned for him many days.
15 And at the
death of Isaac, he left his cattle and his possessions and all belonging to him to
his sons; and Esau said unto Jacob, Behold I pray thee, all that our father has
left we will divide
it in two parts, and I will have the choice, and Jacob said, We will do so.
16 And Jacob took
all that Isaac had left in the land of Canaan, the cattle and the property, and
he placed them in two parts before Esau and his sons, and he said unto Esau,
Behold all this
is before thee, choose thou unto thyself the half which thou wilt take.
17 And Jacob said
unto Esau, Hear thou I pray thee what I will speak unto thee, saying, The Lord
God of heaven and earth spoke unto our fathers Abraham and Isaac, saying, Unto
thy seed
will I give this land for an inheritance forever.
18 Now therefore
all that our father has left is before thee, and behold all the land is before thee;
choose thou from them what thou desirest.
19 If thou
desirest the whole land take it for thee and thy children forever, and I will
take this riches,
and it thou desirest the riches take it unto thee, and I will take this land
for me and for my
children to inherit it forever.
20 And Nebayoth,
the son of Ishmael, was then in the land with his children, and Esau went on
that day and consulted with him, saying.
21 Thus has Jacob
spoken unto me, and thus has he answered me, now give thy advice and we
will hear.
22 And Nebayoth
said, What is this that Jacob hath spoken unto thee? behold all the children of
Canaan are dwelling securely in their land, and Jacob sayeth he will inherit it
with his seed all
the days.
23 Go now
therefore and take all thy father's riches and leave Jacob thy brother in the
land, as
he has spoken.
24 And Esau rose
up and returned to Jacob, and did all that Nebayoth the son of Ishmael had
advised; and Esau took all the riches that Isaac had left, the souls, the
beasts, the cattle and
the property, and all the riches; he gave nothing to his brother Jacob; and Jacob
took all the
land of Canaan, from the brook of Egypt unto the river Euphrates, and he took
it for an everlasting
possession, and for his children and for his seed after him forever.
25 Jacob also took
from his brother Esau the cave of Machpelah, which is in Hebron, which Abraham
had bought from Ephron for a possession of a burial place for him and his seed forever.
26 And Jacob wrote
all these things in the book of purchase, and he signed it, and he testified
all this with four faithful witnesses.
27 And these are
the words which Jacob wrote in the book, saying: The land of Canaan and all
the cities of the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the
Perizzites, and the Gergashites,
all the seven nations from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates.
28 And the city of
Hebron Kireath-arba, and the cave which is in it, the whole did Jacob buy from
his brother Esau for value, for a possession and for an inheritance for his
seed after him forever.
29 And Jacob took
the book of purchase and the signature, the command and the statutes and
the revealed book, and he placed them in an earthen vessel in order that they
should remain
for a long time, and he delivered them into the hands of his children.
30 Esau took all
that his father had left him after his death from his brother Jacob, and he took
all the property, from man and beast, camel and ass, ox and lamb, silver and
gold, stones
and bdellium, and all the riches which had belonged to Isaac the son of
Abraham; there
was nothing left which Esau did not take unto himself, from all that Isaac had
left after his
death.
31 And Esau took
all this, and he and his children went home to the land of Seir the Horite, away
from his brother Jacob and his children.
32 And Esau had
possessions amongst the children of Seir, and Esau returned not to the land
of Canaan from that day forward.
33 And the whole
land of Canaan became an inheritance to the children of Israel for an everlasting
inheritance, and Esau with all his children inherited the mountain of Seir.
CHAPTER
48
1 In those days,
after the death of Isaac, the Lord commanded and caused a famine upon the
whole earth.
2 At that time
Pharaoh king of Egypt was sitting upon his throne in the land of Egypt, and lay in
his bed and dreamed dreams, and Pharaoh saw in his dream that he was standing
by the side
of the river of Egypt.
3 And whilst he
was standing he saw and behold seven fat fleshed and well favored kine came
up out of the river.
4 And seven other
kine, lean fleshed and ill favored, came up after them, and the seven ill favored
ones swallowed up the well favored ones, and still their appearance was ill as
at first.
5 And he awoke,
and he slept again and he dreamed a second time, and he saw and behold seven
ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good, and seven thin ears blasted
with the
east wind sprang, up after them, and the thin ears swallowed up the full ones,
and Pharaoh
awoke out of his dream.
6 And in the
morning the king remembered his dreams, and his spirit was sadly troubled on account
of his dreams, and the king hastened and sent and called for all the magicians
of Egypt,
and the wise men, and they came and stood before Pharaoh.
7 And the king
said unto them, I have dreamed dreams, and there is none to interpret them; and
they said unto the king, relate thy dreams to thy servants and let us hear
them.
8 And the king
related his dreams to them, and they all answered and said with one voice to the
king, may the king live forever; and this is the interpretation of thy dreams.
9 The seven good
kine which thou didst see denote seven daughters that will be born unto thee
in the latter days, and the seven kine which thou sawest come up after them,
and swallowed
them up, are for a sign that the daughters which will be born unto thee will
all die in
the life-time of the king.
10 And that which
thou didst see in the second dream of seven full good ears of corn coming up
upon one stalk, this is their interpretation, that thou wilt build unto thyself
in the latter days seven
cities throughout the land of Egypt; and that which thou sawest of the seven
blasted ears
of corn springing up after them and swallowing them up whilst thou didst behold
them with
thine eyes, is for a sign that the cities which thou wilt build will all be
destroyed in the latter
days, in the life-time of the king.
11 And when they
spoke these words the king did not incline his ear to their words, neither did
he fix his heart upon them, for the king knew in his wisdom that they did not
give a proper interpretation
of the dreams; and when they had finished speaking before the king, the king answered
them, saying, What is this thing that you have spoken unto me? surely you have uttered
falsehood and spoken lies; therefore now give the proper interpretation of my dreams,
that you may not die.
12 And the king
commanded after this, and he sent and called again for other wise men, and they
came and stood before the king, and the king related his dreams to them, and
they all answered
him according to the first interpretation, and the king's anger was kindled and
he was
very wroth, and the king said unto them, Surely you speak lies and utter
falsehood in what
you have said.
13 And the king
commanded that a proclamation should be issued throughout the land of Egypt,
saying, It is resolved by the king and his great men, that any wise man who
knoweth and
understandeth the interpretation of dreams, and will not come this day before
the king, shall
die.
14 And the man
that will declare unto the king the proper interpretation of his dreams, there shall
be given unto him all that he will require from the king. And all the wise men
of the land of
Egypt came before the king, together with all the magicians and sorcerers that
were in Egypt
and in Goshen, in Rameses, in Tachpanches, in Zoar, and in all the places on
the borders
of Egypt, and they all stood before the king.
15 And all the
nobles and the princes, and the attendants belonging to the king, came together
from all the cities of Egypt, and they all sat before the king, and the king
related his dreams
before the wise men, and the princes, and all that sat before the king were astonished
at the vision.
16 And all the
wise men who were before the king were greatly divided in their interpretation of
his dreams; some of them interpreted them to the king, saying, The seven good
kine are seven
kings, who from the king's issue will be raised over Egypt.
17 And the seven
bad kine are seven princes, who will stand up against them in the latter days
and destroy them; and the seven ears of corn are the seven great princes
belonging to Egypt,
who will fall in the hands of the seven less powerful princes of their enemies,
in the wars
of our lord the king.
18 And some of
them interpreted to the king in this manner, saying, The seven good kine are the
strong cities of Egypt, and the seven bad kine are the seven nations of the
land of Canaan,
who will come against the seven cities of Egypt in the latter days and destroy
them.
19 And that which
thou sawest in the second dream, of seven good and bad ears of corn, is a
sign that the government of Egypt will again return to thy seed as at first.
20 And in his
reign the people of the cities of Egypt will turn against the seven cities of Canaan
who are stronger than they are, and will destroy them, and the government of
Egypt will
return to thy seed.
21 And some of
them said unto the king, This is the interpretation of thy dreams; the seven good
kine are seven queens, whom thou wilt take for wives in the latter days, and
the seven bad
kine denote that those women will all die in the lifetime of the king.
22 And the seven
good and bad ears of corn which thou didst see in the second dream are fourteen
children, and it will be in the latter days that they will stand up and fight
amongst themselves,
and seven of them will smite the seven that are more powerful.
23 And some of
them said these words unto the king, saying, The seven good kine denote that
seven children will be born to thee, and they will slay seven of thy children's
children in the
latter days; and the seven good ears of corn which thou didst see in the second
dream, are
those princes against whom seven other less powerful princes will fight and
destroy them in
the latter days, and avenge thy children's cause, and the government will again
return to thy
seed.
24 And the king
heard all the words of the wise men of Egypt and their interpretation of his dreams,
and none of them pleased the king.
25 And the king
knew in his wisdom that they did not altogether speak correctly in all these words,
for this was from the Lord to frustrate the words of the wise men of Egypt, in
order that
Joseph might go forth from the house of confinement, and in order that he
should become
great in Egypt.
26 And the king
saw that none amongst all the wise men and magicians of Egypt spoke correctly
to him, and the king's wrath was kindled, and his anger burned within him.
27 And the king
commanded that all the wise men and magicians should go out from before him,
and they all went out from before the king with shame and disgrace.
28 And the king
commanded that a proclamation be sent throughout Egypt to slay all the magicians
that were in Egypt, and not one of them should be suffered to live.
29 And the
captains of the guards belonging to the king rose up, and each man drew his sword,
and they began to smite the magicians of Egypt, and the wise men.
30 And after this
Merod, chief butler to the king, came and bowed down before the king and sat
before him.
31 And the butler
said unto the king, May the king live forever, and his government be exalted
in the land.
32 Thou wast angry
with thy servant in those days, now two years past, and didst place me in
the ward, and I was for some time in the ward, I and the chief of the bakers.
33 And there was
with us a Hebrew servant belonging to the captain of the guard, his name was
Joseph, for his master had been angry with him and placed him in the house of confinement,
and he attended us there.
34 And in some
time after when we were in the ward, we dreamed dreams in one night, I and the
chief of the bakers; we dreamed, each man according to the interpretation of
his dream.
35 And we came in
the morning and told them to that servant, and he interpreted to us our dreams,
to each man according to his dream, did he correctly interpret.
36 And it came to
pass as he interpreted to us, so was the event; there fell not to the ground any
of his words.
37 And now
therefore my lord and king do not slay the people of Egypt for naught; behold that
slave is still confined in the house by the captain of the guard his master, in
the house of confinement.
38 If it pleaseth
the king let him send for him that he may come before thee and he will make known
to thee, the correct interpretation of the dream which thou didst dream.
39 And the king
heard the words of the chief butler, and the king ordered that the wise men of
Egypt should not be slain.
40 And the king
ordered his servants to bring Joseph before him, and the king said unto them,
Go to him and do not terrify him lest he be confused and will not know to speak properly.
41 And the
servants of the king went to Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon,
and the king's servants shaved him, and he changed his prison garment and he came
before the king.
42 And the king
was sitting upon his royal throne in a princely dress girt around with a golden ephod,
and the fine gold which was upon it sparkled, and the carbuncle and the ruby
and the emerald,
together with all the precious stones that were upon the king's head, dazzled
the eye,
and Joseph wondered greatly at the king.
43 And the throne
upon which the king sat was covered with gold and silver, and with onyx stones,
and it had seventy steps.
44 And it was
their custom throughout the land of Egypt, that every man who came to speak to
the king, if he was a prince or one that was estimable in the sight of the
king, he ascended to
the king's throne as far as the thirty-first step, and the king would descend
to the thirtysixth step,
and speak with him.
45 If he was one
of the common people, he ascended to the third step, and the king would descend
to the fourth and speak to him, and their custom was, moreover, that any man
who understood
to speak in all the seventy languages, he ascended the seventy steps, and went up
and spoke till he reached the king.
46 And any man who
could not complete the seventy, he ascended as many steps as the languages
which he knew to speak in.
47 And it was
customary in those days in Egypt that no one should reign over them, but who understood
to speak in the seventy languages.
48 And when Joseph
came before the king he bowed down to the ground before the king, and
he ascended to the third step, and the king sat upon the fourth step and spoke
with Joseph.
49 And the king
said unto Joseph, I dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter to interpret it
properly, and I commanded this day that all the magicians of Egypt and the wise
men thereof,
should come before me, and I related my dreams to them, and no one has properly interpreted
them to me.
50 And after this
I this day heard concerning thee, that thou art a wise man, and canst correctly
interpret every dream that thou hearest.
51 And Joseph
answered Pharaoh, saying, Let Pharaoh relate his dreams that he dreamed; surely
the interpretations belong to God; and Pharaoh related his dreams to Joseph,
the dream
of the kine, and the dream of the ears of corn, and the king left off speaking.
52 And Joseph was
then clothed with the spirit of God before the king, and he knew all the things
that would befall the king from that day forward, and he knew the proper interpretation of
the king's dream, and he spoke before the king.
53 And Joseph
found favor in the sight of the king, and the king inclined his ears and his heart,
and he heard all the words of Joseph. And Joseph said unto the king, Do not
imagine that
they are two dreams, for it is only one dream, for that which God has chosen to
do throughout
the land he has shown to the king in his dream, and this is the proper interpretation
of thy dream:
54 The seven good
kine and ears of corn are seven years, and the seven bad kine and ears of
corn are also seven years; it is one dream.
55 Behold the
seven years that are coming there will be a great plenty throughout the land, and
after that the seven years of famine will follow them, a very grievous famine;
and all the plenty
will be forgotten from the land, and the famine will consume the inhabitants of
the land.
56 The king
dreamed one dream, and the dream was therefore repeated unto Pharaoh because
the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
57 Now therefore I
will give thee counsel and deliver thy soul and the souls of the inhabitants of
the land from the evil of the famine, that thou seek throughout thy kingdom for
a man very discreet
and wise, who knoweth all the affairs of government, and appoint him to
superintend over
the land of Egypt.
58 And let the man
whom thou placest over Egypt appoint officers under him, that they gather
in all the food of the good years that are coming, and let them lay up corn and
deposit it
in thy appointed stores.
59 And let them
keep that food for the seven years of famine, that it may be found for thee and
thy people and thy whole land, and that thou and thy land be not cut off by the
famine.
60 Let all the
inhabitants of the land be also ordered that they gather in, every man the produce
of his field, of all sorts of food, during the seven good years, and that they
place it in their
stores, that it may be found for them in the days of the famine and that they
may live upon
it.
61 This is the
proper interpretation of thy dream, and this is the counsel given to save thy soul
and the souls of all thy subjects.
62 And the king
answered and said unto Joseph, Who sayeth and who knoweth that thy words
are correct? And he said unto the king, This shall be a sign for thee
respecting all my words,
that they are true and that my advice is good for thee.
63 Behold thy wife
sitteth this day upon the stool of delivery, and she will bear thee a son and thou
wilt rejoice with him; when thy child shall have gone forth from his mother's
womb, thy first
born son that has been born these two years back shall die, and thou wilt be
comforted in
the child that will be born unto thee this day.
64 And Joseph
finished speaking these words to the king, and he bowed down to the king and
he went out, and when Joseph had gone out from the king's presence, those signs
which Joseph
had spoken unto the king came to pass on that day.
65 And the queen
bare a son on that day and the king heard the glad tidings about his son, and
he rejoiced, and when the reporter had gone forth from the king's presence, the
king's servants
found the first born son of the king fallen dead upon the ground.
66 And there was
great lamentation and noise in the king's house, and the king heard it, and he
said, What is the noise and lamentation that I have heard in the house? and
they told the king
that his first born son had died; then the king knew that all Joseph's words
that he had spoken
were correct, and the king was consoled for his son by the child that was born
to him on
that day as Joseph had spoken.
CHAPTER
49
1 After these
things the king sent and assembled all his officers and servants, and all the princes
and nobles belonging to the king, and they all came before the king.
2 And the king
said unto them, Behold you have seen and heard all the words of this Hebrew man,
and all the signs which he declared would come to pass, and not any of his
words have fallen
to the ground.
3 You know that
he has given a proper interpretation of the dream, and it will surely come to pass,
now therefore take counsel, and know what you will do and how the land will be delivered
from the famine.
4 Seek now and
see whether the like can be found, in whose heart there is wisdom and knowledge,
and I will appoint him over the land.
5 For you have
heard what the Hebrew man has advised concerning this to save the land therewith
from the famine, and I know that the land will not be delivered from the famine
but with
the advice of the Hebrew man, him that advised me.
6 And they all
answered the king and said, The counsel which the Hebrew has given concerning
this is good; now therefore, our lord and king, behold the whole land is in thy hand,
do that which seemeth good in thy sight.
7 Him whom thou
chooses, and whom thou in thy wisdom knowest to be wise and capable of delivering
the land with his wisdom, him shall the king appoint to be under him over the
land.
8 And the king
said to all the officers: I have thought that since God has made known to the Hebrew
man all that he has spoken, there is none so discreet and wise in the whole
land as he
is; if it seem good in your sight I will place him over the land, for he will
save the land with his
wisdom.
9 And all the
officers answered the king and said, But surely it is written in the laws of Egypt, and
it should not be violated, that no man shall reign over Egypt, nor be the
second to the king,
but one who has knowledge in all the languages of the sons of men.
10 Now therefore
our lord and king, behold this Hebrew man can only speak the Hebrew language,
and how then can he be over us the second under government, a man who not even
knoweth our language?
11 Now we pray
thee send for him, and let him come before thee, and prove him in all things, and
do as thou see fit.
12 And the king
said, It shall be done tomorrow, and the thing that you have spoken is good; and
all the officers came on that day before the king.
13 And on that
night the Lord sent one of his ministering angels, and he came into the land of Egypt
unto Joseph, and the angel of the Lord stood over Joseph, and behold Joseph was lying
in the bed at night in his master's house in the dungeon, for his master had
put him back
into the dungeon on account of his wife.
14 And the angel
roused him from his sleep, and Joseph rose up and stood upon his legs, and
behold the angel of the Lord was standing opposite to him; and the angel of the
Lord spoke
with Joseph, and he taught him all the languages of man in that night, and he
called his
name Jehoseph.
15 And the angel
of the Lord went from him, and Joseph returned and lay upon his bed, and Joseph
was astonished at the vision which he saw.
16 And it came to
pass in the morning that the king sent for all his officers and servants, and they
all came and sat before the king, and the king ordered Joseph to be brought,
and the king's
servants went and brought Joseph before Pharaoh.
17 And the king
came forth and ascended the steps of the throne, and Joseph spoke unto the
king in all languages, and Joseph went up to him and spoke unto the king until
he arrived before
the king in the seventieth step, and he sat before the king.
18 And the king
greatly rejoiced on account of Joseph, and all the king's officers rejoiced greatly
with the king when they heard all the words of Joseph.
19 And the thing
seemed good in the sight of the king and the officers, to appoint Joseph to be
second to the king over the whole land of Egypt, and the king spoke to Joseph,
saying,
20 Now thou didst
give me counsel to appoint a wise man over the land of Egypt, in order with
his wisdom to s ave the land from the famine; now therefore, since God has made
all this known
to thee, and all the words which thou hast spoken, there is not throughout the
land a discreet
and wise man like unto thee.
21 And thy name no
more shall be called Joseph, but Zaphnath Paaneah shall be thy name; thou
shalt be second to me, and according to thy word shall be all the affairs of my government,
and at thy word shall my people go out and come in.
22 Also from under
thy hand shall my servants and officers receive their salary which is given to
them monthly, and to thee shall all the people of the land bow down; only in my
throne will I
be greater than thou.
23 And the king
took off his ring from his hand and put it upon the hand of Joseph, and the king
dressed Joseph in a princely garment, and he put a golden crown upon his head,
and he
put a golden chain upon his neck.
24 And the king
commanded his servants, and they made him ride in the second chariot belonging
to the king, that went opposite to the king's chariot, and he caused him to
ride upon
a great and strong horse from the king's horses, and to be conducted through
the streets
of the land of Egypt.
25 And the king
commanded that all those that played upon timbrels, harps and other musical
instruments should go forth with Joseph; one thousand timbrels, one thousand mecholoth,
and one thousand nebalim went after him.
26 And five
thousand men, with drawn swords glittering in their hands, and they went marching
and playing before Joseph, and twenty thousand of the great men of the king
girt with
girdles of skin covered with gold, marched at the right hand of Joseph, and
twenty thousand
at his left, and all the women and damsels went upon the roofs or stood in the streets
playing and rejoicing at Joseph, and gazed at the appearance of Joseph and at
his beauty.
27 And the king's
people went before him and behind him, perfuming the road with frankincense
and with cassia, and with all sorts of fine perfume, and scattered myrrh and aloes
along the road, and twenty men proclaimed these words before him throughout the land
in a loud voice:
28 Do you see this
man whom the king has chosen to be his second? all the affairs of government
shall be regulated by him, and he that transgresses his orders, or that does
not bow
down before him to the ground, shall die, for he rebels against the king and
his second.
29 And when the
heralds had ceased proclaiming, all the people of Egypt bowed down to the ground
before Joseph and said, May the king live, also may his second live; and all
the inhabitants
of Egypt bowed down along the road, and when the heralds approached them, they
bowed down, and they rejoiced with all sorts of timbrels, mechol and nebal
before Joseph.
30 And Joseph upon
his horse lifted up his eyes to heaven, and called out and said, He raiseth
the poor man from the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill. O Lord
of Hosts,
happy is the man who trusteth in thee.
31 And Joseph
passed throughout the land of Egypt with Pharaoh's servants and officers, and
they showed him the whole land of Egypt and all the king's treasures.
32 And Joseph
returned and came on that day before Pharaoh, and the king gave unto Joseph
a possession in the land of Egypt, a possession of fields and vineyards, and
the king gave
unto Joseph three thousand talents of silver and one thousand talents of gold,
and onyx stones
and bdellium and many gifts.
33 And on the next
day the king commanded all the people of Egypt to bring unto Joseph offerings
and gifts, and that he that violated the command of the king should die; and
they made
a high place in the street of the city, and they spread out garments there, and
whoever brought
anything to Joseph put it into the high place.
34 And all the
people of Egypt cast something into the high place, one man a golden earring, and
the other rings and ear-rings, and different vessels of gold and silver work,
and onyx
stones and bdellium did he cast upon the high place; every one gave something
of what he
possessed.
35 And Joseph took
all these and placed them in his treasuries, and all the officers and nobles
belonging to the king exalted Joseph, and they gave him many gifts, seeing that
the king
had chosen him to be his second.
36 And the king
sent to Potiphera, the son of Ahiram priest of On, and he took his young daughter
Osnath and gave her unto Joseph for a wife.
37 And the damsel
was very comely, a virgin, one whom man had not known, and Joseph took
her for a wife; and the king said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and beside thee
none shall dare
to lift up his hand or his foot to regulate my people throughout the land of
Egypt.
38 And Joseph was
thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and Joseph went out from
before the king, and he became the king's second in Egypt.
39 And the king
gave Joseph a hundred servants to attend him in his house, and Joseph also
sent and purchased many servants and they remained in the house of Joseph.
40 Joseph then
built for himself a very magnificent house like unto the houses of kings, before
the court of the king's palace, and he made in the house a large temple, very
elegant in
appearance and convenient for his residence; three years was Joseph in erecting
his house.
41 And Joseph made
unto himself a very elegant throne of abundance of gold and silver, and he
covered it with onyx stones and bdellium, and he made upon it the likeness of
the whole land
of Egypt, and the likeness of the river of Egypt that watereth the whole land
of Egypt; and
Joseph sat securely upon his throne in his house and the Lord increased
Joseph's wisdom.
42 And all the
inhabitants of Egypt and Pharaoh's servants and his princes loved Joseph exceedingly,
for this thing was from the Lord to Joseph.
43 And Joseph had
an army that made war, going out in hosts and troops to the number of forty
thousand six hundred men, capable of bearing arms to assist the king and Joseph against
the enemy, besides the king's officers and his servants and inhabitants of
Egypt without
number.
44 And Joseph gave
unto his mighty men, and to all his host, shields and javelins, and caps and
coats of mail and stones for slinging.
CHAPTER
50
1 At that time
the children of Tarshish came against the sons of Ishmael, and made war with them,
and the children of Tarshish spoiled the Ishmaelites for a long time.
2 And the
children of Ishmael were small in number in those days, and they could not
prevail over
the children of Tarshish, and they were sorely oppressed.
3 And the old men
of the Ishmaelites sent a record to the king of Egypt, saying, Send I pray thee
unto thy servants officers and hosts to help us to fight against the children
of Tarshish, for
we have been consuming away for a long time.
4 And Pharaoh
sent Joseph with the mighty men and host which were with him, and also his mighty
men from the king's house.
5 And they went
to the land of Havilah to the children of Ishmael, to assist them against the children
of Tarshish, and the children of Ishmael fought with the children of Tarshish,
and Joseph
smote the Tarshishites and he subdued all their land, and the children of
Ishmael dwell
therein unto this day.
6 And when the
land of Tarshish was subdued, all the Tarshishites ran away, and came on the
border of their brethren the children of Javan, and Joseph with all his mighty
men and host
returned to Egypt, not one man of them missing.
7 And at the
revolution of the year, in the second year of Joseph's reigning over Egypt, the Lord
gave great plenty throughout the land for seven years as Joseph had spoken, for
the Lord
blessed all the produce of the earth in those days for seven years, and they
ate and were
greatly satisfied.
8 And Joseph at
that time had officers under him, and they collected all the food of the good years,
and heaped corn year by year, and they placed it in the treasuries of Joseph.
9 And at any time
when they gathered the food Joseph commanded that they should bring the
corn in the ears, and also bring with it some of the soil of the field, that it
should not spoil.
10 And Joseph did
according to this year by year, and he heaped up corn like the sand of the sea
for abundance, for his stores were immense and could not be numbered for
abundance.
11 And also all
the inhabitants of Egypt gathered all sorts of food in their stores in great abundance
during the seven good years, but they did not do unto it as Joseph did.
12 And all the
food which Joseph and the Egyptians had gathered during the seven years of plenty,
was secured for the land in stores for the seven years of famine, for the
support of the whole
land.
13 And the
inhabitants of Egypt filled each man his store and his concealed place with
corn, to
be for support during the famine.
14 And Joseph
placed all the food that he had gathered in all the cities of Egypt, and he closed
all the stores and placed sentinels over them.
15 And Joseph's
wife Osnath the daughter of Potiphera bare him two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim,
and Joseph was thirty-four years old when he begat them.
16 And the lads
grew up and they went in his ways and in his instructions, they did not deviate
from the way which their father taught them, either to the right or left.
17 And the Lord
was with the lads, and they grew up and had understanding and skill in all wisdom
and in all the affairs of government, and all the king's officers and his great
men of the
inhabitants of Egypt exalted the lads, and they were brought up amongst the
king's children.
18 And the seven
years of plenty that were throughout the land were at an end, and the seven
years of famine came after them as Joseph had spoken, and the famine was throughout
the land.
19 And all the people
of Egypt saw that the famine had commenced in the land of Egypt, and all
the people of Egypt opened their stores of corn for the famine prevailed over
them.
20 And they found
all the food that was in their stores, full of vermin and not fit to eat, and
the famine
prevailed throughout the land, and all the inhabitants of Egypt came and cried
before Pharaoh,
for the famine was heavy upon them.
21 And they said
unto Pharaoh, Give food unto thy servants, and wherefore shall we die through
hunger before thy eyes, even we and our little ones?
22 And Pharaoh
answered them, saying, And wherefore do you cry unto me? did not Joseph command
that the corn should be laid up during the seven years of plenty for the years
of famine?
and wherefore did you not hearken to his voice?
23 And the people
of Egypt answered the king, saying, As thy soul liveth, our lord, thy servants
have done all that Joseph ordered, for thy servants also gathered in all the
produce of
their fields during the seven years of plenty and laid it in the stores unto
this day.
24 And when the
famine prevailed over thy servants we opened our stores, and behold all our
produce was filled with vermin and was not fit for food.
25 And when the
king heard all that had befallen the inhabitants of Egypt, the king was greatly
afraid on account of the famine, and he was much terrified; and the king
answered the
people of Egypt, saying, Since all this has happened unto you, go unto Joseph,
do whatever
he shall say unto you, transgress not his commands.
26 And all the
people of Egypt went forth and came unto Joseph, and said unto him, Give unto
us food, and wherefore shall we die before thee through hunger? for we gathered
in our produce
during the seven years as thou didst command, and we put it in store, and thus
has it
befallen us.
27 And when Joseph
heard all the words of the people of Egypt and what had befallen them, Joseph
opened all his stores of the produce and he sold it unto the people of Egypt.
28 And the famine
prevailed throughout the land, and the famine was in all countries, but in the
land of Egypt there was produce for sale.
29 And all the
inhabitants of Egypt came unto Joseph to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over
them, and all their corn was spoiled, and Joseph daily sold it to all the people
of Egypt.
30 And all the
inhabitants of the land of Canaan and the Philistines, and those beyond the Jordan,
and the children of the east and all the cities of the lands far and nigh heard
that there
was corn in Egypt, and they all came to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine
prevailed over
them.
31 And Joseph
opened the stores of corn and placed officers over them, and they daily stood and
sold to all that came.
32 And Joseph knew
that his brethren also would come to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine prevailed
throughout the earth. And Joseph commanded all his people that they should cause
it to be proclaimed throughout the land of Egypt, saying,
33 It is the
pleasure of the king, of his second and of their great men, that any person who wishes
to buy corn in Egypt shall not send his servants to Egypt to purchase, but his
sons, and
also any Egyptian or Canaanite, who shall come from any of the stores from
buying corn in
Egypt, and shall go and sell it throughout the land, he shall die, for no one
shall buy but for the
support of his household.
