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 LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 BS 1226 .N6 1840 
 Sefer ha-Yashar. 
 The book of Jasher 
 
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CERTIFICATES. 
 
 University of New York, April, 10, 1840. 
 1 have compared a large portion of the translation of the Book of Jasher with 
 the original Hebrew, and find it faithfully and eloquently rendered into English. 
 The Hebrew itself is of a very pure character. 
 
 ISAAC NORDHIEMER, 
 
 Professor ov oriental literature. 
 
 To Meesrs. Noah and Gould, 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 I am acquainted with the Book of Jasher, having read a considerable part of 
 it while in the hands of the translator in England. The Hebrew is very purely 
 written, aud the translator is an eminent scholar and has done it ample justice. 
 It is full of interest throughout, and breathes a pure spirit of piety and religion, 
 and I am satisfied that this is the first English translation ever made of that 
 work, the Royal Asiatic Society at Culcutta never having completed the trans- 
 lation of their copy as anticipated. 
 
 April 14, 1840. H. V. NATHAN, 
 
 Minister of* the English and German synagogue, 
 Kingston, Jamaica. 
 
 The following letter is from Professor Turner an able Hebrew scholar. 
 
 Theological Seminary, Chelsea Square, N. Y., April 28, 1840. 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 Agreeably to a request made to me yesterday by Mr. Noah, I have sufficiently 
 examined the English version of the Rabbinical work which heads the title of "the 
 Book of Jasher," to satisfy myself of its general correctness. I have carefully 
 compared three chapters of the translation with the original, and have no hesita- 
 tion in saying that in general they give a correct representation of the author's 
 meaning, and as literal as the difTerent idioms of the two languages would allow. 
 In some instances however, it would have been desirable that every word of the 
 Hebrew should have been rendered into English. For instance, in ch. i, v. 2, 
 the translator has omitted the word dust, in mentioning man's formation " from 
 the ground," and in v. 4, the literal version after middle part would be " and he 
 took away one of his ribs and built flesh upon it, and made a woman and brought 
 her to the man." In v. 6 also, the Rabbinical writer does not say "called their 
 
names Adam and Eve," but in the very words of the Hebrew bible, v. 2, " called 
 their name Adam." In chap, xx, v. 4, the version reads thus; " and the ser- 
 vants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying," in the original it is " and the 
 servants of Abimelech came and praised Sarah to the king, saying, &c." In 
 V. 19, the name of Pharaoh is omitted, and occasionally the word " subjects," 
 is substituted for " servants." 
 
 It is possible that the translator made use of a copy of some other edition which 
 may have varied in a few words from that examined by me. The points referred 
 to, are, on the whole, unimportant, and do not detract from the general accu- 
 racy of the translation. 
 
 I am respectfully. 
 
 Your obt. serv't. 
 
 To Messrs. Noah A Gould, SAMUEL H. TURNER 
 
 The following letter is from Professor Bush of New York. 
 
 New York, April 30, 1840. 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 I have examined portions of several chapters of the " Book of Jasher" in the 
 original, carefully comparing with it the translation put into my hands by the 
 publishers. The work itself is evidently composed in the purest Rabbinical He- 
 brew, with a large intermixture of the Biblical idiom, and I consider the trans- 
 lation as a whole, not only as decidedly faithful, but as peculiarly happy in re- 
 taining the air of antique simplicity which distinguishes the original, and which 
 constitutes the matchless excellence of our English version of the Hebrew Scrip- 
 tures. In a few instances I have noticed slight verbal variations from the ori- 
 ginal, similar to those adverted to by Prof Turner, as in one case " choice of our 
 sepulchres''^ for "choice of our land ,-" but they are of too little moment to de- 
 tract from the character of general fidelity which I do not hesitate to assign to 
 the translation. 
 
 Very respectfully. 
 
 Yours, &c., 
 To Messrs. Noah cj- Gmdd. GEO. BUSH. 
 
iv^n nsD 
 
 \' 9 1030 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER 
 
 REFERRED TO IN 
 
 JOSHUA AND SECOND SAMUEL. 
 
 FAITHFnLLY TRANSLATED 
 
 FROM THE ORIGINAL HEBREW INTO ENGLISH. 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY M. M. NOAH & A. S. GOULD, 
 
 AT 144 NASSAU-STREET. 
 
 1840. 
 
C*/^, 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year eighteen hundred and forty, by Morde- 
 cai M. Noah & Alexander S. Gould, in the office of the Clerk of the Southern District of 
 New- York. 
 
 ALEX. S. GOULD, TYPOGRAPHER, 144 NASSAU-STREET. 
 STEREOTyPED BY R. C. VALENTINE, 45 GOLD-STREET. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 It is with pleasure that I am able to present to the American public the 
 translation of the Book of Jasher, as referred to in Joshua and Second 
 Samuel, which, after several years' negotiation with the owner and trans- 
 lator of the work in England, I have succeeded in obtaining. 
 
 There are many books named in the Old Testament, which are now 
 classed among the missing books, or books supposed to have been lost 
 amidst the many revolutions which have occurred in Judea. These books 
 are not included in the Jewish Canons, and it is questionable whether there 
 are any missing of what were considered as emanating from inspired 
 writers ; for, when the works enumerated in the Bible could not be found 
 after the most diligent search, the inference was, that the names applied 
 to other books, or that they were different versions of the same work. 
 
 Thus, the Book of the Covenant, (Exodus xxiv. 7.) was a mere collec- 
 tion of the injunctions and institutions delivered by the Almighty to Moses. 
 So it might also be said of the Book of the Law, (Deut. xxxi. 9.) The 
 Book of the wars of the Lord (Numbers xxi. 14.) cannot be found, and 
 is every where spoken of as one of the missing books. Dr. Lightfoot, in 
 his Chronicles, thinks that Moses refers to a book of his own compos- 
 ing, written by command of God, (Exodus xvii. 14.) We think, however, 
 that the Book of Judges is the one referred to as the Book of the wars of 
 the Lord; because, in that book we have all the exploits of the Hebrews 
 detailed at length. We find in Chronicles and Kings a number of books 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 named, which are not to be found. The acts of David the King, written 
 in the Book of Samuel the Seer, also in the Book of Nathan the Prophet, 
 and also in the Book of Gad the Seer ; the acts of Solomon are in the 
 Book of Nathan the Prophet, and also in the Book of Abijah the Shulam- 
 ite ; the acts of Rehoboam in the Book of Shemaiah the Prophet ; the acts 
 of Jehoshaphat in the Book of Jehu. The journals of the kings of Judah 
 and Israel ; the three thousand and five songs, and a treatise on botany 
 and animated nature, by this learned king, are lost ; so also are the "Acts 
 of Manasseh." These works, not having been found by Ezra, could not 
 have been inserted in the Old Testament, and consequently cannot be con- 
 sidered as having been written by divine inspiration. Nevertheless, it 
 would be assuming more than is required or necessary, to say that there 
 were no other books in the time of Ezra, than those considered as dii'inely 
 inspired. St. Austin says, " The penmen of the Sacred Scripture writ 
 some things as they are, men with historical lore and diligence : other 
 things they writ as prophets, by inspiration from God." We thus have a 
 classification of their labors, both as historians and as prophets. The ne- 
 gligence of the Jews in ancient days, and their constant transition from 
 one country to another, occasioned many losses of the sacred writings. 
 The Book of Deuteronomy was lost for a long time. There were many 
 books rejected by the Canons which are still objects of curiosity, and 
 venerable for their antiquity. The prayer of King Manasseh, Bel and 
 the Dragon, the two Books of Esdras, the Book of the Maccabees, 
 and the Book of Enoch, recently found and translated from the Ethiopic. 
 The Book of Jasher, referred to in Joshua and Second Samuel, has been 
 long an object of great curiosity. Some of the Hebrew writers contend 
 that it was the lives and acts of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and other 
 patriarchs, who were called Jasherim, the Just. Dr. Lightfoot thinks it 
 is the Book of the Wars of God, and so the reader may think in perusing 
 the various battles it recounts. Grotius calls it a triumphal poem. Jose- 
 phus says, " That by this book cire 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 ac- 
 count of the fidelity of the annals." 
 
PREFACE. y 
 
 It is known that such have been the curiosity and anxiety to discover 
 this missing book, that several forgeries under that name have appeared 
 from time to time ; and the Rev. Mr. Home, in his Introduction to the 
 Study of the Scripture, has been at some pains to collect a history of the 
 various fabrications of Jasher; the most remarkable of which was origi- 
 nally published in England, in the year 1750, by a person called lUivc, 
 and purported to be a translation from a Hebrew work of that name, 
 found in Persia by Alcuin. It was republished in Bristol in the 
 year 1829, and a copy is now in my possession. It is a miserable 
 fabrication, occupying but sixty two and a half pages, with copious notes, 
 making out Jasher to be one of the Judges, whereas the translation of the 
 word is the upright, or the upright record. In the same work of Dr. 
 Home, a slight reference is made to the Book of Jasher, written in Rab- 
 binical Hebrew^, said to have been discovered in Jerusalem at its capture 
 under Titus, and printed in Venice in 1613. This is the book now trans- 
 lated into English for the first time. Long prior to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem, the Jews had established themselves in various parts of Spain 
 and Italy; they traded to the bay of Gibraltar, as historians affirm, in the 
 earliest periods of history ; and Basnage mentions that in Sagunto, a town 
 in Spain, a tombstone was discovered, bearing the following inscription 
 in the Hebrew language : " This is the tomb of Adoniram, an officer of 
 King Solomon, who came to collect the tribute, and died the day,^^ 
 
 &c. There can be no doubt that Spain, probably France and Italy, were 
 tributary to Solomon. It is, however, certain, that the Jews carried with 
 them into Spain, on their dispersion, an immense number of manuscripts 
 and sacred rolls, where they remained many years, and were, in the 
 eleventh century, placed in their great college at Cordova, and from 
 thence were conveyed to Venice on the first discovery of printing. The 
 printer's Hebrew preface to Jasher shows that it was a painful transcript 
 from a very old and almost illegible Hebrew record, and printed by and 
 with the consent of the great Consistory of Rabbins at Venice, who alone 
 had the power of publishing such works from the Hebrew records as 
 they deemed authentic. From the Venice edition of Jasher, another edi- 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 tion was many years subsequently published, in Lemberg, in Gallicia. 
 Both editions, in Hebrew, are now in my possession ; and the Royal Asi- 
 atic Society, having found a copy of Jasher in Calcutta, gave orders to 
 have it translated, which order was countermanded when it was ascer- 
 tained that considerable progress had been made in England in this trans- 
 lation. The following copy of a letter from the secretary to the trans- 
 lator, shows the estimate which that learned Society placed upon the 
 work. 
 
 Royal Asiatic Society House. 
 Grafton St., Bond St., London, Sept. 2, 1831. 
 Dear Sir : 
 
 I am extremely obliged by your having favored me with the sight of 
 Mr. Noah's letter, and in reply to your letter, mention that the Oriental 
 Translation Committee does not consider that it has any claims on your 
 work, and if that ever the Rev. Mr. Adams translates the Book of Jasher, 
 it will not be in the lapse of several years. Hoping that your praiseworthy 
 and valuable labors in that interesting work will soon, in one shape or 
 other, be presented to the public, 
 
 I remain, Dear Sir, 
 
 Your obliged and ob't Serv't, 
 
 Wm. Huttman. 
 
 Whatever may have been written and published by commentators, re- 
 lative to the fabrications of Jasher, I am persuaded they had no reference 
 to this work, although this is the work slightly touched upon by Dr. 
 Home, as the publication in Venice, on the first discovery of printing; but 
 of its origin and history he knew nothing beyond the rumor that it had 
 originally been brouglit from Jerusalem. There are some events recorded 
 in Jasher, that are found in the Talmud, no doubt copied from Jasher ; 
 for although we find in the Talmud, the Mishnah, and Gemarrah, many 
 parables and fanciful tales, to eff'ect moral and religious purposes, yet 
 every thing that we have in Jasher we find recorded in the Bible, with 
 this difference, that in Jasher the occurrences of the Bible are amplified and 
 detailed at length. The celebrated philosopher, Mendelsohn, expresses a 
 
PREFACE. VII 
 
 high opinion of this work. There are, nevertheless, some events which 
 are recorded in Jasher, which may create surprise, particularly a detail of 
 the rape of the Sabines, which, at the first glance, I was disposed to con- 
 sider as an interpolation ; but a little reflection satisfied me that it was an 
 event placed in proper chronological order. Pizron, in his Revolution of 
 Empires, or Antiquities of Nations, says, (page 164,) " It is therefore like- 
 ly from what I have said, that several of the Titans, in the reign of Ura- 
 nus, or, at least, in that of Saturn, staying and fixing themselves in that 
 part of Ttaly which is adjacent to the Tiber and the Appenines, were after- 
 ward called Um.brians. If such were the case, as it seems it was, the 
 settlement of the Titans in Italy was made about the time of the calling 
 of Abraham, that is, when he left Chaldea, to go and dwell in the land of 
 Canaan." Page 175, " Now, if all this came to pass, it must have hap- 
 pened about the time Deucalion reigned in Greece, or some years after 
 the deluge that happened under that prince." If as Pizron says, the sepa- 
 ration of the Sabines from the Umbrians took place 1500 years before 
 Christ, it will not be far distant from the time at which Jasher places the 
 rape of the Sabine women, in the 91st year of the life of Abraham. 
 
 The following is the translator's preface, and with all his admitted 
 learning and ability, he has been unable to do justice to the beauty, gran- 
 deur, and alike the simplicity of the original Hebrew. I also subjoin a 
 translation of the Hebrew preface and a translation of the printer's pre- 
 face, being all the documents in my possession. 
 
 Without giving it to the world as a work of Divine inspiration, or as- 
 suming the responsibility to say that it is not an inspired book, I have 
 no hesitation in pronouncing it a work of great antiquity and interest, and 
 a work that is entitled, even regarding it as a literary curiosity, to a great 
 circulation among those who take pleasure in studying the Scriptures. 
 
 M. M. Noah. 
 
 New- York, April, 1839. 
 
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 The age in which we live has been, and continues to be, particularly 
 distinguished by a laudable desire in the minds of men, to inquire into the 
 various slates of knowledge, and of the arts, as they existed in times an- 
 terior to tiie Christian era ; animated with these noble and elevated views, 
 a considerable number of individuals, greatly distinguished for their genius 
 and learning, have in succession turned their attention to the East — to those 
 celebrated countries, in which the arts of civilization and the lights of sci- 
 ence first dawned upon, enlightened, and embellished human society. 
 The magnificent and unequalled remains of the arts in Egypt, Babylonia, 
 Assyria, Palestine, and Persia, have, from time to time, been visited and 
 explored ; and it has been amidst these fallen monuments of human gran- 
 deur, that the adventurous and enlightened traveller has found himself 
 amply rewarded for his laborious and hazardous undertakings ; for, amidst 
 these wrecks of human greatness, he has succeeded in gathering ample 
 evidence, in confirmation of many of the most important truths recorded 
 in sacred history. 
 
 Profane histories have, indeed, conveyed down to us some account of 
 these kingdoms, and of the mighty monarchs who, during a long succes- 
 sion of ages, ruled over them ; but the events which they relate are evi- 
 dently so mixed up with exaggeration, and so adulterated with fable, that, 
 however celebrated their authors might have been, and however fascinating 
 may be the style of their composition, the religious and philosophic student 
 turns from them with dissatisfaction, to the divinely authenticated annals 
 of the Hebrews; because, it is from these alone that he can derive true 
 information concerning the rise, the splendour, the decline, and the real 
 causes of the ruin of those celebrated empires. 
 
 In the sacred history we are presented with the only authentic, and, of 
 course, the only valuable information concerning the origin of the universe, 
 — of men and all other animated creatures, — of the gradual increase of the 
 human race, — of the flood in the year A. M. 1656, of which mighty event 
 there are existing evidences to the present day ; evidences, so universal and 
 so ponderous, that all the ingenuity of the sceptical geologists will never 
 be able to remove them in order to make room for their plausible hypotheses. 
 
X TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 The ever memoiable events and transactions recorded in Scripture are 
 with many others of the most interesting nature, comprehended in the 
 Book of Jasher ; and they are all arrayed in that style of simple, unadorned 
 majesty and precision, which so peculiarly distinguishes the genius of the 
 Hebrew language ; and this, together with other numerous internal evi- 
 dences, it is presumed will go far to convince the Hebrew scholar that the 
 book is, with the exception of some doubtful parts, a venerable monument 
 of antiquity ; and that, notwithstanding some few additions may have been 
 made to it in comparatively modern times, it still retains sufficient to prove 
 it a copy of the book referred to in Joshua, ch. x., and 2 Samuel, ch. i. 
 There are not more than seven or eight words in the whole book that by 
 construction can be derived from the Chaldean language. 
 
 The printed Hebrew copy, in the hands of the translator, is without 
 points. During his first perusal of it, some perplexities and doubts rose 
 up in his mind respecting its authenticity : but the more closely he studied 
 it, the more its irresistible evidence satisfied him, that it contained a trea- 
 sure of information concerning those early times, upon which the histories 
 of other nations are either silent, or cast not a single ray of real light ; and 
 he was more especially delighted to find that the evidence of the whole 
 of its contents went to illustrate and confirm the great and inestimable 
 truths which are recorded in divine history, down to a few years later than 
 the death of Joshua, at which period the book closes. 
 
 In this extraordinary book, the reader will meet with models of the most 
 sublime virtue, devotion and magnanimity, that cannot fail to raise his 
 admiration, and, at the same time, to excite a generous feeling of emula- 
 tion to follow the glorious examples set before him. 
 
 With these preliminary observations, the translator now respectfully 
 proceeds to lay before the readers a few remarks upon the contents of the 
 book. The title "|tJ'^1 *lt3D i^ literally, " the upright or correct record ;" 
 but because the book was not known, it was therefore termed the " Book 
 of Jasher ;'' this has caused some persons, who are ignorant of the He- 
 brew language, to suppose that Jasher was the name of a prophet, or of 
 one of the Judges of Israel ; an instance of which appears in a publication 
 which came from the press about the middle of the last century, and which 
 purported to have been a translation into English of the Hebrew manu- 
 script of Jasher, found at Gazna in Persia; which translation only 
 was said to have been thence brought by Alcuin. When the translator 
 wrote to the Editor of the London Courier, in November last, he was not 
 aware that the copy of Jasher, announced in the Bristol Gazette as an 
 
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. XI 
 
 important discovery, had reference to that fictitious book, which, through 
 the kindness of a friend, he had previously obtained a sight of, and was 
 soon convinced that the whole book was the work of some sceptic in 
 England, in imitation of the language of Scripture, as it was sent forth 
 from the press without the name of printer, bookseller, editor or pub- 
 hsher ; and it is evident that those who were concerned in getting it up, 
 in making Jasher the name of a Judge of Israel were ignorant of the 
 very rudiments of the language, from which they pretended to have 
 translated it, as it is well known, even to a tyro in the Hebrew language, 
 that the definite article, H is never prefixed to proper names. 
 
 The important transactions which are narrated with so remarkable a 
 brevity in the Bible, are, in Jasher, more circumstantially detailed ; as in 
 the instance of the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, a particular ac- 
 count is given of the disagreement which preceded it, and of the pretext 
 which Cain sought for the commission of the crime. It appears, also, 
 that when the divine judgment condemned him to wander upon the earth, 
 his wife accompanied him, not to the land of Nod, for no such place is 
 mentioned ; but, from this book it appears that the word Nod, in the Scrip- 
 ture, has been given for the participle of the verb '^"^J " to move or wander 
 about. Jasher has it thus : 
 
 n 1^1 • atr n\n x'X oipon p rr\rv 0£)So N\nrT nr:: \''p nv^i 
 
 'h nt^♦^< hy\ Nin p^ it:ip pxa "ni:i 
 
 " And at that time Cain went forth from the presence of the Lord, from 
 the place where he was ; and he went moving and wandering in the land 
 at the east of Eden, he and all belonging to him." 
 
 In the passage respecting the birth of Cain and Abel, three daughters 
 are also mentioned. According to Jasher, the art of writing appears to 
 have been known and practised from the earliest periods ; it is stated 
 that Cainanwas informed beforehand by God, of the intended destruction 
 of mankind by the flood, which he engraved upon tablets of stone, and 
 preserved amongst his treasures. 
 
 This book contains a more detailed account of the awful circumstances 
 attending the commencement of the flood, and of the conduct of Noah to- 
 ward the terrified multitude who had assembled about the ark, when the 
 fatal moment had arrived, and their doom was irrevocably fixed. 
 
 A particular delineation of the life and character of Enoch is given, 
 showing, that by his wisdom he reigned over the sons of men, continually in 
 strucling them in truth, righteousness, and a knowledge of the Most High. 
 
Xn TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 Jasher informs us, that in the days of Peleg, not only the famih'es of the 
 human race were separated and spread abroad, but that the earth itself 
 was divided ; and of both these facts, it may be presumed, there are suffi- 
 cient existing evidences, even at this day. This book gives, also, a more de- 
 tailed account of the genealogies of the descendants of Japheth, Shem, and 
 Ham, and of the various parts of the earth which w^ere colonized by them. 
 
 Connected with this period of the history is given an account of Nim- 
 rod ; in which is strikingly depicted the arbitrary and violent character of 
 his conduct and government. The contested point, as to whether Nimrod 
 was the founder of the Assyrian Empire, is here decided. The cause 
 of the dispute amongst commentators proceeded from the word ")^J^K 
 in Gen. chapter x. ver. 11, signifying either the name of a man, or the 
 name of the land of Assyria. Jasher has it thus : 
 
 " And Asher, the son of Shem, went forth, he and his sons, and the 
 children of his household, &c., and they there built four cities." 
 
 Jasher clearly elucidates a number of genealogical and chronological 
 difficulties, which occur in the Bible ; an instance is here adduced of the 
 genealogy of Seir, the Horite, upon which the Bible is silent. 
 
 The learned commentator, Aben Ezra, remarks, ^DIH* l^i^l^ is? *l*^C 
 " Seir, his genealogy we do not know ;" and the word ♦Tdn is supposed 
 to come from ^IH a noble ; but Jasher gives us the descent of Seir, 
 (which accounts for his being called the Horite,) in the following words : 
 
 fl^^D p nn p -iin p n^;;^ ^^') 
 
 " And Seir, the son of Hur, the son of Hivi, the son of Canaan, went," 
 &c. ; hence he was called the Horite, from Hur, his father. 
 
 The character of Abraham, for piety, true dignity and hospitality, ap- 
 pears to stand unrivalled ; but the most affecting and beautiful account in 
 this book, is that of Abraham offering up his son Isaac. The mutual 
 affection of the father and son, and their willing devotion and obedience to 
 the commands of their Maker, are so exquisitely described, that the heart 
 of him who can peruse the narrative without being deeply affected, must be 
 callous indeed. The conduct of Sarah, as connected with this unexampled 
 and glorious event, was altogether worthy of the wife of Abraham, and the 
 mother of Isaac. At this time Sarah died at Kireath-arba. Her funeral 
 is described as having been magnificent; and it is expressly mentioned, that 
 it was attended by Shem, the son of Noah, Eber his son, king Abimelech, 
 together with Anar, Ashcol and Mamre, and other great people of the land. 
 
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. xill 
 
 In the Bible, Sarah is the only woman whose age is given at her death ; 
 but it may be interesting to the reader to know, that Jasher generally states 
 the ages of all the women who are particularly mentioned in the course of 
 the history. 
 
 From this book we learn that Noah and Abraham were contemporaries. 
 How beautiful the contemplation of the meeting of these two Patriarchs, 
 the one being a monument of God's mercy, and the other having the pro- 
 mise of the favour and grace of God, not only to himself, but to his seed 
 after him. This fact might be proved from Scripture ; but from the 32d 
 verse in the 11th chapter of Genesis, most of the Christian commentators 
 have erroneously dated the birth of Abraham 60 years later than it actually 
 took place ; as it is generally stated that he was born A. M. 2008, whereas 
 the regular calculation in the Bible leads us to 60 years earlier, viz. 1948. 
 The only cause of this error has been that Abraham's departure from 
 Haran, at the age of 75, is recorded close to the description of the death 
 of Terah, at the age of 205, in Gen. ch. xi. v. 32. Although this is the 
 frequent manner of Scripture, to record events out of the regular order of 
 succession, (an instance of which we find in Isaac, whose death is recorded 
 in Gen. xxxv. 29, when we know from the calculations given us in Scripture, 
 that Isaac's death, must have taken place when Joseph was about 29 years 
 old ; and the description given in Jasher, of Isaac's coming from Hebron to 
 comfort Jacob upon the loss of Joseph, is beautiful,) it is of great im- 
 portance, in its making a difference of 60 years in the chronology of the 
 world. 
 
 This book gives a particular account of the instruction received by 
 Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from Shem and Eber, through which they 
 became so excellent in piety and wisdom, their tutors in learning having 
 lived to so great an age ; and Shem particularly, who, being acquainted 
 with all that was known before the flood, could therefore strengthen his 
 precepts of virtue, the true worship of God, and the necessary dependance 
 upon him alone, by recording the awful events which he had seen. 
 
 The history of Joseph has always been considered one of the most 
 admirable and interesting on record. It is composed in a style of simple 
 and artless eloquence, which touches every feeling heart. A judicious 
 critic has observed, that he considers it a perfect composition. This 
 history, in Jasher, enters more into detail concerning the affairs of Potiphar's 
 wife, Zelicah ; Joseph's magnificent procession through the cities of Egypty 
 on coming into power ; the pomp with which he was attended by Pharaoh's 
 chariots, officers, and people, when he went up to meet his father ; the 
 
XIV TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 affecting scene which then took place, together with other remarkable 
 incidents. This beautiful narrative might justly be entitled, the triumph of 
 virtue and piety ; and it is presumed that few can peruse it, unmoved by 
 sentiments of the highest admiration, mixed with the deepest feelings of 
 sympathy. The history of the Israelites during their sojourning in Egypt, 
 contains an account of many interesting particulars not noticed in the 
 Bible. Toward the latter end of this period, Balaam, Job, Jannes, and 
 Jambres, appear to have acted their respective parts in some memorable 
 transactions. 
 
 This book clears up the reference in 2 Samuel, ch. i., by showing that 
 David, in the commencement of his beautiful elegy on the death of Saul 
 and Jonathan, revived an injunction given by Jacob in his dying charge 
 to his son Judah, contained in Jasher in these words : 
 
 *'* But teach, I pray thee, thy children the use of the bow, and all in- 
 struments of war," &c. This goes far to prove the authenticity of the 
 book, as it beautifully clears up what was always considered obscure. 
 
 If commentators upon the holy Scriptures have sought for illustrations 
 in the works of Homer, Pliny, Herodotus, and other profane writers ; if 
 they have anxiously caught at glimmerings among the absurdities of Pa- 
 ganism, and the obscurities of Heathen fables, the translator humbly and 
 respectfully hopes that they will now grant a favorable reception to evi- 
 dence of an entirely opposite character, which is presented in the Book of 
 Jasher. 
 
 He does not recommend it to their notice as a work of inspiration, but 
 as a monument of history, comparatively covered with the ivy of the re- 
 motest ages ; as a work possessing, in its language, all the characteristic 
 simplicity of patriarchal times ; and as such, he conceives it peculiarly 
 calculated to illustrate and confirm the sacred truths handed down to us in 
 the Scriptures. 
 
 But in making these observations, he is far from offering it as a perfect 
 record. Like all other ancient writings, (except the inspired volume,) it 
 has in some respects suffered from the consuming hand of time ; and there 
 is reason to believe that some additions have been made to it. In fine, it 
 contains a history of the lives and memorable transactions of all the illus- 
 trious characters recorded in sacred history, from Adam dowm to the time 
 of the Elders, who immediately succeeded Joshua. 
 
TRANSLATION OF THE HEBREW PREFACE. 
 
 THIS BOOK IS THAT WHICH IS CALLED THE UPRIGHT BOOK. 
 
 It has at this lime been ascertained by us that when the holy city Je- 
 rusalem was destroyed by Titus, all the military heads went in to rob and 
 plunder, and that amongst the officers* of Titus was one whose name was 
 Sidrus, who went in to search, and found in Jerusalem a house of great 
 extent, and took away all the spoils which he found there ; when he wished 
 to go out of the house, he looked at the wall and fancied that he saw trea- 
 sures there, so he broke down the wall and the building and found a cask 
 full of various books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa,t also 
 books of the kings of Israel, and of the kings of other nations, as well as 
 many other books of Israel, together with the books of the Mishnah 
 adopted and established ; many rolls were also lying there ; he also found 
 there all sorts of provision and wine in abundance, and discovered an old 
 man sitting there, who was reading in those books. When the officer saw 
 this great sight he was greatly astonished, and said to the old man, why dost 
 thou sit alone in this place, without any person remaining with thee ? So 
 the old man answered, for many years past was I aware of this second 
 destruction of Jerusalem, so I built this house and made for myself a bal- 
 cony, J and I brought with me these books to read, and I brought also 
 sufficient provision, thinking thereby to|| save my life. 
 
 And God caused the old man to find favor in the eyes of the officer, who 
 brought him forth with respect with all his books, and they went from city 
 to city and from country to country until they reached Sevilia ; and the 
 officer found that this old man was possessed of wisdom and understand- 
 ing and acquainted with various kinds of science, upon discovering which 
 he raised and honored him, was constantly in his house and was taught by 
 him all sorts of wisdom, and they built for themselves a lofty and capacious 
 house in the suburbs of Sevilia and placed there all those books. 
 
 This house is yet in Sevilia unto this day, and they wrote there all the 
 events that would hereafter take place amongst the kings of the world unto 
 the coming of our Messiah. 
 
 * |ioJn Buxton gives this word " episcopus" which, besides a bishop, means also a lieu- 
 tenant, overseer, superintendant. See Arach. 
 t Psalms, Proverbs, &c. 
 
 t n"1^D^« or porch, a Talmudical word derived from the Greek. See Arach. 
 II See Jeremiah 38 2, the same expression. 
 
xvi HEBREW PREFACE. 
 
 And it came to pass that when God carried* us away with a mighty 
 captivity by the hands of the kings of Edom, from city to city and from 
 country to country in bitter anxiety, this book, called " The Generations of 
 Adam" together with other books came into our hands, for they came from 
 that house in Sevilia, and they came afterward to our city Napuli, which 
 city is under the sway of the king of Spain, (whose glory may be exalted.) 
 And when we saw these books, that they were books of all wisdom, we 
 resolved in our minds to print them like all the books that came to our 
 hands. Now this book is the best and most valuable of all, and of this 
 book twelve copies have reached us, and we searched in them and found 
 them all of one copy, there was no difference, nothing added and nothing 
 deficient, nor any alteration in letters, words or events, for they were all 
 alike as it were of one copy. 
 
 Since, therefore, we saw in this book great merit urging us to this re- 
 solve, we are determined to print it — and it is found written that this book 
 is called the Book Jasher, because all its transactions are in that order 
 as they had taken place in the world as regards priority and succession, 
 for thou wilt not find in this book any postponement of events that were 
 anterior, or priority of those that were posterior, but every thing is re- 
 corded in its place and time. 
 
 Thou wilt thus find that it relates the death of such a one at the particu- 
 lar time of the life of another and thus throughout. Owing to this it was 
 called Sepher Hajashar, but it is customary to call it the Generations of 
 Adam, the reason of which is that they call it by that with which it com- 
 mences, but the chief name thereof is the book " Jasher" owing to 
 the reasons we have assigned. Now it is found that this book is translated 
 into Greek, entitled " Lo lihris de los divitiis," 
 
 It is also found written in the book of the Asmoneans which has come 
 down to us, that in the days of Ptolemy king of Egypt, he ordered his 
 servants to go and gather all the books of laws, and all the books of 
 Chronicles which they could find in the world, so that he might become 
 wise through them, and by examining them become acquainted with the 
 subjects and events of the world, and to compile from them a book in all 
 matters of jurisdiction regarding the affairs of life, thereby to exercise pure 
 justice. So they went and collected for him nine hundred and sixty five 
 books and brought to him, when he commanded them to go again and 
 seek to complete the number of a thousand books, and they did so. After 
 this, some of the persecutors of Israel stood up before him and said, O 
 king, whv wilt thou trouble thyself in this manner? Send to the Jews in 
 Jerusalem that they shall bring unto thee the book of their law which was 
 written for them from the mouth of the Lord by their Prophets, from 
 which thou mayest become wise, and regulate all judgments and laws ac- 
 cording to thy desire ; so the king hearkened to their words, and sent to 
 the Jews upon this matter, who sent to him this book, for they could not 
 give unto him the book of the Lord, for they said, we cannot give the law 
 
 * See same expression, Isaiah 22. 17. 
 
HEBREW PREFACE. XVII 
 
 of the Lord to a stranger. Now when this book came to tlie hands of 
 Ptolemy he read it and it pleased him greatly, and he searched therein 
 in his wisdom, and he examined it and found therein what he had desired, 
 and he neglected all the other books which they had collected for him, 
 and he blessed him who had advised him to this thing. 
 
 After some time the persecutors of Israel became aware of this, that 
 the Israelites had not sent the book of the law to the king, and they 
 came and said unto him, king, the Israelites have treated thee with con- 
 tempt, for they did not send to thee the book of the law which we had 
 mentioned to thee, but they sent to thee another book which they had in 
 their hands, therefore send to them that they may forward unto thee the 
 book of their law, for from that book thou wilt obtain thy desire mucli 
 more than from the book which they have sent to thee ; so when the king 
 heard their words he became exceedingly wroth against the Israelites, and 
 his anger burned within him until he sent again to them for them to for- 
 ward to him the book of the law. Fearing that they might still continue 
 to scorn him, he acted prudently with them and sent to seventy of their 
 elders and placed them in seventy houses, that each should write the 
 book of the law, so that no alteration might be found in them, and the 
 divine spirit rested upon them, and they wrote for him seventy books and 
 they were all of one version,, without addition or diminution. At this the 
 king rejoiced greatly and he honored the elders, together with all the 
 Jews, and he sent offerings and gifts to Jerusalem as it is written there.* 
 At his death, the Israelites acted cunningly with his son and took from 
 his treasures the book of the law, but left this book there and look it not 
 away, in order that every future king might know the wonders of the 
 Lord, blessed be his name, and that he had chosen Israel from all nations, 
 and that there is no God beside him. 
 
 This book is therefore in Egypt unto this day, and from that time it 
 became circulated throughout the earth, until it reached us in our captivity 
 this day in the city of Napuli, which is under the rule of the king of Spain. 
 Now thou wilt find in this book that some of the kings of Edom, of Chit- 
 tim and the kings of Africa who were in those days, are mentioned, 
 although it might appear that such was not the aim or intent of this book ; 
 but the reason of this was to show to every person obtaining this book 
 the contrast between the wars of Israel and the wars of the Gentiles, for the 
 conquest of Gentile kings one over the other was by accident, which is not so 
 in the conquest of the kings of Israel over the Gentiles, which is by a miracle 
 from our blessed Lord as long as the Israelites trust in his exalted name. 
 
 Now the uses of this book are many, all of which lead us to confidence 
 in God, (whose name be exalted,) and to our adherence unto him and his 
 ways. 
 
 The first use is the additional information it affords us upon the sub- 
 jects of the creation of man and the deluge, recording also the years of the 
 twenty generations and their misdeeds ; also at what period they were 
 
 * la the book of the Asmoneans mentioned above. 
 
 B 
 
xvill HEBREW PREFACE. 
 
 born, and when they died, by which means, our hearts may be inclined 
 to adhere to the Lord, when we see the mighty works which he per- 
 formed in days of old. 
 
 The second use is in the additional account respecting the birth of Abra- 
 ham and how it was that he cleaved to the Lord, and the transactions that 
 took place between him and Nimrod ; and thus also of the account of the 
 builders of the tower of Babel,* how that the Lord drove them to the four 
 corners of the earth, and how they established the countries and lands 
 called after their names unto this day, by which means we may 
 draw nigh to our Creator. The third use is the explanation it gives 
 us how the patriarchs adhered to the Lord, and of their transactions 
 which convince us of their fear of God. The fourth use is, in what it 
 records of the affairs of Sodom and the iniquities of its people, and in 
 what consisted their sins, as well as their punishment, by which means 
 we may refrain from all evil doings. The fifth use is in the account of 
 the faith of Isaac and Jacob in the Lord, and the prayers and weeping of 
 Sarah at the binding of Isaac /or a sacrifice, which is of great use in in- 
 clining our hearts to the service of the Lord. The sixth use is in the in- 
 formation it affords us upon the subject of the wars of the sons of Jacob 
 with the people of Shechem and the seven cities of the Amorites. This 
 will rouse our hearts to faith in our God ; for how could ten men destroy 
 seven cities, if their hearts had not been impressed with faith in the Lord ? 
 
 The seventh use is, in the information it gives us of all the events that 
 happened to Joseph in Egypt, with Potiphar and his wife and with the 
 king of Egypt, for this will also rouse our hearts to the fear of the Lord, 
 and to remove ourselves from all sin, so that it may be well with us in the 
 latter end. 
 
 The eighth use is in the account it furnishes us of what happened to 
 Moses in Gush and in Midian, by which we may understand the wonders 
 of the Lord which he performs for the righteous, and that we may thereby 
 adhere to him. The ninth use is- in its recording what had happened to 
 the Israelites in Egypt, and when the commencement of their servitude 
 took place, and how they served the Egyptians in all manner of hard work, 
 and to what purpose all this tended — how after this God was favorable to 
 them through their trusting in him, and there is no doubt of this that he 
 who reads the events of Egypt from this book on the nights of the Pass- 
 over, will receive a great reward, as our Rabbins of blessed memory say, 
 he that is occupied in relating the exit from Egypt is to be praised, in 
 which this book is included, for this is the true narration which ought to 
 be read after the Hagadah, for such person (reading this) may be assured 
 that he will be greatly rewarded ; we do so this day in our captivity in the 
 countries of Spain, after having finished reading the Hagadah, we com- 
 mence reading in this book the whole affair of Egypt, from the Israelites 
 going down to Egypt unto their exit, for in this book a person ought to 
 
 * Called n;i'7Cn in because the earth was then divided. 
 
HEBREW PREFACE. xix 
 
 read. The eleventh* use is, thai some of the comments of our Rabbles 
 and of other commentators who have explained the law, thou wilt find 
 illustrated in this book, such as the account of the messengers who met 
 Jacob! when he came from Mesopotamia after they had gone to Esau, 
 also the account of Gabriel who taught Joseph seventy languages, also 
 the illustration it affords of him| who smote Midian in the fields of Moab, 
 and the like. The twelfth use is, that every person lecturing in public 
 may bring forward in his discourse, subjects from this book, which the 
 commentators have not explained, by which means he may make an im- 
 pression upon the hearts of his audience. The thirteenth use is, that all 
 merchants and travellers, who have an opportunity to study the law, may 
 read this book and receive their reward, for therein is the reward of the 
 soul as well as the delight of the body, in the discovery of new matter not 
 recorded in any other book, and by these means will man understand to 
 know the Lord and cleave unto him. 
 
 Now because we have seen the merit of this book, and the great use- 
 fulness thereof, we have undertaken to print it without addition or diminu- 
 tion, and from this time we have commenced to print it in a book, that 
 such books may be in the hands of the members of our covenant, the men 
 of our captivity in order that it may be farther circulated throughout every 
 generation, and every city, family and country, so that they may under- 
 stand the wonders of the Lord which he performed for our ancestors, and 
 his bounties toward them from the days of old, aiid that he chose us from 
 all nations. May they who devote their hearts to the fear of the Lord, 
 be rendered meritorious by studying therein whilst we confide in the Lord, 
 the God of Gods, and depend upon him and seek salvation and assistance 
 from him, in this heavenly work, and may he prosper us in the right path, 
 and deliver us from errors, and cleanse us from secret faults, as his an- 
 ointed said, " who can understand his errors ? cleanse thou me from 
 secret faults.''''^ May God teach us the good way and direct us in a pros- 
 perous path for the sake of his mercies and kindnesses, and may he gra- 
 ciously fulfil the desires of our hearts, Amen, and so be his will. 
 