34 And any man
leading two or three beasts shall die, for a man shall only lead his own beast.
35 And Joseph
placed sentinels at the gates of Egypt, and commanded them, saying, Any person
who may come to buy corn, suffer him not to enter until his name, and the name
of his
father, and the name of his father's father be written down, and whatever is
written by day,
send their names unto me in the evening that I may know their names.
36 And Joseph
placed officers throughout the land of Egypt, and he commanded them to do all
these things.
37 And Joseph did
all these things, and made these statutes, in order that he might know when
his brethren should come to Egypt to buy corn; and Joseph's people caused it
daily to be
proclaimed in Egypt according to these words and statutes which Joseph had commanded.
38 And all the
inhabitants of the east and west country, and of all the earth, heard of the statutes
and regulations which Joseph had enacted in Egypt, and the inhabitants of the extreme
parts of the earth came and they bought corn in Egypt day after day, and then
went away.
39 And all the
officers of Egypt did as Joseph had commanded, and all that came to Egypt to buy
corn, the gate keepers would write their names, and their fathers' names, and
daily bring them
in the evening before Joseph.
CHAPTER
51
1 And Jacob
afterward heard that there was corn in Egypt, and he called unto his sons to go to
Egypt to buy corn, for upon them also did the famine prevail, and he called
unto his sons, saying,
2 Behold I hear
that there is corn in Egypt, and all the people of the earth go there to purchase,
now therefore why will you show yourselves satisfied before the whole earth? go you
also down to Egypt and buy us a little corn amongst those that come there, that
we may not
die.
3 And the sons of
Jacob hearkened to the voice of their father, and they rose up to go down to
Egypt in order to buy corn amongst the rest that came there.
4 And Jacob their
father commanded them, saying, When you come into the city do not enter together
in one gate, on account of the inhabitants of the land.
5 And the sons of
Jacob went forth and they went to Egypt, and the sons of Jacob did all as their
father had commanded them, and Jacob did not send Benjamin, for he said, Lest
an accident
might befall him on the road like his brother; and ten of Jacob's sons went
forth.
6 And whilst the
sons of Jacob were going on the road, they repented of what they had done to
Joseph, and they spoke to each other, saying, We know that our brother Joseph
went down
to Egypt, and now we will seek him where we go, and if we find him we will take
him from
his master for a ransom, and if not, by force, and we will die for him.
7 And the sons of
Jacob agreed to this thing and strengthened themselves on account of Joseph,
to deliver him from the hand of his master, and the sons of Jacob went to
Egypt; and when
they came near to Egypt they separated from each other, and they came through
ten gates
of Egypt, and the gate keepers wrote their names on that day, and brought them
to Joseph
in the evening.
8 And Joseph read
the names from the hand of the gate-keepers of the city, and he found that
his brethren had entered at the ten gates of the city, and Joseph at that time commanded
that it should be proclaimed throughout the land of Egypt, saying,
9 Go forth all ye
store guards, close all the corn stores and let only one remain open, that those
who come may purchase from it.
10 And all the
officers of Joseph did so at that time, and they closed all the stores and left only
one open.
11 And Joseph gave
the written names of his brethren to him that was set over the open store,
and he said unto him, Whosoever shall come to thee to buy corn, ask his name,
and when
men of these names shall come before thee, seize them and send them, and they
did so.
12 And when the
sons of Jacob came into the city, they joined together in the city to seek Joseph
before they bought themselves corn.
13 And they went
to the walls of the harlots, and they sought Joseph in the walls of the harlots
for three days, for they thought that Joseph would come in the walls of the
harlots, for Joseph
was very comely and well favored, and the sons of Jacob sought Joseph for three days,
and they could not find him.
14 And the man who
was set over the open store sought for those names which Joseph had given
him, and he did not find them.
15 And he sent to
Joseph, saying, These three days have passed, and those men whose names
thou didst give unto me have not come; and Joseph sent servants to seek the men
in all
Egypt, and to bring them before Joseph.
16 And Joseph's
servants went and came into Egypt and could not find them, and went to Goshen
and they were not there, and then went to the city of Rameses and could not
find them.
17 And Joseph
continued to send sixteen servants to seek his brothers, and they went and spread
themselves in the four corners of the city, and four of the servants went into
the house
of the harlots, and they found the ten men there seeking their brother.
18 And those four
men took them and brought them before him, and they bowed down to him to
the ground, and Joseph was sitting upon his throne in his temple, clothed with
princely garments,
and upon his head was a large crown of gold, and all the mighty men were sitting around
him.
19 And the sons of
Jacob saw Joseph, and his figure and comeliness and dignity of countenance
seemed wonderful in their eyes, and they again bowed down to him to the ground.
20 And Joseph saw
his brethren, and he knew them, but they knew him not, for Joseph was very
great in their eyes, therefore they knew him not.
21 And Joseph
spoke to them, saying, From whence come ye? and they all answered and said,
Thy servants have come from the land of Canaan to buy corn, for the famine
prevails throughout
the earth, and thy servants heard that there was corn in Egypt, so they have come
amongst the other comers to buy corn for their support.
22 And Joseph
answered them, saying, If you have come to purchase as you say, why do you
come through ten gates of the city? it can only be that you have come to spy
through the land.
23 And they all
together answered Joseph, and said, Not so my lord, we are right, thy servants
are not spies, but we have come to buy corn, for thy servants are all brothers,
the sons
of one man in the land of Canaan, and our father commanded us, saying, When you come
to the city do not enter together at one gate on account of the inhabitants of
the land.
24 And Joseph
again answered them and said, That is the thing which I spoke unto you, you have
come to spy through the land, therefore you all came through ten gates of the
city; you have
come to see the nakedness of the land.
25 Surely every
one that cometh to buy corn goeth his way, and you are already three days in
the land, and what do you do in the walls of harlots in which you have been for
these three days?
surely spies do like unto these things.
26 And they said
unto Joseph, Far be it from our lord to speak thus, for we are twelve brothers,
the sons of our father Jacob, in the land of Canaan, the son of Isaac, the son
of Abraham,
the Hebrew, and behold the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan,
and one is not, for he was lost from us, and we thought perhaps he might be in
this land,
so we are seeking him throughout the land, and have come even to the houses of harlots
to seek him there.
27 And Joseph said
unto them, And have you then sought him throughout the earth, that there
only remained Egypt for you to seek him in? And what also should your brother
do in the
houses of harlots, although he were in Egypt? have you not said, That you are
from the sons
of Isaac, the son of Abraham, and what shall the sons of Jacob do then in the
houses of harlots?
28 And they said
unto him, Because we heard that Ishmaelites stole him from us, and it was told
unto us that they sold him in Egypt, and thy servant, our brother, is very
comely and well favored,
so we thought he would surely be in the houses of harlots, therefore thy
servants went
there to seek him and give ransom for him.
29 And Joseph
still answered them, saying, Surely you speak falsely and utter lies, to say of yourselves
that you are the sons of Abraham; as Pharaoh liveth you are spies, therefore have
you come to the houses of harlots that you should not be known.
30 And Joseph said
unto them, And now if you find him, and his master requireth of you a great
price, will you give it for him? and they said, It shall be given.
31 And he said
unto them, And if his master will not consent to part with him for a great price, what
will you do unto him on his account? and they answered him, saying, If he will
not give him
unto us we will slay him, and take our brother and go away.
32 And Joseph said
unto them, That is the thing which I have spoken to you; you are spies, for
you are come to slay the inhabitants of the land, for we heard that two of your
brethren smote
all the inhabitants of Shechem, in the land of Canaan, on account of your
sister, and you
now come to do the like in Egypt on account of your brother.
33 Only hereby
shall I know that you are true men; if you will send home one from amongst you
to fetch your youngest brother from your father, and to bring him here unto me,
and by doing
this thing I will know that you are right.
34 And Joseph
called to seventy of his mighty men, and he said unto them, Take these men and
bring them into the ward.
35 And the mighty
men took the ten men, they laid hold of them and put them into the ward, and
they were in the ward three days.
36 And on the
third day Joseph had them brought out of the ward, and he said unto them, Do this
for yourselves if you be true men, so that you may live, one of your brethren
shall be confined
in the ward whilst you go and take home the corn for your household to the land
of Canaan,
and fetch your youngest brother, and bring him here unto me, that I may know
that you
are true men when you do this thing.
37 And Joseph went
out from them and came into the chamber, and wept a great weeping, for
his pity was excited for them, and he washed his face, and returned to them
again, and he
took Simeon from them and ordered him to be bound, but Simeon was not willing
to be done
so, for he was a very powerful man and they could not bind him.
38 And Joseph
called unto his mighty men and seventy valiant men came before him with drawn
swords in their hands, and the sons of Jacob were terrified at them.
39 And Joseph said
unto them, Seize this man and confine him in prison until his brethren come
to him, and Joseph's valiant men hastened and they all laid hold of Simeon to
bind him,
and Simeon gave a loud and terrible shriek and the cry was heard at a distance.
40 And all the
valiant men of Joseph were terrified at the sound of the shriek, that they fell upon
their faces, and they were greatly afraid and fled.
41 And all the men
that were with Joseph fled, for they were greatly afraid of their lives, and only
Joseph and Manasseh his son remained there, and Manassah the son of Joseph saw the
strength of Simeon, and he was exceedingly wroth.
42 And Manassah
the son of Joseph rose up to Simeon, and Manassah smote Simeon a heavy
blow with his fist against the back of his neck, and Simeon was stilled of his
rage.
43 And Manassah
laid hold of Simeon and he seized him violently and he bound him and brought
him into the house of confinement, and all the sons of Jacob were astonished at
the act
of the youth.
44 And Simeon said
unto his brethren, None of you must say that this is the smiting of an Egyptian,
but it is the smiting of the house of my father.
45 And after this
Joseph ordered him to be called who was set over the storehouse, to fill their
sacks with corn as much as they could carry, and to restore every man's money
into his sack,
and to give them provision for the road, and thus did he unto them.
46 And Joseph
commanded them, saying, Take heed lest you transgress my orders to bring your
brother as I have told you, and it shall be when you bring your brother hither
unto me, then
will I know that you are true men, and you shall traffic in the land, and I
will restore unto you
your brother, and you shall return in peace to your father.
47 And they all
answered and said, According as our lord speaketh so will we do, and they bowed
down to him to the ground.
48 And every man
lifted his corn upon his ass, and they went out to go to the land of Canaan to
their father; and they came to the inn and Levi spread his sack to give
provender to his ass,
when he saw and behold his money in full weight was still in his sack.
49 And the man was
greatly afraid, and he said unto his brethren, My money is restored, and lo,
it is even in my sack, and the men were greatly afraid, and they said, What is
this that God
hath done unto us?
50 And they all
said, And where is the Lord's kindness with our fathers, with Abraham, Isaac, end
Jacob, that the Lord has this day delivered us into the hands of the king of
Egypt to contrive
against us?
51 And Judah said
unto them, Surely we are guilty sinners before the Lord our God in having sold
our brother, our own flesh, and wherefore do you say, Where is the Lord's
kindness with our
fathers?
52 And Reuben said
unto them, Said I not unto you, do not sin against the lad, and you would
not listen to me? now God requireth him from us, and how dare you say, Where is
the Lord's
kindness with our fathers, whilst you have sinned unto the Lord?
53 And they
tarried over night in that place, and they rose up early in the morning and
laded their
asses with their corn, and they led them and went on and came to their father's
house in the
land of Canaan.
54 And Jacob and
his household went out to meet his sons, and Jacob saw and behold their brother
Simeon was not with them, and Jacob said unto his sons, Where is your brother Simeon,
whom I do not see? and his sons told him all that had befallen them in Egypt.
CHAPTER
52
1 And they
entered their house, and every man opened his sack and they saw and behold every
man's bundle of money was there, at which they and their father were greatly
terrified.
2 And Jacob said
unto them, What is this that you have done to me? I sent your brother Joseph
to inquire after your welfare and you said unto me. A wild beast did devour
him.
3 And Simeon went
with you to buy food and you say the king of Egypt hath confined him in prison,
and you wish to take Benjamin to cause his death also, and bring down my grey
hairs with
sorrow to the grave on account of Benjamin and his brother Joseph.
4 Now therefore
my son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he is left alone,
and mischief may befall him by the way in which you go, as it befell his
brother.
5 And Reuben said
unto his father, Thou shalt slay my two sons if I do not bring thy son and place
him before thee; and Jacob said unto his sons, Abide ye here and do not go down
to Egypt,
for my son shall not go down with you to Egypt, nor die like his brother.
6 And Judah said
unto them, refrain ye from him until the corn is finished, and he will then say,
Take down your brother, when he will find his own life and the life of his
household in danger
from the famine.
7 And in those
days the famine was sore throughout the land, and all the people of the earth went
and came to Egypt to buy food, for the famine prevailed greatly amongst them,
and the sons
of Jacob remained in Canaan a year and two months until their corn was
finished.
8 And it came to
pass after their corn was finished, the whole household of Jacob was pinched
with hunger, and all the infants of the sons of Jacob came together and they approached
Jacob, and they all surrounded him, and they said unto him, Give unto us bread, and
wherefore shall we all perish through hunger in thy presence?
9 Jacob heard the
words of his son's children, and he wept a great weeping, and his pity was roused
for them, and Jacob called unto his sons and they all came and sat before him.
10 And Jacob said
unto them, And have you not seen how your children have been weeping over
me this day, saying, Give unto us bread, and there is none? now therefore
return and buy
for us a little food.
11 And Judah
answered and said unto his father, If thou wilt send our brother with us we
will go
down and buy corn for thee, and if thou wilt not send him then we will not go
down, for surely
the king of Egypt particularly enjoined us, saying, You shall not see my face
unless your
brother be with you, for the king of Egypt is a strong and mighty king, and
behold if we shall
go to him without our brother we shall all be put to death.
12 Dost thou not
know and hast thou not heard that this king is very powerful and wise, and there
is not like unto him in all the earth? behold we have seen all the kings of the
earth and we
have not seen one like that king, the king of Egypt; surely amongst all the
kings of the earth
there is none greater than Abimelech king of the Philistines, yet the king of
Egypt is greater
and mightier than he, and Abimelech can only be compared to one of his
officers.
13 Father, thou
hast not seen his palace and his throne, and all his servants standing before him;
thou hast not seen that king upon his throne in his pomp and royal appearance,
dressed in
his kingly robes with a large golden crown upon his head; thou hast not seen
the honor and
glory which God has given unto him, for there is not like unto him in all the
earth.
14 Father, thou
hast not seen the wisdom, the understanding and the knowledge which God has
given in his heart, nor heard his sweet voice when he spake unto us.
15 We know not,
father, who made him acquainted with our names and all that befell us, yet he
asked also after thee, saying, Is your father still living, and is it well with
him?
16 Thou hast not
seen the affairs of the government of Egypt regulated by him, without inquiring
of Pharaoh his lord; thou hast not seen the awe and fear which he impressed
upon all
the Egyptians.
17 And also when
we went from him, we threatened to do unto Egypt like unto the rest of the cities
of the Amorites, and we were exceedingly wroth against all his words which he
spoke concerning
us as spies, and now when we shall again come before him his terror will fall upon
us all, and not one of us will be able to speak to him either a little or a
great thing.
18 Now therefore
father, send we pray thee the lad with us, and we will go down and buy thee
food for our support, and not die through hunger. And Jacob said, Why have you
dealt so
ill with me to tell the king you had a brother? what is this thing that you
have done unto me?
19 And Judah said
unto Jacob his father, Give the lad into my care and we will rise up and go
down to Egypt and buy corn, and then return, and it shall be when we return if
the lad be not
with us, then let me bear thy blame forever.
20 Hast thou seen
all our infants weeping over thee through hunger and there is no power in thy
hand to satisfy them? now let thy pity be roused for them and send our brother
with us and
we will go.
21 For how will
the Lord's kindness to our ancestors be manifested to thee when thou sayest that
the king of Egypt will take away thy son? as the Lord liveth I will not leave
him until I bring
him and place him before thee; but pray for us unto the Lord, that he may deal
kindly with
us, to cause us to be received favorably and kindly before the king of Egypt
and his men,
for had we not delayed surely now we had returned a second time with thy son.
22 And Jacob said
unto his sons, I trust in the Lord God that he may deliver you and give you favor
in the sight of the king of Egypt, and in the sight of all his men.
23 Now therefore
rise up and go to the man, and take for him in your hands a present from what
can be obtained in the land and bring it before him, and may the Almighty God
give you mercy
before him that he may send Benjamin and Simeon your brethren with you.
24 And all the men
rose up, and they took their brother Benjamin, and they took in their hands
a large present of the best of the land, and they also took a double portion of
silver.
25 And Jacob
strictly commanded his sons concerning Benjamin, Saying, Take heed of him in
the way in which you are going, and do not separate yourselves from him in the
road, neither
in Egypt.
26 And Jacob rose
up from his sons and spread forth his hands and he prayed unto the Lord on
account of his sons, saying, O Lord God of heaven and earth, remember thy
covenant with
our father Abraham, remember it with my father Isaac and deal kindly with my
sons and deliver
them not into the hands of the king of Egypt; do it I pray thee O God for the
sake of thy
mercies and redeem all my children and rescue them from Egyptian power, and
send them
their two brothers.
27 And all the
wives of the sons of Jacob and their children lifted up their eyes to heaven
and they
all wept before the Lord, and cried unto him to deliver their fathers from the
hand of the king
of Egypt.
28 And Jacob wrote
a record to the king of Egypt and gave it into the hand of Judah and into the
hands of his sons for the king of Egypt, saying,
29 From thy
servant Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham the Hebrew, the prince of God, to the
powerful and wise king, the revealer of secrets, king of Egypt, greeting.
30 Be it known to
my lord the king of Egypt, the famine was sore upon us in the land of Canaan,
and I sent my sons to thee to buy us a little food from thee for our support.
31 For my sons
surrounded me and I being very old cannot see with my eyes, for my eyes have
become very heavy through age, as well as with daily weeping for my son, for
Joseph who
was lost from before me, and I commanded my sons that they should not enter the gates
of the city when they came to Egypt, on account of the inhabitants of the land.
32 And I also
commanded them to go about Egypt to seek for my son Joseph, perhaps they might
find him there, and they did so, and thou didst consider them as spies of the
land.
33 Have we not
heard concerning thee that thou didst interpret Pharaoh's dream and didst speak
truly unto him? how then dost thou not know in thy wisdom whether my sons are
spies or
not?
34 Now therefore,
my lord and king, behold I have sent my son before thee, as thou didst speak
unto my sons; I beseech thee to put thy eyes upon him until he is returned to
me in peace
with his brethren.
35 For dost thou
not know, or hast thou not heard that which our God did unto Pharaoh when he
took my mother Sarah, and what he did unto Abimelech king of the Philistines on
account of
her, and also what our father Abraham did unto the nine kings of Elam, how he
smote them
all with a few men that were with him?
36 And also what
my two sons Simeon and Levi did unto the eight cities of the Amorites, how they
destroyed them on account of their sister Dinah?
37 And also on
account of their brother Benjamin they consoled themselves for the loss of his
brother Joseph; what will they then do for him when they see the hand of any
people prevailing
over them, for his sake?
38 Dost thou not
know, O king of Egypt, that the power of God is with us, and that also God ever
heareth our prayers and forsaketh us not all the days?
39 And when my
sons told me of thy dealings with them, I called not unto the Lord on account
of thee, for then thou wouldst have perished with thy men before my son
Benjamin came
before thee, but I thought that as Simeon my son was in thy house, perhaps thou mightest
deal kindly with him, therefore I did not this thing unto thee.
40 Now therefore
behold Benjamin my son cometh unto thee with my sons, take heed of him and
put thy eyes upon him, and then will God place his eyes over thee and
throughout thy kingdom.
41 Now I have told
thee all that is in my heart, and behold my sons are coming to thee with their
brother, examine the face of the whole earth for their sake and send them back
in peace with
their brethren.
42 And Jacob gave
the record to his sons into the care of Judah to give it unto the king of Egypt.
CHAPTER
53
1 And the sons of
Jacob rose up and took Benjamin and the whole of the presents, and they went
and came to Egypt and they stood before Joseph.
2 And Joseph
beheld his brother Benjamin with them and he saluted them, and these men came
to Joseph's house.
3 And Joseph
commanded the superintendent of his house to give to his brethren to eat, and he
did so unto them.
4 And at noon
time Joseph sent for the men to come before him with Benjamin, and the men told
the superintendent of Joseph's house concerning the silver that was returned in
their sacks,
and he said unto them, It will be well with you, fear not, and he brought their
brother Simeon
unto them.
5 And Simeon said
unto his brethren, The lord of the Egyptians has acted very kindly unto me,
he did not keep me bound, as you saw with your eyes, for when you went out from
the city
he let me free and dealt kindly with me in his house.
6 And Judah took
Benjamin by the hand, and they came before Joseph, and they bowed down
to him to the ground.
7 And the men
gave the present unto Joseph and they all sat before him, and Joseph said unto
them, Is it well with you, is it well with your children, is it well with your
aged father? and they
said, It is well, and Judah took the record which Jacob had sent and gave it
into the hand
of Joseph.
8 And Joseph read
the letter and knew his father's writing, and he wished to weep and he went
into an inner room and he wept a great weeping; and he went out.
9 And he lifted
up his eyes and beheld his brother Benjamin, and he said, Is this your brother of
whom you spoke unto me? And Benjamin approached Joseph, and Joseph placed his hand
upon his head and he said unto him, May God be gracious unto thee my son.
10 And when Joseph
saw his brother, the son of his mother, he again wished to weep, and he
entered the chamber, and he wept there, and he washed his face, and went out
and refrained
from weeping, and he said, Prepare food.
11 And Joseph had
a cup from which he drank, and it was of silver beautifully inlaid with onyx
stones and bdellium, and Joseph struck the cup in the sight of his brethren
whilst they were
sitting to eat with him.
12 And Joseph said
unto the men, I know by this cup that Reuben the first born, Simeon and Levi
and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun are children from one mother, seat yourselves
to eat according
to your births.
13 And he also
placed the others according to their births, and he said, I know that this your youngest
brother has no brother, and I, like him, have no brother, he shall therefore
sit down to
eat with me.
14 And Benjamin
went up before Joseph and sat upon the throne, and the men beheld the acts
of Joseph, and they were astonished at them; and the men ate and drank at that
time with
Joseph, and he then gave presents unto them, and Joseph gave one gift unto
Benjamin, and
Manasseh and Ephraim saw the acts of their father, and they also gave presents
unto him,
and Osnath gave him one present, and they were five presents in the hand of
Benjamin.
15 And Joseph
brought them out wine to drink, and they would not drink, and they said, From the
day on which Joseph was lost we have not drunk wine, nor eaten any delicacies.
16 And Joseph
swore unto them, and he pressed them hard, and they drank plentifully with him
on that day, and Joseph afterward turned to his brother Benjamin to speak with
him, and Benjamin
was still sitting upon the throne before Joseph.
17 And Joseph said
unto him, Hast thou begotten any children? and he said, Thy servant has
ten sons, and these are their names, Bela, Becher, Ashbal, Gera, Naaman, Achi,
Rosh, Mupim,
Chupim, and Ord, and I called their names after my brother whom I have not
seen.
18 And he ordered
them to bring before him his map of the stars, whereby Joseph knew all the
times, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, I have heard that the Hebrews are
acquainted with
all wisdom, dost thou know anything of this?
19 And Benjamin
said, Thy servant is knowing also in all the wisdom which my father taught me,
and Joseph said unto Benjamin, Look now at this instrument and understand where
thy brother
Joseph is in Egypt, who you said went down to Egypt.
20 And Benjamin
beheld that instrument with the map of the stars of heaven, and he was wise
and looked therein to know where his brother was, and Benjamin divided the
whole land of
Egypt into four divisions, and he found that he who was sitting upon the throne
before him was
his brother Joseph, and Benjamin wondered greatly, and when Joseph saw that his brother
Benjamin was so much astonished, he said unto Benjamin, What hast thou seen, and
why art thou astonished?
21 And Benjamin
said unto Joseph, I can see by this that Joseph my brother sitteth here with me
upon the throne, and Joseph said unto him, I am Joseph thy brother, reveal not
this thing unto
thy brethren; behold I will send thee with them when they go away, and I will
command them
to be brought back again into the city, and I will take thee away from them.
22 And if they dare
their lives and fight for thee, then shall I know that they have repented of what
they did unto me, and I will make myself known to them, and if they forsake
thee when I take
thee, then shalt thou remain with me, and I will wrangle with them, and they
shall go away,
and I will not become known to them.
23 At that time
Joseph commanded his officer to fill their sacks with food, and to put each man's
money into his sack, and to put the cup in the sack of Benjamin, and to give
them provision
for the road, and they did so unto them.
24 And on the next
day the men rose up early in the morning, and they loaded their asses with
their corn, and they went forth with Benjamin, and they went to the land of
Canaan with their
brother Benjamin.
25 They had not
gone far from Egypt when Joseph commanded him that was set over his house,
saying, Rise, pursue these men before they get too far from Egypt, and say unto them,
Why have you stolen my master's cup?
26 And Joseph's
officer rose up and he reached them, and he spoke unto them all the words of
Joseph; and when they heard this thing they became exceedingly wroth, and they
said, He with
whom thy master's cup shall be found shall die, and we will also become slaves.
27 And they
hastened and each man brought down his sack from his ass, and they looked in their
bags and the cup was found in Benjamin's bag, and they all tore their garments
and they
returned to the city, and they smote Benjamin in the road, continually smiting
him until he
came into the city, and they stood before Joseph.
28 And Judah's
anger was kindled, and he said, This man has only brought me back to destroy
Egypt this day.
29 And the men
came to Joseph's house, and they found Joseph sitting upon his throne, and all
the mighty men standing at his right and left.
30 And Joseph said
unto them, What is this act that you have done, that you took away my silver
cup and went away? but I know that you took my cup in order to know thereby in
what part
of the land your brother was.
31 And Judah said,
What shall we say to our lord, what shall we speak and how shall we justify
ourselves, God has this day found the iniquity of all thy servants, therefore
has he done
this thing to us this day.
32 And Joseph rose
up and caught hold of Benjamin and took him from his brethren with violence,
and he came to the house and locked the door at them, and Joseph commanded him
that was set over his house that he should say unto them, Thus saith the king,
Go in peace
to your father, behold I have taken the man in whose hand my cup was found.
CHAPTER
54
1 And when Judah
saw the dealings of Joseph with them, Judah approached him and broke open
the door, and came with his brethren before Joseph.
2 And Judah said
unto Joseph, Let it not seem grievous in the sight of my lord, may thy servant
I pray thee speak a word before thee? and Joseph said unto him, Speak.
3 And Judah spoke
before Joseph, and his brethren were there standing before them; and Judah
said unto Joseph, Surely when we first came to our lord to buy food, thou didst consider
us as spies of the land, and we brought Benjamin before thee, and thou still
makest sport
of us this day.
4 Now therefore
let the king hear my words, and send I pray thee our brother that he may go along
with us to our father, lest thy soul perish this day with all the souls of the
inhabitants of Egypt.
5 Dost thou not
know what two of my brethren, Simeon and Levi, did unto the city of Shechem,
and unto seven cities of the Amorites, on account of our sister Dinah, and also what
they would do for the sake of their brother Benjamin?
6 And I with my
strength, who am greater and mightier than both of them, come this day upon
thee and thy land if thou art unwilling to send our brother.
7 Hast thou not
heard what our God who made choice of us did unto Pharaoh on account of Sarah
our mother, whom he took away from our father, that he smote him and his
household with
heavy plagues, that even unto this day the Egyptians relate this wonder to each
other? so
will our God do unto thee on account of Benjamin whom thou hast this day taken
from his father,
and on account of the evils which thou this day heapest over us in thy land;
for our God
will remember his covenant with our father Abraham and bring evil upon thee,
because thou
hast grieved the soul of our father this day.
8 Now therefore
hear my words that I have this day spoken unto thee, and send our brother that
he may go away lest thou and the people of thy land die by the sword, for you
cannot all prevail
over me.
9 And Joseph
answered Judah, saying, Why hast thou opened wide thy mouth and why dost thou
boast over us, saying, Strength is with thee? as Pharaoh liveth, if I command
all my valiant
men to fight with you, surely thou and these thy brethren would sink in the
mire.
10 And Judah said
unto Joseph, Surely it becometh thee and thy people to fear me; as the Lord
liveth if I once draw my sword I shall not sheathe it again until I shall this
day have slain all
Egypt, and I will commence with thee and finish with Pharaoh thy master.
11 And Joseph
answered and said unto him, Surely strength belongeth not alone to thee; I am
stronger and mightier than thou, surely if thou drawest thy sword I will put it
to thy neck and
the necks of all thy brethren.
12 And Judah said
unto him, Surely if I this day open my mouth against thee I would swallow thee
up that thou be destroyed from off the earth and perish this day from thy
kingdom. And Joseph
said, Surely if thou openest thy mouth I have power and might to close thy
mouth with
a stone until thou shalt not be able to utter a word; see how many stones are
before us, truly
I can take a stone, and force it into thy mouth and break thy jaws.