 * The eleventh use. — I cannot see any mention of the tenth use ; this must have been 
 omitted, I think, before the words above, " how after this God was favourable to' them through 
 their trusting in him." 
 
 + See the latter part of ch. 31. 
 
 t The obscure passage in Genesis, 36. 35. in the Bible, is cleared up in Jasher, ch. 62, 
 where it gives a long history of Hadad, the son of Bedad. 
 
 «J Psalms, 19. 12. 
 
THE PRINTER'S PREFACE. 
 
 The humble worm, and no man, Joseph, son to my father, the wise and 
 highly respected in Israel, Samuel the little one, says, my witness is in 
 heaven and my testimony is on high, the God of Gods knows, and Israel 
 knows also, how much fatigue I have undergone, and how much trouble 
 I have taken until I had brought to light the hidden treasures of this book ; 
 for ever since I was driven from my land, from the metropolis of Israel, 
 the great city of wise men and scribes, the renowned city of Pasia, ever 
 since the Lord, through my great offences, has driven me with a violent 
 captivity, one stumbling after the other, he weakened my strength in the 
 way, the iron entered my soul until I reached the Italian harbor, the royal 
 city Livorno (Leghorn,) which is under the sway of our Lord the most 
 serene Grand Duke Don Ferdinand de Media (Medici Qu ?) for neither 
 by day nor by night could I remain silent, I was continually in thought, 
 my soul was humbled in me, and sleep was removed from mine eyes, 
 when I reflected how energetically my father, the crown of my head, 
 strove with his purse and labor to transcribe this book, as was his con- 
 stant custom from his love of the study of the Law, to lavish money and 
 wealth, principal and interest, for the purchase and the transci'ibing, for 
 my own use,of books without end, in order that I might obtain wisdom and 
 instruction, to comprehend the words of understanding, as all of the inhabi- 
 tants of my city can testify and declare ; (0 God remember him favor- 
 ably to rest in glory with the righteous who are in the garden of Eden, 
 Amen ! for this loss is felt only by me,) especially in the transcribing of 
 this book it is holy for praises to the Lord, for there was never seen nor 
 found but one, which the intelligent and pious scribe Jacob, the son of 
 Atiyah, transcribed from a very old manuscript, the letters of which were 
 defaced ; and had it not been for the consummate ability of the above 
 mentioned Rabbi, no other person could have made out those letters, nor 
 have transcribed them, from their antiquity and from their having been 
 defaced. 
 
 Now my father, of blessed memory, found favor in his eyes, to obtain 
 this book on loan, in order that he might also get one transcribed by the 
 hands of a certain scribe, and in the year 5373,* through my great sins, 
 I went out of the pale of my birth place, and from my father's house, 
 owing to the terrors of famine, pestilence and slaughter. The sword de- 
 
 * Conesponding with the year 1613. 
 
Xxil PRINTER'S PREFACE. 
 
 stroyed from without, and within was the terror of pestilence and famine, 
 on account of the battles and contentions which took place between the 
 sons of the old king Maruccus who had died, for each lifted himself up, 
 saying, I will reign, and they devoured the Israelites with open mouth, 
 so that very few remained of them, even a tithe of a tithe ; many famihes 
 and heads of the houses of their fathers were lost and destroyed and be- 
 came as naught ; many books of various kinds, new and old, some in 
 manuscript and others in print, as well as those of modern limes, were 
 mostly destroyed by fire, or were torn to pieces, which, together with their 
 owners, lie hid under the ruins to this day. Woe to the eyes that beheld this ! 
 yet may the name of the Lord be blessed for the evil as well as for the good. 
 
 Fearing that this book might share the same fate as the others, I daily 
 used the most persevering exertions in sending letters to some particular 
 individuals in the city Argilia, in the city Titu, and in the city Pasia, to 
 such as had been left, humbly beseeching them to search and inquire 
 where might be the place of the glory of this book, and it was sought after 
 and found to be hid in the hands of one of the individuals of the congrega- 
 tion, the wise and highly gifted Moses Chasan ; and thanks are due to him, 
 that upon his ascertaining my good intention to print it and to scatter it 
 throughout all Jewish communities, he did not delay to send it, as he felt 
 a desire for a heavenly reward for this pious act, yea, he sent it to me as 
 a gift, may he receive a blessing from the Lord, and may his reward be 
 perfect. Amen. 
 
 Now I in my humble station have composed a work entitled viDV HiinD 
 in two parts, one part containing some of the scriptural comments which 
 I made with the gracious help of the Lord, and the second part containing 
 fifty lectures which I delivered to a great congregation, besides a later 
 comment containing explanations of parts of the Talmud which I met 
 with in the course of my studies, and which I illustrated according to my 
 humble abilities ; now I am revising this work a second time in order to 
 bring it to the press, if heaven spare my life, yet I said to my heart, to 
 thee, worm, and no man, does the scripture proclaim " It is time for 
 thee, Lord, to work, for they have made void thy law," for the printing 
 of this book of Jasher tends to the honor and glory of the Lord, for through 
 it will the hearts of men be directed to cleave to the blessed Lord, and 
 by the means of which they will understand the wonderful works of God, 
 and his bounties toward our ancestors from the days of old, and how he 
 chose us from all nations, as thou wilt see at length in the preface, where- 
 in thou wilt perceive enumerated the great many uses, thirteen in num- 
 ber, which induce men to confide in the Lord and to adhere to him. 
 
 I have also found another use therein, which is, that many parts of the 
 five books difficult of comprehension, and which the commentators have 
 been unable to reconcile, are, by means of this book, properly understood, 
 because it gives a detail of those parts, wherein the sacred volume is 
 brief in its account, and relates events as they occurred ; thou wilt there- 
 fore find me lifting up my hand in the margin with the words •^'^^^^ ^DK 
 " The humble editor says,'' by which will be understood what I have as- 
 
PRINTER'S PREFACE. XXIII 
 
 serted ; search and thou will find many things also, which our Rabbies in 
 their works gave in short, are brought forth more fully in this book since 
 it is high time now to act and have a care for the glory of God's name. 
 Since then it is proper for me at present to defer the publication of my 
 above mentioned work until I shall first have brougiit to light the hidden 
 treasures of this book and to reveal them to the world, I am confident that 
 with the help of the Lord all Israel will exult and rejoice therein. 
 
 I have therefore put my trust in the Lord, may he remember me favor- 
 ably, that I may be enabled in the next year by his help and decree to 
 publish also my afore mentioned work. 
 
 As for me, my prayer is to him who dwells on high, may the Lord God 
 assist me, and send me from on high his peace, favor, and faithfulness to 
 help me, that he may lead me beside the still waters, and conduct me to 
 the paths of righteousness for the sake of his great name, and for the sake 
 of his law. Amen for ever and ever. 
 
'^c>^■^ nsD 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER 
 
 THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE GENERATIONS OF MAN WHOM GOD CREATED 
 
 UPON THE EARTH ON THE DAY WHEN THE LORD GOD MADE 
 
 HEAVEN AND EARTH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 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 helpmate. 
 
 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 form- 
 ed it and brought it to Adam, and 
 Adam awoke from his sleep, and be- 
 hold 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 
 
 I 
 
 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 com- 
 mand which the Lord had command- 
 ed them. 
 
 9. And the serpent, which God 
 had created with them in the earth, 
 came to them to incite them to trans- 
 gress 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 wo- 
 man hearkened to the voice of the 
 serpent, and she transgressed the 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 word of God, and took from the tree 
 of the knowledge of good and evil 
 and slie ate, and she took from it 
 and gave also to her husband and he 
 ate. 
 
 1 1 . And Adam and his wife trans- 
 gressed 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 slie 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 grotmd, 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 offer- 
 ing 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 bro- 
 ther Abel in anger, and he said unto 
 him, what is there between me and 
 thee that thou comest to dwell and 
 bring tJiy flock to feed in my land ? 
 
 19. And Abel answered his bro- 
 ther Cain and said unto him, what 
 is there between me and thee, that 
 thou shah eat the flesh of my flock 
 and clothe thyself with their wool ? 
 
 20. And now therefoT'e, put off 
 the wool of my sheep with which 
 thou hast clothed thyself, and recom- 
 pense 7ne 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 ac- 
 cording 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, beheld the anger of Cain 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 bro- 
 ther'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 sliall no mare give thee 
 its strength as in the beginning, for 
 thorns and thistles shall the ground 
 produce, and thou sbalt 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 andt wandering in the 
 land towards 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 be- 
 gan 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 Me- 
 chuyael begat MethusaeL 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 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 
 
 * Although we find in the 34th and 35th ver- 
 ses that God gave hfm rest, ii; might only have 
 been a temporary rest ; and as we are neither 
 told in scripture nor in this book anything more 
 relating to Cain, we cannot infer anything con- 
 trary to this declaration. 
 
 i There is no mention made of the land of 
 Nod ; the word here used is tj the partfc-i- 
 ple present of the verb n)j to wander ; the last 
 letter of those verbs whose two final letters are 
 similar, is sometimes dropped, and it might have 
 been ii> with one daleth, like the word used in 
 scripture ij without the vau, which is frequent- 
 ly omitted. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 kin- 
 dled on account of their works and 
 abominations which they did in the 
 earth. 
 
 6. And the Lord caused the wa- 
 ters of the river Gihon to overwhelm 
 them, and he destroyed and consu- 
 med them, and he destroyed the third 
 part of the earth ; and notwithstand- 
 ing 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 declara- 
 tion 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 conti- 
 nued to rebel and transgress against 
 God, and to corrupt their ways, that 
 the earth also became corrupt. 
 
 10. And Enosh lived ninety j'ears 
 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 daemons ; 
 
 12. And Cainan knew by his wis- 
 dom that God would destroy the sons 
 of men for having sinned upou earth, 
 and that the Lord would in the lat- 
 ter 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 tliem 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 sev- 
 enty years old, he begat three sons 
 and tw^o 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 lu?n. 
 
 17. And Lamech, the son of Me- 
 thusael, became related to Cainan by 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 marriage, and he took liis two daugh- 
 ters for his wives, and Adah con- 
 ceived and bare a son to Lamech, 
 and she called his name Jabal. 
 
 18. And she again conceived and 
 bare a son, and culled his name Jii- 
 bal ; and Ziilah, her sis-tor, was bar- 
 ren in those days and had no off- 
 spring. 
 
 19. For in those days the sons of 
 men began to trespass against Cxod, 
 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, 
 Ziilah 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 bar- 
 ren ones only they were attached. 
 
 23. And in the end of days and 
 years, when Ziilah 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 ad- 
 
 * It cannot be supposed that they gave Zii- 
 lah the drink to cause barrenness when she be- 
 came old, for as it is expressed in verse twenty, 
 it was given to those to retain their figures and 
 whereby theix beautiful appearance might not 
 fade. 
 
 vanced 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 in- 
 to 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 fa- 
 ther to draw' his bow, and with the 
 arrows he smote Cain, who was yet 
 far off, and he slew him, for he ap- 
 peared to them to be an animal. 
 
 28. And the arrows entered Cain's 
 body altliouizh 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 Tu- 
 bal went to see tlie animal which 
 they had slain, and they saw, and be- 
 hold Cain their grandfather was fal- 
 len 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 ha- 
 led him from that day, because ho 
 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. 
 
6 
 
 tME BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 1 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 in- 
 creasing 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 Cai- 
 nan lived sixty five years and he be- 
 gat Jered ; and Jered lived sixty -two 
 years and he begat Enoch. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 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 under- 
 standing ; and he wisely retired from 
 the sons of men, and secreted him- 
 self 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 L 
 
 4. And he said, ris^, 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 
 may St 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 ac- 
 quainted them with the instruction 
 of the Lord. 
 
 6. And he ordered it to be pro- 
 claimed 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 accor- 
 ding 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 con- 
 sented. 
 
 10. And they assembled in all, one 
 hundred and thirty kings and princes, 
 and they made Enoch king over 
 
THE BOOK OF JAS'HER 
 
 '>7 
 
 them, and they were all under his 
 power and command. 
 
 11. And Enoch taught them wis- 
 dom, knowledge, and the ways of the 
 Lord ; and lie 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 sis- 
 ters loere 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 Me- 
 thuselah 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 tlie 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 secrete himself 
 as at first in order to serve the Lord. 
 
 18. And Enoch did so, but did 
 not entirely secrete himself from 
 them, but kept away from the sons 
 of men three days and then went to 
 them for one dav. 
 
 19. And during the three days that 
 he was in his cliamber, 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 Jjord he 
 told them. 
 
 20. And he did in this manner for 
 many years, and he afterward con- 
 cealed himself for six days, and ap- 
 peared to his people one day in seven ; 
 and after I hat once in a month, and 
 then once in a year, until all the kin^s, 
 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 assem- 
 bled and came to him, and Enocii 
 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 reisn there over the sons 
 
8 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 of God, as he had reigned over the 
 sons of men upon earth. 
 
 23. 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 
 teacii you wisdom and knowledge 
 and will give you instmction 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 in- 
 struction, and he reproved them, and 
 he placed before them statutes and 
 judgments to do upon earth, and he 
 made peace amongst them, and he 
 tauoht them everlastincr 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 descending 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 lime and stood before Enoch, 
 
 * To express the region of the atmos[)here 
 n^T is often used, as the word i^ix air, met with 
 in modern Hebrew works, is of rabbinical ex- 
 traction and may be derived from mx light, by 
 which it might have been intended to siiow that 
 the air is tVie medium through which tho rays 
 of light become visible to us. 
 
 and all the sons of men that were 
 with Enoch saw him. 
 
 30. And Enoch then again ord- 
 ered a voice to be proclaimed, say- 
 ing, where is the man who delight- 
 eth 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 as- 
 sembled and came to Enoch that 
 day ; and all the kings of the earth 
 witli their princes and counsellors 
 remained with him that day ; and 
 Enoch then taught the sons of men 
 wisdom and knowledge, and ^ave 
 tliem 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, re- 
 turn to your tents, lest you may die ; 
 but they were not willing to return, 
 and thcv went with him. 
 
 34. And on the sixth day some of 
 the men remained and clung to him, 
 and thev said to him, we will go witli 
 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 speak- 
 ing to them ; and they went after 
 him and would not return ; 
 
 36. And when the kings returned 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 9 
 
 they caused a census to be taken, in 
 order to know the number of re- 
 maining men that went vvitli Enoch ; 
 and it was upon the seventh day that 
 Enocli ascended into heaven in a 
 whirlwind, witli horses and chariots 
 of fire. 
 
 37. And on the ciglith day all the 
 kings that had been with Enoch sent 
 to bring back the number of men 
 that were with Enoch, in that place 
 fiom 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 this snow and see, 
 perhaps the men that remained with 
 Enoch are dead, and are now under 
 the stones of snow, and they search- 
 ed but could not find him, for he had 
 ascended into heaven. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1. And all the days that Enoch 
 lived upon the earth, were three 
 hundred and sixty five years. 
 
 2. And when Enoch had ascend- 
 ed 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 upright- 
 ly in the sight of God, as his father 
 Enoch had taught him, and he like- 
 wise 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 Me- 
 thuselah, the sons of men turned 
 from the Lord, they corrupted the 
 earth, they robbed and plundered 
 
 each otiier, 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 iiim. 
 
 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 ob- 
 tain 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 hun- 
 dred 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. 
 
 1 1 . And Lamech was one hun- 
 dred 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 re- 
 belled against God. 
 
 13. And the wife of Lamech 
 conceived and bare him a son at 
 
 'Referring to what was shortly to take place ; 
 the flood. 
 
^10 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 that time, at the revokition of the 
 year. 
 
 14. And Methuselah- called his 
 name Noah, saying, the earth was 
 in his days at rest and free from cor- 
 ruption, and Lamech his father call- 
 ed 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, per- 
 fect and upright with God. 
 
 16. And all the sons of men depar- 
 ted from the ways of the Lord in those 
 days as they multiplied upon the face 
 of the eartii 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 cor- 
 rupted 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. 
 
 * Menachem sitrnifies a comforter. We have 
 no account in scripture of his being called Me- 
 nachem, although the reason why he might have 
 had that name is given as it is here : " this one 
 will comfort us," {Gen.) which does not so well 
 accord with the name Noah, which means to 
 rest. I 
 
 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 de- 
 clared, 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 foimd grace in the 
 sight of the Lord, and the Lord chose 
 him and his children to raise up seed 
 from them \ipon the face of the 
 whole earth. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 1. And it was in the eighty fourth 
 year of the life of Noah, that Enoch 
 the son of Seth died ; he was nine 
 bundled 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 Jered the son of Mahlallel 
 died in those days, in the three hun- 
 dred and thirty sixth year of the life 
 of Noah ; and all the days of Jered 
 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 BOOK OF JASIIER. 
 
 11 
 
 the evil which God declared to do 
 upon earth. 
 
 6. And after the lapse of many 
 years, in the four hundred and eigh- 
 tieth 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 *Methuse- 
 lah 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 Methuseleh 
 spoke all the words of the Lord to 
 the sons of men, day after day, con- 
 stantly 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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. And 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 '^ 
 
 * Methuselah only was left of the good ones 
 who did not die, besides Noah, who is mention- 
 ed in the beginnincr of the verse, in the 450th 
 year of the life of Noah. 
 
 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 chil- 
 dren, 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* 
 Naamali the daughter of P^noch, 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 
 
 * From this it appears that the offsjiring of 
 the great, pious and illustrious Enoch was re- 
 served to be the partner of the just and upright 
 Noah, thereby connecting the best of the fami- 
 ly of Cain and Seth together. It was certainly 
 a great age to contract matrimony, but it mu.st 
 be remembered that Noah was then getting on 
 to five hundred years, and as he deferred mar- 
 riage to this exceeding great age, he looked out 
 for one of his own age. I suppose that Enoch's 
 daughter intended living secluded from men, 
 like her father, until Noah, the best of men then 
 living, applied to her. 
 
12 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 the ways of his father, and he died in 
 the hundred and ninety-fifth year of 
 the hfc 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 be- 
 fore 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 Metiiuselah, stand forth 
 and proclaim to the sons of men all 
 the words that I spoke to you in those 
 days, pcradventure they may turn 
 from their evil ways, and I will then 
 repent of the evil and will not bring it. 
 
 23. And Noah and JMethuselah 
 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 in- 
 cline their ears to all their declara- 
 tions. 
 
 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 tliat 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 daugh- 
 ters 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 
 iiad commanded him, and Noah did 
 as (iod had ordered him. 
 
 34. Li 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 Methu- 
 selah, for wives for his sons, as the 
 Lord had commanded Noah. 
 
 36. And it was at that time Me- 
 thuselah the son of Enoch died ; nine 
 hundred and sixty years old was he, 
 at his death. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 1. At that time, after the death of 
 Methuselah, the Lord said to Noah, 
 go thou with thv 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 sur- 
 round the ark. 
 
 2. And thou shalt go and seat thy- 
 self by the doors of the ark, and all 
 the beasts, the animals, and the fowls, 
 shall assemble and place themselves 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 13 
 
 before thee, and such of ihcm as 
 shall come and crouch before thee, 
 siialt. 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 mul- 
 titudes and surrounded the ark. 
 
 4. And Noah went and seated him- 
 self 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 pla- 
 ces, 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* won- 
 dered 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 ani- 
 mals, and clean fowls, he brought 
 seven couples, as God had com- 
 manded him. 
 
 * 1 0. And all the animals, and beasts, 
 and fowls, were still there, and they 
 surrounded the ark at every place, 
 
 * At the height to which even the animals of 
 the earth had corrupted themselves, that the 
 young whelps could so unnaturally rise up 
 against their parent in such a time of disaster. 
 
 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 foun- 
 dations 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 he- 
 fore ; and God did this mighty act, 
 in order to terrify the sons of men, 
 that there uught 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 win- 
 dows of heaven were opened, and 
 the rain was upon the earth forty 
 da5'S and forty nights. 
 
 15. And Noah and his household, 
 and all the living creatures that were 
 with him, came into the ark on ac- 
 count 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 ex- 
 hausted through evil on account of 
 the rain, for the waters were coming 
 more violently upon the earth, and 
 the animals and beasts were still sur- 
 rounding the ark. 
 