13 And Judah said,
God is witness between us, that we have not hitherto desired to battle with
thee, only give us our brother and we will go from thee; and Joseph answered
and said, As
Pharaoh liveth, 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 shall be unto me for a slave, for
he has robbed the king's house. And Judah said, What is it to thee or to the
character of the
king, surely the king sendeth forth from his house, throughout the land, silver
and gold either
in gifts or expenses, and thou still talkest about thy cup which thou didst place
in our brother's
bag and sayest that he has stolen it from thee?
15 God forbid that
our brother Benjamin or any of the seed of Abraham should do this thing to
steal from thee, or from any one else, whether king, prince, or any man.
16 Now therefore
cease this accusation lest the whole earth hear thy words, saying, For a little
silver the king of Egypt wrangled with the men, and he accused them and took
their brother
for a slave.
17 And Joseph
answered and said, Take unto you this cup and go from me and leave your brother
for a slave, for it is the judgment of a thief to be a slave.
18 And Judah said,
Why art thou not ashamed of thy words, to leave our brother and to take thy
cup? Surely if thou givest us thy cup, or a thousand times as much, we will not
leave our brother
for the silver which is found in the hand of any man, that we will not die over
him.
19 And Joseph
answered, And why did you forsake your brother and sell him for twenty pieces
of silver unto this day, and why then will you not do the same to this your
brother?
20 And Judah said,
the Lord is witness between me and thee that we desire not thy battles; now
therefore give us our brother and we will go from thee without quarreling.
21 And 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 shall we say unto
our father,
when he seeth that our brother cometh not with us, and will grieve over him?
22 And Joseph
answered and said, This is the thing which you shall tell unto your father, saying,
The rope has gone after the bucket.
23 And Judah said,
Surely thou art a king, and why speakest thou these things, giving a false judgment?
woe unto the king who is like unto thee.
24 And 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 unto him, An evil beast has
devoured him, Joseph
has been torn to pieces.
25 And Judah said,
Behold the fire of Shem burneth in my heart, now I will burn all your land with
fire; and Joseph answered and said, Surely thy 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 wroth and his anger burned within him,
and there was before him in that place a stone, the weight of which was about
four hundred
shekels, and Judah's anger was kindled and he took the stone in one hand and
cast it
to the heavens and caught it with his left hand.
29 And he placed
it afterward under his legs, and he sat upon it with all his strength and the stone
was turned into dust from the force of Judah.
30 And Joseph saw
the act of Judah and he was very much afraid, but he commanded Manassah
his son and he also did with another stone like unto the act of Judah, and
Judah said
unto his brethren, Let not any of you say, this man is an Egyptian, but by his
doing this thing
he is of our father's family.
31 And Joseph
said, Not to you only is strength given, for we are also powerful men, and why
will you boast over us all? and Judah said unto Joseph, Send I pray thee our
brother and
ruin not thy country this day.
32 And Joseph
answered and said unto them, Go and tell your father, an evil beast hath devoured
him as you said concerning your brother Joseph.
33 And Judah spoke
to his brother Naphtali, and he said unto him, Make haste, go now and number
all the streets of Egypt and come and tell me; and Simeon said unto him, Let
not this thing
be a trouble to thee; now I will go to the mount and take up one large stone
from the mount
and level it at every one in Egypt, and kill all that are in it.
34 And Joseph
heard all these words that his brethren spoke before him, and they did not know
that Joseph understood them, for they imagined that he knew not to speak
Hebrew.
35 And Joseph was
greatly afraid at the words of his brethren lest they should destroy Egypt, and
he commanded his son Manasseh, saying, Go now make haste and gather unto me all the
inhabitants of Egypt, and all the valiant men together, and let them come to me
now upon horseback
and on foot and with all sorts of musical instruments, and 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 upon 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 unto his brethren, Hasten you and put on
every man
his sword upon his loins and we will come over Egypt, and smite them all, and
let not a remnant
remain.
38 And Judah said,
Behold, I will destroy three of the streets with my strength, and you shall 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 of their lives, and Joseph
did so in order to terrify the sons of Jacob to become tranquilized.
42 And Judah,
seeing some of his brethren terrified, said unto them, Why are you afraid whilst
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 smote
with his sword, and he sprang upon the ground and he still continued to shout
against all
the people.
44 And when he did
this thing the Lord caused the terror of Judah and his brethren to fall upon
the valiant men and all the people that surrounded them.
45 And they all
fled at the sound of the shouting, and they were terrified and fell one upon
the other,
and many of them died as they fell, and they all fled from before Judah and his brethren
and from before Joseph.
46 And whilst they
were fleeing, Judah and his brethren pursued them unto the house of Pharaoh,
and they all escaped, and Judah again sat before Joseph 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
upon 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 this day happened in the land of
Egypt? and they came and told him all the things from beginning to end, and
Pharaoh was alarmed
and he wondered and was greatly afraid.
49 And his fright
increased when he heard all these things, and he sent unto Joseph, saying, Thou
hast brought unto me the Hebrews to destroy all Egypt; what wilt thou do with
that thievish
slave? send him away and let him go with his brethren, and let us not perish
through their
evil, even we, you and all Egypt.
50 And if thou
desirest not to do this thing, cast off from thee all my valuable things, and
go with
them to their land, if thou delightest in it, for they will this day destroy my
whole country and
slay all my people; even all the women of 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 thou
desirest, 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 brethren
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 brethren and on account of Pharaoh, and Joseph sought
a pretext to make himself known unto his brethren, lest they should destroy all
Egypt.
53 And Joseph
commanded his son Manasseh, and Manasseh went and approached Judah, and
placed his hand upon his shoulder, and the anger of Judah was stilled.
54 And Judah said
unto his brethren, Let no one of you say that this is the act of an Egyptian youth
for this is the work of my father's house.
55 And Joseph
seeing and knowing that Judah's anger was stilled, he approached to speak unto
Judah in the language of mildness.
56 And Joseph said
unto Judah, Surely you speak truth and have this day verified your assertions
concerning your strength, and may your God who delighteth in you, increase your welfare;
but tell me truly why from amongst all thy brethren dost thou wrangle with me
on account
of the lad, as none of them have spoken one word to me concerning him.
57 And Judah
answered Joseph, saying, Surely thou must know that I was security for the lad
to his father, saying, If I brought him not unto him I should bear his blame
forever.
58 Therefore have
I approached thee from amongst all my brethren, for I saw that thou wast unwilling
to suffer him to go from thee; now therefore may I find grace in thy sight that
thou shalt
send him to go with us, and behold I will remain as a substitute for him, to
serve thee in whatever
thou desirest, for wheresoever thou shalt send me I will go to serve thee with
great energy.
59 Send me now to
a mighty king who has rebelled against thee, and thou shalt know what I will
do unto him and unto his land; although he may have cavalry and infantry or an exceeding
mighty people, I will slay them all and bring the king's head before thee.
60 Dost thou not
know or hast thou not heard that our father Abraham with his servant Eliezer
smote all the kings of Elam with their hosts in one night, they left not one
remaining? and
ever since that day our father's strength was given unto us for an inheritance,
for us and our
seed forever.
61 And Joseph
answered and said, You speak truth, and falsehood is not in your mouth, for it
was also told unto us that the Hebrews have power and that the Lord their God
delighteth much
in them, and who then can stand before them?
62 However, on
this condition will I send your brother, if you will bring before me his
brother the
son of his mother, of whom you said that he had gone from you down to Egypt;
and it shall
come to pass when you bring unto me his brother I will take him in his stead,
because not
one of you was security for him to your father, and when he shall come unto me,
I will then
send with you his brother for whom you have been security.
63 And Judah's
anger was kindled against Joseph when he spoke this thing, and his eyes dropped
blood with anger, and he said unto his brethren, How doth this man this day
seek his
own destruction and that of all Egypt!
64 And Simeon
answered Joseph, saying, Did we not tell thee at first that we knew not the particular
spot to which he went, and whether he be dead or alive, and wherefore speaketh my
lord like unto these things?
65 And Joseph
observing the countenance of Judah discerned that his anger began to kindle when
he spoke unto him, saying, Bring unto me your other brother instead of this
brother.
66 And Joseph said
unto his brethren, Surely you said that your brother was either dead or lost,
now if I should call him this day and he should come before you, would you give
him unto
me instead of his brother?
67 And Joseph
began to speak and call out, Joseph, Joseph, come this day before me, and appear
to thy brethren and sit before them.
68 And when Joseph
spoke this thing before them, they looked each a different way to see from
whence Joseph would come before them.
69 And Joseph
observed all their acts, and said unto them, Why do you look here and there? I
am Joseph whom you sold to Egypt, now therefore let it not grieve you that you
sold me, for as
a support during the famine did God send me before you.
70 And his
brethren 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 unto Joseph his brother, and embraced him and fell upon
his neck,
and they wept.
72 And when
Joseph's brethren saw that Benjamin had fallen upon his brother's neck and wept
with him, they also fell upon 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 brethren, and it pleased
Pharaoh exceedingly, for he was afraid of them lest they should destroy Egypt.
74 And Pharaoh
sent his servants unto Joseph to congratulate him concerning his brethren 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 brethren.
75 And Pharaoh
sent his servants to Joseph, saying, Tell thy brethren to fetch all belonging to
them and let them come unto me, and I will place them in the best part of the
land of Egypt,
and they did so.
76 And Joseph
commanded him that was set over his house to bring out to his brethren gifts and
garments, and he brought out to them many garments being robes of royalty and
many gifts,
and Joseph divided them amongst his brethren.
77 And he gave
unto each of his brethren a change of garments of gold and silver, and three hundred
pieces of silver, and Joseph commanded them all to be dressed in these
garments, and
to be brought before Pharaoh.
78 And Pharaoh
seeing that all Joseph's brethren were valiant men, and of beautiful appearance,
he greatly rejoiced.
79 And they
afterward went out from the presence of Pharaoh to go to the land of Canaan, to their
father, and their brother Benjamin was with them.
80 And Joseph rose
up and gave unto them eleven chariots from Pharaoh, and Joseph gave unto
them his chariot, upon 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 a hundred pieces of silver to each of them, and he also sent garments to
the wives
of his brethren from the garments of the king's wives, and he sent them.
81 And he gave
unto each of his brethren ten men to go with them to the land of 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 asses laden with all the luxuries of Egypt, and ten she
asses laden with
corn and bread and nourishment for his father, and to all that were with him as provisions
for the road.
84 And he sent to
his sister Dinah garments of silver and gold, and frankincense and myrrh, and
aloes and women's ornaments in great plenty, and he sent the same from the
wives of Pharaoh
to the wives of Benjamin.
85 And he gave
unto all his brethren, also to their wives, all sorts of onyx stones and bdellium,
and from all the valuable things amongst the great people of Egypt, nothing of
all the
costly things was left but what Joseph sent of to his father's household.
86 And he sent his
brethren 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 unto the borders of Egypt,
and he commanded them concerning his father and his household, to come to
Egypt.
88 And he said
unto them, Do not quarrel on the road, for this thing was from the Lord to keep
a great people from starvation, for there will be yet five years of famine in
the land.
89 And he
commanded them, saying, When you come unto the land of 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
unto the borders of the land, and they said to each other, What shall we do
in this matter before our father, for if we come suddenly to him and tell him
the matter, he will
be greatly alarmed at our words and will not believe us.
92 And they went
along until they came nigh unto their houses, and they found Serach, the daughter
of Asher, going forth to meet them, and the damsel was very good and subtle,
and knew
how to play upon the harp.
93 And they called
unto her and she came before them, and she kissed them, and they took her
and gave unto her a harp, saying, Go now before our father, and sit before him,
and strike
upon the harp, and speak these words.
94 And they
commanded her to go to their house, and she took the harp and hastened before
them, and she came and sat near Jacob.
95 And she played
well and sang, and uttered in the sweetness of her words, Joseph my uncle
is living, and he ruleth 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
whilst she repeated them twice and thrice, and joy entered the heart of Jacob at
the sweetness of her words, and the spirit of God was upon 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 unto her,
My daughter, may death never prevail over thee, for thou hast revived my
spirit; only speak
yet before me as thou hast spoken, for thou hast gladdened me with all thy
words.
99 And she
continued to sing these words, and Jacob listened and it pleased him, and he rejoiced,
and the spirit of God was upon him.
100 Whilst he was
yet speaking with her, behold his sons came to him with horses and chariots
and royal garments and servants running before them.
101 And Jacob rose
up to meet them, and saw his sons dressed in royal garments and he saw
all the treasures that Joseph had sent to them.
102 And they said
unto him, Be informed that our brother Joseph is living, and it is he who ruleth
throughout the land of Egypt, and it is he who spoke unto us as we told thee.
103 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 unto them.
104 And they opened
out before him, and showed him all that Joseph had sent, they gave unto
each what Joseph had sent him, and he knew that they had spoken the truth, and
he rejoiced
exceedingly an account of his son.
105 And Jacob said,
It is enough for me that my son Joseph is still living, I will go and see him
before I die.
106 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.
107 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 upon his head the turban which Joseph had
sent him.
108 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,
109 And all the
inhabitants of Canaan heard of this thing, and they came and rejoiced much with
Jacob that he was still living.
110 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
1 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 unto Abraham, for I
cannot leave
the land of my birth-place.
2 Behold the word
of the Lord came unto him, saying, Go down to Egypt with all thy household
and remain there, fear not to go down to Egypt for I will there make thee a
great nation.
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 unto Jacob, Fear not about Joseph, for he still retaineth his integrity to serve
me, as will seem good in thy 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 unto 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 for them a place
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 shall die.
8 And on the next
day Joseph went forth 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,
strewing myrrh and aloes all along the road, and they all went after this
fashion, and the
earth shook at their shouting.
10 And all the
women of Egypt went upon the roofs of Egypt and upon the walls to meet Jacob,
and upon the head of Joseph was Pharaoh's regal crown, for Pharaoh had sent it unto
him to put on at the time of his going to meet his father.
11 And when Joseph
came within fifty cubits of his father, he alighted 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 alighted 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
unto Judah, Who is that man whom I see in the camp of Egypt dressed in kingly
robes with a very red garment upon him and a royal crown upon his head, who has alighted
from his chariot and is coming toward us? and Judah answered his father,
saying, He
is thy son Joseph the king; and Jacob rejoiced in seeing the glory of his son.
14 And Joseph came
nigh unto his father and he bowed to his father, and all the men of the camp
bowed to the ground with him before Jacob.
15 And behold
Jacob ran and hastened to his son Joseph and fell upon 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
unto Joseph, Now I will die cheerfully after I have seen thy face, that thou art
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 Joseph and
all his people returned afterward 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
unto his father and unto his brethren, I will go up and tell Pharaoh, saying,
My brethren and my father's household and all belonging to them have come unto me,
and behold they are in the land of Goshen.
20 And Joseph did
so and took from his brethren Reuben, Issachar Zebulun and his brother Benjamin
and he placed them before Pharaoh.
21 And Joseph
spoke unto Pharaoh, saying, My brethren and my father's household and all belonging
to them, together with their flocks and cattle have come unto me from the land
of Canaan,
to sojourn in Egypt; for the famine was sore upon them.
22 And Pharaoh
said unto Joseph, Place thy father and brethren in the best part of the land, withhold
not from them all that is good, and cause them to eat of the fat of the land.
23 And 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 unto Joseph, Do with thy brethren all that they shall say unto thee; and the
sons of Jacob bowed down to Pharaoh, and they went forth from him in peace, and Joseph
afterward 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 hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Jacob, Joseph maintained
his father and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread
according to their
little ones, all the days of the famine; they lacked nothing.
27 And Joseph gave
unto them the best part of the whole land; the best of Egypt had they all the
days of Joseph; and Joseph also gave unto them and unto 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 unto him for the corn which they bought
throughout the
land, and he accumulated much gold and silver, besides an immense quantity of
onyx stones,
bdellium and valuable garments which they brought unto 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 unto all his brothers
and unto
all his father's household, and unto all the women of his father's household,
and the rest he
brought to the house of Pharaoh, about twenty talents of gold and silver.
33 And Joseph gave
all the gold and silver that was left unto Pharaoh, and Pharaoh placed it in
the treasury, and the days of the famine ceased after that in the land, and
they sowed and reaped
in the whole land, and they obtained their usual quantity year by year; they
lacked nothing.
34 And Joseph
dwelt securely in Egypt, and the whole land was under his advice, and his father
and all his brethren dwelt in the land of Goshen and took possession of it.
35 And Joseph was
very aged, advanced in days, and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, remained
constantly in the house of Jacob, together with the children of the sons of
Jacob their
brethren, 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
1 And Jacob lived
in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the days of Jacob, and the years
of his life were a hundred and forty seven years.
2 At that time
Jacob was attacked with that illness of which he died and he sent and called for
his son Joseph from Egypt, and Joseph his son came from Egypt and Joseph came
unto his
father.
3 And Jacob said
unto Joseph and unto his sons, Behold I die, and the God of your ancestors
will visit you, and bring you back to the land, which the Lord sware to give
unto you and
unto your children after you, now therefore when I am dead, bury me in the cave
which is
in Machpelah in Hebron in the land of Canaan, near my ancestors.
4 And Jacob made
his sons swear to bury him in Machpelah, in Hebron, and his sons swore unto
him concerning this thing.
5 And he
commanded them, saying, Serve 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 unto me, and all the children of Jacob's sons came and
sat before him, and Jacob blessed them, and he said unto them, The Lord God of
your fathers
shall grant you a 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 forth on that
day after
he had blessed them.
7 And on the next
day Jacob again called for his sons, and they all assembled and came to him
and sat before him, and Jacob on that day blessed his sons before his death,
each man did
he bless according to his blessing; behold it is written in the book of the law
of the Lord appertaining
to Israel.
8 And Jacob said
unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign
over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever.
9 Only teach thy
sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles
of their brother who will rule over his enemies.
10 And Jacob again
commanded his sons on that day, saying, Behold I shall be this day gathered
unto my people; carry me up from Egypt, and bury me in the cave of Machpelah as I
have commanded you.
11 Howbeit take
heed I pray you that none of your sons carry me, only yourselves, and this is the
manner you shall do unto me, when you carry my body to go with it to the land
of Canaan to
bury me,
12 Judah, Issachar
and Zebulun shall 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 Let not 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 Joseph my son carry, for as a king
so let his glory
be; howbeit, Ephraim and Manasseh shall be in their stead.
14 Thus shall you
do unto me when you carry me away; do not neglect any thing of all that I command
you; and it shall come to pass when you do this unto me, that the Lord will remember
you favorably and your children after you forever.
15 And you my
sons, honor each his brother and his relative, and command your children and
your children's children after you to serve 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 for ever, when you do what is good and upright in the sight of the
Lord your
God, to go in all his ways.
17 And thou,
Joseph my son, forgive I pray thee the prongs of thy brethren and all their misdeeds
in the injury that they heaped upon thee, for God intended it for thine and thy children's
benefit.
18 And O my son
leave not thy brethren to the inhabitants of Egypt, neither hurt their feelings,
for behold I consign them to the hand of God and in thy hand to guard them from the
Egyptians; and the sons of Jacob answered their father saying, O, our father,
all that thou hast
commanded us, so will we do; may God only be with us.
19 And Jacob said
unto his sons, So may God be with you when you keep all his ways; turn not
from his ways either to the right or the left in performing what is good and
upright in his sight.
20 For I know that
many and grievous troubles will befall you in the latter days in the land, yea
your children and children's children, only serve the Lord and he will save you
from all trouble.
21 And it shall
come to pass when you shall go after God to serve him and will teach your children
after you, and your children's children, to know the Lord, then will the Lord
raise up unto
you and your children a servant from amongst your children, and the Lord will
deliver you
through his hand from all affliction, 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
upon his father and he cried out and wept over him and he kissed him, and
he called out in a bitter voice, and he said, O my father, my father.
24 And his son's
wives and all his household came and fell upon 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
upon their loins, and they fell upon their faces, and they cast dust upon their
heads toward
the heavens.
26 And the thing
was told unto Osnath Joseph's wife, and she rose up and put on a sack and she
with all the Egyptian women with her came and mourned and wept for Jacob.
27 And also all
the people of Egypt who knew Jacob came all on that day when they heard this
thing, and all Egypt wept for many days.
28 And also from
the land of Canaan did the women come unto 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 many days.
31 And after the
days of his weeping had passed away, at the end of seventy days, Joseph said
unto 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 thy father as he said, and as he made thee
swear; and Joseph rose up with all his brethren 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
goeth not up with Joseph and his brethren to the land of Canaan to bury Jacob, shall
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 upon which he lay; according to all that their father commanded
them, so did his sons unto him.
36 And the bier
was of pure gold, and it was inlaid round about with onyx stones and bdellium;
and the covering of the bier was gold woven work, joined with threads, and over them
were hooks of onyx stones and bdellium.
37 And Joseph
placed upon the head of his father Jacob a large golden crown, and he put a golden
scepter in his hand, and they surrounded the bier as was the custom of kings
during their
lives.
38 And all the
troops of 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 upon them.
39 And all the
weepers and mourners went at a distance opposite to the bier, going and weeping
and lamenting, and the rest of the people went after the bier.
40 And 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 upon 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 strewed along the road myrrh
and aloes, and all manner of perfume, and all the sons of Jacob that carried
the bier walked
upon the perfumery, and the servants of Jacob went before them strewing 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 exceeding great and heavy mourning in
that place.
43 And all the
kings of Canaan heard of this thing and they all went forth, 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 upon it, and they also
put their crowns upon the bier, and encircled it with crowns.
45 And all these
kings made in that place a great and heavy mourning with the sons of 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 conveying
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 again rose up and mourned a great mourning with Esau over Jacob in
that place
49 And Joseph and
his brethren 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
unto Kireath-arba, to the cave, and as they came Esau stood with his sons
against Joseph and his brethren as a hindrance in the cave, saying, Jacob shall
not be buried
therein, for it belongeth to us and to our father.
51 And Joseph and
his brethren heard the words of Esau's sons, and they were exceedingly wroth,
and Joseph approached unto Esau, saying, What is this thing which they have spoken?
surely my father Jacob bought it from thee for great riches after the death of
Isaac, now
five and twenty years ago, and also all the land of Canaan he bought from thee
and from
thy sons, and thy seed after thee.
52 And Jacob
bought it for his sons and his seed after him for an inheritance for ever, and why
speakest thou these things this day?
53 And Esau
answered, saying, Thou speakest falsely and utterest lies, for I sold not anything
belonging to me in all this land, as thou sayest, neither did my brother Jacob
buy aught
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
unto Esau, Surely my father inserted these things with thee in the record of
purchase, and testified the record with witnesses, and behold it is with us in
Egypt.
56 And Esau
answered, saying unto him, Bring the record, all that thou wilt find in the
record, so
will we do.
57 And Joseph
called unto Naphtali his brother, and he said, Hasten quickly, stay not, and run
I pray thee 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 birth-right
are written, fetch thou.
58 And thou shalt
bring them unto us hither, that we may know from them all the words of Esau
and his sons which they spoke this day.
59 And Naphtali
hearkened 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 upon the
wilderness, for
he would go upon 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 brethren 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 at that time with Jacob's sons, but he was
about a 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
dumb and deaf, still he understood the voice of consternation amongst men.
64 And he asked,
saying, Why do you not bury the dead, and what is this great consternation?
and they answered him the words of 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 amongst 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 unto his father at his death, for he buried
him with great honor like unto the burial of kings.
68 And Joseph and
his brethren made a mourning of seven days for their father.
CHAPTER
57
1 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 of the sons of Esau eighty men, 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 of 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
unto 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 unto the borders of Seir, but they did not slay a single
man from amongst
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 brethren were in Hebron, and they remained there on
that day, and
on the next day until they rested from the battle.
6 And it came to
pass on the third day they assembled all the sons of Seir the Horite, and they
assembled all the children of the east, a multitude of people like the sand of
the sea, and
they went and came down to Egypt to fight with Joseph and his brethren, in
order to deliver
their brethren.
7 And Joseph and
all the sons of Jacob heard that the sons of Esau and the children of the east
had come upon them to battle in order to deliver their brethren.
8 And Joseph and
his brethren and the strong men of Egypt went forth and fought in the city of
Rameses, and Joseph and his brethren dealt out a tremendous blow amongst the
sons of Esau
and the children of the east.
9 And they slew
of them six hundred thousand men, and they slew amongst them all the mighty
men of the children of Seir the Horite; there were only a few of them left, and
they slew
also a great many of the children of the east, and of the children of Esau; and
Eliphaz the
son of Esau, and the children of the east all fled before Joseph and his
brethren.
10 And Joseph and
his brethren pursued them until they came unto Succoth, and they yet slew
of them in Succoth thirty men, and the rest escaped and they fled each to his
city.
11 And Joseph and
his brethren 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 unto 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 remaineth.
15 Now therefore
go forth from our land, go from us to the land of Canaan to the land of the dwelling
of your fathers; wherefore shall your children inherit the effects of our
children in latter
days?
16 And the
children of 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 sent secretly to Angeas king of Africa, the same is Dinhabah, saying,
18 Send unto us
some of thy men and let them come unto us, and we will fight together with the
children of Seir the Horite, for they have resolved to fight with us to drive
us away from the
land.
19 And Angeas king
of Dinhabah did so, for he was in those days friendly to the children of Esau,
and Angeas sent five hundred valiant infantry to the children of Esau, and
eight hundred
cavalry.
20 And the
children of Seir sent unto the children of the east and unto the children of
Midian, saying,
You have seen what the children of Esau have done unto us, upon whose account we
are almost all destroyed, in their battle with the sons of Jacob.
21 Now therefore
come unto us and assist us, and we will fight them together, and we will drive
them from the land and be avenged of the cause of our brethren who died for
their sakes
in their battle with their brethren the sons of Jacob.
22 And all the
children of the east listened to the children of Seir, and they came unto them about
eight hundred men with drawn swords, and the children of Esau fought with the children
of Seir at that time in the wilderness of Paran.
23 And the
children of Seir prevailed then over the sons of 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 sore upon 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 brethren 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 shall we do unto our brethren who turned from us to assist the children
of Seir our enemies? and the children of Esau again sent to Angeas king of Dinhabah,
saying,
29 Send unto us
again other men that with them we may fight with the children of Seir, for they
have already twice been heavier than we were.
30 And Angeas
again sent to the children of 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 upon the children of Seir, and the children
of Esau prevailed at this time over the children of Seir, 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 betook themselves to flight from the battle, and they
left the children of Seir and fled when they saw that the battle was severe
upon them, and
the children of 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 upon
them through their brethren turning from them to assist the children of Seir
the Horite, and
the children of Esau again heard of the evil doings of their brethren, and they
again mourned
on account of this thing.
35 And it came to
pass after the battle, the children of Esau turned back and came home unto
Seir, and the children of Esau slew those who had remained in the land of the
children of
Seir; they slew also their wives and little ones, they left not a soul alive
except fifty young lads
and damsels whom they suffered to live, and the children of Esau did not put
them to death,
and the lads became their slaves, and the damsels they took 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 in the land to the children of Seir, also
their flocks,
their bullocks and their goods, and all belonging to the children of Seir, did
the children
of Esau take, and the children of Esau dwelt in Seir in the place of the
children of Seir
unto 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 became possessed. And they said to each other, Not
so, for he
shall reign over us in our land, and we shall be under his counsel and he shall
fight our battles,
against our enemies, and they did so.
39 And all the
children of Esau swore, saying, That none of their brethren should ever reign over
them, but a strange man who is not of their brethren, 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 brethren 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 brethren, but one from a strange land unto this day.
41 And there was a
man there from the people of Angeas king of Dinhabah; his name was Bela
the son of Beor, who was a very valiant man, beautiful and comely and wise in
all wisdom,
and a man of sense and counsel; and there was none of the people of Angeas like unto
him.
42 And all the
children of Esau took him and anointed him and they crowned him for a king, and
they bowed down to him, and they said unto him, May the king live, may the king
live.
43 And they spread
out the sheet, and they brought him each man earrings of gold and silver or
rings or bracelets, and they made him very rich in silver and in gold, in onyx
stones and bdellium,
and they made him a royal throne, and they placed a regal crown upon his head, and
they built a palace for him and he dwelt therein, and he became king over all
the children of
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
unto this day.
CHAPTER
58
1 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 died Pharaoh king of
Egypt, and Magron
his son reigned in his stead.
2 And Pharaoh
commanded Joseph before his death 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 of heretofore, only Magron the son of Pharaoh sat upon, his father's
throne, and he became king in those days in his father's stead.
4 Magron was
forty-one years old when he began to reign, and forty years he reigned in 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 amongst them, who did not like him, saying, No stranger shall reign
over us; still the whole government of Egypt devolved in those days upon
Joseph, after the
death of Pharaoh, he being the regulator, doing as he liked throughout the land
without any
one interfering.
8 And all Egypt
was under the care of Joseph, and Joseph made war with all his surrounding enemies,
and he subdued them; also all the land and all the Philistines, unto the
borders of Canaan,
did Joseph subdue, and they were all under his power and they gave a yearly tax unto
Joseph.
9 And Pharaoh
king of Egypt sat upon 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 only, under the counsel of Joseph, but Joseph
reigned over the whole country at that time, from Egypt unto 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 forty years.
12 And all the
countries of the Philistines and Canaan and Zidon, and on the other side of Jordan,
brought presents unto Joseph all his days, and the whole country was in the
hand of Joseph,
and they brought unto him a yearly tribute 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 upon his throne in Egypt.
13 And also all
his brethren the sons of Jacob 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
yet in those days
slaves to Joseph.