 17. And the sons of men assem- 
 bled together, about* seven hundred 
 
 * It must be remembered, that according to 
 this book, a third part of the earth had already 
 been destroyed by the overdowing of the river 
 Gihon. See chapter 2, verse 6. 
 
14 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 thousand men and women, and they 
 came unto Noah to the ark. 
 
 18. And they ealled to Noah, say- 
 ing, 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 gran- 
 ted 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 ap- 
 proached iyi 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 overpow- 
 ered 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 de- 
 scending upon the earth, and it de- 
 scended 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, whe- 
 ther 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 the cauldron. 
 
 29. And great anxiety seized all 
 tlie 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 lan- 
 guage, 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 he cried unto him on ac- 
 count of this, and he said, 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, hght up thy coun- 
 tenance toward us and be gracious 
 to us, redeem us and deliver us. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 15 
 
 32. And the Lord hearkened to 
 the voice of Noah, and the Lord re- 
 membered 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 thou shalt have completed a 
 full year thou shalt then go forth. 
 
 38. And at the revolution of the 
 year, when a full year was comple- 
 ted 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, aixl 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 fruit- 
 ful and fill all the earth ; become 
 strong and increase abundantly in the 
 earth and multiply therein. 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 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. Tiiese are the sons of Japheth ; 
 Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tu- 
 bal, 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 Dudo- 
 nim. 
 
 7. And the sons of Tubal w^ere 
 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 ac- 
 cording 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 o-f 
 Raama were Sheba and Dedan. 
 
 1 ] . And the sons of Mitzraim 
 were Lud, Anom and Pathros, Chas- 
 loth and Chaphtor. 
 
 12. And the sons of Phut were 
 Gebul , Hadan, Benah and Adan. 
 
16 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 famihes, 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, Ma- 
 chul 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 Ham, 
 according to their famihes ; and 
 their numbers in those days were 
 about three hundred men. 
 
 19. These are the generations of him until he 
 Shem; Shem begat Arpachshad and; 27. And i 
 
 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 giv- 
 en to Enoch, the son of Jered, and 
 when Enoch was taken up to God, 
 he gave them to Methuselah, his son. 
 
 26. And at the death of Methuse- 
 lah, Noah took them and brought 
 them to the ark, and they were with 
 
 went out of the ark. 
 their going out. Ham 
 
 Arpachshad begat Shelach, and '• stole those garments from Noah his 
 Shelach begat Eber and to Eber father, and he took them and hid 
 were born two children, the name of them from his brothers, 
 one was Peleg, for in his days the ' 28. And when Ham begat his 
 sons of men were divided, and in : first born Cush, he gave him the 
 the latter days, the earth was divi- 1 garments in secret, and they were 
 
 ded 
 
 20. And the name of the second 
 was Yoktan, meaning that in his 
 day the lives of the sons of men 
 Yv'ere diminished and lessened. 
 
 21, These are the sons of Yok- 
 tan; Almodad, Shelaf, Chazarmov 
 
 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 
 
 eth, Yerach, Hadurom, Ozel, Diklah, ; old he piU on those garments. 
 
 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, HaV' 
 ilah and Jobab ; all these are the 
 sons of Yoktan. 
 
 22. And Peleg his brother begat 
 Yen, and Yen begat Serug, and Se- 
 riig begat Nahor, and Nahor begat 
 
 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 ani- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 17 
 
 mals and he built altars, and he of- 
 fered upon them the animals before 
 the Lord. 
 
 31. And Nimrod Strengthened 
 himself, and he rose up from amongst 
 his brethren, and he fought the bat- 
 tles 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 liad 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 prevail- 
 ed against his brethren, that he de- 
 livered 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 lime there was a 
 war between his brethren and the 
 children of Japhelh, 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 he gave them their 
 hire, and he went with them to bat- 
 tle, 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 
 
 2 
 
 fought against their enemies, and 
 they destroyed them, and subdued 
 them, and Nimrod placed standing 
 ofhcers over them in their respective 
 places, 
 
 38. And he look 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 joy- 
 fully returned from battle, after having 
 conquered his enemies, all his breth- 
 ren, together with those who knew 
 him before, assembled to make him 
 king over them, and ihey 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 counsel- 
 lors 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 iShinar, 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 sub- 
 dued 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 
 
18 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 dweh 
 with him in the city of 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 Nim- 
 rod 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 
 
 * According to Jasher, (and, I believe, Dr. 
 Clarke gives the same opinion of some Chris- 
 tian commentators,) an inference can be drawn 
 that there was a partial separation of mankind 
 long before the affair at Babel, as the confusion 
 of languages did not take place till about 340 
 years after the flootl, being the end of Peleg's 
 life, or the 48th year of the life of Abraham ; 
 and having shown that the date of Abraham's 
 birth should be A. M. 1948 instead of 2008, it 
 will follow that the confusion of Babel took 
 place A. M. 1996. I have no doubt that a se- 
 paration took place before then, until they were 
 reunited under the dominion of Nimrod. Ow- 
 ing to this separation, and their numerous in- 
 crease, their having no regular form of govern- 
 ment, and particularly their petty v^-ars among 
 each other, their first language would branch 
 out into many variations, but still near enough 
 to the original to be understood by each other, 
 and sufficiently altered to be called different 
 tongues ; and as a number of families might, by 
 co-operating together, be called a petty nation, 
 so would some alteration in their speech, or 
 tongue, be sufficient to distinguish them. Ja- 
 sher tells us, that when Nimrod was 40 years 
 old, there was war between his brethren and 
 the children of Japheth ; (see verse 34;) and 
 that they were under the power of their ene- 
 mies ; that with a few people, (of the children 
 of Cush only,) he made war, and subdued them ; 
 and that they all came to dwell with him in 
 Shinar. I have frequently had to remark that 
 the word all must not in the Hebrew be taken 
 in that latitude, as it would in the modern lan- 
 guages. When a united number is intended to 
 be expressed, the word all is used as in verse 
 35, when " Nimrod assembled all the sons of 
 Cush, and their families, about four hundred and 
 sixtv men," by this is meant that all fJiosc assem- 
 bled of the families of Gush were four hundred 
 
 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 wick- 
 ed goeth forth wickedness, and it 
 was current in the words of mezi 
 from that time to this. 
 
 and sixty men. Sufficient examples will be found 
 in Jasher as well as in scripture, where So must be 
 understood in this sense. I therefore understand 
 in this verse, not that all mankind came to live in 
 Shinar, but that all those that did come, resided 
 in Shinar. And if, owing to their former separa- 
 tion into petty nations, they must have adopted 
 various dialects sufficient to distinguish them, as 
 Jasher tells us that " all nations and tongues 
 heard his fame," so when they were reuni- 
 ted, and become under one government, not 
 from choice, but from compulsion, then they be- 
 came again of one lip and words of union ; for 
 thus would I translate onnK onaii, commonly 
 translated, and one speech, which is the li- 
 teral translation, meaning that after their ces- 
 sation from war and petty broils, they again 
 spoke in one lip and words of union, in opposi- 
 tion to separate dialects and words of strife. 
 This inference of a former separation will ex- 
 plain that part of the speech of the builders of 
 Babel, " we will build a tower, &.C., &c., lest 
 we be scattered upon the face of the earth," 
 alluding to their former dissensions, by which 
 means they had originally separated, and be- 
 come scattered, but wishing to unite in idolatry, 
 and raise an amazing tower, they hoped it would 
 be the means of uniting the whole race of man- 
 kind under their impious standard. It seems 
 that the famihes of Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and 
 Canaan were the chief instigators to this im- 
 pious act, and that out of all the families then 
 existing, not of Ham only, but the impious of 
 all the families that assembled to the task, were 
 600,000 men ; and they chose a valley at two 
 days' distance from Shinar, say twenty miles. 
 I have no doubt the numbers of the human race 
 were very considerable at that time, as it was 
 340 years after the flood, and there was plenty 
 of time for the propagation of men to three or 
 four millions of inhabitants. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 19 
 
 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 ele- 
 vated 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 
 himt Abram, because the king had 
 raised him in those days, and digni- 
 fied him above all his princes that 
 were with him. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1. And it was in the night that 
 Abram was born, that all the ser- 
 vants 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 heav- 
 ens, and he swallowed up the four 
 stars from the four sides of the 
 heavens. 
 
 * By this it seems he had another wife who 
 bare Abram, different from her who bare Haran 
 and Nahor. See verse 22. 
 
 + max From this it seems that Abram was 
 called so, not because he was a mighty father, 
 but because Terah was a mighty father in the 
 court of Nimrod, and therefore God changed 
 his name to .'Abraham, appropriating to him in 
 a much more extensive sense, the meaning 
 which Terah applied to himself. 
 
 3. And all the wise men of the 
 king and his conjurors were aston- 
 ished at the sight, and the sages un- 
 derstood this matter, and they knew 
 its import. 
 
 4. And they said to each other, tiiis 
 only betokens the child that has been 
 born to Terah this night, who will 
 grow up and be fruitful, and multi- 
 ply, 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 conju- 
 rors went home that night, and in the 
 morning all these wise men and con- 
 jurors 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 liidden 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 con- 
 cealed 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 inter- 
 pretation thereof, and we shall tlien 
 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, aiKl 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 cast, and the 
 same star ran with great speed, and 
 
20 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 swallowed up four great stars, from 
 the four sides of the heavens. 
 
 1 1 . And thy servants were aston- 
 ished 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 multi- 
 ply 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 yes- 
 ternight 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 be- 
 fore 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 ser- 
 vant shall do all that his king desi- 
 reth. 
 
 18. But my lord and, king, I will 
 tell thee what happened to me yes- 
 ternight, 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 stravi^ 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\mg, 
 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 understand- 
 ing, to do this thing, to give thy beau- 
 tiful horse for silver and gold or even 
 for straw and provender ? 
 
 24. Art thou so short of silver and 
 gold, that thou shouldest 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 speak- 
 ing, 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 21 
 
 give thee silver ai)d 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 re- 
 turn 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 an- 
 ger of the king was kindled against 
 him, and lie answered the king, say- 
 ing, 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 mv 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 slav all thou 
 hast in tliy house, so that thou shall 
 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 ser- 
 vants, which his handmaid had born 
 to him that day, and Terah brougiit 
 the child to the king and received 
 value for him. 
 
 34. And the Lord was with Terah 
 in this matter, that Nimrod might not 
 cau.5e 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 forgot- 
 ten 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 mo- 
 ther 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, sooth- 
 sayers and sages, thought that the 
 king had killed Abram. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 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. 
 
22 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 
 tliem to learn the instruction of the 
 Lord and his ways, and no man knew 
 wher-e Abram was, and Abram serv- 
 ed 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 inhabi- 
 tants of the earth made unto them- 
 selves, at that time, every man his 
 God ; gods of wood and stone which 
 could neither speak, hear, nor deli- 
 ver, and the sons of men served them 
 and they became their gods. 
 
 7. And the king and all his ser- 
 vants, and Terah with all his house- 
 hold 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 
 weai' offering and drink offeringto 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 Avilhin him- 
 self, 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. 
 
 1 7. And Abram saw the stars and 
 moon before him, and he said, surely 
 this is the God who created the 
 whole earth as Avell as man, and 
 behold these his servants are gods 
 around him ; and Abram served the 
 moon and prayed to it all that night. 
 
 * In divine truths, as is explained in the next 
 verse. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 23 
 
 18. And in the morning when it 
 was Hght and the sun shone upon 
 the earth as usual, Abrani 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 Abrani 
 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 rebel- 
 led all their days. 
 
 20. And king Nimrod reigned se- 
 curely, 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 to- 
 gether ; Phut, Mitzraim, Gush 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 assembkjd 
 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 hke 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 hrcs to build the city 
 and the tower that they had imagined 
 to complele. 
 
 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 imagin- 
 ed 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 as- 
 cend 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 buil- 
 ders and gave them the mortar and 
 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 
 
24 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 blood, and when ihey 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, 
 
 3 1 . 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 con- 
 fuse 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 under- 
 stand 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 ; 
 
 *A long note I have upon this, as it might be 
 translated, " and they became apes and ele- 
 phants," this being the example of the work in 
 the hands of Mr. Adam of Calcutta, sent to 
 me by the royal Asiatic society, to see if it 
 were like mine. The words are " and his 
 heart died within him, and he became" (not a 
 stone) but " like unto a stone," as it is rightly 
 translated in the English Bible. 
 
 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 com- 
 ing upon them, they forsook the 
 building, and they also became scat- 
 tered 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 ivas 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 descend- 
 ed 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 lower, a people without 
 number. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 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 Terah 
 were two hundred and thirty nine 
 years. 
 
 * This cannot be the tower that Herodotus 
 saw, though it might be erected on the same 
 spot ; reckoning a day's walk 10 miles, as is sup- 
 posed by the best Christian commentators, its 
 circumference will be 30 miles. This will not 
 appear so very astonishing when it is consider- 
 ed that six hundred thousand men were employ- 
 ed in erecting it, and, as Jasher tells, they were 
 many years engaged in this infamous work ; 
 and it will not exceed credibility, when it is re- 
 membered that the wall of China is 1500 miles 
 in length. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 25 
 
 2. And when ihe Lord had scat- 
 tered 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 fami- 
 lies, 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 after- 
 warc^extirpated, and they called these 
 cities after their own names, or the 
 names of their children, or after their 
 2)articidcu' occurrences, 
 
 b". And the sons of Japheth the 
 son of Noah went and built them- 
 selves 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 di- 
 visions and lancruages. 
 
 7. And these are the sons of Ja- 
 pheth according to their families, 
 Gomer, Magog, Medai, Javan, Tu- 
 bal, Meshech and Tiras ; these are 
 the children of Japheth according to 
 their generations. 
 
 8. And the children of Gomer, ac- 
 cording to their cities, were the Fran- 
 cum who dwelt in the land of Franza 
 by the river Fran za 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. 
 
 *■ This is the same as the river Gihon men- 
 tioned in ch. 5, which overflowed and destroyed 
 part jf the earth. In the Hebrew d^ sea, and 
 "mi river are frequently put for each other. 
 
 10. And the children of Tugarma 
 are ten families, and these are their 
 names ; Buzar, Parzunac, Balgar, 
 Elicanum, Ragbib, Tarki, Bid, Ze- 
 buc, Ongal and Tilmaz ; all these 
 spread and rested in the North and 
 built themselves cities. 
 
 1 1 . And they called their cities 
 after their own names, those are they 
 who abide by the rivers Hithlah and 
 Italac unto litis day. 
 
 12. But tlie families of Angoli, 
 Balgar and Parzunac, they dwell by 
 the great river Dubnee ; and the 
 names of their cities arc also ac- 
 cording to their own names. 
 
 13. And the children of Javan are 
 the Javanim who dwell in the land 
 of Makdonia, and tlie children of 
 Madai ai'e 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 Pa- 
 shiah. 
 
 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 Itaha 
 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 Ti- 
 breu. 
 
 17. And the children of Dudonim 
 
26 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 ac- 
 cording to their families, which they 
 built in those days after the tower. 
 
 19. And the children of Ham 
 were Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Ca- 
 naan according to their generation 
 and cities. 
 
 20. All these went and built them- 
 selves cities as they found Jit -places 
 for them, and they called their cities 
 after the names of their fathers Cush, 
 Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan. 
 
 21. And the children of Mitz- 
 raim are the Ludim, Anamim, Leha- 
 bim, Naphtuchim, Pathrusim, Cas- 
 luchim 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 Pelish- 
 tim, the Azathim, and the Gerarim, 
 the Githim and the Ekronim, in all 
 five families ; these also buih. them- 
 selves 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 fami- 
 ly 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 them- 
 selves 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 house- 
 hold 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, M'hen 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 w^ere 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 Ash- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 27 
 
 ur built, Ninevali, Resen, Calach 
 and Rchoholher; and tlie children 
 of Asliur 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 
 dwelt 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 ISodom, 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 
 w^ere scattered upon the earth after 
 the tower. 
 
 38. And every kingdom, city and 
 family of the families of the chil- 
 dren of Noah built themselves many 
 cities after this. 
 
 39. And they established govern- 
 ments in all their cities, in order to 
 be regulated by their orders ; so did 
 all the families of the children of 
 Noah forever. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 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 oc- 
 currences that happened to them in 
 the building of the tower. 
 
 3. And he called the first Babel, 
 saying, because the Lord there con- 
 founded the language of the whole 
 earth ; and the name of the second 
 he called *Ercch, because from there 
 God dispersed them. 
 
 4. iVnd the third he called tEched, 
 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 rebel- 
 led 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, Nim- 
 rod did not return to the Lord, and 
 he continued in w^ickedness and 
 teaching wickedness to the sons of 
 men ; and Mardon his son was 
 worse than his father, and continued 
 to add to ^he 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 w^as war be- 
 tween the families of the children 
 of Ham, as they were dwelling in 
 the cities which they had built. 
 
 10. And Chedorlaomer, king of 
 Elara, went away from the families of 
 
 * TIN like o^n:n i3nN<i, as Kimchi explains 
 it, that they drew tht'in out. 
 
 t nsN is a term for battle, from C'N nn'D, 
 sparks of fire. 
 
28 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 instruc- 
 tions, 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 follow- 
 ed strange gods. 
 
 16. Ajid 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 fatlier 
 sitting in the court, and all his ser- 
 vants 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 m.en upon earth, and 
 who created thee and me. And Te- 
 
 rah 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 oth- 
 ers 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 man- 
 kind. 
 
 22. And Terah bowed down 1o 
 his gods, and he then went away 
 from them, and Abram his son went 
 away with iiim. 
 
 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 savour)'- 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 savoury 
 meat thereof, and brought it to 
 Abram, and Abram took the savoury 
 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, 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 39 
 
 and said, surely the savoury meat 
 that I prepared has not pleased them, 
 ov per/uqjs it was too httle for them, 
 and for that reason they would not 
 eat ; therefore to-morrow I will pre- 
 pare fresii savoury meat, belter 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 con- 
 cerning the savoury meat, and his 
 mother rose and fetched three fine 
 kids from the flock, and she made of 
 them some excellent savoury meat, 
 such as her son was fond of, and she 
 gave it to her son Abram ; and Te- 
 rali his father did not know of it. 
 
 29. And Abram look the savoury 
 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 per- 
 haps tkey 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 
 
 * This is continued in the same heautiful strain 
 of irony as the whole ; his first visit to the idols 
 with the first dish, his troubling his mother to 
 make fresh delicacies, fearing the first was not 
 good enough, and then his sitting there all day 
 watching them if they would eat, were all to 
 afford him materials for making a noble and for- 
 cible appeal to his father, to show him that he 
 exerted his best efforts to please his gods ; that 
 he attended twice upon them to try their ap- 
 petites with the most relishing dishes, and that 
 he did not do this in haste, but that he had 
 watched them the whole day to see of what his 
 gods were capable. This strain of irony is not 
 much inferior to that where Elisha calls on the 
 worshippers of Baal. 
 
 generation, whose hearts are all in- 
 clined to vanity, who serve these 
 idols of wood and slone 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 break- 
 ing 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 hatch- 
 et ; 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 ima- 
 ges, 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 savoury 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. 
 
 30. 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 savoury meat 
 
30 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 tlie large one saw their 
 works that they did before him, and 
 his anger was violently khidled 
 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. 
 
 4J. And Terah's anger was kin- 
 dled 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, say- 
 ing 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 fa- 
 ther 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 trust- 
 est deliver thee ? can they hear thy 
 prayers when thou callest upon 
 ihem'' 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 cre- 
 ated 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 manner, 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 re- 
 frain from this, and bring not evil upon 
 thy soul and the souls of thy house- 
 hold, 
 
 49. And Abram hastened and 
 sprang from before his father, and 
 took the hatchet from his father's lar- 
 gest 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, tohearme — 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 ac- 
 cording 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 31 
 
 And Nimrod and all his princes and 
 jicrvants were that day silting 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 tiiey 
 can deliver thee or do any thing small 
 or great, that thou shouldst serve 
 them ? And why wilt thou not serve 
 the God of the whole universe, who 
 created thee and in whose power it 
 is to kill and to keep alive ? 
 
 56. O foolish, simple, and igno- 
 rant king, woe unto thee forever. 
 
 57. I thought thou wouldst teach 
 thy servants the upright way, but 
 thou hast not done this, but hast fil- 
 led the whole earth with thy sins and 
 the sins of thy people who have fol- 
 lowed thy ways. 
 
 58. Dost thou not know, or hast 
 thou not heard, that this evil which 
 thou doest, our ancestors sinned there- 
 in 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 
 ihy 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 connect- 
 ed with thee, hearing thy words or 
 walking in thy evil ways. 
 
 61. And w^hen 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 XIL 
 
 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 prin- 
 ces 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, nei- 
 ther did he stir in my presence, and 
 behold now he is confined in the 
 prison. 
 
 4. And therefore decide what judg- 
 
 * I have here continued the singular pronoun 
 in order to keep up the chain of the narrative, 
 though the Hebrew has the transition to the 
 plural, as including Ninuod's men. 
 
32 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 ment is due to tliis 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 ser- 
 vants 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 inhabhants 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 lohat ivas 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, wdiich we declared to 
 the king now fifty years since. 
 
 10. And behold now his father has 
 also transgressed thy command, and 
 
 mocked thee by bringing thee ano- , 
 ther child, which thou didst kill. 
 
 1 1 . 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 spo- 
 ken ? Now tell me truly, how didst 
 thou ; and if thou shah speak truth 
 thou shalt be acquitted. 
 
 13. And seeing that the king's an- 
 ger 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 ex- 
 cited 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 advi- 
 sed thee to this ? Tell me, do not 
 hide aught from me, and theii thou 
 shalt not die. 
 
 16. And Terah was greatly terri- 
 fied in the king's presence, and he 
 said to the king, it was Haran ?nt/ 
 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 31 
 
 jncJined to follow the ways of Abram, 
 but he ke})t it within himself. 
 
 19. And Haraii said in iiis 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 1 will go after the king. 
 
 20. And when Terah had spoken 
 this to the king c(>!icerning 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 tiiem 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 deliv- 
 ered 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 
 
 * This is noticed in the Talmud. The Rcc- 
 habitos have this tradition, and we also find it 
 recorded in the Koran that Abram was thrown 
 into a fiery furnace by Ninirod. 
 
 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 tiie 
 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 tiie 
 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 mat- 
 ter, and they went and saw it and 
 told it to the king ; and tlie king 
 rose to go and sec 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 wonder- 
 ed 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 ascend- 
 ing 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, tiie 
 king called to Abram, servant of 
 the God who is in heaven, go forth 
 from amidst the fire and come hith- 
 er before me ; and Abram hearkened 
 
34 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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. xlnd 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 sakl 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 de- 
 liver tliose 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 jomed himv 
 
 42. And Abram returned on that 
 day and went to his fathers 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 ar\dfoUoived 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 Ha- 
 ran ; the wife of Nahor ivas Milca 
 and the name of Abram's wife was 
 8arai. 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 
 
 j fire, that is in the fifty second year 
 ! of his life, behold king Nimrod sat 
 
 in Babel upon the throne, and the 
 I king fell asleep and dreamed that he 
 jwas standing with his troops and 
 
 hosts in a valley opposite the king's 
 I furnace. 
 I 46. And he lifted up his eyes and 
 
 saw a man in the likeness of Abram 
 1 coming forth from the funiace, and 
 I that he came and stood before the 
 I king with his drawn sword, and then 
 I sprang to the king with his sword, 
 !when"^the king fled from the man, 
 I for he was afraid ; and while he 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 36 
 
 Was running, the man threw an egg 
 upon the king's head, and the egg 
 became a great river. 
 
 47. And tiie king dreamed that all 
 his troops sank in that river and 
 died, and the king took flight with 
 three men who were before huu and 
 he escaped. 
 
 48. And the king looked at these 
 men and tiiev were clothed in prince- 
 ly 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 be- 
 fore 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 magi- 
 cians to come before him, when the 
 king related his dream to them. 
 
 52. And a wise servant of the 
 king, whose name was Anuki, an- 
 swered the king, saying, this is noth- 
 ing 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 pluck- 
 ing 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 ha» 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 f 
 
 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 Eliezcr, 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 con- 
 cerning thee. 
 
 61. And Abram hearkened to the 
 voice of Eliezer. and Abram has- 
 tened and ran for safety to the house 
 of Noah and his son, ijhem, and he 
 
36 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 concealed himself tliere and found a 
 place of safety ; and the king's ser- 
 vants came to Abram's house to seek 
 him, but they could not find him, 
 and they searched throughout the 
 country and he was not to be found, 
 and they went and searched in every 
 direction and he was not to he 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 tlie king drove 
 from liis mind this matter concern- 
 ing 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 Terali came to see Abram 
 liis 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 annihi- 
 late 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 maybe 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 
 honour, but it is oidy for his benefit 
 that he bcstoweth 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 tlie 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 an- 
 swered 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 XIIL 
 
 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 ex- 
 ceeding good land for pasture, and 
 of sufficient extent for those who ac- 
 companied 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 expira- 
 tion of three years the Lord appeared 
 to Abram and said to him ; I am the 
 Lord who brought thee forth from 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 3t 
 
 Ur Casdim, and delivered tliee 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, tliea will I cause thy enemies 
 to fall before thee, and I will multi- 
 ply 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, in- 
 habitants of the land. 
 
 7. And the Lord appeared to Ab- 
 ram 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 tliy seed like the stars of hea- 
 ven, 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 hun- 
 dred and fifty years and he died. 
 
 10. And Abram dwelt in the land 
 
 of Canaan, he, his wife, and all be- 
 longing to him, and all those that ac- 
 companied him, together with those 
 that joined him from the people of the 
 land ; but Nabor, Abram's brother, 
 and Tcrah his father, and liOt 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 Chedor]aomer,king 
 of Elam ; for all ihe kings of the 
 cities of the plain had served Che- 
 dorlaomer 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 Ca- 
 naan there was war between Nimrod 
 king of iShinarand Chedorlaomerking 
 of Elam, and Nimrod came to fight 
 with Chcdorlaomero/jt/tosubdue 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 scat- 
 tered upon the face of the earth, Che- 
 dorlaomer went to the land of Elam 
 and reigned over it and rebelled 
 against his Lord. 
 
 14. And in those days when Nim- 
 rod 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 Che- 
 dorlaomer, and Chedorlaomer went 
 out to meet him with five thousand 
 men, and they ])repared for battle in 
 the valley of Babel which is between 
 Elam and Shinar. 
 
 15. And all those kings fought 
 
88 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASlIER, 
 
 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 return- 
 ed in shame and disgrace to his land, 
 and he was under subjection to Che- 
 dorlaomer for a long time, and Che- 
 dorlaomer 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, ivhich 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 com- 
 mands, 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 
 liere 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 house- 
 hold, 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, fol- 
 lowed 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 ap- 
 peared 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 the}^ had 
 made in Haran, and they came out to 
 go to the land of Canaan. 
 
 26. And Abram went and return- 
 ed 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 flaran 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 w^ith him was Lot his 
 brother's son, and all belonging to 
 him. 
 
THE BOOK OF J AS HER. 
 
 'J9 
 
 28, And the Lord again appeared 
 to Abrani and said, to ihy 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 Maaue. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 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 sup- 
 port 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 i?i 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 ob- 
 tain 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 grievgd 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 abided there all night in bit- 
 terness of soul and pinched with 
 hunger, and sleep was removed from 
 his eyes. 
 
 7. And Rikayon considered with- 
 in himself what he should do in the 
 town until the king made his appear- 
 ance, 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 va- 
 rious 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 sup- 
 port, and the rabble assembled about 
 liim and ridiculed him, and took his 
 vegetables from him and left him 
 nothing. 
 
 11. i^nd 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 lie could 
 save himself from starvation, and he 
 devised a scheme how to act. 
 
 13. And he rose up in the morn- 
 ing and acted ingeniously, and went 
 and hired thirty strong men of the 
 rabble, carrying their war instru- 
 ments in their hands, and he led 
 them to the top of the Egyptian se- 
 pulchre, and he placed them there, 
 
 14. And he commanded them, 
 saying, thus saith the king, strength-;- 
 en 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 ; 
 
40 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Ri- 
 kayon and his men gathered great 
 riches of silver and gold, and Rikay- 
 on took a great quantity of horses 
 and other animals, and he hired more 
 men, and he gave them horses and 
 they temained with him. 
 
 16. And when the year came 
 round, at the time the king went 
 forth into the town, all the inhabi- 
 tants 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 Egyp- 
 tians came before him and cried un- 
 to him, saying, 
 
 18. May the king live forever. 
 What is this thing thou doest m the 
 town to thy servants, not to sutfer a 
 dead body to be buried until so much 
 silver and gold be given ? Was 
 there eve?' the like unto this done in 
 the whole earth, from the days of 
 former kings t/ea even from the days 
 of Adam, unto this day, that the 
 dead should not be buried onl}^ 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 ex- 
 actest a tax day by day. 
 
 20. Now, king, we can no more 
 bear this, for the whole city is ruin- 
 ed 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 liim. 
 
 24. And Rikayon took about a 
 thousand children, sons and daugh- 
 ters, 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 ^ook 
 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 Ri- 
 kayon, 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. 
 
 20. 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. 
 
 16. And the king answe>red and 
 said to Rikayon, thy name shall no 
 more be called Rikayon but Pha- 
 raoh* shall be thy name, since thou 
 
 * Pharaoh from pic, to get paid, to exact. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 41 
 
 didst exact a l-ix from the dead ; and 
 he called his name Pharaoh, 
 
 28. And the king and his subjects 
 loved Kikayon for his wisdom, and 
 they consulted with all the inhabi- 
 lants 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 Pha- 
 raoh, prefect \u)der Oswiris king of 
 Egypt, and Rikayon Pharaoh gov- 
 erned over Egypt, daily administer- 
 ing justice to the whole city, but Os- 
 wiris the king would judge {\\c people 
 of the land one day in the year, when 
 lie went out t?) make his appear- 
 ance. 
 
 31. And Rikayon Pharaoh cun- 
 ningly 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 Pha- 
 raoh, and they made a decree to call 
 every king that should reign over 
 them and their seed in Egypt, Pha- 
 raoh. 
 
 33. Therefore all the kings that 
 reigned in Egypt from that time for- 
 ward were called Pharaoh unto this 
 day. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 1. And in that year there was a 
 lieavy 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 accoimt 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 
 8arai 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 iSurely then thou shalt do this, 
 say thou art my si.stcr 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 iiim 
 to Egypt on account of the famine ; 
 also his nephew Lot he commanded, 
 saying, if the Egyptians ask thee 
 concerning tSarai 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 Mitz- 
 raim and came to Egypt ; and they 
 had scarcely entered the gates of the 
 city when the guards stood up to 
 them, saying, give tythe to the king 
 from what you have, and then 3'^ou 
 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 con- 
 cealed, and the Egyptians saw the 
 chest. 
 
 10. And the king's servants ap- 
 proached Abram, saying, what hast 
 
42 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 thou here in this chest which we 
 have not seen ? Now open thou the 
 chest and give tythe to the king of 
 all that it contains. 
 
 1 1 . 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. 
 
 1 2. 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 Pha- 
 raoh 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 de- 
 liver her from the hands of Pha- 
 raoh. 
 
 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 ta 
 avoid the famine, and this evil acci- 
 dent 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 lo 
 her, do not fear for the Lord has 
 heard thy prayer. 
 
 21. And the king approached Sa- 
 rai 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 incmn- 
 bent 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 ser- 
 vants ; 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 an- 
 gel smote him heavily, and he was 
 terrified and he refrained from reach- 
 ing to her. 
 
 24. And when the king came near 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 43 
 
 to Sarai, the angel smote him to the 
 ground, and acted thus to him the 
 ■whole night, and the king was ter- 
 rified. 
 
 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 befel him, said, surely on account 
 •of this woman has this thing happen- 
 ed to me, and he removed liimself at 
 ^ome 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 hus- 
 band, 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 
 liousehold ; and Pharaoh knew that 
 he was smitten on account of Sarai, 
 and the king was greatly astonished 
 at tills. 
 
 29. And in the mornincr the kinfj 
 called for Abram and said to 1dm, 
 what is this thou hast done to me ? 
 Why didst thou say, she is my sister, 
 ■oioing 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 Pha- 
 
 * Hebrew, spoke good words to her heart, 
 meaningr that he endeavored to gain her heart 
 or confidence, by good words and modest con- 
 duct, to toll him what Abrain was really akin 
 to hor, wherebv he might discover the cause of 
 the angel smiling him and his people. 
 
 raoh took more cattle, men servants 
 and maid servants, and silver and 
 gold, to give to Abram, and he re- 
 turned 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 hand- 
 maid. 
 
 32. And the king said to iiis daugh- 
 ter, it is better for thee my daughter 
 to be a handmaid in this man's house 
 than to be a mistress in my house, 
 after we have beheld the evil that 
 befel 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 xcent witli 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 dwel- 
 ling 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 Abraiu's herdsmen 
 went to feed tlieir 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 
 
44 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 is this thou art doing to me, to make 
 me despicable to the inhabitants of 
 the land, that thou orderest thy herds- 
 men 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 in- 
 habitants 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 1 beseech thee 
 let there be no more quarrelling be- 
 tween us, for we are kinsmen. 
 
 42. But I pray thee separate from 
 me, go and choose a place where 
 thou mavst dwell with thy cattle and 
 all belonging to thee, but keep thy- 
 self 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 re- 
 move 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 
 wxre 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 XVL 
 
 1. At that time Chedorlaomer 
 king of Elam sent to all the neigh- 
 boring 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, say- 
 ing, 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 thir- 
 teen years. 
 
 2. And these four kings went up 
 with all their camps, about eight 
 lumdrcd thousand men, and they 
 went as thev Avcre, and smote every 
 man they found in their road. 
 
 3. And the five kings of Sodom 
 and Gomorrah, Shinab king of Ad- 
 mah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, 
 Bera king of Sodom, Bersha king 
 of Gomorrah, and Bela king of Zo- 
 ar, 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 45 
 
 seized all the goods of the cilics 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 tiu-ee Imndrcd 
 and eighteen men that were with 
 him, and he that night pursued these 
 kings and smote tiiem, 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 otvn road. 
 
 8. And Abram recovered all the 
 property of Sodom, and he also re- 
 covered Lot and his property, his 
 wives and little ones and all belong- 
 ing to him, so that Lot lacked no- 
 thing. 
 
 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 Beraking of Sodom, and 
 the rest of his men that were with 
 him, went out from the lime-pits in- 
 to which they had fallen, to meet 
 Abram and his men. 
 
 11. And Adonizedek king of Jeru- 
 salem, the same was Shem, went out 
 with his men to meet Abram and his 
 people, with bread and wine, and 
 thev remained together in the valley 
 of Melech. 
 
 12. And Adonizedek blessed Ab- 
 ram, and Abram gave him a tenth 
 from all that he had brought froiu 
 the spoil of his enemies, for Adoni- 
 zedek was a priest before God. 
 
 13. And all the kings of Sodom 
 and Gomorrah Avho were there, with 
 their servants, approached Abram 
 and begged of him to return them 
 their servauits whom he had made 
 
 captive, and to take unto liimself 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, 1 will not take any 
 thing belonging to you, that you may 
 not boast to-morrow, saying, Abram 
 became rich from our property tiiat 
 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 shoe tie or thread, ex- 
 cepting 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 cliose, 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 respec- 
 tive places. 
 
 19. And Lot, his brother's son, he 
 also sent away wiUi 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. 
 
 * Lot went with the kings. 
 
46 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 20. At that lime the Lord again 
 appeared to Abram in Hebron, and 
 he said to him, do not fear, thy re- 
 ward is very great before me, for I 
 will not leave thee, nntill 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 bar- 
 ren 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 hand- 
 maid Hagar^ whom Pharaoh had 
 given her, and she gave her to Ab- 
 rain her husband for a wife. 
 
 2.5. 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, be- 
 hold here is my handmaid Hagar, 
 go to her that she may bring forth 
 upon my knees, that I may also ob- 
 tain children through her. 
 
 27. And at the end of ten years 
 of Abram's dwelling in the land of 
 Canaan, which is the eighty fifth 
 year of Abram's life, Sarai gave 
 Hagar unto him. 
 
 28. And Abram hearkened to the 
 voice of his wife Sarai, and he took 
 his handmaid Hagar and Abram 
 came to her and she conceived. 
 
 29. And when Hagar saw that 
 she had conceived she rejoiced 
 greatly, and her mistress was despis- 
 ed 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 shorB a time to 
 conceive by him. 
 
 30. And when Sarai saw that Ha- 
 gar had conceived by Abram, Sarai 
 was jealous of her handmaid, and 
 Sarai said within herself, this is sure- 
 ly 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, be- 
 hold thy handmaid is in thy hand, do 
 unto her as it may seem good in thy 
 eyes ; and Sarai afflicted her, and 
 Hasrar fled from her to the wilder- 
 
 ness. 
 
 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 remrn to Sarai thy mistress 
 and submit thyself under her hands. 
 
 35. And Hagar called the place 
 of that well Beer-lahai-roi, it is be- 
 tween Kadcsh and the wilderness of 
 Bered. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 47 
 
 36. And Hagar at tliat time re- 
 turned 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 XVH. 
 
 1 . And in those days, in the nine- 
 ty-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 chil- 
 dren 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 Tus- 
 canah, and they called the name vSa- 
 binali, 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 chil- 
 dren of Tubal were smitten before 
 the children of Chittim, and the chil- 
 dren of Chitiira caused three hundred 
 and seventy men to fall from the chil- 
 dren of Tubal. 
 
 4. And at that time the children 
 of Tubal swore to the children of 
 Chittim, saying, you shall not inter- 
 marry 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 deliglited in the 
 beauty of women went to the daugh- 
 
 ters of Tubal and took wives from 
 them, and the sons of men, kings and 
 princes, who greatly delighted in the 
 beauty of women, took ivives 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 Chit- 
 tim went to take some of the daugh- 
 ters of Tubal, but they found none. 
 
 8. For the children of Tubal ke}>t 
 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 aiid 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 pre- 
 vail over them they returned to their 
 land. 
 
 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 cnga,s;e- 
 nient 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 
 
48 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 daugh- 
 ters, and have we not been consi- 
 dered your flesh and bones from that 
 time till now ? 
 
 14. And when the children of Tu- 
 bal 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 appear- 
 ed 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 sliall come forth from you. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 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 fore- 
 skin ; 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 up his eyes 
 and saw, and lo, three men Avere 
 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 hasten- 
 ed to kill it, and gave it to his ser- 
 vant 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. 
 
 Hebrew y'pi^, to seek or -inquire after him. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 49 
 
 9. And when ihey had done eat- 
 ing, 0716 of them said to him, I will 
 return to thee according to the time 
 of hfe, and Sarah thy wife shall have 
 a son. 
 
 10. And the men afterward de- 
 parted 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 strength- 
 ened in acting abominably and scorn- 
 fully 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 tlie lime of rejoicing 
 they would all rise and lay hold of 
 their neighbors' wives, and some, 
 the virffin daughters of their neigh- 
 bors, and they enjoyed them, and 
 each man saw his wife and daugh- 
 ter in the hands of his neighbor 
 and did not say a word. 
 
 15. And they did so from morn- 
 ing to night, and they afterward re- 
 turned home each man to his house 
 and each woman to her lent ; 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 hiin, 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, wdiich 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 jour- 
 ney passing through the street of 
 Sodom when the sun set in the even- 
 ing, 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 
 skilful to do evil, and his name was 
 Hedad. 
 
 20. And he lifted up his eyes and 
 saw the traveller 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 travelling from Hebron to Elam 
 where I belong, and as T passed the 
 sun set and no one would suffer me 
 
50 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 traveller ate and drank in 
 Hedad's house, and he abided there 
 that night. 
 