15 And the
children of Esau sent unto all the children of the east, and they made peace
with them,
and all the children of the east came unto them to go with the children of Esau
to Egypt to
battle.
16 And there came
also unto them of the people of Angeas, king of Dinhabah, and they also sent
unto the children of Ishmael and they also came unto them.
17 And all this
people assembled and came unto 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
forth with his brethren 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 at that
time again
fought with the children of Esau, 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 brethren, 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 brethren and all Egypt were still smiting 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 brethren and all Egypt pursued them a day's journey, and they slew yet
from them about three hundred men, continuing to smite them in the road; and
they afterward
turned back from them.
23 And Joseph and
all his brethren 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, returned in shame each
unto his city, for all the mighty men that were with them had fallen in battle.
26 And when the
children of 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
upon 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 went no more 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, unto this day.
29 And it came to
pass after this, at the end of ten years, Jobab, the son of Zarach, from Botzrah,
died, and the children of 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 brethren, and all the children of Israel dwelt securely in
Egypt in those days, together with all the children of Joseph and his brethren,
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 brethren.
CHAPTER
59
1 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 unto 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 unto them in the land of Canaan, before they came
unto 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
Canaanitish woman.
9 And the
children of Levi were Gershon, Kehath and Merari, and their sister Jochebed,
who was
born unto them in their going down to 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 unto him in Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim.
19 And all the
souls that went forth from the loins of Jacob, were seventy souls; these are they
who came with Jacob their father unto Egypt to dwell there: and Joseph and all
his brethren
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 ninety-three years, and Joseph reigned over all Egypt
eighty years.
21 And when the
days of Joseph drew nigh that he should die, he sent and called for his brethren
and all his father's household, and they all came together and sat before him.
22 And Joseph said
unto his brethren and unto 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 unto them.
23 And it shall be
when God shall visit you to bring you up from here to the land of your fathers,
then bring up my bones with you from here.
24 And Joseph made
the sons of Israel to swear for their seed after them, saying, God will surely
visit you and you shall 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
brethren and all his servants rose up and they embalmed Joseph, as was their
custom, and
his brethren 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 brethren, and
the whole of his
father's household made a seven day's mourning for him.
28 And it came to
pass after the death of Joseph, all the Egyptians began in those days to rule
over the children of Israel, 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
1 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 brethren.
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
in those days very great in the sight of Angeas and in the sight of all his people,
and he continually enticed them to make war against 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 damsel
was exceedingly beautiful, comely and intelligent, there was none seen like
unto her for beauty and wisdom throughout the land.
9 And the people
of Angeas king of Africa saw her and they came and praised her unto him, and
Angeas sent to the children of Chittim, and he requested to take her unto himself
for a wife,
and the people of Chittim consented to give her unto him for a wife.
10 And when the
messengers of Angeas were going forth from the land of Chittim to take their
journey, behold the messengers of Turnus king of Bibentu came unto Chittim, for Turnus
king of Bibentu also sent his messengers to request Jania for him, to take unto himself
for a wife, for all his men had also praised her to him, therefore he sent all
his servants
unto her.
11 And the
servants of Turnus came to Chittim, and they asked for Jania, to be taken unto Turnus
their king for a wife.
12 And the people
of Chittim said unto them, We cannot give her, because Angeas king of Africa
desired her to take her unto him for a wife before you came, and that we should
give her
unto him, and now therefore we cannot do this thing to deprive Angeas of the
damsel in order
to give her unto Turnus.
13 For we are
greatly afraid of Angeas lest he come in battle against us and destroy us, and Turnus
your master will not be able to deliver us from his hand.
14 And when the
messengers of Turnus heard all the words of the children of Chittim, they turned
back to their master and told him all the words of the children of Chittim.
15 And the
children of Chittim sent a memorial to Angeas, saying, Behold Turnus has sent for
Jania to take her unto him for a wife, and thus have we answered him; and we
heard that he
has collected his whole army to go to war against thee, and he intends to pass
by the road
of Sardunia to fight against thy brother Lucus, and after that he will come to
fight against thee.
16 And Angeas
heard the words of the children of Chittim which they sent to him in the record,
and his anger was kindled and he rose up and assembled his whole army and came through
the islands of the sea, the road to Sardunia, unto his brother Lucus king of
Sardunia.
17 And Niblos, the
son of Lucus, heard that his uncle Angeas was coming, and he went out to
meet him with a heavy army, and he kissed him and embraced him, and Niblos said
unto Angeas,
When thou askest my father after his welfare, when I shall go with thee to
fight with Turnus,
ask of him to make me captain of his host, and Angeas did so, and he came unto
his brother
and his brother came to meet him, and he asked him after his welfare.
18 And Angeas asked
his brother Lucus after his welfare, and to make his son Niblos captain of
his host, and Lucus did so, and Angeas and his brother Lucus rose up and they
went toward
Turnus to battle, and there was with them a great army and a heavy people.
19 And he came in
ships, and they came into the province of Ashtorash, and behold Turnus came
toward them, for he went forth to Sardunia, and intended to destroy it and
afterward to pass
on from there to Angeas to fight with him.
20 And Angeas and
Lucus his brother met Turnus in the valley of Canopia, and the battle was
strong and mighty between them in that place.
21 And the battle
was severe upon Lucus king of Sardunia, and all his army fell, and Niblos his
son fell also in that battle.
22 And his uncle
Angeas commanded his servants and they made a golden coffin for Niblos and
they put him into it, and Angeas again waged battle toward Turnus, and Angeas
was stronger
than he, and he slew him, and he smote all his people with the edge of the
sword, and
Angeas avenged the cause of Niblos his brother's son and the cause of the army
of his brother
Lucus.
23 And when Turnus
died, the hands of those that survived the battle became weak, and they
fled from before Angeas and Lucus his brother.
24 And Angeas and
his brother Lucus pursued them unto the highroad, which is between Alphanu
and Romah, and they slew the whole army of Turnus with the edge of the sword.
25 And Lucus king
of Sardunia commanded his servants that they should make a coffin of brass,
and that they should place therein the body of his son Niblos, and they buried
him in that
place.
26 And they built
upon it a high tower there upon the highroad, and they called its name after the
name of Niblos unto this day, and they also buried Turnus king of Bibentu there
in that place
with Niblos.
27 And behold upon
the highroad between Alphanu and Romah the grave of Niblos is on one side
and the grave of Turnus on the other, and a pavement between them unto this
day.
28 And when Niblos
was buried, Lucus his father returned with his army to his land Sardunia, and
Angeas his brother king of Africa went with his people unto the city of
Bibentu, that is the city
of Turnus.
29 And the
inhabitants of Bibentu heard of his fame and they were greatly afraid of him,
and they
went forth to meet him with weeping and supplication, and the inhabitants of
Bibentu entreated
of Angeas not to slay them nor destroy their city; and he did so, for Bibentu
was in those
days reckoned as one of the cities of the children of Chittim; therefore he did
not destroy
the city.
30 But from that
day forward the troops of the king of Africa would go to Chittim to spoil and plunder
it, and whenever they went, Zepho the captain of the host of Angeas would go
with them.
31 And it was
after this that Angeas turned with his army and they came to the city of Puzimna,
and Angeas took thence Jania the daughter of Uzu for a wife and brought her
unto his
city unto Africa.
CHAPTER
61
1 And it came to
pass at that time Pharaoh king of Egypt commanded all his people to make for
him a strong palace in Egypt.
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 he 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 a hundred and fourteen years
old, and
was put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.
4 And in the
seventy-fifth year died his brother Simeon, he was a hundred and twenty years old
at his death, and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his
children.
5 And Zepho the
son of Eliphaz the son of 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 unto them in their battle with the
children of Esau.
6 And Zepho was
in those days daily enticing Angeas to fight with the sons of Jacob in those days.
7 And after some
time Angeas hearkened to the words of Zepho and consented to him to fight
with the sons of Jacob in Egypt, and Angeas got all his people in order, a
people numerous
as the sand which is upon the sea shore, and he formed his resolution to go to Egypt
to battle.
8 And amongst 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
unto Balaam, Conjure for us, I pray thee, with the witchcraft, that we may know
who will prevail in this battle to which we are now proceeding.
10 And 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 in
his hand the
boughs of myrtle trees, and he exercised his cunning, and he joined them over
the water, and
there appeared unto him in the water the resembling images of the hosts of
Angeas falling
before the resembling images of the Egyptians and the sons of 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 forth to battle with
the Egyptians, Zepho fled from Angeas from Africa, and he went and came unto
Chittim.
13 And all the
people of Chittim received him with great honor, and they hired him to fight their
battles all the days, and Zepho became exceedingly rich in those days, and the
troops of
the king of Africa still spread themselves in those days, and the children of
Chittim assembled
and went to Mount Cuptizia on account of the troops of Angeas king of Africa, who
were advancing upon them.
14 And it was one
day that Zepho lost a young heifer, and he went to seek it, and he heard it lowing
round about the mountain.
15 And Zepho went
and he saw and behold there was a large cave at the bottom of the mountain,
and there was a great stone there at the entrance of the cave, and Zepho split
the stone
and he came into the cave and he looked and behold, a large animal was
devouring the
ox; from the middle upward it resembled a man, and from the middle downward it resembled
an animal, and Zepho rose up against the animal and slew it with his swords.
16 And the
inhabitants of Chittim heard of this thing, and they rejoiced exceedingly, and
they said,
What shall we do unto this man who has slain this animal that devoured our
cattle?
17 And they all
assembled to consecrate one day in the year to him, and they called the name
thereof Zepho after his name, and they brought unto him drink offerings year
after year on
that day, and they brought unto him gifts.
18 At that time
Jania the daughter of Uzu wife of king Angeas became ill, and her illness was heavily
felt by Angeas and his officers, and Angeas said unto his wise men, What shall
I do to
Jania and how shall I heal her from her illness? And his wise men said unto
him, Because the
air of our country is not like the air of the land of Chittim, and our water is
not like their water,
therefore from this has the queen become ill.
19 For through the
change of air and water she became ill, and also because in her country she
drank only the water which came from Purmah, which her ancestors had brought up
with bridges.
20 And Angeas
commanded his servants, and they brought unto him in vessels of the waters of
Purmah belonging to Chittim, and they weighed those waters with all the waters
of the land
of Africa, and they found those waters lighter than the waters of Africa.
21 And Angeas saw
this thing, and he commanded all his officers to assemble the hewers of stone
in thousands and tens of thousands, and they hewed stone without number, and
the builders
came and they built an exceedingly strong bridge, and they conveyed the spring
of water
from the land of Chittim unto Africa, and those waters were for Jania the queen
and for all
her concerns, to drink from and to bake, wash and bathe therewith, and also to
water therewith
all seed from which food can be obtained, and all fruit of the ground.
22 And the king
commanded that they should bring of the soil of Chittim in large ships, and they
also brought stones to build therewith, and the builders built palaces for
Jania the queen,
and the queen became healed of her illness.
23 And at the
revolution of the year the troops of Africa continued coming to the land of Chittim
to plunder as usual, and Zepho son of Eliphaz heard their report, and he gave
orders concerning
them and he fought with them, and they fled before him, and he delivered the land
of Chittim from them.
24 And the
children of Chittim saw the valor of Zepho, and the children of Chittim
resolved and
they made Zepho king over them, and he became king over them, and whilst he
reigned they
went to subdue the children of Tubal, and all the surrounding islands.
25 And their king
Zepho went at their head and they made war with Tubal and the islands, and
they subdued them, and when they returned from the battle they renewed his government
for him, and they built for him a very large palace for his royal habitation
and seat,
and they made a large throne for him, and Zepho reigned over the whole land of Chittim
and over the land of Italia fifty years.
CHAPTER
62
1 In that year,
being the seventy-ninth year of the Israelites going down to Egypt, died Reuben
the son of Jacob, in the land of Egypt; Reuben was a hundred and twenty-five
years old
when he died, and they put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands
of his children.
2 And in the
eightieth year died his brother Dan; he was a hundred and twenty years at his death,
and he was also put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.
3 And in that
year died Chusham king of Edom, and after him reigned Hadad the son of Bedad,
for thirty-five years; and in the eighty-first year died Issachar the son of
Jacob, in Egypt,
and Issachar was a 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 died Asher his brother, he was a 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 died Gad, he was a 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
unto the land of Moab, and Moab and the children of Midian went out to meet
him, and they placed themselves in battle array against him in the field of
Moab.
9 And Hadad
fought with Moab, and there fell of the children of Moab and the children of Midian
many slain ones, about two hundred thousand men.
10 And the battle
was very severe upon Moab, and when the children of Moab saw that the battle
was sore upon them, they weakened their hands and turned their backs, and left
the children
of Midian to carry on the battle.
11 And the
children of Midian knew not the intentions of Moab, but they strengthened themselves
in battle and fought with Hadad and all his host, and all Midian fell before
him.
12 And Hadad smote
all Midian with a heavy smiting, and he slew them with the edge of the sword,
he left none remaining of those who came to assist Moab.
13 And when all
the children of Midian had perished in battle, and the children at Moab had escaped,
Hadad made all Moab at that time tributary to him, and they became under his hand,
and they gave a yearly tax as it was ordered, and Hadad turned and went back to
his land.
14 And at the revolution
of the year, when the rest of the people of Midian that were in the land
heard that all their brethren had fallen in battle with Hadad for the sake of
Moab, because
the children of Moab had turned their backs in battle and left Midian to fight,
then five
of the princes of Midian resolved with the rest of their brethren who remained
in their land,
to fight with Moab to avenge the cause of their brethren.
15 And the
children of Midian sent to all their brethren the children of the east, and all
their brethren,
all the children of Keturah came to assist Midian to fight with Moab.
16 And the
children of Moab heard this thing, and they were greatly afraid that all the
children of
the east had assembled together against them for battle, and they the children
of Moab sent
a memorial to the land of Edom to Hadad the son of Bedad, saying,
17 Come now unto
us and assist us and we will smite Midian, for they all assembled together and
have come against us with all their brethren the children of the east to battle,
to avenge the
cause of Midian that fell in battle.
18 And Hadad, son
of Bedad, king of Edom, went forth with his whole army and went to the land
of Moab to fight with Midian, and Midian and the children of the east fought
with Moab in the
field of Moab, and the battle was very fierce between them.
19 And Hadad smote
all the children of Midian and the children of the east with the edge of the
sword, and Hadad at that time delivered Moab from the hand of Midian, and those
that remained
of Midian and of the children of the east fled before Hadad and his army, and Hadad
pursued them to their land, and smote them with a very heavy slaughter, and the
slain fell
in the road.
20 And Hadad
delivered Moab from the hand of Midian, for all the children of Midian had fallen
by the edge of the sword, and Hadad turned and went back to his land.
21 And from that
day forth, the children of Midian hated the children of Moab, because they had
fallen in battle for their sake, and there was a great and mighty enmity
between them all the
days.
22 And all that
were found of Midian in the road of the land of Moab perished by the sword of Moab,
and all that were found of Moab in the road of the land of Midian, perished by
the sword
of Midian; thus did Midian unto Moab and Moab unto Midian for many days.
23 And it came to
pass at that time that Judah the son of Jacob died in Egypt, in the eightysixth year
of Jacob's going down to Egypt, and Judah was a hundred and twenty-nine years old
at his death, and they embalmed him and put him into a coffin, and he was given
into the hands
of his children.
24 And in the
eighty-ninth year died Naphtali, he was a hundred and thirty-two years old, and he
was put into a coffin and given into the hands of his children.
25 And it came to
pass in the ninety-first year of the Israelites going down to 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 upon the children of Chittim to plunder
them as usual, but
they had not come upon them for these thirteen years.
26 And they came
to them in that year, and Zepho the son of Eliphaz went out to them with some
of his men and smote them desperately, and the troops of Africa fled from
before Zepho
and the slain fell before him, and Zepho and his men pursued them, going on and smiting
them until they were near unto Africa.
27 And Angeas king
of Africa heard the thing which Zepho had done, and it vexed him exceedingly,
and Angeas was afraid of Zepho all the days.
CHAPTER
63
1 And in the
ninety-third year died Levi, the son of Jacob, in Egypt, and Levi was a hundred and
thirty-seven years old when he died, and they put him into a coffin and he was
given into the
hands of his children.
2 And it came to
pass after the death of Levi, when all Egypt saw that the sons of Jacob the brethren
of Joseph were dead, all the Egyptians began to afflict the children of Jacob,
and to embitter
their lives from that day unto the day of their going forth from Egypt, and
they took from
their hands all the vineyards and fields which Joseph had given unto them, and
all the elegant
houses in which the people of Israel lived, and all the fat of Egypt, the
Egyptians took all
from the sons of Jacob in those days.
3 And the hand of
all Egypt became more grievous in those days against the children of Israel,
and the Egyptians injured the Israelites until the children of Israel were
wearied of their lives
on account of the Egyptians.
4 And it came to
pass in those days, in the hundred and second year of Israel's going down to
Egypt, that Pharaoh king of Egypt died, and Melol his son reigned in his stead,
and all the mighty
men of Egypt and all that generation which knew Joseph and his brethren 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 forth 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 children of Israel, to benefit them in their latter days,
in order that all the children 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 children of Israel might fear the Lord
God of their
ancestors, and walk in all his ways, they and their seed after them all the
days.
9 Melol was
twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned ninety-four years, and all
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 forth 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 forth to meet
them with his army, and he fought them there in the road.
12 And Zepho smote
the troops of the king of Africa with the edge of the sword, and left none remaining
of them, and not even one returned to his master in Africa.
13 And Angeas
heard of this which Zepho the son of Eliphaz had done to all his troops, that he
had destroyed them, and Angeas assembled all his troops, all the men of the
land of Africa,
a people numerous like the sand by the sea shore.
14 And Angeas sent
to Lucus his brother, saying, Come to me with all thy men and help me to
smite Zepho and all the children of Chittim who have destroyed my men, and
Lucus came with
his whole army, a very great force, to assist Angeas his brother to fight with
Zepho and the
children of Chittim.
15 And Zepho and
the children of Chittim heard this thing, and they were greatly afraid and a great
terror fell upon their hearts.
16 And Zepho also
sent a letter to the land of Edom to Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom and
to all the children of 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 you also up with me and help me, and we will fight together against Angeas
and his brother Lucus, and you will save us out of their hands, but if not,
know ye that
we shall all die.
19 And the
children of 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 Jordan when
he buried his father.
20 And when Zepho
heard the words of his brethren the children of Esau he refrained from them,
and Zepho was greatly afraid of Angeas.
21 And Angeas and
Lucus his brother arrayed all their forces, about eight hundred thousand men,
against the children of Chittim.
22 And all the
children of Chittim said unto Zepho, Pray for us to the God of thy ancestors, peradventure
he may deliver us from the hand of Angeas and his army, for we have heard that
he is a great 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 0 Lord God of
Abraham and Isaac my ancestors, this day I know that thou art a true God, and
all the gods of the nations are vain and useless.
25 Remember now
this day unto me thy covenant with Abraham our father, which our ancestors
related unto us, and do graciously with me this day for the sake of Abraham and Isaac
our fathers, and save me and the children of Chittim from the hand of the king
of Africa who
comes against us for battle.
26 And the Lord
hearkened 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 upon Angeas, and Zepho smote all the men of Angeas and Lucus
his brother, with the edge of the sword, and there fell from them unto the
evening of that
day about four hundred thousand men.
29 And when Angeas
saw that all his men perished, he sent a letter to all the inhabitants of Africa
to come to him, to assist him in the battle, and he wrote in the letter,
saying, All who are
found in Africa let them come unto me from ten years old and upward; let them
all come unto
me, and behold if he comes not he shall die, and all that he has, with his
whole household,
the king will take.
30 And all the
rest of the inhabitants of Africa were terrified at the words of Angeas, and there
went out of the city about three hundred thousand men and boys, from ten years upward,
and they came to Angeas.
31 And at the end
of ten days Angeas renewed the battle against Zepho and the children of Chittim,
and the battle was very great and strong between them.
32 And from the
army of Angeas and Lucus, Zepho sent many of the wounded unto his hand,
about two thousand men, and Sosiphtar the captain of the host of Angeas fell in
that battle.
33 And when
Sosiphtar had fallen, the African troops turned their backs to flee, and they
fled, and
Angeas and Lucus his brother were with them.
34 And Zepho and
the children of Chittim pursued them, and they smote them still heavily on the
road, about two hundred men, and they pursued Azdrubal the son of Angeas who
had fled
with his father, and they smote twenty of his men in the road, and Azdrubal
escaped from
the children of Chittim, and they did not slay him.
35 And Angeas and
Lucus his brother fled with the rest of their men, and they escaped and came
into Africa with terror and consternation, and Angeas feared all the days lest
Zepho the son
of Eliphaz should go to war with him.
CHAPTER
64
1 And Balaam the
son of Beor was at that time 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 unto Balaam many gifts 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
remembered not the Lord and considered not 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 brethren the children of Esau had taught him; it is therefore
said, From the
wicked goes forth wickedness.
6 And Zepho
reigned over all the children of Chittim securely, but knew not the Lord who
had delivered
him and all his people from the hand of the king of Africa; and the troops of
Africa came
no more 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 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 brethren the
sons at Jacob were dead, and that all their children the children of Israel
remained in Egypt.
9 And Zepho
considered to go to fight against them and all Egypt, to avenge the cause of
his brethren
the children of Esau, whom Joseph with his brethren 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 brethren
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 smote 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 brethren and 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
shall we avenge the cause of our brethren.
14 And the children
of Esau hearkened 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
unto these, and they gathered themselves and came to the assistance of Zepho
and the children
of Chittim in the war upon 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 forth 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
numerous as the sand upon the sea shore which can not 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 sent also to the children of Israel who were in those days in the land
of Goshen, 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 forth, about three hundred thousand men and one
hundred and fifty men, and they went toward these kings to battle, and they
placed themselves
from without the land of Goshen opposite Pathros.
23 And the
Egyptians believed not in Israel to go with them in their camps together for
battle, for
all the Egyptians said, Perhaps the children of Israel will deliver us into the
hand of the children
of Esau and Ishmael, for they are their brethren.
24 And all the
Egyptians said unto the children of Israel, Remain you here together in your stand
and we will go and fight against the children of Esau and Ishmael, and if these
kings should
prevail over us, then come you altogether upon them and assist us, and the
children 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 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
unto 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 children 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 smite them unto the place where was the camp of the children of Israel.
33 And all the
Egyptians cried unto the children 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 hundred
and fifty men of the children of Israel ran from their station to the camps of
these kings, and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God to
deliver them.
35 And the Lord
hearkened to Israel, and the Lord gave all the men of the kings into their hand,
and the children of Israel fought against these kings, and the children of
Israel smote 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 children
of Israel fell upon them.
37 And all the
hosts of the kings fled from before the children of Israel and the children of Israel
pursued them continuing to smite them unto the borders of the land of Cush.
38 And the
children of Israel slew of them in the road yet two thousand men, and of the children
of Israel not one fell.
39 And when the
Egyptians saw that the children of Israel had fought with such few men with the
kings, and that the battle was so very severe against them,
40 All the
Egyptians were greatly afraid of 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
children of Israel inflicted a terrible blow upon 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 children
of Israel also acted with cunning, and as the children of Israel returned from
battle, they found some of the Egyptians in the road and smote them there.
44 And whilst they
slew them, they said unto them these words:
45 Wherefore did
you go from us and leave us, being a few people, to fight against these kings
who had a great people to smite us, that you might thereby deliver your own
souls?
46 And of some
which the Israelites met on the road, they the children of Israel spoke to each
other, saying, Smite, smite, 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
children of Israel did these things cunningly against the Egyptians, because
they had
deserted them in battle and had fled from them.
48 And the
children 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 children of Israel had done to them, so all Egypt
feared greatly the children of Israel, for they had seen their great power, and
that not one
man of them had fallen.
50 So all the
children of Israel returned with joy on their road to Goshen, and the rest of Egypt
returned each man to his place.
CHAPTER
65
1 And it came to
pass after these things, that all the counsellors 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
counsellors and elders of Egypt spoke unto the king, saying,
3 Behold the
people of the children of Israel is greater and mightier than we are, and thou knowest
all the evil which they did to us in the road when we returned from battle.
4 And thou hast
also seen their strong power, for this power is unto them from their fathers, for
but a few men stood up against a people numerous as the sand, and smote them at
the edge
of the sword, and of themselves not one has fallen, so that if they had been
numerous they
would then have utterly destroyed them.
5 Now therefore
give us counsel what to do with them, until we gradually destroy them from amongst
us, lest they become too numerous for us in the land.
6 For if the
children of Israel should increase in the land, they will become an obstacle to
us, and
if any war should happen to take place, they with their great strength will
join our enemy against
us, and fight against us, destroy us from the land and go away from it.
7 So the king
answered the elders of Egypt and said unto them, This is the plan advised against
Israel, from which we will not depart,
8 Behold in the
land are Pithom and Rameses, cities unfortified against battle, it behooves you
and us to build them, and to fortify them.
9 Now therefore
go you also and act cunningly toward them, and proclaim a voice in Egypt and
in Goshen at the command of the king, saying,
10 All ye 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 amongst you of
all Egypt, of
the children of Israel and of all the inhabitants of the cities, are willing to
build with us, shall each
have his wages given to him daily at the king's order; so go you first and do
cunningly, and
gather yourselves and come to Pithom and Rameses to build.
11 And whilst you
are building, cause a proclamation of this kind to be made throughout Egypt
every day at the command of the king.
12 And when some
of the children of Israel shall come to build with you, you shall give them their
wages daily for a few days.
13 And after they
shall have built with you for their daily hire, drag yourselves away from them
daily one by one in secret, and then you shall rise up and become their
task-masters and
officers, and you shall leave them afterward to build without wages, and should
they refuse,
then force them with all your might to build.
14 And if you do
this it will be well with us to strengthen our land against the children of Israel,
for on account of the fatigue of the building and the work, the children 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 Pithom and Rameses,
and to fortify them for battle, if they should again come against us.
19 Whosoever of
you from all Egypt and from the children of Israel will come to build with us, he
shall have his daily wages given by the king, as his command is unto us.
20 And when Egypt
and all the children of Israel heard all that the servants of Pharaoh had spoken,
there came from the Egyptians, and the children of Israel to build with the
servants of
Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses, but none of the children of Levi came with their
brethren to
build.
21 And all the servants
of Pharaoh and his princes came at first with deceit to build with all 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 then received their daily hire, 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 children
of Israel, so that the children of Israel were left alone engaged in the work.
26 And after all
the Egyptians had withdrawn from the children of Israel they returned and became
oppressors and officers over them, and some of them stood over the children of Israel
as task masters, to receive from them all that they gave them for the pay of
their labor.
27 And the
Egyptians did in this manner to the children of Israel day by day, in order to
afflict in
their work.
28 And all the
children of Israel were alone engaged in the labor, and the Egyptians refrained from
giving any pay to the children 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 smote them
with heavy blows, and made them return by force, to labor with their brethren;
thus did all
the Egyptians unto the children of Israel all the days.
30 And all the
children of Israel were greatly afraid of the Egyptians in this matter, and all
the children
of Israel returned and worked alone without pay.
31 And the
children of Israel built Pithom and Rameses, and all the children of Israel did
the work,
some making bricks, and some building, and the children of Israel built and
fortified all the
land of Egypt and its walls, and the children 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 brethren of Israel,
from the
beginning unto the day of their going forth 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
brethren.
34 And the
Egyptians did not direct their attention to make the children of Levi work afterward,
since they had not been with their brethren at the beginning, therefore the Egyptians
left them alone.
35 And the hands
of the men of Egypt were directed with continued severity against the children
of Israel in that work, and the Egyptians made the children of Israel work with
rigor.
36 And the Egyptians
embittered the lives of the children of Israel with hard work, in mortar and
bricks, and also in all manner of work in the field.
37 And the
children 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 children of Israel labor, they exacted with
rigor, in order to afflict the children of Israel, but the more they afflicted
them, the more they
increased and grew, and the Egyptians were grieved because of the children of
Israel.
CHAPTER
66
1 At that time
died Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom, and Samlah from Mesrekah, from the
country of the children of the east, reigned in his place.
2 In the thirteenth
year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, which was the 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 forth his hosts to go and fight against Zepho the son of Eliphaz
and the children of Chittim, because they had made war against Angeas king of Africa,
and they destroyed his whole army.
4 But he did not
engage with him, for the children of 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 upon the children of Israel,
lest the Israelites should do unto them as they did unto them in their war with
the children
of Esau in the days of Hadad.
7 So the
Egyptians said unto the children of Israel, Hasten and do your work, and finish
your task,
and strengthen the land, lest the children of Esau your brethren should come to
fight against
us, for on your account will they come against us.
8 And the
children of Israel did the work of the men of Egypt day by day, and the
Egyptians afflicted
the children of Israel in order to lessen them in the land.
9 But as the
Egyptians increased the labor upon the children of Israel, so did the children
of Israel
increase and multiply, and all Egypt was filled with the children of Israel.
10 And in the
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 children 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 unto the king, May the king live forever;
thou didst counsel us the counsel against the children of Israel, and we did
unto them
according to the word of the king.
13 But in
proportion to the increase of the labor so do they increase and grow in the
land, and
behold the whole country is filled with them.
14 Now therefore
our lord and king, the eyes of all Egypt are upon thee to give them advice with
thy 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 you counsel in this matter
that we may
know what to do unto them.