 24. And in the morning the tra- 
 veller rose up early to continue his 
 journey, when Hedad said to him, 
 wait, comfort thy heart with a mor- 
 sel 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, be- 
 hold 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 He- 
 dad pressed him, saying, comfort 
 thy heart vi'ith 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, be- 
 hold 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 re- 
 main, but rose and saddled his ass, 
 and whilst he was saddling his ass 
 the wife of Hedad said to her hus- 
 
 band, 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 any thing ? and He- 
 dad 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 up- 
 on the ass. 
 
 29. And Hedad said to him, what 
 sayest ihou? 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 interpreta- 
 tion of thy dream, the cord which 
 thou didst see, means that thy life 
 will be lengthened out like a cord,, 
 and having seen tlie 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 traveller answered^ 
 saying, not so my lord, for I was 
 awake when I gave thee the cord 
 and also a mantle woven with differ- 
 ent colors, which thou didst take off 
 the ass to put them hj 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 there- 
 of. 
 
 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 51 
 
 replied, saying, it is not so, bat thus 
 the matter stands; and the judrie said 
 to the traveller, this man Hedad tell- 
 eth 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 j)Ut them 
 by in his house ; and they both dis- 
 puted before the judge, the one say- 
 ing 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 ; 1 will not make any allow- 
 ance ; 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 interpreta- 
 tion 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 quar- 
 reled before the judge, and the judge 
 gave orders to his servants, who drove 
 them rashly from the house. 
 
 41. And they went away quarrel- 
 ing from the judge, when the people 
 
 of Sodom heard them, and they ga- 
 thered about them and they exclaim- 
 ed 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 XIX. 
 
 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 Mcnon in 
 Zeboyim. 
 
 2. And Eliezcr Abraham's servant 
 applied to them different names, and 
 he converted Serak to *Shakra, 
 Sharkad to Shakrura, Zabnac to Ke- 
 zobim, 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 then they would draw together 
 the two sides of the bed at each end, 
 
 *c<3T3 NTnp;:' Nipc are different names for 
 falsehood. Eliezcr made these puns upon their 
 names to show that falsehood formed the foun- 
 dation of their decisions. 
 
52 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 chies of 
 Sodom did, they refrained from com- 
 ing 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 hav- 
 ing been able to obtain a morsel of 
 bread, then at his death all the peo- 
 ple 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 diat prevailed over his 
 neighbor took them. 
 
 19. They would after that carry 
 liim and burj^ 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 So- 
 dom 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 an- 
 swered 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 copious- 
 ly 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 reqiiirest 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 Elie- 
 zer 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 unwil- 
 ling to give me my hire. 
 
 21. And the judge said to Eliezer, 
 this man speakelh 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 fore- 
 head of the judge, and Eliezer said, 
 if this then is the custom in your land 
 give thou unto this man what I should 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 53 
 
 liavc given him, for lliis has been 
 tliv decision, thou didsl decree it. 
 
 22. And Ehezer 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 So- 
 dom, the kings of EL'im captured all 
 the property of iSodom, and they look 
 Lot captive, with his property, and 
 when it was told to iVbraham he went 
 and made war with the kings of 
 Elam, and he recovered from their 
 hands all the projierty of Lot as well 
 as the property of iSodom. 
 
 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. 
 
 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 cat ; so she did 
 many days. 
 
 29. And all the pcoj)lc 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 starva- 
 tion for so many days or live as this 
 man has, without even his counten- 
 ance changing ; and three men con- 
 cealed themselves in a place where 
 the poor man was stationed, to know 
 who it was that brought him bread 
 to eat. 
 
 31. And Paltitli 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 
 Paltitli 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 appear- 
 ance, nor died like the rest. 
 
 33. And the three men went out 
 of the place in which they were con- 
 cealed, and they seized Paltith and 
 the bread which was in the poor 
 man's hand. 
 
 34. And they took Paltitli 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 transgress- 
 ed our law. 
 
 35. And the people of Sodom and 
 Gomorrah assembled and kindled a 
 fire in the street of the city, and they 
 
54 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Uke. 
 
 37. J'or a traveller came into the 
 city of Admah to abide there all 
 night, with the intention of going 
 home in the morning, and he sat op- 
 posite the door of the house of the 
 young woman's father, to remain 
 there, as the sun had set when he had 
 reached that place; and the young 
 woman saw him sitting by the door 
 of the house. 
 
 38. And he asked her for a drink 
 of water and she said to him, who 
 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 con- 
 tinue 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 as- 
 sembled and brought the young wo- 
 man before the judges, that they 
 should judge her for this act. 
 
 41. And the judge said the judg- 
 ment of death 7nust pass upon this 
 woman because she transgressed our 
 law, and this therefore is the deci- 
 sion 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 up- 
 on her and stung her that her whole 
 body was swelled. 
 
 43. And the young woman cried 
 out on acconnt 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 abun- 
 dance 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 Abra- 
 ham's house, to destroy Sodom and 
 its cities. 
 
 4t>. And the angels rose up from 
 the door of Abraham's tent, after 
 they had eaten and dnmk, 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 groimd. 
 
 47. And he pressed them greatly 
 and brought them into his house, and 
 he gave them victuals which they 
 ate, and they abided 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 be- 
 longing to him. 
 
 51. Then the Lord rained upon 
 Sodom and upon Gomorrah and up- 
 on all these cities brimstone and fire 
 from the Lord out of heaven. 
 
 52. And he overthrew these cities, 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 aJl 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 de- 
 struction of the cities, for her com- 
 passion was moved on account of iier 
 daughters who remained in Sodom, 
 for they did not go with licr. 
 
 53. And when slie looked back 
 she became a piUar of salt, and it is 
 yet in that place unto this day. 
 
 54. And the oxen which stood in 
 that place daily licked up tlie 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 daugh- 
 ters 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 tliought 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 otlier side of the 
 Jordan with his two daughters ami 
 their sons, and the sons of Lot grew 
 up, and they went and took them- 
 selves wives from the land of 
 Canaan, and they begat children and 
 they w^ere fruitful and multiplied. 
 
 CPLVPTER XX. 
 
 1 . And at that time Abraham jour- 
 neyed 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 hun- 
 drcth year of the life of Abraham, 
 tliat 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 es- 
 cape the evil of the inhabitants of the 
 land. 
 
 3. And as Abraham was dwelling 
 in the land of the Philistines, the ser- 
 vants of Abimelech, king of the Phi- 
 listines, saw that Sarah was exceed- 
 ingly beautiful, and they asked Abra- 
 ham 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 oflicers, 
 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 e.xceedingly. 
 
56 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASIIER. 
 
 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 Abra- 
 ham, and Abraham came to Abime- 
 lech. 
 
 1 0. And Abimelech said to Abra- 
 ham, behold I have given orders that 
 thou shalt be honored as thou de- 
 sirest on account of thy sister Sarah. 
 
 1 1 . And Abraham went forth from 
 the king, and the king's present fol- 
 lowed 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 belong- 
 ing to thee, 
 
 15. And on that night there was 
 a great outcry in the land of the Phi- 
 listines, and the inhabitants of the 
 land saw the figure of a man stand- 
 ing 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 Philis- 
 tines on that night, and there was a 
 great confusion on that night and on 
 the following morning. 
 
 17. And every womb w^as 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 Abime- 
 lech 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 lie 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 yester- 
 night to the whole land, for there was 
 a very great consternation and great 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 57 
 
 pain and lamentation, and we know 
 that this was on account of the wo- 
 man which thou didst take. 
 
 23. Now llierefore, 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 Abiinclech has- 
 tened and called and had Sarah called 
 for, and she came bclbrc him, and 
 he had Abraham called for, and he 
 came before him. 
 
 24. And Abimelech said to them, 
 w^hat is this work you have been do- 
 ing in saying you arc brother and 
 sister, and 1 look 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 ser- 
 vants and maid servants, and a thou- 
 sand pieces of silver, and he gave 
 them to Abraham, and he returned 
 Sarah to him. 
 
 26. And Abimelech said to Abra- 
 ham, 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 in- 
 flicted upon them the whole night on 
 account of Sarah. 
 
 29. And Abimelech sent for Abra- 
 ham, saying, pray now for thy ser- 
 vants to the Lord thy God, that he 
 may put awa)'' this mortality from 
 amongst us. 
 
 30. And Abraham prayed on ac- 
 count of Abimelech and his subjects, 
 
 and the Lord heard the prayer of 
 Abraham, and he healed Abimelech 
 and all his subjects. 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 \. 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 remem- 
 bered 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 Abra- 
 ham 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 Abi- 
 melech 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 Abra- 
 ham made upon the day of his son 
 Isaac's being weaned. 
 
 6. Also Terah, the father of Abra- 
 ham, 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 
 
58 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 with him many days in the land of 
 the PhiUstines. 
 
 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 Abra- 
 ham was grown up in those days ; 
 he was fourteen years old when Sa- 
 rah bare Isaac to Abraham. 
 
 12. And God was with Ishmael the 
 son of Abraham, and he grew up and 
 he learned the use of 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 accoimt 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 wil- 
 derness, and Ishmael was an archer, 
 and he dwelt in the wilderness a long 
 time. 
 
 17. And he and his mother after- 
 ward 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. 
 
 1 8. And the wife of Ishmael con 
 ceived and bare four sons and twc 
 daughters, and Ishmael and his mo 
 
 I ther and his wife and children after 
 I ward went and returned to the wil- 
 derness. 
 
 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 in- 
 creased in cattle. 
 
 21. And Ishmael dwelt in deserts 
 and in tents, travelling and resting 
 for a long time, and he did not see 
 the face of his father. 
 
 22. And in some time after, Abra- 
 ham 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 belonffin^ 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 Ish- 
 mael gone ? and she said, he has 
 gone to the field to hunt, and Abra- 
 ham was still mounted upon the 
 camel, for he would not get off ta 
 the ground as he had sworn to his 
 wife Sarah that he would not get ofT 
 from the camel. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 59 
 
 26. And Abraham said to Ish- 
 mael's wife, my daughter give me a 
 little water that I may drink, for I 
 am fatigued from the journey. 
 
 27. And IshmacFs wife answered 
 and said to Abraham, we have 
 neither water nor bread, and siie 
 continued sitting in the tent and did 
 not notice Abraham, neither did she 
 ask him who he was. 
 
 28. But she was beating her chil- 
 dren in the tent, and she was curs- 
 ing them, and she also cursed her 
 husband Ishmael and reproached 
 him, and Abraham heard the words 
 of fshmael's wife to her children, 
 and he was very angry and dis- 
 pleased, 
 
 29. And Abraham called to the 
 woman to come out to him from the 
 lent, and the woman came and stood 
 opposite to Abraham, for Abraham 
 was still mounted upon the camel. 
 
 30. And Abraham said to Ish- 
 mael's wife, when thy husband Ish- 
 mael returneth home say these words 
 to him. 
 
 31. A very old mgn from the land 
 of the Philistines came hither to 
 seek thee, and thus was his appear- 
 ance and figure ; I did not ask him 
 w^ho he was, and seeing thou wast 
 not here he spoke unto me and said, 
 when Ishmael they husband return- 
 eth 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 in- 
 structions to the woman, and he 
 turned and went off on the camel 
 homeward. 
 
 33. And after that Ishmael come 
 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 they hus- 
 band 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 Islnnael 
 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 
 
€0 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Jiim ; 
 
 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 com- 
 manding the woman, and he rode off 
 to his home to the land of the Phil- 
 istines ; 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 appear- 
 ance, 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 XXII. 
 
 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 Ish- 
 mael his son the transaction with the 
 first wife that Ishmael took, accord- 
 ing to what she did. 
 
 3. And Ishmael and his children 
 dwelt with Abraham many days in 
 tJiot 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 Abi- 
 melech king of the Philistines heard 
 the report that Abraham's servants 
 had dug wells of water in the bor- 
 ders 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 Abra- 
 ham, as the Lord liveth who created 
 the whole earth I did not hear of the 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 61 
 
 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 Becrsheba, for there 
 they both swore concerning it. 
 
 10. And they both made a co- 
 venant in Becrsheba, and Abime- 
 lech rose up with Phicol the cap- 
 tain 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 Becr- 
 sheba and he was in that land a long 
 time. 
 
 1 1 . 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 traveller came to 
 Abraham he entered any gate which 
 was in his road, and remained there 
 and ate and drank and satisfied him- 
 self 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. 
 
 1.3. And any man who had hunger 
 and came to Abraham's house, Abra- 
 ham would give him bread tiiat 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 Na- 
 hor 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, Abra- 
 ham's wife, bare to him. 
 
 17. And these are the names of 
 those that were born to him, Uz, 
 Buz, Kemuel, Kesed, Chazo, Pil- 
 dash, Tidlaf, and Bcthuel, 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, Ga- 
 chash, Tachash and Maacha, being 
 four sons. 
 
 19. And the children that were 
 born to Nahor were twelve sons be- 
 sides 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, Che- 
 ref, Gadin, Mclus, and Deborah 
 their sister. 
 
 21. And the sons of Buz were 
 Berachel, Naamalh, Sheva and Ma- 
 donu. 
 
 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 Molocli. 
 
 * Hebrew, all the clays. 
 
62 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 25. And the sons of Yidlaf were 
 Mushan, Cushan and Mulzi. 
 
 26. And the children of Bethuel 
 were Sechar, Laban and their sister 
 Rebecca. 
 
 27. These are the famihes 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* un- 
 to this day. 
 
 29. And the children of Kesed 
 also went to dwell where they could 
 find a 'place, and they went and they 
 found a valley opposite to the land 
 of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 
 
 30. And they there built them- 
 selves a city, and they called the 
 name of the city Kesed after the 
 name of their father, that is the land 
 Kasdimt unto this day, and the Kas- 
 dim dwelt in that land and they 
 were fruitful and multiphed exceed- 
 ingly 
 
 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 
 
 * Mesopotamia. 
 t Chaldea. 
 
 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 daugh- 
 ters ; and the Lord gave to Aram 
 the son of Zoba, riches and posses- 
 sions, and abundance of cattle, and 
 flocks and herds, and the m.an in- 
 creased greatly. 
 
 37. And Aram the son of Zoba 
 and his brother and all his house- 
 hold 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 slop in Haran to- 
 gether with their brethren the child- 
 ren 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 Abra- 
 ham 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 him- 
 self 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 T 
 gave my soul unto the Lord, and I 
 did not transgress his word whick 
 he commanded my father. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 63 
 
 43. And Isaac answered Ishmael, 
 saying, why dost thou boast to me 
 about this, about a htlle bit of thy 
 flesh which thou didst take from thy 
 body, concerning which the Lord 
 commanded thee ? 
 
 44. As the Lord hveth, the God 
 of my father Abraham, if the Lord 
 should say unto my father, take now 
 thy son Isaac and bring liim up an 
 ofl'ering before me, I woukl not re- 
 frain but I would joyfully accede to 
 it. 
 
 45. And the Lord heard the word 
 that Isaac spoke to Ishmael, and it 
 seemed good in tiie 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 them- 
 selves 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 an- 
 swered the Lord and said, from go- 
 ing 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 for- 
 sake 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. 
 
 5L 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 otfering, nei- 
 ther 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 up 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 be- 
 fore me from his flocks or herds. 
 
 55. And Satan answered the Lord 
 and said, speak then now unto Abra- 
 ham as thou hast said, and thou wilt 
 see whether he will not this day trans- 
 gress and cast aside thy words. 
 
 CHAPTER XXHL 
 
 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 
 
64 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 burnt offering upon one of the moun- 
 tains which shall be shown to thee, 
 for there wilt thou see a cloud and 
 the glory of the Lord. 
 
 3. And Abraham said within him- 
 self, 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 to-morrow 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 spo- 
 ken well, go my lord and do unto him 
 as thou hast said, but remove him 
 not at a great distance from me, nei- 
 ther 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 abided all that night with her, 
 and she kissed and embraced him, 
 and gave him instructions till morn- 
 ing. 
 
 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 Abra- 
 ham instructions concerning him. 
 
 10. And Sarah said to Abraham, 
 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. 
 
 IL 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 morn- 
 ing. 
 
 14. And in the morning Sarah se- 
 lected a very fine and beautiful gar- 
 ment from those garments which she 
 had in the house, that Abimelech had 
 given to her. 
 
 1 5. 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 T 
 
 19. "And they still wept together. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 65 
 
 Abraham, Sarah and Isaac and all 
 those that accompanied them on the 
 road wept with them, and JSarah 
 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 
 oflfering 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 returncth he 
 will give unto me all that he pos- 
 sesses, to inherit after him, for I am 
 his first born. 
 
 24. And Eliezer answered Ish- 
 mael and said, surely Abraham did 
 cast thee away with thy mother, 
 and swear that thou shouldst not in- 
 herit 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 faith- 
 ful 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 pro- 
 ceeding 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, 
 
 5 
 
 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 tiiy old age, and 
 wilt thou go and slaughter him this 
 day because he committed no vio- 
 lence, and wilt thou cause the soul 
 of thine only son to perish from the 
 earth ? 
 
 27. Dost thou not know and un- 
 derstand 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 rebu- 
 ked 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 favoured. 
 
 30. And he approached Isaac and 
 said unto him, dost thou not know 
 and understand that tiiy old silly 
 father bringeth thee to the slaughter 
 this day for nought ? 
 
 3L 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, 
 
66 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 him- 
 self 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 
 iheir necks, and they were all terri- 
 fied 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 Abra- 
 ham 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 up- 
 on 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 moun- 
 tain, 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 Eli- 
 ezer and unto Ishmael his son, do 
 you also see that which we see up- 
 on the mountain which is at a dis- 
 tance ? 
 
 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 lo 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 re- 
 mained 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, be- 
 hold, I see here the fire and wood, 
 and where then is the lamb that is 
 to he the burnt offering before the 
 Lord ? 
 
 5L 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 fath- 
 er, I will do all that the Lord spoke 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 67 
 
 to thee with joy and checrfuhiess 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 con- 
 ceal it not from me. 
 
 54. And Isaac answered his fath- 
 er Abraham and said unto him, O 
 my fatlier, as the Lord livcth 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 cheer- 
 ful 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 thev 
 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. 
 
 6 1 . 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 thereby 
 
 profane the burnt offering j and 
 Abraham did so. 
 
 62. And Isaac still said to his 
 fatlier, O my father, when thou shalt 
 have slain me and burnt me for an 
 offering, lake 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 u])on any 
 high place, lest she should cast her 
 soul after me and die. 
 
 63. And Abraham heard the 
 words of Isaac, and he lifted up his 
 voice and wept when Isaac spake 
 these W'ords ; and Abrab.am's tears 
 gushed down upon Isaac his son, 
 and Isaac wept bitterly, and he said 
 to his father, hasten tliou, my 
 father, and do with mc the will of 
 the Lord our God as he has com- 
 manded 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 liis 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 be- 
 fore the Lord. 
 
 66. At that time the angels of 
 mercy came before the Lord and 
 spake to him concerning Isaac, say- 
 ing' 
 
 67. O 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 redemp- 
 tion instead of thy servant Isaac, and 
 pity and have compassion upon Abra- 
 
68 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 ham and upon Isaac his son, who 
 are this day performing thy com- 
 mands, 
 
 68. Hast thou seen, Lord, how 
 Isaac the son of Abraham thy ser- 
 vant 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 appear- 
 ed 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 per- 
 forming this act, and in not withhold- 
 ing thy son, thine only son, from me. 
 
 70. And Abraham Hfted 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. 
 
 7L 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 
 advancmgto him and Satan withhold- 
 ing 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 al- 
 tar, 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 fin- 
 ished 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 compas- 
 sion 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 
 accoimt 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, 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 69 
 
 have brought thee up ; 7iow my joy 
 is turned into mourning over thee, 1 
 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 Lord our God, 
 for all thy works are good and righ- 
 teous ; for I also am rejoiced with 
 thy word which thou didst command, 
 and whilst mine eye weepeth bitterly 
 7}iy heart rcjoiceth. 
 
 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 whilst she sent some 
 of her servants to seek where Abra- 
 ham 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. x\nd 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 falselv 
 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 ac- 
 count 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 Sa- 
 rah, 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 in- 
 formed. 
 
 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 ? 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 XXIV. 
 
 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 child- 
 ren 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. 
 
70 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 3. And the children of Heth said 
 unto Abraham, behold the land is 
 before thee, in the choice of our se- 
 pulchres 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 
 intreat 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 he for a posses- 
 sion of a burial place for ever. 
 
 6. And Ephron answered and said, 
 behold the field and the cave are be- 
 fore thee, give Avhatever thou desir- 
 est; 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 breth- 
 ren heard this, and Abraham weigh- 
 ed 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 Ashu- 
 nach the Hivite, Abdon son of Achi- 
 ram 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//om his seed, and from 
 those that go out of his city, and 
 from their seed for ever, are to be a 
 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 ivith witnesses. 
 
 1 1 . 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 buri- 
 ed 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 inter- 
 ment of kings, and she was buried in 
 very fine and beautiful garments. 
 
 14. And at her bier was Shem, 
 his sons Eber and Abimelech, to- 
 gether with Anar, Ashcol and Mamre, 
 and all the grandees of the land fol- 
 lowed 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 tlie 
 land comforted Abraham and Isaac 
 his son on account of Sarah. 
 
 17. And when the days of their 
 mourning passed by Abraham sent 
 awav his son Isaac, and he went to 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER 
 
 71 
 
 the house of Shem and Eber, to 
 learn the ways of tlic Jjoid 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 Bcershe- 
 ba, and Abraham and all his servants 
 remained in Beersheba. 
 
 19. And at the revolution of the 
 year Abimelcch king of the Philis- 
 tines 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 liis son, and he was 
 only twelve years old, and they 
 made him king 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 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 wher- 
 ever they should light upon, for they 
 were fruitful and increased aburi- 
 dantly. 
 
 26. And they went and built them- 
 selves 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 
 llaran. 
 
 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 
 birth place, 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 
 
72 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 go to thy birth place and to thy 
 lather's house, and take a wife for 
 thy son from there ; but if the woman 
 be not wiUing to follow me to this 
 land, shall I take thy son back to the 
 land of thy birth place ? 
 
 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 jjlace, and he made his 
 camels to kneel down by the water 
 and they remained there. 
 
 36. And Eliezer, Abraham's ser- 
 vant, prayed and said, God of 
 Abraham my master ; send me I 
 pray thee good speed this day and 
 show kindness unto my master, that 
 thou shall appoint this day a wife 
 for my master's son fi'om his family. 
 
 37. And the Lord hearkened to 
 the voice of Eliezer, for the sake of 
 his servant Abraham, and he hap- 
 pened 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 gi-eatly 
 rejoiced at him. 
 
 39. And they all blessed the Lord 
 who brought this thing about, and 
 they gave him Rebecca, the daugh- 
 ter 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 mas- 
 ter ; and.they roseup 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 XXV. 
 
 1 . And it was at that time that 
 Abiaham again took a wife in his old 
 age, and her name was Keturah,from 
 the land of Canaan. 
 
 2. And she bare unto him Zim- 
 rau, Yokshan, Medan, Midian, Yish- 
 bak and Shuach, being six sons. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 n 
 
 And the children of Zemran were 
 Abihen, Molich and Marim. 
 
 3. And the sons of Yokshan were 
 Sheba and Dedan, and tlie sons of 
 Medan were Amida, Joab, Gochi, 
 Ehsha and Nothach ; and the sons 
 of Midian were Ephah, Epher, 
 Chanoch, Abida and Eldaah. 
 
 4. And the sons of Yishbak were 
 Makiro, Beyodua and Tator. 
 
 5. And the sons of Shuach were 
 Bildad, Mamdad, Munan and Meban ; 
 all these arc the families of the chil- 
 dren of Keturah the Canaanitish wo- 
 man which she bare unto Abraham 
 the Hebrew. 
 
 6. And Abraham sent all these 
 away, and he gave them gifts, and 
 ihey went away from his son Isaac 
 to dwell wherever they should find 
 a place. 
 
 7. And all these went to the moun- 
 tain at the east, and they built them- 
 selves six cities in which they dwelt 
 unto this day. 
 
 8. But the children of Sheba and 
 Dedan, children of Yokshan, with 
 their children, did not dwell with their 
 brethren in their cities, and they jour- 
 neyed 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 
 fo\md a large valley in the eastern 
 country, and they remained thej'e 
 and built a city, and they dwelt 
 therein ; that is the land of Midian 
 unto tins day. 
 
 10. And Midian dv^^elt 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 Mcdin, and the sons 
 of Chanoch were Rcuel, Rckem, Azi, 
 Alyosliub and Alad. 
 
 13. And the sons of Abida were 
 Chur, Melud, Keruy, Molchi ; and 
 the sons of Eldaah were Mikcr, and 
 Reba, and Malchiyah and Gabol ; 
 these are the names of the Midianites 
 according to their families ; and af- 
 terward the families of Midian spread 
 throughout the land of Midian. 
 
 14. And these are the generations 
 of Ishmael the son of 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, Adbecl, 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, Nap- 
 hish and Kedma. 
 
 1 9. These arc the sons of Ishmael, 
 and these are their names, bei7ig' 
 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 belong- 
 ing to him, and they went to dwell 
 where they should find a place. 
 
 20. And they went and dwelt near 
 
74 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 the wilderness of Paran, and their 
 dwelhng 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 chil- 
 dren born to them, and they were 
 fruitful and increased abundantly. 
 
 22. And these are the names of 
 the sons of Nebayoth the first born 
 of Ishmael ; Mend, Send, and Ma- 
 yon ; and the sons of Kedar were 
 Alyon, Ke^em, Ciiamad and Eli. 
 
 23. And the sons of Adbeel were 
 Chamad and Jabin ; and the sons of 
 Mibsam were Obadiah, Ebedmelech 
 and Ycush ; these are the families 
 of the children of Ribah the wife of 
 Ishmael. 
 
 24. And the sons of Mishmatheson 
 of Ishmael were Shamua, Zecaryon 
 and Obed ; and the sons of Dumah 
 were Kezcd, 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 Ebcd- 
 Tamed, Abiyasaph and Mir; and 
 the sons of Kedma were Calip, 
 Tachti, and Omir ; these were the 
 children of Malchuth the wife of Ish- 
 mael according to their families. 
 
 27. All these are the families of 
 Ishmael according to their genera- 
 tions, and they dwelt in those lands 
 wherein they had built themselves 
 cities unto this day. 
 
 28. And Rebecca the daughter of 
 Bethnel, the wife of Abraham's son 
 Isaac, was barren in those days, she 
 had no offspring ; and Isaac dwelt 
 
 * This is generally called Mohammed. 
 
 [ 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 Arpach- 
 shad lived were four hundred and 
 thirty eight years, and he died. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 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 tiiy 
 mother Sarah was barren in her 
 days until my lord Abraham, thy 
 father, prayed for her and she con- 
 ceived 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 al- 
 ready prayed for me to God to mul- 
 tiply his seed, now therefore tiiis 
 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, Lord God 
 of heaven and earth, whose good- 
 ness and mercies fill the earth, thou 
 who didst take my father from his 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 75 
 
 father's house and from his birlh 
 j)lace, 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 
 veritied which thou didst speak unto 
 my father. 
 
 7. For thou art the Lord our God, 
 oiu' 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 ordij. 
 
 8. And the Lord heard the prayer 
 of Isaac the son of Abraham, and the 
 Lord was intreatcd of him and Re- 
 becca 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 
 mc ? 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 
 tliis matter, and that they should 
 seek the Lord in this thing respect- 
 ing her. 
 
 1 1 . 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 otlier, and the 
 greater shall serve the younger. 
 
 13. And when her days to be de- 
 livered were completed, she knell 
 down, and behold there were twins 
 in her womb, as the Lord had spo- 
 ken 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 bro- 
 ther, and his hand look hokl of Esau's 
 heel, therefore they called his name 
 Jacob. 
 
 16. And Isaac, the son of Abra- 
 ham, 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 de- 
 signing 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 Abra- 
 ham 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 Abra- 
 ham'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, say- 
 
76 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 ing, dost thou not know and under- 
 stand 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, hear- 
 ken to my voice, and keep the com- 
 mandments 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 hav- 
 ing 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 Avhich 
 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 com- 
 mands 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 se- 
 venty-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 bu- 
 ried 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. 
 
 3L 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 Ca- 
 naan, 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 accoiuit of Abraham, for Abraham 
 had been good to them all, and be- 
 cause he had been upright with God 
 and men. 
 
 34. And theie arose not a man 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 77 
 
 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 Ninirod and his people, and when 
 he made war with the four kings of 
 Elam he conquered them. 
 
 36. And he brought all the chil- 
 dren 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 Abra- 
 ham. 
 
 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 command- 
 ed him ; he did not turn to the right 
 or to the left from the right path 
 which his father had commanded 
 him. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 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 wilder- 
 ness, 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 wilder- 
 ness. 
 
 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 has- 
 tened 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 Nim- 
 rod, who had left him to go to the 
 wilderness, heard the cry at a dis- 
 tance, 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 escap- 
 ed ; and Esau took the valuable gar- 
 ments of Nimrod, which Nimrod's 
 
78 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 ; 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 chil- 
 dren of Heth for the possession of a 
 burial ground, Esau also sold to Ja- 
 cob, 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 re- 
 stored 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 XXVIII. 
 
 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 ra- 
 ging in the land of Canaan, Isaac 
 rose up to go down to Egypt on ac- 
 count 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 hut 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 Re- 
 becca his wife was of a beautiful ap- 
 pearance, and the people of Gerar 
 asked Isaac concerning his wife, and 
 he said, she is my sister, for he was 
 afraid to say she loos 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 net, nei- 
 ther 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 him- 
 self. 
 
 7. And when Isaac had remained 
 three months in the land, Abimelech 
 looked out at the window, and he 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 79 
 
 saw, and behold Isaac was sporting 
 with Rebecca his wife, for Isaac 
 dweh 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 Abimc- 
 Icch, 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 tiiey took Isaac and Re- 
 becca his wife and brought them be- 
 fore the king. 
 
 1 1 . 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 be- 
 tween his father and Abraham. 
 
 13. And Abimelech said unto 
 Isaac, behold the whole earth is be- 
 fore thee ; dwell wherever it may 
 seem good in thy sight until thou 
 shalt return to thy land ; and Abime- 
 lech gave Isaac fields and vineyards 
 
 and the best part of the land of Ge- 
 rar, 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 tiiat 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 fa- 
 mine had passed away the Lord ap- 
 peared to Isaac and said luito him, 
 rise up, go forth from this place and 
 return to thy land, to the land of 
 Canaan ; and Isaac rose up and re- 
 turned to Hebron which is in the 
 land of Canaan, he and all belonging 
 to him as the Lord commanded him. 
 
 17. And after this Shelach the 
 son of 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 
 ^hem 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 Ca- 
 naan. 
 
 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 *invci- 
 
 * The literal meaning of the Hebrew is, "he 
 stole their minds," a beautiful figure in the ori- 
 ginal to express deceit, falsehood and fraud. 
 
80 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 gled 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 Jehu- 
 dith, the daughter of Beeri, son of 
 Epher, from the families of Hcth the 
 son of Canaan. 
 
 23. And Esau look 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 fif- 
 tieth 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 con- 
 cerning 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 re- 
 membered 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 XXIX. 
 
 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 grey- 
 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 or- 
 dered 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 sa- 
 vory 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 81 
 
 it before his father before Esau had 
 come from his chase. 
 
 7. And Isaac said unto Jacob, 
 who art thon, my son ? And he said 
 I am thy first born Esau, 1 have 
 done as thou didst order me, now 
 therefore rise up I pray liiee, 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 iiis father ; 
 and as soon as Isaac had blessed 
 Jacob and he had gone away from 
 him, beiiold 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 earnest 
 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 birth right 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 ac- 
 count of the blessing that liis father 
 had given him, and his anger was 
 greatly roused asi:ainst 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 Shcm, and he concccded 
 
 6 
 
 Itimself there on account of hi» 
 brother, and Jacob was sixty three 
 years old when he went forth from 
 the land of Canaan from Hebron, and 
 Jacob was concealed in Ebcr's house 
 fourteen years on account of his 
 brother Esau, and he there coiuinued 
 to learn the ways of the Lord and 
 his commandments. 
 
 12. And when Esau saw that 
 Jacob had fled and escaped from 
 iiim, 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 liis wife 
 and went away from his father and 
 mother to the land of Scir, 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 Hitlite, and 
 he took her for a wife in addition to 
 his^r^^ 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 
 
82 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 fourth 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 
 shall 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 com- 
 mand 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 child- 
 ren 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 com- 
 mand 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 thon 
 shouldst forget the Lord thy God 
 and all his ways in the land to which 
 thou goest, and shouldst get con- 
 nected 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 
 there take a wife according 1o 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 may- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 83 
 
 est 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 command- 
 ing Jacob and blessing him, and he 
 gave him many gifts, together with 
 silver and gold, and he sent liim away ; 
 and Jacob hearkened to his father 
 and mother ; he kissed them and 
 arose and went to Padanaram, and 
 Jacob was seventy seven years old 
 when he went out from the land of 
 Canaan from Beersheba. 
 
 31. And when Jacob w^ent 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 Ja- 
 cob, and he lurked for him in the 
 border of the land of Canaan oppo- 
 site 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 Jie 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 Ja- 
 cob and he answered and said unto him, 
 thus did my father command me, and 
 now therefore J 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 suppli- 
 cated 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 belong- 
 ing 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 re- 
 turned 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, becaiise they had not 
 put Jacob to death. 
 
 41. And they answered and said 
 unto Esau, because Jacob supplica- 
 ted us in this matter not to !*lay him. 
 
84 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Ehphaz 
 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 other wives he took Machlath the 
 daughter of Ishmael, the sister of 
 Nebayoth, for a wife. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 1 . And Jacob went forth continu- 
 ing his road to Haran, and he came 
 as far as mount Moriah, and he tar- 
 ried 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 lo 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 sat by 
 the shepherd's well. 
 
 5. And he there found some men 
 going from Haran to feed their flock, 
 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 fathers 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 
 
 * Having been robbed on the road by Eli- 
 phaz, the 6on of Esau. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 85 
 
 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 Lear and the 
 name of the younger was Rachel ; 
 and Leah was tender-eyed, but Ra- 
 chel was beautiful and well favored, 
 and Jacob loved her. 
 
 14. And Jacob said unto Laban, I 
 will serve thee seven years for Ra- 
 chel thy younger daughter ; and La- 
 ban consented to this and Jacob 
 served Laban seven years for his 
 daughter Rachel. 
 
 15. And in the second year of Ja- 
 cob's dwelling in Haran, that is in 
 the seventy-ninth year of the life of 
 Jacob, in that year died Eber the son 
 of Selah, he was four hundred and 
 sixty -four years old at his death. 
 
 16. And when Jacob heard that 
 Eber was dead he grieved exceed- 
 ingly, and he lamented and mourned 
 over him many days. 
 
 17. And in the third year of Ja- 
 cob'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 Ja- 
 cob's residence in the house of La- 
 ban, the Lord visited Laban and re- 
 membered 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 Cho- 
 rash. 
 
 19. And the Lord gave Laban 
 riches and honor, sons and daugh- 
 ters, and the man increased greatly 
 on account of Jacob. 
 
 20. And Jacob in those days serv- 
 ed Laban in all manner of work, in 
 the house and in the field, and the 
 blessing of the Lord was in edl that 
 
 belonged to Laban in the house and 
 in the field. 
 
 21. And in the fifth year died Je- 
 hudith, 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 Jehudilh 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, Ahlibaraah, 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 be- 
 tween 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 Ca- 
 naan could not bear him on account 
 of his cattle. 
 
 27. And when Esau saw that his 
 quarrelling increased with the inha- 
 bitants 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 pos- 
 sessed, and all his property that he 
 had acquired in the land of Canaan, 
 and he went away from the inhabit- 
 ants 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 
 
86 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 would go and see his father and mo- 
 ther 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 daugh- 
 ter Marzith to Anah, the son of Ze- 
 beon, 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 XXXI. 
 
 1. And in the seventh year, Ja- 
 cob's service which he served Laban 
 was completed, and Jacob said unto 
 Ijaban, give me my wife, for the days 
 of my service are fulfilled ; and La- 
 ban did so, and Laban and Jacob as- 
 sembled 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 hand- 
 maid. 
 
 6. And all the people at the feast 
 knew what Laban had done to Jacob, 
 but they did not tell the thing to Ja- 
 cob. 
 
 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 befoi'e 
 Jacob, Heleah, Heleah.t 
 
 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 extin- 
 guished. 
 
 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 hand- 
 maid. 
 
 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. 
 
 * SriD is commonly translated a dance, but it 
 seems by this book that it must have been a 
 sort of musical instrument. 
 
 t Composed of two Hebrew words, dn'? N'D 
 He Leah, i. e., she is Leah. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASIIER. 
 
 87 
 
 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 hand- 
 maid 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 open- 
 ed 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, say- 
 mg, 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, Re- 
 
 becca 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 wiiich 
 his mother had spoken. 
 
 24. At that time, the other seven 
 years which Jacob served I^aban 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 of 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 speck- 
 led 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 La- 
 ban's flock. 
 
 29. And when the servants of 
 Isaac which he had sent unto Jacob 
 saw that Jacob would not then re- 
 turn 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.. 
 
88 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 30. And Deborah remained with 
 Jacob in Haran, and she did not re- 
 turn with ihe servants of Isaac to 
 the land of Canaan, and Deborah 
 resided with Jacob's wives and child- 
 ren 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 appear- 
 ance and were very productive, and all 
 the famihes of the sons of men desired 
 to get some of the cattle of Jacob, 
 for they were exceedingly pros- 
 perous. 
 
 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 ac- 
 quired all this glory. 
 
 36. And Jacob beheld the counte- 
 nance of Laban and of his children, 
 and behold it was not toward him in 
 those days as it had been before. 
 
 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 birth place 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. 
 
 29. And Laban did not know that 
 Jacob had gone from him, for La- 
 ban had been that day sheep shear- 
 ing. 
 
 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, then 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 those im- 
 ages which were her father's, in 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 89 
 
 order that Laban might not know 
 through tiiem where Jacob had gone. 
 
 45. And Laban came home and 
 he asked concerning Jacob and liis 
 household, and he was not to be 
 
 found, and Laban sought his images 
 to know wiiere Jacob liad gone, and 
 could not find tJiem, and he went to 
 some other images, and he inquired 
 of them and they told him that Jacob 
 had fled from Inm to his father's to 
 the land of Canaan. 
 
 46. And Lal)an then rose up and 
 he took his brothers and all his ser- 
 vants, 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 cap- 
 tives 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 whomso- 
 ever thou findest thy gods he shall 
 die. 
 
 50. And Laban searched for the 
 images and he examined in all Ja- 
 cob's tents and furniture, but could 
 not find them. 
 
 5L 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 
 
 * Hebrew, steal my heart. 
 
 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 tar- 
 ried in the mount all night, and La- 
 ban rose up early in the morning, 
 and he wept with his daughters and 
 he kissed them, and he returned un- 
 to liis place. 
 
 54. And he hastened and sent off 
 his son Beor, who was seventeen 
 years old, with Abichorof the son of 
 LJz, the son of Nahor, and with them 
 were ten men. 
 
 55. And thev 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. Ilast thou heard what Jacob 
 thy brother has done unto mc, who 
 first came to me naked and bare, and 
 1 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 abundant- 
 ly, 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 abun- 
 dance ; and when he saw that liis 
 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 properly 
 
90 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 which he acquired in my land, and 
 he hfted up his countenance to go to 
 his father Isaac to the land of Ca- 
 naan. 
 
 61. And he did not suffer mc 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 messen- 
 gers came and' told Esau all these 
 things. 
 
 64. And Esau heard all the words 
 of Laban's messengers, and his an- 
 ger was greatly kindled against Ja- 
 cob, 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, heiyig 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 num- 
 ber of four hundred men with drawn 
 swords, and he went unto Jacob to 
 smite him. 
 
 66. And Esau divided this num- 
 ber into several parts, and he took the 
 sixty men of his children and ser- 
 vants 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 child- 
 ren. 
 
 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 de- 
 parted from Esau and went to the 
 land of Canaan, and they came to the 
 house of Rebecca the mother of Ja- 
 cob and Esau. 
 