15 And an officer,
one of the king's counsellors, whose name was Job, from Mesopotamia, in the
land of Uz, answered the king, saying,
16 If it please
the king, let him hear the counsel of his servant; and the king said unto him, Speak.
17 And Job spoke
before the king, the princes, and before all the elders of Egypt, saying,
18 Behold the
counsel of the king which he advised formerly respecting the labor of the children
of Israel is very good, and you must not remove from them that labor forever.
19 But this is the
advice counselled by which you may lessen them, if it seems good to the king
to afflict them.
20 Behold we have
feared war for a long time, and we said, When Israel becomes fruitful in the
land, they will drive us from the land if a war should take place.
21 If it please
the king, let a royal decree go forth, and let it be written in the laws of
Egypt which
shall not be revoked, that every male child born to the Israelites, his blood
shall be spilled
upon the ground.
22 And by your
doing this, when all the male children of Israel shall have died, the evil of their
wars will cease; let the king do so and send for all the Hebrew midwives and
order them in
this matter to execute it; so the thing pleased the king and the princes, and
the king did according
to the word of Job.
23 And the king
sent for the Hebrew midwives to be called, of which the name of one was Shephrah,
and the name of the other Puah.
24 And the
midwives came before the king, and stood in his presence.
25 And the king
said unto them, When you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and
see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then you shall kill him, but if it be
a daughter, then
she shall live.
26 But if you will
not do this thing, then will I burn you up and all your houses with fire.
27 But the
midwives feared God and did not hearken to the king of Egypt nor to his words, and
when the Hebrew women brought forth to the midwife son or daughter, then did
the midwife
do all that was necessary to the child and let it live; thus did the midwives
all the days.
28 And this thing
was told to the king, and he sent and called for the midwives and he said to them,
Why have you done this thing and have saved the children alive?
29 And the
midwives answered and spoke together before the king, saying,
30 Let not the
king think that the Hebrew women are as the Egyptian women, for all the children
of Israel are hale, and before the midwife comes to them they are delivered,
and as for
us thy handmaids, for many days no Hebrew woman has brought forth upon us, for
all the Hebrew
women are their own midwives, because they are hale.
31 And Pharaoh
heard their words and believed them in this matter, and the midwives went away
from the king, and God dealt well with them, and the people multiplied and
waxed exceedingly.
CHAPTER
67
1 There was a man
in the land of Egypt of the seed of Levi, whose name was Amram, the son
of Kehath, 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 unto her.
3 And the woman
conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Miriam, because in
those days the Egyptians had embittered the lives of the children of Israel.
4 And she
conceived again and bare a son and she called his name Aaron, for in the days
of her
conception, Pharaoh began to spill the blood of the male children of Israel.
5 In those days
died Zepho the son of Eliphaz, son of Esau, king of Chittim, and Janeas reigned
in his stead.
6 And the time
that Zepho reigned over the children of Chittim was fifty years, and he died and
was buried in the city of Nabna in the land of Chittim.
7 And Janeas, one
of the mighty men of the children of Chittim, reigned after him and he reigned
fifty years.
8 And it was
after the death of the king of Chittim that 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 counsellor, 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
hundred and thirtieth year of Israel's going down to Egypt, Pharaoh dreamed that
he was sitting upon his kingly throne, and lifted up his eyes and saw an old
man standing
before him, and there were scales in the hands of the old man, such scales as
are used
by merchants.
12 And the old man
took the scales and hung them before Pharaoh.
13 And the old man
took all the elders of 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 preponderated over all.
15 And Pharaoh was
astonished at this dreadful vision, why the kid should preponderate over
all, and Pharaoh awoke and behold it was a dream.
16 And Pharaoh
rose up early in the morning and called all his servants and related to them the
dream, and the men were greatly afraid.
17 And the king
said to all his wise men, Interpret I pray you the dream which I dreamed, that I
may know it.
18 And Balaam the
son of Beor answered the king and said unto him, This means nothing else
but a great evil 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 forth
the Israelites from Egypt with a mighty hand.
20 Now therefore,
O king, take counsel upon this matter, that you may destroy the hope of the
children of Israel and their expectation, before this evil arise against Egypt.
21 And the king
said unto Balaam, And what shall we do unto Israel? surely after a certain manner
did we at first counsel against them and could not prevail over them.
22 Now therefore
give you also advice against them by which we may prevail over them.
23 And Balaam
answered the king, saying, Send now and call thy two counsellors, and we will
see what their advice is upon this matter and afterward thy servant will speak.
24 And the king
sent and called his two counsellors Reuel the Midianite and Job the Uzite, and
they came and sat before the king.
25 And the king
said to them, Behold you have both heard the dream which I have dreamed, and
the interpretation thereof; now therefore give counsel and know and see what is
to be done
to the children of Israel, whereby we may prevail over them, before their evil
shall spring
up against us.
26 And Reuel the
Midianite answered the king and said, May the king live, may the king live forever.
27 If it seem good
to the king, let him desist from the Hebrews and leave them, and let him not
stretch forth his hand against them.
28 For these are
they whom the Lord chose in days of old, and took as the lot of his inheritance
from amongst all the nations of the earth and the kings of the earth; and who
is there
that stretched his hand against them with impunity, of whom their God was not avenged?
29 Surely thou
knowest that when Abraham went down to Egypt, Pharaoh, the former king of Egypt,
saw Sarah his wife, 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 smote him and his household with heavy
plagues, until he restored unto Abraham his wife Sarah, then was he healed.
31 And Abimelech
the Gerarite, king of the Philistines, God punished on account of Sarah 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
of him, and he healed them.
33 And Abimelech
feared all this evil that came upon him and his people, and he returned to Abraham
his wife Sarah, and gave him with her many gifts.
34 He did so also
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 forth.
35 Until Abimelech
of Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Pichol the captain of his host,
went to him and they bent and bowed down before him to the ground.
36 And they
requested of him to supplicate for them, and he prayed to the Lord for them,
and the
Lord was entreated of 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; 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 upon
them and smote them, for who had ever stretched forth his hand against them
with impunity?
38 Surely Pharaoh
the former, thy father's father, raised 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 seem good in thine eyes, cease from destroying the children of Israel, but
if it be not thy will that they shall dwell in Egypt, send them forth from
here, 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 with
shame from the king's presence, and went to Midian, his land, and took Joseph's
stick with
him.
42 And the king
said to Job the Uzite, What sayest thou Job, and what is thy advice respecting
the Hebrews?
43 So Job said to
the king, Behold all the inhabitants of the land are in thy power, let the king do
as it seems good in his eyes.
44 And the king
said unto Balaam, What dost thou say, Balaam, speak thy word that we may hear
it.
45 And Balaam said
to the king, Of all that the king has counselled against the Hebrews will they
be delivered, and the king will not be able to prevail over them with any
counsel.
46 For if thou
thinkest to lessen them by the flaming fire, thou canst not prevail over them,
for surely
their God delivered Abraham their father from Ur of the Chaldeans; and if thou
thinkest to
destroy them with a sword, surely Isaac their father was delivered from it, and
a ram was placed
in his stead.
47 And if with
hard and rigorous labor thou thinkest to lessen them, thou wilt 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 counselled against them,
by which thou wilt prevail over them, and from which thou shouldst not depart.
49 If it please
the king let him order all their children which shall be born from this day forward,
to be thrown into the water, for by this canst thou wipe away their name, for
none of them,
nor of their fathers, were tried in this manner.
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
shall be thrown
into the water.
52 And Pharaoh
called unto all his servants, saying, Go now and seek throughout the land of Goshen
where the children of Israel are, and see that every son born to the Hebrews
shall be cast
into the river, but every daughter you shall let live.
53 And when the
children 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 to those women of Israel who had
remained with their husbands, they went to the field to bring forth there, and
they brought
forth in the field, and left their children upon the field and returned home.
55 And the Lord
who had sworn to their ancestors to multiply them, sent one of his ministering
angels which are in heaven to wash each child in water, to anoint and swathe it and
to put into its hands two smooth stones from one of which it sucked milk and
from the other
honey, and he caused its hair to grow to its knees, by which it might cover
itself; to comfort
it and to cleave to it, through his compassion for it.
56 And when God
had compassion over them and had desired to multiply them upon the face
of the land, he ordered his earth to receive them to be preserved therein till
the time of their
growing up, after which the earth opened its mouth and vomited them forth and
they sprouted
forth from the city like the herb of the earth, and the grass of the forest,
and they returned
each to his family and to his father's house, and they remained with them.
57 And the babes
of the children of Israel were upon 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 forth, each to his field with his yoke of
oxen and his ploughshare, and they ploughed it up as one ploughs the earth at
seed time.
59 And when they
ploughed they were unable to hurt the infants of the children of Israel, so the
people increased and waxed exceedingly.
60 And Pharaoh
ordered his officers daily to go to Goshen to seek for the babes of the children
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 the female child they left with its mother; thus
did the Egyptians do
to the Israelites all the days.
CHAPTER
68
1 And it was at
that time the spirit of God was upon Miriam the daughter of Amram the sister of
Aaron, and she went forth and prophesied about the house, saying, Behold a son
will be born
unto us from my father and mother this time, and he will save 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
Jochebed his wife, three years after he had driven her away, and he came to
her and she conceived.
4 And at the end
of seven months from her conception she brought forth a son, and the whole
house was filled with great light as of the light of the sun and moon at the
time of their shining.
5 And when the
woman saw the child that it was good and pleasing to the sight, she hid it for three
months in an inner room.
6 In those days
the Egyptians conspired to destroy all the Hebrews there.
7 And the
Egyptian women went to Goshen where the children of Israel were, and they carried
their young ones upon their shoulders, their babes who could not yet speak.
8 And in those
days, when the women of the children of Israel brought forth, each woman had
hidden her son from before the Egyptians, that the Egyptians might not know of
their bringing
forth, and might not destroy them from the land.
9 And the
Egyptian women came to Goshen and their children who could not speak were upon
their shoulders, and when an Egyptian woman came into the house of a Hebrew woman
her babe began to cry.
10 And when it
cried the child that was in the inner room answered it, so the Egyptian women went
and told it at the house of Pharaoh.
11 And Pharaoh
sent his officers to take the children and slay them; thus did the Egyptians to the
Hebrew women all the days.
12 And it was at
that time, about three months from Jochebed's concealment of her son, that the
thing was known in Pharaoh's house.
13 And the woman
hastened to take away her son before the officers came, and she took for him
an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child
therein, and
she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
14 And his sister
Miriam stood afar off to know what would be done to him, and what would become
of her words.
15 And God sent
forth at that time a terrible heat in the land of Egypt, which burned up the flesh
of man like the sun in his circuit, and it greatly oppressed the Egyptians.
16 And all the
Egyptians went down to bathe in the river, on account of the consuming heat which
burned up their flesh.
17 And Bathia, the
daughter of Pharaoh, went also to bathe in the river, owing to the consuming
heat, and her maidens walked at the river side, and all the women of Egypt as well.
18 And Bathia
lifted up her eyes to the river, and she saw the ark upon the water, and sent her
maid to fetch it.
19 And she opened
it and saw the child, and behold the babe wept, and she had compassion on
him, and she said, This is one of the Hebrew children.
20 And all the
women of Egypt walking on the river side 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 Miriam his
sister was at that time amongst the Egyptian women at the river side, and she
saw this thing and she said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and fetch a nurse
of the Hebrew
women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
22 And Pharaoh's
daughter said to her, Go, and the young woman went and called the child's
mother.
23 And Pharaoh's daughter
said to Jochebed, Take this child away and suckle it for me, and I
will pay thee thy wages, two bits of silver daily; and the woman took the child
and nursed it.
24 And at the end
of two years, when the child grew up, she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh,
and he was unto her as a son, and she called his name Moses, for she said, Because
I drew him out of the water.
25 And Amram his
father called his name Chabar, for he said, It was for him that he associated
with his wife whom he had turned away.
26 And Jochebed
his mother called his name Jekuthiel, Because, she said, I have hoped for him
to the Almighty, and God restored him unto me.
27 And Miriam his
sister called him Jered, for she descended after him to the river to know what
his end would be.
28 And Aaron his
brother called his name Abi Zanuch, saying, My father left my mother and returned
to her on his account.
29 And Kehath the
father of Amram called his name Abigdor, because on his account did God
repair the breach of the house of Jacob, that they could no longer throw their
male children
into the water.
30 And their nurse
called him Abi Socho, saying, In his tabernacle was he hidden for three months,
on account of the children of Ham.
31 And all Israel
called his name Shemaiah, son of Nethanel, for they said, In his days has God
heard their cries and rescued them from their oppressors.
32 And Moses was
in Pharaoh's house, and was unto Bathia, Pharaoh's daughter, as a son, and
Moses grew up amongst the king's children.
CHAPTER
69
1 And the king of
Edom died in those days, in the eighteenth year of his reign, and was buried
in his temple which he had built for himself as his royal residence in the land
of Edom.
2 And the
children of Esau sent to Pethor, which is upon the river, and they fetched from there
a young man of beautiful eyes and comely aspect, whose name was Saul, and they made
him king over them in the place of Samlah.
3 And Saul
reigned over all the children of 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 children of Israel did not succeed, but that still they were 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 children of Israel, saying, No man shall diminish any thing of his daily
labor.
6 And the man who
shall be found deficient in his labor which he performs daily, whether in mortar
or in bricks, then his youngest son shall be put in their place.
7 And the labor
of Egypt strengthened upon the children 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 children of Israel day by day, all the days for a long period.
9 But the tribe
of Levi did not at that time work with the Israelites their brethren, from the beginning,
for the children of Levi knew the cunning of the Egyptians which they exercised
at first
toward the Israelites.
CHAPTER
70
1 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 lad Moses
was lying
upon her bosom, and Balaam the son of Beor with his two sons, and all the
princes of the
kingdom were sitting at table in the king's presence.
2 And the lad
stretched forth his hand upon the king's head, and took the crown from the king's
head and placed it on his own head.
3 And when the
king and princes saw the work which the boy had done, the king and princes were
terrified, and one man to his neighbor expressed astonishment.
4 And the king
said unto the princes who were before him at table, What speak you and what say
you, O ye princes, in this matter, and what is to be the judgment against the
boy on account
of this act?
5 And 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 thou didst dream many days since,
and that which thy servant interpreted unto thee.
6 Now therefore
this is a child from the Hebrew children, in whom is the spirit of God, and let not
my lord the king imagine that this youngster did this thing without knowledge.
7 For he is a
Hebrew boy, and wisdom and understanding are with him, although he is yet a child,
and with wisdom has he done this and chosen unto himself the kingdom of Egypt.
8 For this is the
manner of all the Hebrews to deceive kings and their nobles, to do all these things
cunningly, in order to make the kings of the earth and their men tremble.
9 Surely thou
knowest that Abraham their father acted thus, who deceived the army of Nimrod
king of Babel, and Abimelech king of Gerar, and that he possessed himself of
the land
of the children of Heth and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
10 And that he
descended into Egypt and said of Sarah his wife, 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 Rebecca his
wife was his sister.
13 Jacob also
dealt treacherously with his brother, and took from his hand his birthright and his
blessing.
14 He went then to
Padan-aram to the house of 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 please
the king, let us now spill his blood upon the ground, lest he grow up and take away
the government from thy hand, and the hope of Egypt perish after he shall 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 thou
didst say, 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
an angel of the Lord came amongst 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 has Balaam judged in the matter.
23 Now judge you
also and see what is due to the boy for the act he has committed.
24 And the angel,
who seemed like one of the wise men of Pharaoh, answered and said as follows,
before all the wise men of Egypt and before the king and the princes:
25 If it please
the king let the king send for men who shall bring before him an onyx stone and
a coal of fire, and place them before the child, and if the child shall stretch
forth his hand and
take the onyx stone, then shall we know that with wisdom has the youth done all
that he has
done, and we must slay him.
26 But if he
stretch forth his hand upon the coal, then shall we know that it was not with knowledge
that he did this thing, and he shall live.
27 And the thing
seemed good in the eyes of the king and the princes, so the king did according
to the word of the angel of 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 lad endeavored to stretch forth his hand to the
onyx stone, but the angel of the Lord took his hand and placed it upon the
coal, and the coal
became extinguished in his hand, and he lifted it up and put it into his mouth,
and burned
part of his lips and part of his tongue, and he became heavy in mouth and
tongue.
30 And when the
king and princes saw this, they knew that 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 whilst the
boy was in the king's house, he was robed in purple and he grew amongst the
children of the king.
33 And when 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 he daily
went forth and came into the land of Goshen, where his brethren the children of
Israel were, and Moses saw them daily in shortness of breath and hard labor.
35 And Moses asked
them, saying, Wherefore is this labor meted out unto you day by day?
36 And they told
him all that had befallen them, and all the injunctions which Pharaoh had put
upon them before his birth.
37 And they told
him all the counsels which Balaam the son of Beor had counselled against them,
and what he had also counselled against him in order to slay him when he had
taken the
king's crown from off his head.
38 And when 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 forth from Egypt,
and they fled and delivered their souls and betook themselves 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 brethren, that he saw the children
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
unto Pharaoh, I pray thee my lord, I have come to seek a small request from
thee, turn not away my face empty; and Pharaoh said unto him, Speak.
44 And Moses said
unto Pharaoh, Let there be given unto thy servants the children 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 thy face in this thing to grant
thy request.
46 And Pharaoh
ordered a proclamation to be issued throughout Egypt and Goshen, saying,
47 To you, all the
children of Israel, thus says the king, for six days you shall do your work and
labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest, and shall not preform any work,
thus shall you
do all the days, as the king and Moses the son of Bathia have commanded.
48 And Moses
rejoiced at this thing which the king had granted to him, and all the children
of Israel
did as Moses ordered them.
49 For this thing
was from the Lord to the children of Israel, for the Lord had begun to remember
the children 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 children
of Israel, seeking good for his people Israel and speaking words of peace
regarding them
to the king.
CHAPTER
71
1 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 children of Israel were engaged in work, and he observed their burdens, and
he saw
an Egyptian smiting one of his Hebrew brethren.
2 And when the
man who was beaten saw 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 smote
the Egyptian
and hid him in the sand, and delivered the Hebrew from the hand of him that
smote him.
4 And the Hebrew
went to his house, and Moses returned to his home, and went forth and came
back to the king's house.
5 And when the
man had returned home, he thought of repudiating his wife, for it was not right
in the house of 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 forth to his brethren, and saw, and behold two men were
quarreling, and he said to the wicked one, Why dost thou smite thy neighbor?
8 And he answered
him and said to him, Who has set thee for a prince and judge over us? dost
thou think to slay me as thou didst slay the Egyptian? and 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 angel, and
he appeared unto Pharaoh in the likeness of a captain of the guard.
10 And the angel
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 angel
of the Lord took hold of the right hand of Moses, and brought him forth from Egypt,
and placed him from without the borders of Egypt, a distance of forty days'
journey.
12 And Aaron his
brother alone remained in the land of Egypt, and he prophesied to the children
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
children of Israel rebelled and would not hearken 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 children of Israel, and
he crushed and oppressed them until the time when God sent forth his word and
took notice
of them.
CHAPTER
72
1 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 forth with all the children of Cush, a people numerous as the
sand, and he went to fight against Aram and the children of the east, to bring
them under subjection.
3 And when
Kikianus went out, he left 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 forth to Aram and the children of the east, and he fought against them and
smote them, and they all fell down wounded before Kikianus and his people.
5 And he took
many of them captives and he brought them under subjection as at first, and he
encamped upon their land to take tribute from them as usual.
6 And 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 hearkened to him, and they swore to him and made him king over
them, and his two sons for captains of the army.
8 So they rose up
and raised the walls of the city at the two corners, and they built an exceeding
strong building.
9 And at the
third corner they dug ditches without number, between the city and the river which
surrounded the whole land of Cush, and they made the waters of the river burst
forth there.
10 At the fourth
corner they collected numerous serpents by their incantations and enchantments,
and they fortified the city and dwelt therein, and no one went out or in before them.
11 And Kikianus
fought against Aram and the children of the east and he subdued them as before,
and they gave him their usual tribute, and he went and returned to his land.
12 And when
Kikianus the king of 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
one to the other, It is because they saw that we were delayed, in battle, and were
greatly afraid of us, therefore have they done this thing and raised the city
walls and fortified
them so that the kings of 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 unto us, 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
suffered them not to enter their city.
16 So they raised
a battle with them opposite the city gate, and one hundred and thirty men of
the army at Kikianus fell on that day.
17 And on the next
day they continued to fight and they fought at the side of the river; they endeavored
to pass but were not able, so some of them sank in the pits and died.
18 So the king
ordered them to cut down trees to make rafts, upon which they might pass to them,
and they did so.
19 And when they
came to the place of the ditches, the waters revolved by mills, and two hundred
men upon ten rafts were drowned.
20 And on the
third day they came to fight at the side where the serpents were, but they could
not approach there, for the serpents slew of them one hundred and seventy men,
and they
ceased fighting against Cush, and they besieged Cush for nine years, no person
came out
or in.
21 At that 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 counsellor to the king.
25 And at the end
of nine years, Kikianus was seized with a mortal disease, and his illness prevailed
over him, and he died on the seventh day.
26 So his servants
embalmed him and carried him and buried him opposite the city gate to the
north of the land of Egypt.
27 And they built
over him an elegant strong and high building, and they placed great stones below.
28 And the king's
scribes engraved upon those stones all the might of their king Kikianus, and
all his battles which he had fought, behold they are written there at this day.
29 Now after the
death of Kikianus king of Cush it grieved his men and troops greatly on account
of the war.
30 So they said
one to the other, Give us counsel what we are to do at this time, as we have resided
in the wilderness nine years away from our homes.
31 If we say we
will fight against the city many of us will fall wounded or killed, and if we remain
here in the siege we shall also die.
32 For now all the
kings of Aram and of the children of the east will hear that our king is dead,
and they will attack us suddenly in a hostile manner, and they will fight
against us and leave
no remnant of us.
33 Now therefore
let us go and make a king over us, and let us remain in the siege until the city
is delivered up to us.
34 And they wished
to choose on that day a man for king from the army of Kikianus, and they found
no object of their choice like Moses to reign over them.
35 And they
hastened and stripped off each man his garments and cast them upon the ground,
and they made a great heap and placed 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 unto him to give him for a wife Adoniah the queen, the
Cushite, wife of Kikianus, 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 upon the heap, and every man cast into it something of what he
had, one a gold earring and the other a coin.
40 Also of onyx
stones, bdellium, pearls and marble did the children of Cush cast unto Moses
upon the heap, 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 amongst his
treasures.
42 And Moses
reigned over the children of Cush on that day, in the place of Kikianus king of Cush.
CHAPTER
73
1 In the
fifty-fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, that is in the hundred
and fiftyseventh year
of the Israelites going down into Egypt, reigned Moses in Cush.
2 Moses was
twenty-seven years old when he began to reign over Cush, and forty years did he
reign.
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 round about the city, and have not seen
our children and our wives.
7 So the king
answered them, saying, If you will hearken to my voice in all that I shall command
you, then will the Lord give the city into our hands and we shall subdue it.
8 For if we fight
with them as in the former battle which we had with them before the death of Kikianus,
many of us will fall down wounded as before.
9 Now therefore
behold here is counsel for you in this matter; if you will hearken to my voice, then
will the city be delivered into our hands.
10 So all the
forces answered the king, saying, All that our lord shall command that will we do.
11 And Moses said
unto them, Pass through and proclaim a voice in the whole camp unto all the
people, saying,
12 Thus says the
king, Go into the forest and bring with you of the young ones of the stork, each
man a young one in his hand.
13 And any person
transgressing the word of the king, who shall not bring his young one, he shall
die, and the king will take all belonging to him.
14 And when you
shall bring them they shall be in your keeping, you shall rear them until they
grow up, and you shall teach them to dart upon, as is the way of the young ones
of the hawk.
15 So all the
children of Cush heard the words of Moses, and they rose up and caused a proclamation
to be issued throughout the camp, saying,
16 Unto you, all
the children of Cush, the king's order is, that you go all together to the
forest, and
catch there the young storks each man his young one in his hand, and you shall
bring them
home.
17 And any person
violating the order of the king shall die, and the king will take all that belongs
to him.
18 And all the
people did so, and they went out to the wood and they climbed the fir trees and
caught, each man a young one in his hand, all the young of the storks, and they
brought them
into the desert and reared them by order of the king, and they taught them to
dart upon, similar
to the young hawks.
19 And after the
young storks were reared, the king ordered them to be hungered for three days,
and all the people did so.
20 And on the
third day, the king said unto them, strengthen yourselves and become valiant men,
and put on each man his armor and gird on his sword upon him, and ride each man
his horse
and take each his young stork in his hand.
21 And we will
rise up and fight against the city at the place where the serpents are; and all the
people did as the king had ordered.
22 And they took
each man his young one in his hand, and they went away, and when they came
to the place of the serpents the king said to them, Send forth each man his
young stork upon
the serpents.
23 And they sent
forth each man his young stork at the king's order, and the young storks ran upon
the serpents and they devoured them all and destroyed them out of that place.
24 And when the
king and people had seen that all the serpents were destroyed in that place,
all the people set up a great shout.
25 And they
approached and fought against the city and took it and subdued it, and they entered
the city.
26 And there died
on that day one thousand and one hundred men of the people of the city, all
that inhabited the city, but of the people besieging not one died.
27 So all the
children of Cush went each 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 book of the law, standing against
Moses when the Lord brought the plagues upon 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 upon his head, and they gave him for a wife Adoniah the Cushite
queen, wife of Kikianus.
32 And Moses
feared the Lord God of his fathers, so that he came not to her, nor did he turn his
eyes to her.
33 For Moses
remembered how Abraham had made his servant Eliezer swear, saying unto him,
Thou shalt 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,
Thou shalt 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 unto their seed
after them for
slaves, forever.
36 Therefore Moses
turned not 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 turned not from the right way all the days of his
life; he declined not
from the way either to the right or to the left, in which 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 forth to fight with Aram and the children of the east.
41 And they went
at first to the children of the east, and when the children of the east heard their
report, they went to meet them, and engaged in battle with them.
42 And the war was
severe against the children of the east, so 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 upon 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 also
were 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
1 In the end of
years died Saul king of Edom, and Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned in his
place.
2 In the
sixteenth year of the reign of Moses over Cush, Baal Chanan the son of Achbor reigned
in the land of Edom over all the children of Edom for thirty-eight years.
3 In his days
Moab rebelled against the power of Edom, having been under Edom since the days
of Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote them and Midian, and brought Moab under subjection
to Edom.
4 And when Baal
Chanan the son of Achbor reigned over Edom, all the children of Moab withdrew
their allegiance from Edom.
5 And Angeas king
of Africa died in those days, and Azdrubal his son reigned in his stead.
6 And in those
days died Janeas king of the children of Chittim, and they buried him in his temple
which he had built for himself in the plain of Canopia for a residence, and
Latinus reigned
in his stead.
7 In the
twenty-second year of the reign of Moses over the children of Cush, Latinus
reigned over
the children of Chittim forty-five years.
8 And he also
built for himself a great and mighty tower, and he built therein an elegant temple
for his residence, to conduct his government, as was the custom.
9 In the third
year of his reign he caused a proclamation to be made to all his skilful men, who
made many ships for him.
10 And Latinus
assembled all his forces, and they came in ships, and went therein to fight with
Azdrubal son of Angeas king of Africa, and they came to Africa and engaged in
battle with
Azdrubal and his army.
11 And Latinus
prevailed over Azdrubal, and Latinus took from Azdrubal the aqueduct which his
father had brought from the children of Chittim, when he took Janiah the
daughter of Uzi for
a wife, so Latinus overthrew the bridge of the aqueduct, and smote the whole
army of Azdrubal
a severe blow.
12 And the
remaining strong men of Azdrubal strengthened themselves, and their hearts were
filled with envy, and they courted death, and again engaged in battle with
Latinus king of
Chittim.
13 And the battle
was severe upon all the men of Africa, and they all fell wounded before Latinus
and his people, and Azdrubal the king also fell in that battle.
14 And the king
Azdrubal had a very beautiful daughter, whose name was Ushpezena, and all
the men of Africa embroidered her likeness on their garments, on account of her
great beauty
and comely appearance.
15 And the men of
Latinus saw Ushpezena, the daughter of Azdrubal, and praised her unto Latinus
their king.
16 And Latinus
ordered her to be brought to him, and Latinus took Ushpezena for a wife, and he
turned back on his way to Chittim.
17 And it was
after the death of Azdrubal son of Angeas, when Latinus had turned back to his
land from the battle, that all the inhabitants of Africa rose up and took Anibal
the son of Angeas,
the younger brother of Azdrubal, and made him king instead at his brother over
the whole
land at Africa.
18 And when he
reigned, he resolved to go to Chittim to fight with the children of Chittim, to avenge
the cause of Azdrubal his brother, and the cause of the inhabitants of Africa,
and he did
so.
19 And he made
many ships, and he came therein with his whole army, and he went to Chittim.
20 So Anibal
fought with the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim fell wounded before
Anibal and his army, and Anibal avenged his brother's cause.
21 And Anibal
continued the war for eighteen years with the children of Chittim, and Anibal dwelt
in the land of Chittim and encamped there for a long time.
22 And Anibal
smote the children of Chittim very severely, and he slew their great men and princes,
and of the rest of the people he smote about eighty thousand men.
23 And at the end
of days and years, Anibal returned to his land of Africa, and he reigned securely
in the place of Azdrubal his brother.
CHAPTER
75
1 At that time,
in the hundred and eightieth year of the Israelites going down into Egypt,
there went
forth from Egypt valiant men, thirty thousand on foot, from the children 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 children of Israel
in the times of old, which he had spoken to Abraham.
3 And these men
girded themselves, and they put each man his sword at his side, and every man
his armor upon him, and they trusted to their strength, and they went out
together from Egypt
with a mighty hand.
4 But they
brought no provision for the road, only silver and gold, not even bread for
that day did
they bring in their hands, for they thought of getting their provision for pay
from the Philistines,
and if not they would take it by force.
5 And these men
were very mighty and valiant men, one man could pursue a thousand and two
could rout ten thousand, so they trusted to their strength and went together as
they were.
6 And they
directed their course toward the land of Gath, and they went down and found the shepherds
of Gath feeding the cattle of the children of Gath.
7 And they said
to the shepherds, Give us some of the sheep for pay, that we may eat, for we
are hungry, for we have eaten no bread this day.
8 And the
shepherds said, Are they our sheep or cattle that we should give them to you
even for
pay? so the children of 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 they put on each man his armor, and came forth
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 smote
from each other a great many on that day.
12 And on the
second day the children of Gath sent to all the cities of the Philistines that
they should
come to their help, saying,
13 Come up unto us
and help us, that we may smite the children of Ephraim who have come forth
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 forth from the
cities of the Philistines
to the assistance of the men of Gath.
15 And these men were
engaged in battle with the children of Ephraim, and the Lord delivered
the children of Ephraim into the hands of the Philistines.
16 And they smote
all the children of Ephraim, all who had gone forth from Egypt, none were remaining
but ten men who had run away from the engagement.
17 For this evil
was from the Lord against the children of Ephraim, for they transgressed the word
of the Lord in going forth from Egypt, before the period had arrived which the
Lord in the
days of old had appointed to Israel.
18 And of the
Philistines also there fell a great many, about twenty thousand men, and their brethren
carried them and buried them in their cities.
19 And the slain
of the children of 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 children of Israel
all that had befallen them.
21 And their
father Ephraim mourned over them for many days, and his brethren came to console
him.
22 And he came
unto his wife and she bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, for she was
unfortunate in his house.
CHAPTER
76
1 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 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
whilst Adoniah the queen was before him, and all the nobles were sitting around
him.
4 And Adoniah the
queen said before the king and the princes, What is this thing which you, the
children of 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 ye children of Cush, and let this man no more reign over you as he is
not of our flesh.
7 Behold Menacrus
my son is grown up, let him reign over you, for it is better for you to serve the
son of your lord, than to serve a stranger, slave of the king of 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 forth their hand against Moses, for the Lord
was with Moses, and the children of Cush remembered the oath which they swore
unto 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
forth 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
forth Is rael 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? wherefore have you left the man?
20 And Reuel sent
for him and fetched him and brought him home, and he ate bread with him.
21 And Moses
related to Reuel that he had fled from Egypt and that he reigned forty years over
Cush, and that they afterward had taken the government from him, and had sent
him away
in peace with honor and with presents.
22 And when Reuel
had heard the words of Moses, Reuel said within himself, I will put this man
into the prison house, whereby I shall 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 ten years, and whilst
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
children 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 children of
Israel in
those days.
25 At that time
the Lord smote Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he afflicted with the plague of leprosy
from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head; owing to the cruel
treatment of the children
of Israel was this plague at that time from the Lord upon Pharaoh king of
Egypt.
26 For the Lord
had hearkened to the prayer of his people the children 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 children of Israel, and Pharaoh hardened his neck before the Lord, and he increased
his yoke over the children of Israel, and embittered their lives with all
manner of hard
work.
28 And when the
Lord had inflicted the plague upon Pharaoh king of Egypt, he asked his wise
men and sorcerers to cure him.
29 And his wise
men and sorcerers said unto him, That if the blood of little children were put into
the wounds he would be healed.
30 And Pharaoh
hearkened to them, and sent his ministers to Goshen to the children of Israel
to take their little children.
31 And Pharaoh's
ministers went and took the infants of the children 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 did they all
the days.
32 And the number
of the children which Pharaoh slew was three hundred and seventy-five.
33 But the Lord
hearkened not to the physicians of the king of Egypt, and the plague went on increasing
mightily.
34 And Pharaoh was
ten years afflicted with that plague, still the heart of Pharaoh was more hardened
against the children of Israel.
35 And at the end
of ten years the Lord continued to afflict Pharaoh with destructive plagues.
36 And the Lord
smote him with a bad tumor and sickness at the stomach, and that plague turned
to a severe boil.
37 At that time
the two ministers of Pharaoh came from the land of Goshen where all the children
of Israel were, and went to the house of Pharaoh and said to him, We have seen
the children
of Israel slacken in their work and negligent in their labor.
38 And when
Pharaoh heard the words of his ministers, his anger was kindled against the children
of Israel exceedingly, for he was greatly grieved at his bodily pain.
39 And he answered
and said, Now that the children of Israel know that I am ill, they turn and scoff
at us, now therefore harness my chariot for me, and I will betake myself to
Goshen and will
see the scoff of the children of Israel with which they are deriding me; so his
servants harnessed
the chariot for him.
40 And they took
and made him ride upon a horse, for he was not able to ride of himself;
41 And he took
with him ten horsemen and ten footmen, and went to the children of 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 whilst the king was riding upon it, and when he fell
the chariot turned over the king's face and the horse lay upon the king, and
the king cried out,
for his flesh was very sore.
45 And the flesh
of the king was torn from him, and his bones were broken and he could not ride,
for this thing was from the Lord to him, for the Lord had heard the cries of
his people the children
of Israel and their affliction.
46 And his
servants carried him upon their shoulders, a little at a time, and they brought
him back
to Egypt, and the horsemen who were with him came also back to Egypt.
47 And they placed
him in his bed, and the king knew that his end was come to die, so Aparanith
the queen his wife came and cried before the king, and the king wept a great weeping
with her.
48 And all his
nobles and servants came on that day and saw the king in that affliction, and wept
a great weeping with him.
49 And the princes
of the king and all his counselors advised the king to cause one to reign in
his stead in the land, whomsoever he should choose from his sons.
50 And the king
had three sons and two daughters which Aparanith the queen his wife had borne
to him, besides the king's children of concubines.
51 And these were
their names, the firstborn Othri, the second Adikam, and the third Morion, and
their sisters, the name of the elder Bathia and of the other Acuzi.
52 And Othri the
first born of the king was an idiot, precipitate and hurried in his words.
53 But Adikam was
a cunning and wise man and knowing in all the wisdom of Egypt, but of unseemly
aspect, thick in flesh, and very short in stature; his height was one cubit.
54 And when the
king saw Adikam his son intelligent and wise in all things, the king resolved that
he should be king in his stead after his death.
55 And he took for
him a wife Gedudah daughter of Abilot, and he was ten years old, and she
bare unto him four sons.
56 And he
afterward went and took three wives and begat eight sons and three daughters.
57 And the
disorder greatly prevailed over the king, and his flesh stank like the flesh of
a carcass
cast upon the field in summer time, during the heat of the sun.
58 And when the
king saw that his sickness had greatly strengthened itself over him, he ordered
his son Adikam to be brought to him, and they made him king over the land in
his place.
59 And at the end
of three years, the king died, in shame, disgrace, and disgust, and his servants
carried him and buried him in the sepulcher of the kings of Egypt in Zoan
Mizraim.
60 But they
embalmed him not as was usual with kings, for his flesh was putrid, and they could
not approach to embalm him on account of the stench, so they buried him in
haste.
61 For this evil
was from the Lord to him, for the Lord had requited him evil for the evil which in
his days he had done to Israel.
62 And he died
with terror and with shame, and his son Adikam reigned in his place.
CHAPTER
77
1 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 did Adikam reign over Egypt,
but he continued not so long in his reign over Egypt as his fathers had
continued their reigns.
3 For Melol his
father reigned ninety-four years in Egypt, but he was ten years sick 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, for short is called Ahuz in
the Egyptian language.
6 And Adikam was
exceedingly ugly, and he was a cubit and a span and he had a great beard
which reached to the soles of his feet.
7 And Pharaoh sat
upon his father's throne to reign over Egypt, and he conducted the government
of Egypt in his wisdom.
8 And whilst he
reigned he exceeded his father and all the preceding kings in wickedness, and
he increased his yoke over the children of Israel.
9 And he went
with his servants to Goshen to the children of Israel, and he strengthened the labor
over them and he said unto them, Complete your work, each day's task, and let
not your
hands slacken from our work from this day forward as you did in the days of my
father.
10 And he placed
officers over them from amongst the children of Israel, and over these officers
he placed taskmasters from amongst his servants.
11 And he placed
over them a measure of bricks for them to do according to that number, day
by day, and he turned back and went to Egypt.
12 At that time
the task-masters of Pharaoh ordered the officers of the children 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; diminish not anything.
14 And it shall
come to pass that if you are deficient in your daily bricks, I will put your
young children
in their stead.
15 And the
task-masters of Egypt did so in those days as Pharaoh had ordered them.
16 And whenever
any deficiency was found in the children of Israel's measure of their daily bricks,
the task-masters of Pharaoh would go to the wives of the children of Israel and
take infants
of the children of Israel to the number of bricks deficient, they would take
them by force
from their mother's laps, and put them in the building instead of the bricks;
17 Whilst their
fathers and mothers were crying over them and weeping when they heard the weeping
voices of their infants in the wall of the building.
18 And the
task-masters prevailed over Israel, that the Israelites should place their
children in
the building, so that a man placed his son in the wall and put mortar over him,
whilst his eyes
wept over him, and his tears ran down upon his child.
19 And the
task-masters of Egypt did so to the babes of Israel for many days, and no one pitied
or had compassion over the babes of the children of Israel.
20 And the number
of all the children killed in the building was two hundred and seventy, some
whom they had built upon instead of the bricks which had been left deficient by
their fathers,
and some whom they had drawn out dead from the building.
21 And the labor
imposed upon the children of Israel in the days of Adikam exceeded in hardship
that which they performed in the days of his father.
22 And the
children of Israel sighed every day on account of their heavy work, for they
had said
to themselves, Behold when Pharaoh shall die, his son will rise up and lighten
our work!
23 But they
increased the latter work more than the former, and the children of Israel
sighed at
this and their cry ascended to God on account of their labor.
24 And God heard
the voice of the children of Israel and their cry, in those days, and God remembered
to them his covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
25 And God saw the
burden of the children 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 did support him with
food secretly
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
thou didst bind in prison now ten years.
30 Now therefore,
if it seem good in thy sight, let us send and see whether he is living or dead,
but her father knew not that she had supported him.
31 And Reuel her
father answered and said to her, Has ever such a thing happened that a man
should be shut up in a prison without food for ten years, and that he should
live?
32 And Zipporah
answered her father, saying, Surely thou hast heard that the God of the Hebrews
is great and awful, and does wonders for them at all times.
33 He it was who
delivered Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans, and Isaac from the sword of his
father, and Jacob from the angel of the Lord who wrestled with him at the ford
of Jabbuk.
34 Also with this
man has he done many things, he delivered him from the river in Egypt and from
the sword of Pharaoh, and from the children of Cush, so also can he deliver him
from famine
and make him live.
35 And the thing
seemed good in the sight of Reuel, and he did according to the word of his daughter,
and sent to the dungeon to ascertain what became of Moses.
36 And he saw, and
behold the man Moses was living in the dungeon, standing upon 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 he there
prayed to the Lord his God, who had done mighty wonders for him.
39 And it was that
whilst he prayed he looked opposite to him, and behold a sapphire stick was
placed in the ground, which was planted in the midst of the garden.
40 And he
approached the stick and he looked, and behold the name of the Lord God of hosts
was engraved thereon, written and developed upon the stick.
41 And he read it
and stretched forth his hand and he plucked it like a forest tree from the thicket,
and the stick was in his hand.
42 And this is the
stick with which all the works of our God were performed, after he had created
heaven 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 to him this stick.
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 brethren, 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 Zipporah
his daughter, but they were unsuccessful.
50 So that stick
remained planted in the garden of Reuel, until he came who had a right to it and
took it.
51 And when Reuel
saw the stick in the hand of Moses, he wondered at it, and he gave him his
daughter Zipporah for a wife.
CHAPTER
78
1 At that time
died Baal Channan son of Achbor, king of Edom, and was buried in his house in
the land of Edom.
2 And after his
death the children of Esau sent to the land of Edom, and took from there a man
who was in Edom, whose name was Hadad, and they made him king over them in the place
of Baal Channan, their king.
3 And Hadad
reigned over the children of Edom forty-eight years.
4 And when he
reigned he resolved to fight against the children of Moab, to bring them under the
power of the children of 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 elect a king over
them from
amongst their brethren.
5 And they
afterward gathered together a great people, and sent to the children of Ammon their
brethren for help to fight against Hadad king of Edom.
6 And Hadad heard
the thing which the children of Moab had done, and was greatly afraid of them,
and refrained from fighting against them.
7 In those days
Moses, the son of Amram, in Midian, took Zipporah, the daughter of Reuel the
Midianite, for a wife.
8 And Zipporah
walked in the ways of the daughters of Jacob, she was nothing short of the righteousness
of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.
9 And Zipporah
conceived and bare a son and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I was
a stranger in a foreign land; but he circumcised not his foreskin, at the
command of Reuel
his father-in-law.
10 And she
conceived again and bare a son, but circumcised his foreskin, and 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 children of Israel in those days,
and continued to make his yoke heavier upon the children of Israel.
12 And he ordered
a proclamation to be made in Egypt, saying, Give no more straw to the people
to make bricks with, let them go and gather themselves straw as they can find
it.
13 Also the tale
of bricks which they shall make let them give each day, and diminish nothing from
them, for they are idle in their work.
14 And the
children of Israel heard this, and they mourned and sighed, and they cried unto the
Lord on account of the bitterness of their souls.
15 And the Lord
heard the cries of the children of Israel, and saw the oppression with which the
Egyptians oppressed them.
16 And the Lord
was jealous of his people and his inheritance, and heard their voice, and he resolved
to take them out of the affliction of Egypt, to give them the land of Canaan for
a possession.
CHAPTER
79
1 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 unto him in the bush, and he found the
bush burning with fire, but the fire had no power over the bush to consume it.
4 And Moses was
greatly astonished at this sight, wherefore the bush was not consumed, and
he approached to see this mighty thing, and the Lord called unto Moses out of
the fire and
commanded him to go down to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to send the
children of Israel
from his service.
5 And the Lord
said unto Moses, Go, return to Egypt, for all those men who sought thy life are
dead, and thou shalt speak unto Pharaoh to send forth the children of Israel
from his land.
6 And the Lord showed
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
hearkened 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 an angel of God came down, and sought an occasion against
him.
9 And he wished to
kill him on account of his first born son, because he had not circumcised him,
and had transgressed the covenant which the Lord had made with Abraham.
10 For Moses had
hearkened to the words of his father-in-law which he had spoken to him, not
to circumcise his first born son, therefore he circumcised him not.
11 And Zipporah
saw the angel 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 angel of the
Lord.
13 And Aaron the
son of Amram, the brother of Moses, was in Egypt walking at the river side 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 unto Moses, Who are these unto thee?
16 And Moses said
unto 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 away the woman and her children that they may go to her father's
house, and Moses hearkened 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 forth
from Egypt from the hand at Pharaoh.
19 And Moses and
Aaron came to Egypt to the community of the children of Israel, and they spoke
to them all the words of the Lord, and the people rejoiced an exceeding 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 in their hands the stick of God.
21 And when they
came to the king's gate, two young lions were confined there with iron instruments,
and no person went out or came in from before them, unless those whom the king
ordered to come, when the conjurors came and withdrew the lions by their
incantations, and
this brought them to the king.
22 And Moses
hastened and lifted up the stick upon 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 thee, to say, Send forth my people that they
may serve
me.
26 And when
Pharaoh heard their words he was greatly terrified before them, and he said to them,
Go today and come back to me tomorrow, and they did according to the word of
the king.
27 And when they
had gone Pharaoh sent for Balaam the magician and to Jannes and Jambres
his sons, and to all the magicians and conjurors and counsellors which belonged
to the
king, and they all came and sat before the king.
28 And the king
told them all the words which Moses and his brother Aaron had spoken to him,
and the magicians said to the king, But how came the men to thee, on account of
the lions
which were confined at the gate?
29 And the king
said, Because they lifted up their rod against the lions and loosed them, and came
to me, and the lions also rejoiced at them as a dog rejoices to meet his
master.
30 And Balaam the
son of Beor the magician answered the king, saying, These are none else
than magicians like ourselves.
31 Now therefore
send for them, and let them come and we will try them, and the king did so.
32 And in the
morning Pharaoh sent for 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 they cast each man his rod upon 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 thy rod shall swallow our rods, then shall we know that the
spirit of God is in
thee, and if not, thou art only an artificer like unto ourselves.
41 And Aaron
hastened and stretched forth his hand and caught hold of the serpent's tail and it
became a rod in his hand, and the sorcerers did the like with their rods, and
they got hold, each
man of the tail of his serpent, and they became rods as at first.
42 And when they
were restored to rods, the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods.
43 And when the
king saw this thing, he ordered the book of records that related to the kings of
Egypt, to be brought, and they brought the book of records, the chronicles of
the kings of Egypt,
in which all the idols of Egypt were inscribed, for they thought of finding
therein the name
of Jehovah, but they found it not.
44 And Pharaoh
said to Moses and Aaron, Behold I have not found the name of your God written
in this book, and his name I know not.
45 And the
counsellors and wise men answered the king, We have heard that the 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 know not 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 unto him, Send my people that they may serve me.
48 Now therefore
send us, that we may take a journey for three days in the wilderness, and there
may sacrifice to him, for from the days of our going down to Egypt, he has not
taken from
our hands either burnt offering, oblation or sacrifice, and if thou wilt not
send us, his anger
will be kindled against thee, and he will smite Egypt either with the plague or
with the sword.
49 And Pharaoh
said to them, Tell me now his power and his might; and they said to him, He created
the heaven and the earth, the seas and all their fishes, he formed the light,
created the
darkness, caused rain upon the earth and watered it, and made the herbage and
grass to sprout,
he created man and beast and the animals of the forest, the birds of the air
and the fish
of the sea, and by his mouth they live and die.
50 Surely he
created thee in thy mother's womb, and put into thee the breath of life, and reared
thee and placed thee upon the royal throne of Egypt, and he will take thy
breath and soul
from thee, and return thee to the ground whence thou wast taken.
51 And the anger
of the king was kindled at their words, and he said to them, But who amongst
all the Gods of nations can do this? my river is mine own, and I have made it
for myself.
52 And he drove
them from him, and he ordered the labor upon 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 children of Israel
in an evil condition for the task-masters had made their labor exceedingly
heavy.
54 And Moses
returned to the Lord and said, Why hast thou ill treated thy people? for since
I came
to speak to Pharaoh what thou didst send me for, he has exceedingly ill used
the children
of Israel.
55 And the Lord
said to Moses, Behold thou wilt see that with an outstretched hand and heavy
plagues, Pharaoh will send the children of Israel from his land.
56 And Moses and
Aaron dwelt amongst their brethren the children of Israel in Egypt.
57 And as for the
children of Israel the Egyptians embittered their lives, with the heavy work which
they imposed upon them.
CHAPTER
80
1 And at the end
of two years, the Lord again sent Moses to Pharaoh to bring forth the children
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 hearken to the voice of the Lord, and
God roused
his might in Egypt upon Pharaoh and his subjects, and God smote Pharaoh and his people
with very great and sore 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 forth frogs, and all the frogs came
into the houses of the Egyptians.
7 And when the
Egyptians drank, their bellies were filled with frogs and they danced in their bellies
as they dance when in the river.
8 And all their
drinking water and cooking water turned to frogs, also when they lay in their beds
their perspiration bred frogs.
9 Notwithstanding
all this the anger of the Lord did not turn from them, and his hand was stretched
out against all the Egyptians to smite them with every heavy plague.
10 And he sent and
smote their dust to lice, and the lice became in Egypt to the height of two cubits
upon the earth.
11 The lice were
also very numerous, in the flesh of man and beast, in all the inhabitants of Egypt,
also upon the king and queen the Lord sent the lice, 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 upon them and drove them away, and they removed from it into their
inner rooms, and it pursued them.
19 And when the
Egyptians hid themselves on account of the swarm of animals, they locked their
doors after them, and 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
upon the roofs and uncovered the raftering and flooring and cut them, and stretched
forth her arm into the house and removed the lock and the bolt, and opened the houses
of Egypt.
22 Afterward came
the swarm of animals 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 forth against them.
24 And God sent
the pestilence, and the pestilence pervaded Egypt, in the horses and asses,
and in the camels, in herds of oxen and sheep and in man.
25 And when the
Egyptians rose up early in the morning to take their cattle to pasture they found
all their cattle dead.
26 And there
remained of the cattle of the Egyptians only one in ten, and of the cattle belonging
to 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, 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 smote their vines and broke their fruit trees and
dried them up that they fell upon them.
31 Also every
green herb became dry and perished, for a mingling fire descended amidst the hail,
therefore the hail and the fire consumed all things.
32 Also men and
beasts that were found abroad perished of the flames of fire and of the hail, and
all the young lions were exhausted.
33 And the Lord
sent and brought numerous locusts into Egypt, the Chasel, Salom, Chargol, and
Chagole, locusts each of its kind, which devoured all that the hail had left
remaining.
34 Then the
Egyptians rejoiced at the locusts, although they consumed the produce of the field,
and they caught them in abundance and salted them for food.
35 And 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 upon Egypt, 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
died many of the people of Israel who had rebelled against the Lord and who would
not hearken to Moses and Aaron, and believed not in them that God had sent
them.
38 And who had
said, We will not go forth from Egypt lest we perish with hunger in a desolate
wilderness, and who would not hearken 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 upon the ground in the same spot; and this thing happened to
all the Egyptians,
until the darkness had passed away.
41 And the days of
darkness passed away, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron to the children
of Israel, saying, Celebrate your feast and make your Passover, for behold I
come in the
midst of the night amongst all the Egyptians, and I will smite all their first
born, from the first
born of a man to the first born of a beast, and when I see your Passover, I
will pass over you.
42 And the
children of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron,
thus did they in that night.
43 And it came to
pass in the middle of the night, that the Lord went forth in the midst of Egypt,
and smote all the first born of the Egyptians, from the first born of man to
the first born of
beast.
44 And Pharaoh
rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was
a great cry throughout Egypt in that night, for there was not a house in which
there was not
a corpse.
45 Also the
likenesses of the first born of Egypt, which were carved in the walls at their houses,
were destroyed and fell to the ground.
46 Even the bones
of their first born who had died before this and whom they had buried in their
houses, were raked up by the dogs of 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 upon them, and all the Egyptians
cried out with a loud voice.
48 And all the
families of Egypt wept upon that night, each man for his son and each man for his
daughter, being the first born, and the tumult of Egypt was heard at a distance
on that night.
49 And Bathia the
daughter of Pharaoh went forth with the king on that night to seek 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 thee, who have
reared thee and stretched thee out, and thou hast brought this evil upon me and
my father's
house?
51 And Moses said
to her, Surely ten plagues did the Lord bring upon Egypt; did any evil accrue
to thee from any of them? did one of them affect thee? and she said, No.
52 And Moses said
to her, Although thou art the first born to thy mother, thou shalt not die, and
no evil shall reach thee in the midst of 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 evil, whose first born perish with all the first born of
Egypt?
54 And Moses said
to her, Surely thy brother and his household, and subjects, the families of Egypt,
would not hearken to the words of the Lord, therefore did this evil come upon
them.
55 And Pharaoh
king of Egypt approached Moses and Aaron, and some of the children of Israel
who were with them in that place, and he prayed to them, saying,
56 Rise up and
take your brethren, all the children of Israel who are in the land, with their sheep
and oxen, and all belonging to them, they shall leave nothing remaining, only
pray for me
to the Lord your God.
57 And Moses said
to Pharaoh, Behold though thou art thy mother's first born, yet fear not, for
thou wilt not die, for the Lord has commanded that thou shalt live, in order to
show thee his
great might and strong stretched out arm.
58 And Pharaoh
ordered the children of 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 forth, 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
children of Israel delayed going forth at night, and when the Egyptians came to them
to bring them out, they said to them, Are we thieves, that we should go forth
at night?
61 And the
children of Israel asked of the Egyptians, vessels of silver, and vessels of
gold, and
garments, and the children of Israel stripped the Egyptians.
62 And Moses
hastened and rose up and went to the river of Egypt, and brought up from thence
the coffin of Joseph and took it with him.
63 The children of
Israel also brought up, each man his father's coffin with him, and each man
the coffins of his tribe.
CHAPTER
81
1 And the
children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand
men on foot, besides the little ones and their wives.
2 Also a mixed
multitude went up with them, and flocks and herds, even much cattle.
3 And the
sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in the land of Egypt in hard
labor, was
two hundred and ten years.
4 And at the end
of two hundred and ten years, the Lord brought forth the children of Israel from
Egypt with a strong hand.
5 And the
children of Israel traveled from Egypt and from Goshen and from Rameses, and encamped
in Succoth on the fifteenth day of the first month.
6 And the
Egyptians buried all their first born whom the Lord had smitten, and all the Egyptians
buried their slain for three days.
7 And the
children of Israel traveled from Succoth and encamped in Ethom, at the end of
the wilderness.
8 And on the
third day after the Egyptians had buried their first born, many men rose up
from Egypt
and went after Israel to make them return to Egypt, for they repented that they
had sent
the Israelites away from their servitude.
9 And one man
said to his neighbor, Surely Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh, saying, We will
go a three days' journey in the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God.
10 Now therefore
let us rise up early in the morning and cause them to return, and it shall be that
if they return with us to Egypt to their masters, then shall we know that there
is faith in them,
but if they will not return, then will we fight with them, and make them come
back with great
power and a strong hand.
11 And all the
nobles of Pharaoh rose up in the morning, and with them about seven hundred thousand
men, and they went forth from Egypt on that day, and came to the place where
the children
of Israel were.
12 And all the
Egyptians saw and behold Moses and Aaron and all the children of Israel were sitting
before Pi-hahiroth, eating and drinking and celebrating the feast of the Lord.
13 And all the
Egyptians said to the children of Israel, Surely you said, We will go a journey for
three days in the wilderness and sacrifice to our God and return.
14 Now therefore
this day makes five days since you went, why do you not return to your masters?
15 And Moses and
Aaron answered them, saying, Because the Lord our God has testified in us,
saying, You shall no more return to Egypt, but we will betake ourselves to a
land flowing with
milk and honey, as the Lord our God had sworn to our ancestors to give to us.
16 And when the
nobles of Egypt saw that the children of Israel did not hearken to them, to return
to Egypt, they girded themselves to fight with Israel.
17 And the Lord
strengthened the hearts of the children of Israel over the Egyptians, that they
gave them a severe beating, and the battle was sore upon the Egyptians, and all
the Egyptians
fled from before the children of Israel, for many of them perished by the hand
of Israel.
18 And the nobles
of Pharaoh went to Egypt and told Pharaoh, saying, The children of Israel have
fled, and will no more return to Egypt, and in this manner did Moses and Aaron
speak to
us.
19 And Pharaoh
heard this thing, and his heart and the hearts of all his subjects were turned against
Israel, and they repented that they had sent Israel; and all the Egyptians
advised Pharaoh
to pursue the children of Israel to make them come back to their burdens.
20 And they said
each man to his brother, What is this which we have done, that we have sent
Israel from our servitude?
21 And the Lord
strengthened the hearts of all the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites, for the Lord
desired to overthrow the Egyptians in the Red Sea.
22 And Pharaoh
rose up and harnessed his chariot, and he ordered all the Egyptians to assemble,
not one man was left excepting the little ones and the women.
23 And all the
Egyptians went forth with Pharaoh to pursue the children of Israel, and the camp
of Egypt was an exceedingly large and heavy camp, about ten hundred thousand
men.
24 And the whole
of this camp went and pursued the children of Israel to bring them back to Egypt,
and they reached them encamping by the Red Sea.
25 And the
children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and beheld all the Egyptians pursuing
them, and
the children of Israel were greatly terrified at them, and the children of
Israel cried to the Lord.
26 And on account
of the Egyptians, the children of Israel divided themselves into four divisions,
and they were divided in their opinions, for they were afraid of the Egyptians,
and Moses
spoke to each of them.
27 The first
division was of the children of Reuben, Simeon, and Issachar, and they resolved to
cast themselves into the sea, for they were exceedingly afraid of the
Egyptians.
28 And Moses said
to them, Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which He will
effect this day for you.
29 The second
division was of the children of Zebulun, Benjamin and Naphtali, and they resolved
to go back to Egypt with the Egyptians.
30 And Moses said
to them, Fear not, for as you have seen the Egyptians this day, so shall you
see them no more for ever.
31 The third
division was of the children of Judah and Joseph, and they resolved to go to meet
the Egyptians to fight with them.
32 And Moses said
to them, Stand in your places, for the Lord will fight for you, and you shall remain
silent.
33 And the fourth
division was of the children of Levi, Gad, and Asher, and they resolved to go
into the midst of the Egyptians to confound them, and Moses said to them,
Remain in your
stations and fear not, only call unto the Lord that he may save you out of
their hands.
34 After this
Moses rose up from amidst the people, and he prayed to the Lord and said,
35 O Lord God of
the whole earth, save now thy people whom thou didst bring forth from Egypt,
and let not the Egyptians boast that power and might are theirs.
36 So the Lord said
to Moses, Why dost thou cry unto me? speak to the children of Israel that
they shall proceed, and do thou stretch out thy rod upon the sea and divide it,
and the children
of Israel shall pass through it.
37 And Moses did
so, and he lifted up his rod upon the sea and divided it.
38 And the waters
of the sea were divided into twelve parts, and the children of Israel passed through
on foot, with shoes, as a man would pass through a prepared road.
39 And the Lord
manifested to the children of Israel his wonders in Egypt and in the sea by the
hand of Moses and Aaron.
40 And when the
children of Israel had entered the sea, the Egyptians came after them, and the
waters of the sea resumed upon them, and they all sank in the water, and not
one man was
left excepting Pharaoh, who gave thanks to the Lord and believed in him,
therefore the Lord
did not cause him to perish at that time with the Egyptians.
41 And the Lord
ordered an angel to take him from amongst the Egyptians, who cast him upon
the land of Ninevah and he reigned over it for a long time.
42 And on that day
the Lord saved Israel from the hand of Egypt, and all the children of Israel saw
that the Egyptians had perished, and they beheld the great hand of the Lord, in
what he had
performed in Egypt and in the sea.
43 Then sang Moses
and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, on the day when the Lord
caused the Egyptians to fall before them.
44 And all Israel
sang in concert, saying, I will sing to the Lord for He is greatly exalted, the horse
and his rider has he cast into the sea; behold it is written in the book of the
law of God.
45 After this the
children of Israel proceeded on their journey, and encamped in Marah, and the
Lord gave to the children of Israel statutes and judgments in that place in
Marah, and the Lord
commanded the children of Israel to walk in all his ways and to serve him.
46 And they
journeyed from Marah and came to Elim, and in Elim were twelve springs of water
and seventy date trees, and the children encamped there by the waters.
47 And they
journeyed from Elim and came to the wilderness of Sin, on the fifteenth day of the
second month after their departure from Egypt.
48 At that time
the Lord gave the manna to the children of Israel to eat, and the Lord caused food
to rain from heaven for the children of Israel day by day.
49 And the
children of Israel ate the manna for forty years, all the days that they were
in the wilderness,
until they came to the land of Canaan to possess it.
50 And they
proceeded from the wilderness of Sin and encamped in Alush.
51 And they
proceeded from Alush and encamped in Rephidim.
52 And when the
children of Israel were in Rephidim, Amalek the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau,
the brother of Zepho, came to fight with Israel.
53 And he brought
with him eight hundred and one thousand men, magicians and conjurers, and
he prepared for battle with Israel in Rephidim.
54 And they
carried on a great and severe battle against Israel, and the Lord delivered Amalek
and his people into the hands of Moses and the children of Israel, and into the
hand of
Joshua, the son of Nun, the Ephrathite, the servant of Moses.
55 And the
children of Israel smote Amalek and his people at the edge of the sword, but
the battle
was very sore upon the children of Israel.
56 And the Lord
said to Moses, Write this thing as a memorial for thee in a book, and place it in
the hand of Joshua, the son of Nun, thy servant, and thou shalt command the
children of Israel,
saying, When thou shalt come to the land of Canaan, thou shalt utterly efface
the remembrance
of Amalek from under heaven.
57 And Moses did
so, and he took the book and wrote upon it these words, saying,
58 Remember what
Amalek has done to thee in the road when thou wentest forth from Egypt.
59 Who met thee in
the road and smote thy rear, even those that were feeble behind thee when
thou wast faint and weary.
60 Therefore it
shall be when the Lord thy God shall have given thee rest from all thine enemies
round about in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance,
to possess
it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven, thou shalt
not forget it.
61 And the king
who shall have pity on Amalek, or upon his memory or upon his seed, behold
I will require it of him, and I will cut him off from amongst his people.
62 And Moses wrote
all these things in a book, and he enjoined the children of Israel respecting
all these matters.
CHAPTER
82
1 And the
children of Israel proceeded from Rephidim and they encamped in the wilderness of
Sinai, in the third month from their going forth from Egypt.
2 At that time
came Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses, with Zipporah his daughter
and her two sons, for he had heard of the wonders of the Lord which he had done to
Israel, that he had delivered them from the hand of Egypt.
3 And Reuel came
to Moses to the wilderness where he was encamped, where was the mountain
of God.
4 And Moses went
forth to meet his father-in-law with great honor, and all Israel was with him.
5 And Reuel and
his children remained amongst the Israelites for many days, and Reuel knew
the Lord from that day forward.
6 And in the
third month from the children of Israel's departure from Egypt, on the sixth
day thereof,
the Lord gave to Israel the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.
7 And all Israel
heard all these commandments, and all Israel rejoiced exceedingly in the Lord
on that day.
8 And the glory
of the Lord rested upon Mount Sinai, and he called to Moses, and Moses came
in the midst of a cloud and ascended the mountain.
9 And Moses was
upon the mount forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water,
and the Lord instructed him in the statutes and judgments in order to teach the children
of Israel.
10 And the Lord
wrote the ten commandments which he had commanded the children of Israel
upon two tablets of stone, which he gave to Moses to command the children of
Israel.
11 And at the end
of forty days and forty nights, when the Lord had finished speaking to Moses
on Mount Sinai, then the Lord gave to Moses the tablets of stone, written with
the finger
of God.
12 And when the
children of Israel saw that Moses tarried to come down from the mount, they
gathered round Aaron, and said, As for this man Moses we know not what has
become of
him.
13 Now therefore
rise up, make unto us a god who shall go before us, so that thou shalt not die.
14 And Aaron was
greatly afraid of the people, and he ordered them to bring him gold and he made
it into a molten calf for the people.
15 And the Lord
said to Moses, before he had come down from the mount, Get thee down, for
thy people whom thou didst bring forth from Egypt have corrupted themselves.
16 They have made
to themselves a molten calf, and have bowed down to it, now therefore leave
me, that I may consume them from off the earth, for they are a stiffnecked
people.
17 And Moses
besought the countenance of the Lord, and he prayed to the Lord for the people
on account of the calf which they had made, and he afterward descended from the mount
and in his hands were the two tablets of stone, which God had given him to
command the
Israelites.
18 And when Moses
approached the camp and saw the calf which the people had made, the anger
of Moses was kindled and he broke the tablets under the mount.
19 And Moses came
to the camp and he took the calf and burned it with fire, and ground it till it
became fine dust, and strewed it upon the water and gave it to the Israelites
to drink.
20 And there died
of the people by the swords of each other about three thousand men who had
made the calf.
21 And on the
morrow Moses said to the people, I will go up to the Lord, peradventure I may make
atonement for your sins which you have sinned to the Lord.
22 And Moses again
went up to the Lord, and he remained with the Lord forty days and forty nights.
23 And during the
forty days did Moses entreat the Lord in behalf of the children of Israel, and
the Lord hearkened to the prayer of Moses, and the Lord was entreated of him in
behalf of
Israel.
24 Then spake the
Lord to Moses to hew two stone tablets and to bring them up to the Lord, who
would write upon them the ten commandments.
25 Now Moses did
so, and he came down and hewed the two tablets and went up to Mount Sinai
to the Lord, and the Lord wrote the ten commandments upon the tablets.
26 And Moses
remained yet with the Lord forty days and forty nights, and the Lord instructed him
in statutes and judgments to impart to Israel.
27 And the Lord
commanded him respecting the children of Israel that they should make a sanctuary
for the Lord, that his name might rest therein, and the Lord showed him the likeness
of the sanctuary and the likeness of all its vessels.
28 And at the end
of the forty days, Moses came down from the mount and the two tablets were
in his hand.
29 And Moses came
to the children of Israel and spoke to them all the words of the Lord, and he
taught them laws, statutes and judgments which the Lord had taught him.
30 And Moses told
the children of Israel the word of the Lord, that a sanctuary should be made
for him, to dwell amongst the children of Israel.
31 And the people
rejoiced greatly at all the good which the Lord had spoken to them, through
Moses, and they said, We will do all that the Lord has spoken to thee.
32 And the people
rose up like one man and they made generous offerings to the sanctuary of
the Lord, and each man brought the offering of the Lord for the work of the
sanctuary, and for
all its service.
33 And all the
children of Israel brought each man of all that was found in his possession for the
work of the sanctuary of the Lord, gold, silver and brass, and every thing that
was serviceable
for the sanctuary.
34 And all the
wise men who were practiced in work came and made the sanctuary of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord had commanded, every man in the work in which he
had been
practiced; and all the wise men in heart made the sanctuary, and its furniture
and all the
vessels for the holy service, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
35 And the work of
the sanctuary of the tabernacle was completed at the end of five months, and
the children of Israel did all that the Lord had commanded Moses.
36 And they
brought the sanctuary and all its furniture to Moses; like unto the
representation which
the Lord had shown to Moses, so did the children of Israel.
37 And Moses saw
the work, and behold they did it as the Lord had commanded him, so Moses
blessed them.
CHAPTER
83
1 And in the
twelfth month, in the twenty-third day of the month, Moses took Aaron and his sons,
and he dressed them in their garments, and anointed them and did unto them as
the Lord
had commanded him, and Moses brought up all the offerings which the Lord had on that
day commanded him.
2 Moses afterward
took Aaron and his sons and said to them, For seven days shall you remain
at the door of the tabernacle, for thus am I commanded.
3 And Aaron and
his sons did all that the Lord had commanded them through Moses, and they
remained for seven days at the door of the tabernacle.
4 And on the
eighth day, being the first day of the first month, in the second year from the Israelites'
departure from Egypt, Moses erected the sanctuary, and Moses put up all the furniture
of the tabernacle and all the furniture of the sanctuary, and he did all that
the Lord had
commanded him.
5 And Moses
called to Aaron and his sons, and they brought the burnt offering and the sin offering
for themselves and the children of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
6 On that day the
two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, took strange fire and brought it before
the Lord who had not commanded them, and a fire went forth from before the
Lord, and
consumed them, and they died before the Lord on that day.
7 Then on the day
when Moses had completed to erect the sanctuary, the princes of the children
of Israel began to bring their offerings before the Lord for the dedication of
the altar.
8 And they
brought up their offerings each prince for one day, a prince each day for
twelve days.
9 And all the
offerings which they brought, each man in his day, one silver charger weighing one
hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels after the shekel
of the sanctuary,
both of them full of fine flour, mingled with oil for a meat offering.
10 One spoon,
weighing ten shekels of gold, full of incense.
11 One young
bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year for a burnt offering.
12 And one kid of
the goats for a sin offering.
13 And for a
sacrifice of peace offering, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of
a year
old.
14 Thus did the
twelve princes of Israel day by day, each man in his day.
15 And it was
after this, in the thirteenth day of the month, that Moses commanded the children
of Israel to observe the Passover.
16 And the
children of Israel kept the Passover in its season in the fourteenth day of the month,
as the Lord had commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
17 And in the
second month, on the first day thereof, the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
18 Number the
heads of all the males of the children of Israel from twenty years old and upward,
thou and thy brother Aaron and the twelve princes of Israel.
19 And Moses did
so, and Aaron came with the twelve princes of Israel, and they numbered the
children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
20 And the numbers
of the children of Israel by the houses of their fathers, from twenty years old
and upward, were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.
21 But the
children of Levi were not numbered amongst their brethren the children of
Israel.
22 And the number
of all the males of the children of Israel from one month old and upward, was
twenty-two thousand, two hundred and seventy-three.
23 And the number
of the children of Levi from one month old and above, was twenty-two thousand.
24 And Moses
placed the priests and the Levites each man to his service and to his burden to
serve the sanctuary of the tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
25 And on the
twentieth day of the month, the cloud was taken away from the tabernacle of testimony.
26 At that time
the children of Israel continued their journey from the wilderness of Sinai, and they
took a journey of three days, and the cloud rested upon the wilderness of
Paran; there the
anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, for they had provoked the Lord in
asking him
for meat, that they might eat.
27 And the Lord
hearkened to their voice, and gave them meat which they ate for one month.
28 But after this
the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he smote them with a great
slaughter, and they were buried there in that place.
29 And the
children of Israel called that place Kebroth Hattaavah, because there they
buried the
people that lusted flesh.
30 And they
departed from Kebroth Hattaavah and pitched in Hazeroth, which is in the wilderness
of Paran.
31 And whilst the
children of Israel were in Hazeroth, the anger of the Lord was kindled against
Miriam on account of Moses, and she became leprous, white as snow.
32 And she was
confined without the camp for seven days, until she had been received again
after her leprosy.
33 The children of
Israel afterward departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the end of the wilderness
of Paran.
34 At that time,
the Lord spoke to Moses to send twelve men from the children of Israel, one man
to a tribe, to go and explore the land of Canaan.
35 And Moses sent
the twelve men, and they came to the land of Canaan to search and examine
it, and they explored the whole land from the wilderness of Sin to Rechob as
thou comest
to Chamoth.
36 And at the end
of forty days they came to Moses and Aaron, and they brought him word as
it was in their hearts, and ten of the men brought up an evil report to the
children of Israel, of
the land which they had explored, saying, It is better for us to return to
Egypt than to go to this
land, a land that consumes its inhabitants.
37 But Joshua the
son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephuneh, who were of those that explored
the land, said, The land is exceedingly good.
38 If the Lord
delight in us, then he will bring us to this land and give it to us, for it is
a land flowing
with milk and honey.
39 But the
children of Israel would not hearken to them, and they hearkened to the words
of the
ten men who had brought up an evil report of the land.
40 And the Lord
heard the murmurings of the children of Israel and he was angry and swore, saying,
41 Surely not one
man of this wicked generation shall see the land from twenty years old and upward
excepting Caleb the son of Jephuneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
42 But surely this
wicked generation shall perish in this wilderness, and their children shall come
to the land and they shall possess it; so the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Israel,
and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the end of that
wicked generation,
because they did not follow the Lord.
43 And the people
dwelt in the wilderness of Paran a long time, and they afterward proceeded
to the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.
CHAPTER
84
1 At that time
Korah the son of Jetzer the son of Kehath the son of Levi, took many men of the
children of Israel, and they rose up and quarreled with Moses and Aaron and the
whole congregation.
2 And the Lord
was angry with them, and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up,
with their houses and all belonging to them, and all the men belonging to
Korah.
3 And after this
God made the people go round by the way of Mount Seir for a long time.
4 At that time
the Lord said unto Moses, Provoke not a war against the children of Esau, for I will
not give to you of any thing belonging to them, as much as the sole of the foot
could tread
upon, for I have given Mount Seir for an inheritance to Esau.
5 Therefore did
the children of Esau fight against the children of Seir in former times, and
the Lord
had delivered the children of Seir into the hands of the children of Esau, and
destroyed them
from before them, and the children of Esau dwelt in their stead unto this day.
6 Therefore the
Lord said to the children of Israel, Fight not against the children of Esau
your brethren,
for nothing in their land belongs to you, but you may buy food of them for
money and
eat it, and you may buy water of them for money and drink it.
7 And the
children of Israel did according to the word of the Lord.
8 And the
children of Israel went about the wilderness, going round by the way of Mount Sinai
for a long time, and touched not the children of Esau, and they continued in
that district for
nineteen years.
9 At that time
died Latinus king of the children of Chittim, in the forty-fifth year of his
reign, which
is the fourteenth year of the children of Israel's departure from Egypt.
10 And they buried
him in his place which he had built for himself in the land of Chittim, and Abimnas
reigned in his place for thirty-eight years.
11 And the
children of Israel passed the boundary of the children of Esau in those days,
at the
end of nineteen years, and they came and passed the road of the wilderness of
Moab.
12 And the Lord
said to Moses, besiege not Moab, and do not fight against them, for I will give
you nothing of their land.
13 And the
children of Israel passed the road of the wilderness of Moab for nineteen
years, and
they did not fight against them.
14 And in the
thirty-sixth year of the children of Israel's departing from Egypt the Lord
smote the
heart of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and he waged war, and went forth to fight
against the
children of Moab.
15 And Sihon sent
messengers to Beor the son of Janeas, the son of Balaam, counsellor to the
king of Egypt, and to Balaam his son, to curse Moab, in order that it might be
delivered into
the hand of Sihon.
16 And the
messengers went and brought Beor the son of Janeas, and Balaam his son, from Pethor
in Mesopotamia, so Beor and Balaam his son came to the city of Sihon and they cursed
Moab and their king in the presence of Sihon king of the Amorites.
17 So Sihon went
out with his whole army, and he went to Moab and fought against them, and
he subdued them, and the Lord delivered them into his hands, and Sihon slew the
king of
Moab.
18 And Sihon took
all the cities of Moab in the battle; he also took Heshbon from them, for Heshbon
was one of the cities of Moab, and Sihon placed his princes and his nobles in Heshbon,
and Heshbon belonged to Sihon in those days.
19 Therefore the
parable speakers Beor and Balaam his son uttered these words, saying, Come
unto Heshbon, the city of Sihon will be built and established.
20 Woe unto thee
Moab! thou art lost, O people of Kemosh! behold it is written upon the book
of the law of God.
21 And when Sihon
had conquered Moab, he placed guards in the cities which he had taken from
Moab, and a considerable number of the children of Moab fell in battle into the
hand of Sihon,
and he made a great capture of them, sons and daughters, and he slew their
king; so Sihon
turned back to his own land.
22 And Sihon gave
numerous presents of silver and gold to Beor and Balaam his son, and he
dismissed them, and they went to Mesopotamia to their home and country.
23 At that time
all the children of Israel passed from the road of the wilderness of Moab, and returned
and surrounded the wilderness of Edom.
24 So the whole
congregation came to the wilderness of Sin in the first month of the fortieth year
from their departure from Egypt, and the children of Israel dwelt there in
Kadesh, of the wilderness
of Sin, and Miriam died there and she was buried there.
25 At that time
Moses sent messengers to Hadad king of Edom, saying, Thus says thy brother
Israel, Let me pass I pray thee through thy land, we will not pass through
field or vineyard,
we will not drink the water of the well; we will walk in the king's road.
26 And Edom said
to him, Thou shalt not pass through my country, and Edom went forth to meet
the children of Israel with a mighty people.
27 And the
children of Esau refused to let the children of Israel pass through their land,
so the
Israelites removed from them and fought not against them.
28 For before this
the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, saying, You shall not fight against
the children of Esau, therefore the Israelites removed from them and did not
fight against
them.
29 So the children
of Israel departed from Kadesh, and all the people came to Mount Hor.
30 At that time
the Lord said to Moses, Tell thy brother Aaron that he shall die there, for he shall
not come to the land which I have given to the children of Israel.
31 And Aaron went
up, at the command of the Lord, to Mount Hor, in the fortieth year, in the fifth
month, in the first day of the month.
32 And Aaron was
one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died in Mount Hor.
CHAPTER
85
1 And king Arad
the Canaanite, who dwelt in the south, heard that the Israelites had come by the
way of the spies, and he arranged his forces to fight against the Israelites.
2 And the
children of Israel were greatly afraid of him, for he had a great and heavy
army, so the
children of Israel resolved to return to Egypt.
3 And the
children of Israel turned back about the distance of three days' journey unto Maserath
Beni Jaakon, for they were greatly afraid on account of the king Arad.
4 And the
children of Israel would not get back to their places, so they remained in Beni Jaakon
for thirty days.
5 And when the
children of Levi saw that the children of Israel would not turn back, they were jealous
for the sake of the Lord, and they rose up and fought against the Israelites
their brethren,
and slew of them a great body, and forced them to turn back to their place,
Mount Hor.
6 And when they
returned, king Arad was still arranging his host for battle against the Israelites.
7 And Israel
vowed a vow, saying, If thou wilt deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly
destroy their cities.
8 And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of Israel, and he delivered the Canaanites into their hand,
and he utterly destroyed them and their cities, and he called the name of the
place Hormah.
9 And the
children of Israel journeyed from Mount Hor and pitched in Oboth, and they journeyed
from Oboth and they pitched at Ije-abarim, in the border of Moab.
10 And the
children of Israel sent to Moab, saying, Let us pass now through thy land into
our place,
but the children of Moab would not suffer the children of Israel to pass
through their land,
for the children of Moab were greatly afraid lest the children of Israel should
do unto them
as Sihon king of the Amorites had done to them, who had taken their land and
had slain
many of them.
11 Therefore Moab
would not suffer the Israelites to pass through his land, and the Lord commanded
the children of Israel, saying, That they should not fight against Moab, so the Israelites
removed from Moab.
12 And the
children of Israel journeyed from the border of Moab, and they came to the
other side
of Arnon, the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites, and they pitched
in the border
of Sihon, king of the Amorites, in the wilderness of Kedemoth.
13 And the
children of Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,
14 Let us pass
through thy land, we will not turn into the fields or into the vineyards, we
will go
along by the king's highway until we shall have passed thy border, but Sihon
would not suffer
the Israelites to pass.
15 So Sihon collected
all the people of the Amorites and went forth into the wilderness to meet
the children of Israel, and he fought against Israel in Jahaz.
16 And the Lord
delivered Sihon king of the Amorites into the hand of the children of Israel, and
Israel smote all the people of Sihon with the edge of the sword and avenged the
cause of
Moab.
17 And the
children of Israel took possession of the land of Sihon from Aram unto Jabuk, unto
the children of Ammon, and they took all the spoil of the cities.
18 And Israel took
all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites.
19 And all the
children of Israel resolved to fight against the children of Ammon, to take
their land
also.
20 So the Lord
said to the children of Israel, Do not besiege the children of Ammon, neither stir
up battle against them, for I will give nothing to you of their land, and the
children of Israel hearkened
to the word of the Lord, and did not fight against the children of Ammon.
21 And the
children of Israel turned and went up by the way of Bashan to the land of Og,
king of
Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out to meet the Israelites in battle,
and he had with
him many valiant men, and a very strong force from the people of the Amorites.
22 And Og king of
Bashan was a very powerful man, but Naaron his son was exceedingly powerful,
even stronger than he was.
23 And Og said in
his heart, Behold now the whole camp of Israel takes up a space of three parsa,
now will I smite them at once without sword or spear.
24 And Og went up Mount
Jahaz, and took therefrom one large stone, the length of which was
three parsa, and he placed it on his head, and resolved to throw it upon the
camp of the children
of Israel, to smite all the Israelites with that stone.
25 And the angel
of the Lord came and pierced the stone upon the head of Og, and the stone
fell upon the neck of Og that Og fell to the earth on account of the weight of
the stone upon
his neck.
26 At that time
the Lord said to the children of Israel, Be not afraid of him, for I have given him
and all his people and all his land into your hand, and you shall do to him as
you did to Sihon.
27 And Moses went
down to him with a small number of the children of Israel, and Moses smote
Og with a stick at the ankles of his feet and slew him.
28 The children of
Israel afterward pursued the children of Og and all his people, and they beat
and destroyed them till there was no remnant left of them.
29 Moses afterward
sent some of the children of Israel to spy out Jaazer, for Jaazer was a very
famous city.
30 And the spies
went to Jaazer and explored it, and the spies trusted in the Lord, and they fought
against the men of Jaazer.
31 And these men
took Jaazer and its villages, and the Lord delivered them into their hand, and
they drove out the Amorites who had been there.
32 And the
children of Israel took the land of the two kings of the Amorites, sixty cities
which were
on the other side of Jordan, from the brook of Arnon unto Mount Herman.
33 And the
children of Israel journeyed and came into the plain of Moab which is on this
side of
Jordan, by Jericho.
34 And the
children of Moab heard all the evil which the children of Israel had done to
the two
kings of the Amorites, to Sihon and Og, so all the men of Moab were greatly
afraid of the Israelites.
35 And the elders
of Moab said, Behold the two kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og, who were
more powerful than all the kings of the earth, could not stand against the
children of Israel,
how then can we stand before them?
36 Surely they
sent us a message before now to pass through our land on their way, and we would
not suffer them, now they will turn upon us with their heavy swords and destroy
us; and
Moab was distressed on account of the children of Israel, and they were greatly
afraid of them,
and they counselled together what was to be done to the children of Israel.
37 And the elders
of Moab resolved and took one of their men, Balak the son of Zippor the Moabite,
and made him king over them at that time, and Balak was a very wise man.
38 And the elders
of Moab rose up and sent to the children of Midian to make peace with them,
for a great battle and enmity had been in those days between Moab and Midian,
from the
days of Hadad the son of Bedad king of Edom, who smote Midian in the field of
Moab, unto
these days.
39 And the
children of Moab sent to the children of Midian, and they made peace with them, and
the elders of Midian came to the land of Moab to make peace in behalf of the
children of Midian.
40 And the elders
of Moab counselled with the elders of Midian what to do in order to save their
lives from Israel.
41 And all the
children of Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now therefore the children of Israel
lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field,
for thus did they
do to the two kings of the Amorites who are stronger than we are.
42 And the elders
of Midian said to Moab, We have heard that at the time when Sihon king of the
Amorites fought against you, when he prevailed over you and took your land, he
had sent to
Beor the son of Janeas and to Balaam his son from Mesopotamia, and they came
and cursed
you; therefore did the hand of Sihon prevail over you, that he took your land.
43 Now therefore
send you also to Balaam his son, for he still remains in his land, and give him
his hire, that he may come and curse all the people of whom you are afraid; so
the elders
of Moab heard this thing, and it pleased them to send to Balaam the son of
Beor.
44 So Balak the
son of Zippor king of Moab sent messengers to Balaam, saying,
45 Behold there is
a people come out from Egypt, behold they cover the face of the earth, and
they abide over against me.
46 Now therefore
come and curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me, peradventure
I shall prevail to fight against them, and drive them out, for I heard that he whom
thou blessest is blessed, and whom thou cursest is cursed.
47 So the
messengers of Balak went to Balaam and brought Balaam to curse the people to fight
against Moab.
48 And Balaam came
to Balak to curse Israel, and the Lord said to Balaam, Curse not this people
for it is blessed.
49 And Balak urged
Balaam day by day to curse Israel, but Balaam hearkened not to Balak on
account of the word of the Lord which he had spoken to Balaam.
50 And when Balak
saw that Balaam would not accede to his wish, he rose up and went home,
and Balaam also returned to his land and he went from there to Midian.
51 And the
children of Israel journeyed from the plain of Moab, and pitched by Jordan from Beth-jesimoth
even unto Abel-shittim, at the end of the plains of Moab.
52 And when the
children of Israel abode in the plain of Shittim, they began to commit whoredom
with the daughters of Moab.
53 And the
children of Israel approached Moab, and the children of Moab pitched their
tents opposite
to the camp of the children of Israel.
54 And the
children of Moab were afraid of the children of Israel, and the children of
Moab took
all their daughters and their wives of beautiful aspect and comely appearance,
and dressed
them in gold and silver and costly garments.
55 And the
children of Moab seated those women at the door of their tents, in order that
the children
of Israel might see them and turn to them, and not fight against Moab.
56 And all the
children of Moab did this thing to the children of Israel, and every man placed his
wife and daughter at the door of his tent, and all the children of Israel saw
the act of the children
of Moab, and the children of Israel turned to the daughters of Moab and coveted them,
and they went to them.
57 And it came to
pass that when a Hebrew came to the door of the tent of Moab, and saw a daughter
of Moab and desired her in his heart, and spoke with her at the door of the
tent that which
he desired, whilst they were speaking together the men of the tent would come
out and
speak to the Hebrew like unto these words:
58 Surely you know
that we are brethren, we are all the descendants of Lot and the descendants
of Abraham his brother, wherefore then will you not remain with us, and wherefore
will you not eat our bread and our sacrifice?
59 And when the
children of Moab had thus overwhelmed him with their speeches, and enticed
him by their flattering words, they seated him in the tent and cooked and
sacrificed for
him, and he ate of their sacrifice and of their bread.
60 They then gave
him wine and he drank and became intoxicated, and they placed before him
a beautiful damsel, and he did with her as he liked, for he knew not what he
was doing, as
he had drunk plentifully of wine.
61 Thus did the
children of Moab to Israel in that place, in the plain of Shittim, and the
anger of
the Lord was kindled against Israel on account of this matter, and he sent a
pestilence amongst
them, and there died of the Israelites twenty-four thousand men.
62 Now there was a
man of the children of Simeon whose name was Zimri, the son of Salu, who
connected himself with the Midianite Cosbi, the daughter of Zur, king of
Midian, in the sight
of all the children of Israel.
63 And Phineas the
son of Elazer, the son of Aaron the priest, saw this wicked thing which Zimri
had done, and he took a spear and rose up and went after them, and pierced them both
and slew them, and the pestilence ceased from the children of Israel.
CHAPTER
86
1 At that time
after the pestilence, the Lord said to Moses, and to Elazer the son of Aaron
the priest,
saying,
2 Number the
heads of the whole community of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and
upward, all that went forth in the army.
3 And Moses and
Elazer numbered the children of Israel after their families, and the number of
all Israel was seven hundred thousand, seven hundred and thirty.
4 And the number
of the children of Levi, from one month old and upward, was twenty-three thousand,
and amongst these there was not a man of those numbered by Moses and Aaron in
the wilderness of Sinai.
5 For the Lord
had told them that they would die in the wilderness, so they all died, and not one
had been left of them excepting Caleb the son of Jephuneh, and Joshua the son
of Nun.
6 And it was
after this that the Lord said to Moses, Say unto the children of Israel to
avenge upon
Midian the cause of their brethren the children of Israel.
7 And Moses did
so, and the children of Israel chose from amongst them twelve thousand men,
being one thousand to a tribe, and they went to Midian.
8 And the
children of Israel warred against Midian, and they slew every male, also the
five princes
of Midian, and Balaam the son of Beor did they slay with the sword.
9 And the
children of Israel took the wives of Midian captive, with their little ones and
their cattle,
and all belonging to them.
10 And they took
all the spoil and all the prey, and they brought it to Moses and to Elazer to the
plains of Moab.
11 And Moses and
Elazer and all the princes of the congregation went forth to meet them with
joy.
12 And they
divided all the spoil of Midian, and the children of Israel had been revenged upon
Midian for the cause of their brethren the children of Israel.
CHAPTER
87
1 At that time
the Lord said to Moses, Behold thy days are approaching to an end, take now Joshua
the son of Nun thy servant and place him in the tabernacle, and I will command
him, and
Moses did so.
2 And the Lord
appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood
at the
entrance of the tabernacle.
3 And the Lord
commanded Joshua the son of Nun and said unto him, Be strong and courageous,
for thou shalt bring the children of Israel to the land which I swore to give
them, and
I will be with thee.
4 And Moses said
to Joshua, Be strong and courageous, for thou wilt make the children of Israel
inherit the land, and the Lord will be with thee, he will not leave thee nor
forsake thee, be
not afraid nor disheartened.
5 And Moses
called to all the children of Israel and said to them, You have seen all the
good which
the Lord your God has done for you in the wilderness.
6 Now therefore
observe all the words of this law, and walk in the way of the Lord your God, turn
not from the way which the Lord has commanded you, either to the right or to
the left.
7 And Moses
taught the children of Israel statutes and judgments and laws to do in the land as
the Lord had commanded him.
8 And he taught
them the way of the Lord and his laws; behold they are written upon the book
of the law of God which he gave to the children of Israel by the hand of Moses.
9 And Moses
finished commanding the children of Israel, and the Lord said to him, saying, Go
up to the Mount Abarim and die there, and be gathered unto thy people as Aaron
thy brother
was gathered.
10 And Moses went
up as the Lord had commanded him, and he died there in the land of Moab
by the order of the Lord, in the fortieth year from the Israelites going forth
from the land of
Egypt.
11 And the
children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days, and
the days
of weeping and mourning for Moses were completed.
CHAPTER
88
1 And it was
after the death of Moses that the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, saying,
2 Rise up and
pass the Jordan to the land which I have given to the children of Israel, and thou
shalt make the children of Israel inherit the land.
3 Every place
upon which the sole of your feet shall tread shall belong to you, from the wilderness
of Lebanon unto the great river the river of Perath shall be your boundary.
4 No man shall
stand up against thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so will I
be with
thee, only be strong and of good courage to observe all the law which Moses commanded
thee, turn not from the way either to the right or to the left, in order that
thou mayest
prosper in all that thou doest.
5 And Joshua
commanded the officers of Israel, saying, Pass through the camp and command
the people, saying, Prepare for yourselves provisions, for in three days more
you will
pass the Jordan to possess the land.
6 And the officers
of the children of Israel did so, and they commanded the people and they did
all that Joshua had commanded.
7 And Joshua sent
two men to spy out the land of Jericho, and the men went and spied out Jericho.
8 And at the end
of seven days they came to Joshua in the camp and said to him, The Lord has
delivered the whole land into our hand, and the inhabitants thereof are melted
with fear because
of us.
9 And it came to
pass after that, that Joshua rose up in the morning and all Israel with him, and
they journeyed from Shittim, and Joshua and all Israel with him passed the
Jordan; and Joshua
was eighty-two years old when he passed the Jordan with Israel.
10 And the people
went up from Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped
in Gilgal at the eastern corner of Jericho.
11 And the
children of Israel kept the Passover in Gilgal, in the plains of Jericho, on
the fourteenth
day at the month, as it is written in the law of Moses.
12 And the manna
ceased at that time on the morrow of the Passover, and there was no more
manna for the children of Israel, and they ate of the produce of the land of
Canaan.
13 And Jericho was
entirely closed against the children of Israel, no one came out or went in.
14 And it was in
the second month, on the first day of the month, that the Lord said to Joshua,
Rise up, behold I have given Jericho into thy hand with all the people thereof;
and all your
fighting men shall go round the city, once each day, thus shall you do for six
days.
15 And the priests
shall blow upon trumpets, and when you shall hear the sound of the trumpet,
all the people shall give a great shouting, that the walls of the city shall
fall down; all the
people shall go up every man against his opponent.
16 And Joshua did
so according to all that the Lord had commanded him.
17 And on the
seventh day they went round the city seven times, and the priests blew upon trumpets.
18 And at the
seventh round, Joshua said to the people, Shout, for the Lord has delivered the
whole city into our hands.
19 Only the city
and all that it contains shall be accursed to the Lord, and keep yourselves from
the accursed thing, lest you make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it.
20 But all the
silver and gold and brass and iron shall be consecrated to the Lord, they shall come
into the treasury of the Lord.
21 And the people
blew upon trumpets and made a great shouting, and the walls of Jericho fell
down, and all the people went up, every man straight before him, and they took
the city and
utterly destroyed all that was in it, both man and woman, young and old, ox and
sheep and
ass, with the edge of the sword.
22 And they burned
the whole city with fire; only the vessels of silver and gold, and brass and iron,
they put into the treasury of the Lord.
23 And Joshua swore
at that time, saying, Cursed be the man who builds Jericho; he shall lay
the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set
up the gates thereof.
24 And Achan the
son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, son of Judah, dealt treacherously
in the accursed thing, and he took of the accursed thing and hid it in the
tent, and
the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
25 And it was
after this when the children of Israel had returned from burning Jericho,
Joshua sent
men to spy out also Ai, and to fight against it.
26 And the men
went up and spied out Ai, and they returned and said, Let not all the people go
up with thee to Ai, only let about three thousand men go up and smite the city,
for the men thereof
are but few.
27 And Joshua did
so, and there went up with him of the children of Israel about three thousand
men, and they fought against the men of Ai.
28 And the battle
was severe against Israel, and the men of Ai smote thirty-six men of Israel, and
the children of Israel fled from before the men of Ai.
29 And when Joshua
saw this thing, he tore his garments and fell upon his face to the ground
before the Lord, he, with the elders of Israel, and they put dust upon their
heads.
30 And Joshua
said, Why O Lord didst thou bring this people over the Jordan? what shall I say
after the Israelites have turned their backs against their enemies?
31 Now therefore
all the Canaanites, inhabitants of the land, will hear this thing, and surround
us and cut off our name.
32 And the Lord
said to Joshua, Why dost thou fall upon thy face? rise, get thee off, for the Israelites
have sinned, and taken of the accursed thing; I will no more be with them
unless they
destroy the accursed thing from amongst them.
33 And Joshua rose
up and assembled the people, and brought the Urim by the order of the Lord,
and the tribe of Judah was taken, and Achan the son of Carmi was taken.
34 And Joshua said
to Achan, Tell me my son, what hast thou done, and Achan said, I saw amongst
the spoil a goodly garment of Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge
of gold of fifty shekels weight; I coveted them and took them, and behold they
are all hid
in the earth in the midst of the tent.
35 And Joshua sent
men who went and took them from the tent of Achan, and they brought them
to Joshua.
36 And Joshua took
Achan and these utensils, and his sons and daughters and all belonging to
him, and they brought them into the valley of Achor.
37 And Joshua
burned them there with fire, and all the Israelites stoned Achan with stones, and
they raised over him a heap of stones, therefore did he call that place the
valley of Achor,
so the Lord's anger was appeased, and Joshua afterward came to the city and
fought against
it.
38 And the Lord
said to Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed, behold I have given into thy
hand Ai, her king and her people, and thou shalt do unto them as thou didst to
Jericho and
her king, only the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof shall you take for a
prey for yourselves;
lay an ambush for the city behind it.
39 So Joshua did
according to the word of the Lord, and he chose from amongst the sons of war
thirty thousand valiant men, and he sent them, and they lay in ambush for the
city.
40 And he
commanded them, saying, When you shall see us we will flee before them with cunning,
and they will pursue us, you shall then rise out of the ambush and take the
city, and they
did so.
41 And Joshua
fought, and the men of the city went out toward Israel, not knowing that they were
lying in ambush for them behind the city.
42 And Joshua and
all the Israelites feigned themselves wearied out before them, and they fled
by the way of the wilderness with cunning.
43 And the men of
Ai gathered all the people who were in the city to pursue the Israelites, and
they went out and were drawn away from the city, not one remained, and they
left the city
open and pursued the Israelites.
44 And those who
were lying in ambush rose up out of their places, and hastened to come to the
city and took it and set it on fire, and the men of Ai turned back, and behold
the smoke of the
city ascended to the skies, and they had no means of retreating either one way
or the other.
45 And all the men
of Ai were in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side, and
they smote them so that not one of them remained.
46 And the
children of Israel took Melosh king of Ai alive, and they brought him to
Joshua, and
Joshua hanged him on a tree and he died.
47 And the
children of Israel returned to the city after having burned it, and they smote
all those
that were in it with the edge of the sword.
48 And the number
of those that had fallen of the men of Ai, both man and woman, was twelve
thousand; only the cattle and the spoil of the city they took to themselves,
according to
the word of the Lord to Joshua.
49 And all the
kings on this side Jordan, all the kings of Canaan, heard of the evil which the children
of Israel had done to Jericho and to Ai, and they gathered themselves together
to fight
against Israel.
50 Only the
inhabitants of Gibeon were greatly afraid of fighting against the Israelites
lest they
should perish, so they acted cunningly, and they came to Joshua and to all
Israel, and said
unto them, We have come from a distant land, now therefore make a covenant with
us.
51 And the
inhabitants of Gibeon over-reached the children of Israel, and the children of Israel
made a covenant with them, and they made peace with them, and the princes of
the congregation
swore unto them, but afterward the children of Israel knew that they were neighbors
to them and were dwelling amongst them.
52 But the
children of Israel slew them not; for they had sworn to them by the Lord, and
they became
hewers of wood and drawers of water.
53 And Joshua said
to them, Why did you deceive me, to do this thing to us? and they answered
him, saying, Because it was told to thy servants all that you had done to all
the kings
of the Amorites, and we were greatly afraid of our lives, and we did this
thing.
54 And Joshua
appointed them on that day to hew wood and to draw water, and he divided them
for slaves to all the tribes of Israel.
55 And when
Adonizedek king of Jerusalem heard all that the children of Israel had done to Jericho
and to Ai, he sent to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king at Jarmuth, and to Japhia
king of Lachish and to Deber king of Eglon, saying,
56 Come up to me
and help me, that we may smite the children of Israel and the inhabitants of
Gibeon who have made peace with the children of Israel.
57 And they
gathered themselves together and the five kings of the Amorites went up with
all their
camps, a mighty people numerous as the sand of the sea shore.
58 And all these
kings came and encamped before Gibeon, and they began to fight against the
inhabitants of Gibeon, and all the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua, saying, Come
up quickly
to us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites have gathered together to
fight against
us.
59 And Joshua and
all the fighting people went up from Gilgal, and Joshua came suddenly to them,
and smote these five kings with a great slaughter.
60 And the Lord
confounded them before the children at Israel, who smote them with a terrible
slaughter in Gibeon, and pursued them along the way that goes up to Beth Horon unto
Makkedah, and they fled from before the children of Israel.
61 And whilst they
were fleeing, the Lord sent upon them hailstones from heaven, and more of
them died by the hailstones, than by the slaughter of the children of Israel.
62 And the
children of Israel pursued them, and they still smote them in the road, going
on and
smiting them.
63 And when they
were smiting, the day was declining toward evening, and Joshua said in the
sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in
the valley of Ajalon,
until the nation shall have revenged itself upon its enemies.
64 And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of Joshua, and the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens,
and it stood still six and thirty moments, and the moon also stood still and
hastened not
to go down a whole day.
65 And there was
no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened to the voice
of a
man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
CHAPTER
89
1 Then spoke
Joshua this song, on the day that the Lord had given the Amorites into the hand
of Joshua and the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of all Israel,
2 Thou hast done
mighty things, O Lord, thou hast performed great deeds; who is like unto thee?
my lips shall sing to thy name.
3 My goodness and
my fortress, my high tower, I will sing a new song unto thee, with thanksgiving
will I sing to thee, thou art the strength of my salvation.
4 All the kings
of the earth shall praise thee, the princes of the world shall sing to thee,
the children
of Israel shall rejoice in thy salvation, they shall sing and praise thy power.
5 To thee, O
Lord, did we confide; we said thou art our God, for thou wast our shelter and strong
tower against our enemies.
6 To thee we
cried and were not ashamed, in thee we trusted and were delivered; when we cried
unto thee, thou didst hear our voice, thou didst deliver our souls from the
sword, thou didst
show unto us thy grace, thou didst give unto us thy salvation, thou didst
rejoice our hearts
with thy strength.
7 Thou didst go
forth for our salvation, with thine arm thou didst redeem thy people; thou didst
answer us from the heavens of thy holiness, thou didst save us from ten
thousands of people.
8 The sun and
moon stood still in heaven, and thou didst stand in thy wrath against our oppressors
and didst command thy judgments over them.
9 All the princes
of the earth stood up, the kings of the nations had gathered themselves together,
they were not moved at thy presence, they desired thy battles.
10 Thou didst rise
against them in thine anger, and didst bring down thy wrath upon them; thou
didst destroy them in thine anger, and cut them off in thine heart.
11 Nations have
been consumed with thy fury, kingdoms have declined because of thy wrath,
thou didst wound kings in the day of thine anger.
12 Thou didst pour
out thy fury upon them, thy wrathful anger took hold of them; thou didst turn
their iniquity upon them, and didst cut them off in their wickedness.
13 They did spread
a trap, they fell therein, in the net they hid, their foot was caught.
14 Thine hand was
ready for all thine enemies who said, Through their sword they possessed
the land, through their arm they dwelt in the city; thou didst fill their faces
with shame,
thou didst bring their horns down to the ground, thou didst terrify them in thy
wrath, and
didst destroy them in thine anger.
15 The earth
trembled and shook at the sound of thy storm over them, thou didst not withhold
their souls from death, and didst bring down their lives to the grave.
16 Thou didst
pursue them in thy storm, thou didst consume them in thy whirlwind, thou didst turn
their rain into hail, they fell in deep pits so that they could not rise.
17 Their carcasses
were like rubbish cast out in the middle of the streets.
18 They were
consumed and destroyed in thine anger, thou didst save thy people with thy might.
19 Therefore our
hearts rejoice in thee, our souls exalt in thy salvation.
20 Our tongues
shall relate thy might, we will sing and praise thy wondrous works.
21 For thou didst
save us from our enemies, thou didst deliver us from those who rose up against
us, thou didst destroy them from before us and depress them beneath our feet.
22 Thus shall all
thine enemies perish O Lord, and the wicked shall be like chaff driven by the
wind, and thy beloved shall be like trees planted by the waters.
23 So Joshua and
all Israel with him returned to the camp in Gilgal, after having smitten all the
kings, so that not a remnant was left of them.
24 And the five
kings fled alone on foot from battle, and hid themselves in a cave, and Joshua
sought for them in the field of battle, and did not find them.
25 And it was
afterward told to Joshua, saying, The kings are found and behold they are hidden
in a cave.
26 And Joshua
said, Appoint men to be at the mouth of the cave, to guard them, lest they take
themselves away; and the children of Israel did so.
27 And Joshua
called to all Israel and said to the officers of battle, Place your feet upon
the necks
of these kings, and Joshua said, So shall the Lord do to all your enemies.
28 And Joshua
commanded afterward that they should slay the kings and cast them into the cave,
and to put great stones at the mouth of the cave.
29 And Joshua went
afterward with all the people that were with him on that day to Makkedah,
and he smote it with the edge of the sword.
30 And he utterly destroyed
the souls and all belonging to the city, and he did to the king and people
thereof as he had done to Jericho.
31 And he passed
from there to Libnah and he fought against it, and the Lord delivered it into his
hand, and Joshua smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls
thereof, and he did
to it and to the king thereof as he had done to Jericho.
32 And from there
he passed on to Lachish to fight against it, and Horam king of Gaza went up
to assist the men of Lachish, and Joshua smote him and his people until there
was none left
to him.
33 And Joshua took
Lachish and all the people thereof, and he did to it as he had done to Libnah.
34 And Joshua
passed from there to Eglon, and he took that also, and he smote it and all the people
thereof with the edge of the sword.
35 And from there
he passed to Hebron and fought against it and took it and utterly destroyed
it, and he returned from there with all Israel to Debir and fought against it
and smote
it with the edge of the sword.
36 And he destroyed
every soul in it, he left none remaining, and he did to it and the king thereof
as he had done to Jericho.
37 And Joshua
smote all the kings of the Amorites from Kadesh-barnea to Azah, and he took their
country at once, for the Lord had fought for Israel.
38 And Joshua with
all Israel came to the camp to Gilgal.
39 When at that
time Jabin king of Chazor heard all that Joshua had done to the kings of the Amorites,
Jabin sent to Jobat king of Midian, and to Laban king of Shimron, to Jephal
king of Achshaph,
and to all the kings of the Amorites, saying,
40 Come quickly to
us and help us, that we may smite the children of Israel, before they come
upon us and do unto us as they have done to the other kings of the Amorites.
41 And all these
kings hearkened to the words of Jabin, king of Chazor, and they went forth with
all their camps, seventeen kings, and their people were as numerous as the sand
on the sea
shore, together with horses and chariots innumerable, and they came and pitched together
at the waters of Merom, and they were met together to fight against Israel.
42 And the Lord
said to Joshua, Fear them not, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver them
up all slain before you, thou shalt hough their horses and burn their chariots
with fire.
43 And Joshua with
all the men of war came suddenly upon them and smote them, and they fell
into their hands, for the Lord had delivered them into the hands of the
children of Israel.
44 So the children
of Israel pursued all these kings with their camps, and smote them until there
was none left of them, and Joshua did to them as the Lord had spoken to him.
45 And Joshua
returned at that time to Chazor and smote it with the sword and destroyed every
soul in it and burned it with fire, and from Chazor, Joshua passed to Shimron
and smote
it and utterly destroyed it.
46 From there he
passed to Achshaph and he did to it as he had done to Shimron.
47 From there he
passed to Adulam and he smote all the people in it, and he did to Adulam as
he had done to Achshaph and to Shimron.
48 And he passed
from them to all the cities of the kings which he had smitten, and he smote all
the people that were left of them and he utterly destroyed them.
49 Only their
booty and cattle the Israelites took to themselves as a prey, but every human being
they smote, they suffered not a soul to live.
50 As the Lord had
commanded Moses so did Joshua and all Israel, they failed not in anything.
51 So Joshua and
all the children of Israel smote the whole land of Canaan as the Lord had commanded
them, and smote all their kings, being thirty and one kings, and the children
of Israel
took their whole country.
52 Besides the
kingdoms of Sihon and Og which are on the other side Jordan, of which Moses
had smitten many cities, and Moses gave them to the Reubenites and the Gadites and
to half the tribe of Manasseh.
53 And Joshua
smote all the kings that were on this side Jordan to the west, and gave them for
an inheritance to the nine tribes and to the half tribe of Israel.
54 For five years
did Joshua carry on the war with these kings, and he gave their cities to the Israelites,
and the land became tranquil from battle throughout the cities of the Amorites
and the
Canaanites.
CHAPTER
90
1 At that time in
the fifth year after the children of Israel had passed over Jordan, after the children
of Israel had rested from their war with the Canaanites, at that time great and
severe battles
arose between Edom and the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim
fought against
Edom.
2 And Abianus
king of Chittim went forth in that year, that is in the thirty-first year of
his reign, and
a great force with him of the mighty men of the children of Chittim, and he
went to Seir to fight
against the children of Esau.
3 And Hadad the
king of Edom heard of his report, and he went forth to meet him with a heavy
people and strong force, and engaged in battle with him in the field of Edom.
4 And the hand of
Chittim prevailed over the children of Esau, and the children of Chittim slew
of the children of Esau, two and twenty thousand men, and all the children of
Esau fled from
before them.
5 And the
children of Chittim pursued them and they reached Hadad king of Edom, who was running
before them and they caught him alive, and brought him to Abianus king of
Chittim.
6 And Abianus
ordered him to be slain, and Hadad king of Edom died in the forty-eighth year of
his reign.
7 And the
children of Chittim continued their pursuit of Edom, and they smote them with a great
slaughter and Edom became subject to the children of Chittim.
8 And the
children of Chittim ruled over Edom, and Edom became under the hand of the children
of Chittim and became one kingdom from that day.
9 And from that
time they could no more lift up their heads, and their kingdom became one with
the children of Chittim.
10 And Abianus
placed officers in Edom and all the children of Edom became subject and tributary
to Abianus, and Abianus turned back to his own land, Chittim.
11 And when he
returned he renewed his government and built for himself a spacious and fortified
palace for a royal residence, and reigned securely over the children of Chittim
and over
Edom.
12 In those days,
after the children of Israel had driven away all the Canaanites and the Amorites,
Joshua was old and advanced in years.
13 And the Lord
said to Joshua, Thou art old, advanced in life, and a great part of the land remains
to be possessed.
14 Now therefore
divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and to the half tribe of Manasseh,
and Joshua rose up and did as the Lord had spoken to him.
15 And he divided
the whole land to the tribes of Israel as an inheritance according to their divisions.
16 But to the
tribe at Levi he gave no inheritance, the offerings of the Lord are their inheritance
as the Lord had spoken of them by the hand of Moses.
17 And Joshua gave
Mount Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephuneh, one portion above his brethren,
as the Lord had spoken through Moses.
18 Therefore
Hebron became an inheritance to Caleb and his children unto this day.
19 And Joshua
divided the whole land by lots to all Israel for an inheritance, as the Lord
had commanded
him.
20 And the
children of Israel gave cities to the Levites from their own inheritance, and suburbs
for their cattle, and property, as the Lord had commanded Moses so did the
children of
Israel, and they divided the land by lot whether great or small.
21 And they went
to inherit the land according to their boundaries, and the children of Israel gave
to Joshua the son of Nun an inheritance amongst them.
22 By the word of
the Lord did they give to him the city which he required, Timnath-serach in Mount
Ephraim, and he built the city and dwelt therein.
23 These are the
inheritances which Elazer the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads
of the fathers of the tribes portioned out to the children of Israel by lot in
Shiloh, before the
Lord, at the door of the tabernacle, and they left off dividing the land.
24 And the Lord
gave the land to the Israelites, and they possessed it as the Lord had spoken
to them, and as the Lord had sworn to their ancestors.
25 And the Lord
gave to the Israelites rest from all their enemies around them, and no man stood
up against them, and the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands, and
not one thing
failed of all the good which the Lord had spoken to the children of Israel, yea
the Lord performed
every thing.
26 And Joshua
called to all the children of Israel and he blessed them, and commanded them
to serve the Lord, and he afterward sent them away, and they went each man to
his city,
and each man to his inheritance.
27 And the
children of Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and the Lord gave
them rest
from all around them, and they dwelt securely in their cities.
28 And it came to
pass in those days, that Abianus king of Chittim died, in the thirty-eighth year
of his reign, that is the seventh year of his reign over Edom, and they buried
him in his place
which he had built for himself, and Latinus reigned in his stead fifty years.
29 And during his
reign he brought forth an army, and he went and fought against the inhabitants
of Britannia and Kernania, the children of Elisha son of Javan, and he
prevailed over
them and made them tributary.
30 He then heard
that Edom had revolted from under the hand of Chittim, and Latinus went to
them and smote them and subdued them, and placed them under the hand of the
children of
Chittim, and Edom became one kingdom with the children of Chittim all the days.
31 And for many
years there was no king in Edom, and their government was with the children
of Chittim and their king.
32 And it was in
the twenty-sixth year after the children of Israel had passed the Jordan, that is
the sixty-sixth year after the children of Israel had departed from Egypt, that
Joshua was old,
advanced in years, being one hundred and eight years old in those days.
33 And Joshua
called to all Israel, to their elders, their judges and officers, after the
Lord had given
to all the Israelites rest from all their enemies round about, and Joshua said
to the elders
of Israel, and to their judges, Behold I am old, advanced in years, and you
have seen what
the Lord has done to all the nations whom he has driven away from before you,
for it is the
Lord who has fought for you.
34 Now therefore
strengthen yourselves to keep and to do all the words of the law of Moses, not
to deviate from it to the right or to the left, and not to come amongst those
nations who are
left in the land; neither shall you make mention of the name of their gods, but
you shall cleave
to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.
35 And Joshua
greatly exhorted the children of Israel to serve the Lord all their days.
36 And all the
Israelites said, We will serve the Lord our God all our days, we and our children,
and our children's children, and our seed for ever.
37 And Joshua made
a covenant with the people on that day, and he sent away the children of
Israel, and they went each man to his inheritance and to his city.
38 And it was in
those days, when the children of Israel were dwelling securely in their cities, that
they buried the coffins of the tribes of their ancestors, which they had
brought up from Egypt,
each man in the inheritance of his children, the twelve sons of Jacob did the
children of
Israel bury, each man in the possession of his children.
39 And these are
the names of the cities wherein they buried the twelve sons of Jacob, whom
the children of Israel had brought up from Egypt.
40 And they buried
Reuben and Gad on this side Jordan, in Romia, which Moses had given to
their children.
41 And Simeon and
Levi they buried in the city Mauda, which he had given to the children of Simeon,
and the suburb of the city was for the children of Levi.
42 And Judah they
buried in the city of Benjamin opposite Bethlehem.
43 And the bones
of Issachar and Zebulun they buried in Zidon, in the portion which fell to their
children.
44 And Dan was
buried in the city of his children in Eshtael, and Naphtali and Asher they buried
in Kadesh-naphtali, each man in his place which he had given to his children.
45 And the bones
of Joseph they buried in Shechem, in the part of the field which Jacob had purchased
from Hamor, and which became to Joseph for an inheritance.
46 And they buried
Benjamin in Jerusalem opposite the Jebusite, which was given to the children
of Benjamin; the children of Israel buried their fathers each man in the city
of his children.
47 And at the end
of two years, Joshua the son of Nun died, one hundred and ten years old, and
the time which Joshua judged Israel was twenty-eight years, and Israel served
the Lord all
the days of his life.
48 And the other
affairs of Joshua and his battles and his reproofs with which he reproved Israel,
and all which he had commanded them, and the names of the cities which the
children of
Israel possessed in his days, behold they are written in the book of the words
of Joshua to the
children of Israel, and in the book of the wars of the Lord, which Moses and
Joshua and the
children of Israel had written.
49 And the
children of Israel buried Joshua in the border of his inheritance, in
Timnathserach, which
was given to him in Mount Ephraim.
50 And Elazer the
son of Aaron died in those days, and they buried him in a hill belonging to Phineas
his son, which was given him in Mount Ephraim.
CHAPTER
91
1 At that time,
after the death of Joshua, the children of the Canaanites were still in the
land, and
the Israelites resolved to drive them out.
2 And the
children of Israel asked of the Lord, saying, Who shall first go up for us to
the Canaanites
to fight against them? and the Lord said, Judah shall go up.
3 And the
children of Judah said to Simeon, Go up with us into our lot, and we will fight against
the Canaanites and we likewise will go up with you, in your lot, so the
children of Simeon
went with the children of Judah.
4 And the children
of Judah went up and fought against the Canaanites, so the Lord delivered
the Canaanites into the hands of the children of Judah, and they smote them in Bezek,
ten thousand men.
5 And they fought
with Adonibezek in Bezek, and he fled from before them, and they pursued him
and caught him, and they took hold of him and cut off his thumbs and great
toes.
6 And Adonibezek
said, Three score and ten kings having their thumbs and great toes cut off,
gathered their meat under my table, as I have done, so God has requited me, and
they brought
him to Jerusalem and he died there.
7 And the
children of Simeon went with the children of Judah, and they smote the Canaanites
with the edge of the sword.
8 And the Lord
was with the children of Judah, and they possessed the mountain, and the children
of Joseph went up to Bethel, the same is Luz, and the Lord was with them.
9 And the
children of Joseph spied out Bethel, and the watchmen saw a man going forth from
the city, and they caught him and said unto him, Show us now the entrance of
the city and
we will show kindness to thee.
10 And that man
showed them the entrance of the city, and the children of Joseph came and smote
the City with the edge of the sword.
11 And the man
with his family they sent away, and he went to the Hittites and he built a
city, and
he called the name thereof Luz, so all the Israelites dwelt in their cities,
and the children at
Israel dwelt in their cities, and the children of Israel served the Lord all
the days of Joshua, and
all the days of the elders, who had lengthened their days after Joshua, and saw
the great
work of the Lord, which he had performed for Israel.
12 And the elders
judged Israel after the death of Joshua for seventeen years.
13 And all the
elders also fought the battles of Israel against the Canaanites and the Lord drove
the Canaanites from before the children of Israel, in order to place the
Israelites in their land.
14 And he
accomplished all the words which he had spoken to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and
the oath which he had sworn, to give to them and to their children, the land of
the Canaanites.
15 And the Lord
gave to the children of Israel the whole land of Canaan, as he had sworn to their
ancestors, and the Lord gave them rest from those around them, and the children
of Israel
dwelt securely in their cities.
16 Blessed be the
Lord for ever, amen, and amen.
17 Strengthen
yourselves, and let the hearts of all you that trust in the Lord be of good courage.
THE END