 70. And they told her, saying, be- 
 hold thy son Esau has gone against 
 his brother Jacob with four hundred 
 men, for he heard that he was com- 
 ing, 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 ser- 
 vants 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 liim 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 fath- 
 er'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 tliy 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, hear- 
 ken 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 
 
 * Hebrew, peace. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 91 
 
 give him a present fx'om what thou 
 possessest, and from what God has 
 favored thee with. 
 
 76. And when he asketh thee con- 
 cerning thy affairs, conceal notliing 
 from liim, perliaps lie may turn from 
 his anger aijainst 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 mes- 
 sengers had spoken to him, Jacob 
 lifted up his voice and wept bitterly, 
 and did as his mother then command- 
 ed him. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 1. And at that time Jacob sent 
 messengers to his brother Esau to- 
 ward the land of Seir, and he spoke 
 to him words of supplication. 
 
 2. And he commanded them, say- 
 ing, thus shall ye say to my lord, "to 
 Esau, thus saith thy servant Jacob, 
 let not my lord imagine that my fath- 
 er'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 arc in tlie 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 uf 
 w?/.?e//" obtained wealth, or tiiat the 
 blessing with which my father bless- 
 ed 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 Horitc were 
 standing with drawn swords. 
 
 8. And the messengers of Jacob 
 told Esau all tiie words that Jacob 
 had spoken to them concerning 
 Esau. 
 
 9. And Esau answered thcni with 
 pride and contem})t, and said unto 
 them, surely I have heard and truly 
 it lias been told unto me what Jacob 
 has done to Laban, who exalted him 
 in his house and gave him his daugh- 
 ters 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 tiieir father, as captives 
 taken by the sword, without telling 
 him of it. 
 
 1 1 . And not only to Laban has 
 Jacob done thus but also unto me 
 has he done so, and has twice sup- 
 planted 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 
 
92 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 slialt 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 dis- 
 tressed. 
 
 16. And Jacob prayed to the Lord 
 his God, and he said, Lord God 
 of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, 
 thou didst say unto me when I went 
 away from my father's house, say- 
 ing, 
 
 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 ut- 
 most 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 wiih thee. 
 
 20. And now that I have come, 
 and thou didst deliver me from La- 
 ban, I shall fall in the hands of Esau 
 who will slay me, yea, together with 
 the mothers of my children. 
 
 21. Now therefore 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 righteous- 
 ness in me, do it for the sake of Abra- 
 ham and my father Isaac. 
 
 23. For I know that through kind- 
 ness 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 ser- 
 vant, for a camp, with his children, 
 and the other half he gave to the care 
 of his brother Eliaims the son of 
 Eliezer, to be for a camp with his 
 children. 
 
 25. And he commanded them, say- 
 ing, 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 tamed there that 
 night, and during the whole night he 
 gave his servants instructions con- 
 cerning the forces and his children. 
 
 27. And the Lord heard the pray- 
 er of Jacob on that day, and the 
 Lord then delivered Jacob from the 
 hands of his brother Esau. 
 
 28. And the Lord sent three an- 
 gels of the angels of heaven, and 
 ihey went before Esau and came to 
 him. 
 
 29. And these angels appeared un- 
 to Esau and his people as two thou- 
 sand men, riding upon horses fur- 
 nished with all sorts of war instru- 
 ments, 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 93 
 
 they found Esau coming with four 
 hundred men toward his brother Ja- 
 cob, 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 ivJio 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 twen- 
 ty 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 spokest thy bro- 
 ther, we had not left one remaining 
 fiom thee and thy people, but only 
 on account of Jacob we will do no- 
 thing 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 terri- 
 fied, 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 ac- 
 count of Jacob of whom thou spokest 
 being thy brother, we will not med- 
 dle with thee or thy men. 
 
 38. And the third camp also passed 
 from them, and he still continued his 
 road Avith 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 lia- 
 tred against Jacob, because he was 
 afraid of his life on account of his 
 brother Jacob, and because he ima- 
 gined that the four camps that he 
 had lighted upon were Jacob's ser- 
 vants. 
 
 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 pro- 
 perty ; and Jacob rose up in the 
 morning, he and his men, and they 
 chose from amongst the cattle a pre- 
 sent 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 
 
 ♦Although they tlid no actual injury to them, 
 they caused great alarm and confu.sion to Esau 
 and his people ; this is the evil alluded to. 
 
94 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 
 imto 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 bro- 
 ther 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 had passed all 
 belonging to him over the brook, Ja- 
 cob 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 pass- 
 ed the brook at the break of day, and 
 he halted upon his thigh. 
 
 50. And the svm 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 pre- 
 sent 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 di- 
 vided his children unto his wives 
 and his handmaids, and his daughter 
 Dinah he put in a chest, and deliver- 
 ed her into the hands of his servants. 
 
 54. And he passed before his chil- 
 dren and wives to meet his brother, 
 and he bowed down to the ground, 
 yea he bowed down seven times un- 
 til 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 Ja- 
 cob was turned into kindness. 
 
 56. And when Esau saw Jacob 
 running toward him, he also ran to- 
 ward him and he embraced him, and 
 he fell upon his neck, and they kissed 
 and they wept. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 95 
 
 57. And God put fear and kind- 
 ness 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 off- 
 spring, the children of Jacob, walk- 
 ing 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 speak- 
 ing to Esau and his men, Esau be- 
 held 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, say- 
 ing, take I pray thee the present 
 that I have brought to my lord, and 
 Esau said, wherefore is this my pur- 
 pose ? keep that which thou hast 
 unto thyself. 
 
 63. And Jacob said, it is incum- 
 bent 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 press- 
 ed iiim so much that he took tlietti. 
 
 66. And Esau divided the cattle 
 that was 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 liie silver and gold and 
 bdellium he gave in the hands of Eli- 
 phaz 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 bro- 
 ther and said, I would do as my lord 
 speaketh unto me, but my lord know- 
 elh 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 necdelh 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 
 
96 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 in order to remove Esau and his men 
 from him, so that Jacob might after- 
 ward 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 XXXTII. 
 
 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 child- 
 ren 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 Suc- 
 coth 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 be- 
 
 hold 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 seiz- 
 ed her forcibly and lay with her and 
 humbled* her, and he loved her ex- 
 ceedingly 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 
 
 * Translated in the Bible, " and he defiled 
 her." Genesis, ch. 34, v. 2. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 97 
 
 drove them from his house, and he 
 would not suffer them to come before 
 Dinah, but Shechem was silting with 
 Dinah kissing and embracing her 
 before their eves. 
 
 14. And tlie servants of Jacob 
 came back and told him, saying, 
 when we came, he and his men 
 drove us away, and thus did fShechem 
 do unto Dinah before our eves. 
 
 15. And Jacob knew moreover 
 that Shechem had defiled his daugh- 
 ter, 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 Chiddckem, the 
 son of Pered, saying, get me this 
 damsel for a wife. 
 
 17. And Hamor the son of Chid- 
 dekem the Hivite came to the house 
 of Shechem his son, and he sat be- 
 fore him, and Hamor said unto his 
 son, Shechem, is there then no 
 woman amoi^gst 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, foi; he was greatly beloved 
 by him. 
 
 19. And Hamor went forth to 
 Jacob to commune with him con- 
 cerning 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 
 
 7 
 
 Shechem the son of Hamor had 
 done. 
 
 20. And the men were very much 
 grieved concerning their sister, and 
 they all came home fired witii 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 be- 
 hold Shechem has both ravaged and 
 committed fornication with our sister, 
 and not one of all ihe people of the 
 city spoke a word to him. 
 
 22. Surely thou knowest and an- 
 derstandest that the judgment of 
 death is due to Shechem, and to his 
 father, and to the whole city on ac- 
 count of the thing which he has done. 
 
 23. And whilst they were speak- 
 ing before their father in this matter, 
 behold Hamor the father of She- 
 chem 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 exten- 
 sive, 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 speakmg 
 
98 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 what- 
 ever 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 answer- 
 ed Hamor and Shechem his son de- 
 ceitfully, 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 She- 
 chem 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, aud 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 un- 
 to Noah and his children and his 
 seed after them. 
 
 35. And also because Shechem 
 did this thing to our sister Dinah 
 in defiling her, for such vileness 
 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 inhabi- 
 tants 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 circumcis- 
 ed, 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 
 su7ik 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 She- 
 chem 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 com- 
 mand 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 circum- 
 cised, and then we may give him our 
 daughter for a wife. 
 
 43. Now we have made known to 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 99 
 
 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 circum- 
 cised 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 She- 
 chem was very fond of Dinah, and 
 his soul was rivetted 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 accord- 
 ing 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 daugh- 
 ters we will give unto them for 
 wives. 
 
 49. But only on this condition 
 will t.he§e men consent to do this 
 thing ; that every male amongst us 
 
 be circumcised as they are circum- 
 cised, as their God commanded them, 
 and when we shall have done accord- 
 ing to their instructions to be circum- 
 cised, 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, She- 
 chem and Hamor his father rose up 
 early in the morning, and they as- 
 sembled all the men of their city in- 
 to the middle of the city, and they 
 called for the sons of Jacob, who cir- 
 numcised every male belonging to 
 them on that day and the next. 
 
 52. And they circumcised She- 
 chem 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 coun- 
 sel in this matter, in order that the 
 Lord might deliver the city of She- 
 chem into the hands of Jacob's two 
 sons. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 1. Andthenumber of all the males 
 that were circumcised, were six hun- 
 dred 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 She- 
 chem and his father Hamor, and tliey 
 
100 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 sec- 
 ond day, they found eight small chil- 
 dren 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 be- 
 fore 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 daugh- 
 ters 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 ^^our fathers never com- 
 manded you ? 
 
 7. Do you imagine that ^^ou will 
 succeed through tliis act which you 
 have done ? and what will you an- 
 swer in this affair to your brethren 
 the Canaanites, who will come to- 
 morrow 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 we for 
 our lives, in your not having hear- 
 kened to our voices ? 
 
 9. And if the inhabitants of the land 
 and all vour brethren the children of 
 Ham, shall hear of your act, saying, 
 
 10. On account of a Hebrew wo- 
 
 man 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? 
 
 1 1 . Now therefore we cannot bear 
 up against this thing which you have 
 done, neither can we be burthened 
 with this yoke upon us, which our 
 ancestors did not command us. 
 
 12. Behold to-morrow we will go 
 and assemble all our brethren the Ca- 
 naanitish 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 Chidde- 
 kem 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 ob- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 101 
 
 tained 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 spo- 
 ken, 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 fa- 
 ther and to her brethern, 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 an- 
 ger was kindled against them. 
 
 23. And Simeon and Levi swore 
 and said, as the Lord Hveth, the God 
 of the whole earth, by this time to- 
 morrow, 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 es- 
 caped 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 continu- 
 ed 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 conster- 
 nation in the midst of ihe city, and 
 the cry of the people of the city as- 
 cended to heaven, and all the women 
 and children cried aloud. 
 
 27. And Simeon and Levi slew 
 all the city ; they left not a male re- 
 maining 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 Si- 
 meon 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 1 behold I 
 obtained rest amongst the Canaan- 
 itish inhabitants of the land, and none 
 of them meddled with me. 
 
 33. And now you have done to 
 make me obnoxious to the inhabit- 
 ants of the land, amongst the Ca- 
 naanites and the Perizzites, and I 
 am but of a small number, and they 
 will all assemble against me and slay 
 
102 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 witii a harlot in the streets ? 
 
 35. And the number of women 
 whom Simeon and Levi took cap- 
 tives 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 appear- 
 ance 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 She- 
 chem, were servants to the sons of 
 Jacob and to their children after 
 them, until the day of the sons of Ja- 
 cob 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 deso- 
 late without a 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 inhabi- 
 tants of Tapnach all that had befal- 
 len them, and all that the sons of Ja- 
 cob 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 destroy- 
 ed, 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 cou- 
 rageous 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 peo- 
 ple 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER 
 
 103 
 
 46. But if thou tvilt send to all 
 the kings that surround us, and let 
 them come together, tiien we will 
 go with them and fight against the 
 sons of Jacob ; then wilt liiou 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 IShechem and Tap- 
 nach, 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 ihe Amor- 
 ites heard the evil that the sons of 
 Jacob had done to the city of She- 
 chem, and they were greatly aston- 
 ished 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 mv 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 fa- 
 ther, saying, was it for nought my 
 brothers Simeon and Levi killed all 
 the inhabitants of Shechem ? Surely 
 
 it was because Shechem had hum- 
 bled our sister, and transgressed the 
 command of our (xod to Noah and 
 his children, for Shechem took our 
 sister away by force, and committed 
 adultery xoitk 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 J^ord delivered it into their 
 hands, because its inhabitants had 
 transgressed the commands of our 
 God. Is it then for nought that they 
 have done all this ? 
 
 54. And now why art thou afraid 
 or distressed, and why art thou dis- 
 pleased at my brothers, and why is 
 thine anger kindled against tliem ? 
 
 55. Surely our Gocl 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 bro- 
 thers 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 deli- 
 ver 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 arc 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 
 
104 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 and Levi, and unto all his brothers, 
 strengthen yourselves and be sons 
 .of valour, 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 to- 
 ward 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 saine is 
 Kireath-arba, saying, 
 
 64. Pray we beseech thee for 
 us unto the Lord our God, to pro- 
 tect us from the hands of the Ca- 
 naanites 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, 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 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 go- 
 ing, Jacob their father also prayed 
 unto the Lord and said, Lord God, 
 powerful and exalted God, who hast 
 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 hefor" thee 
 that thou mayest turn to ire 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 XXXV. 
 
 1 . And all the kings of the Amo- 
 rites came and took their stand in 
 the field to consult with their coun- 
 sellors 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 105 
 
 with great fear and terror lliat tlicy 
 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 ihcy killed all the inhabi- 
 tants 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 iiot 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 fath- 
 er 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 delight- 
 ed with him, for they know that he 
 delivered them from all their ene- 
 mies. 
 
 1 1 . 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 compas- 
 sion 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 sis- 
 ter, lest they might slay him on ac- 
 count of her, and think of taking her 
 for a wife? and (xod 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 vou heard 
 of? 
 
106 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 17. Could it then be with their 
 own strength that two men could 
 destroy such a large city as She- 
 chem had it not been for their God 
 in whom they trusted? he said and 
 did unto them all this to slay the in- 
 habitants of the city in their city. 
 
 18. And can you then prevail 
 over them who have come forth to- 
 gether from your city to fight with 
 the whole of them, even if a thou- 
 sand times as many more should 
 come to your assistance. 
 
 19. Surely you know and under- 
 stand 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 re- 
 frained 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 pray- 
 ers 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 op- 
 posite mount Sihon, and seeing that 
 these kings did not come to fight 
 against them, the sons of Jacob re- 
 turned home. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 1. At that time the Lord appeared 
 unto Jacob saving, arise, go to Bethel 
 and remain there, and make there 
 an altar to the Lord who appeareth 
 unto thee, who delivered thee and all 
 thy sons from affliction. 
 
 2. And Jacob rose up with his 
 sons and all belonging to him, and 
 they went and came to Bethel ac- 
 cording 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 re- 
 mained in Bethel six months. 
 
 4. At that time died Deborah the 
 daughter of Uz, the nurse of Re- 
 becca, 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 hfe of Rebecca was 
 one hundred and thirty three years, 
 and she died and when Jacob heard 
 
THE BOOK OP JASHER. 
 
 107 
 
 that his mother Rebecca was dead 
 he wept bitterly for his mother, and 
 made a great mourning for lier, and 
 for Deborah her nurse beneatli the 
 oak, and he called the name of that 
 place Allon-bachulh. 
 
 7. And Laban the Syrian died in 
 those days, for God smole him be- 
 cause he transgressed the covenant 
 that existed between him and Jacob. 
 
 8. And Jacob was a hundred 
 years old when the ]jord 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 
 labour and she died. 
 
 11. And Jacob buried her in the 
 way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, 
 and he set a pillar upon lier grave, 
 tuhich 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 hand maid 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 
 birth right, together with the kingly 
 and priestly offices, was removed 
 
 from the sons of Reuben, for he had 
 profaned iiis father's bed, and the 
 birthright was given unto Joseph, 
 the kingly office to Judah, and the 
 priesthood unto Levi, because Reu- 
 ben had defiled his fathers 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 ivere Reu- 
 ben 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, wJiich is Kireath- 
 arba, that is in Hebron, where Abra- 
 ham and Isaac sojourned, and Jacob 
 with his sons and all belonging to 
 him, dwelled 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 
 
108 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 famihes 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, inhab- 
 itants of the land of Seir, Lotan, 
 Shobal, Zibean, 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 tvas that Anah 
 who found the Yemim in the wilder- 
 ness 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 wilder- 
 ness 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 hun- 
 
 dred 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 them- 
 selves 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 like- 
 ness 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 ap 
 proached 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. 
 
 3.5. 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 sis- 
 ter Ahlibamah, and the children of 
 Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ith- 
 ran and Cheran, and the children of 
 Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan, 
 and the children of Dishan were Uz 
 and Aran. 
 
 37. These are the families of the 
 children of Seir the Horite, accord- 
 ing 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 109 
 
 had possessions in it and were fruit- 
 ful and multiplied exceedingly, and 
 Jacob and his children and all belong- 
 ing to them, dwelt with their father 
 Isaac in the land of Canaan as the 
 Lord had commanded Abraham their 
 father. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVTI. 
 
 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 Ca- 
 naan, he came from Padan-aram. 
 
 2. And in those days Jacob jour- 
 neyed with his children from Hebron, 
 and they went and returned to the 
 city of IShechem, they and all belong- 
 ing 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 be- 
 fore Simeon and Levi had smitten 
 the city. 
 
 4. And all those kings of the Ca- 
 naanites and Amorites that surround- 
 ed 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 to- 
 
 gether 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 Sar- 
 ton, and to Laban king of Beth«ho- 
 ran, and to Shabir king of Othnay- 
 raah, 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 inhabi- 
 tants as before ; 
 
 9. And all these kings assembled 
 together and came with all their 
 camps, a people exceedingly plenti- 
 ful like the sand upon the sea shore, 
 and they were all opposite to Tap- 
 nach. 
 
 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. 
 
 ] 1 . 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 re- 
 turn 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 ex- 
 ceedingly 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 
 * Hebrew, a book or record. 
 
no 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 and two of their servants with them 
 equipped in battle array. 
 
 13. And all these men the sons of' 
 Jacob with their servants went to- 
 ward these kings, and Jacob their 
 father was with them, and they all 
 stood upon the heap of Shechem. 
 
 J 4. 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 Almight)'^ 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 tlie hand of their ene- 
 mies, 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 hand of 
 thy ministers,* that they may not 
 perish this day by the hands of the 
 kings of the Amorites. 
 
 17. And when Jacob ceased pray- 
 ing 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. 
 
 ] 8. And the Lord hearkened to the 
 prayer of Jacob, and the Lord im- 
 pressed 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 
 * Angels or messengers. 
 
 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 Ja- 
 cob 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 wei'e inclined to retreat 
 from before the sons of Jacob as at 
 first, and not to fight with them. 
 
 22. But they did not retreat, say- 
 ing, it would be a disgrace to us thus 
 twice to retreat from before the He- 
 brews. 
 
 28, 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 peo- 
 ple, 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 Ill 
 
 his anger burned within him, and he 
 approached to battle in which Judah 
 ventured his hfc.* 
 
 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 wiiilst he was upon the 
 liorse, he shot arrows with both hands 
 from before and behind, as was his 
 manner in all his battles, and he ne- 
 ver missed the place to which he 
 aimed his arrows. 
 
 30. And wlien Jashub came to 
 fight witii 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, Ja- 
 shub kept advancing toward Judah, 
 to challenge him with the arrows, 
 but the distance between them was 
 about thirty cubits, and when Judah 
 saw Jashub darling 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 to- 
 ward 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 
 
 * The literal tran.slation of this is, " and Ju- 
 dah gave his soul to die." 
 
 he had done to Jashub, and they were 
 terribly afraid of Judah. 
 
 35. And they assembled near Ja- 
 shub's camp, seeing his confusion, 
 and Judah drew his sword and smote 
 forty-two men of the camp of Jashub, 
 and the whole of Jashub's camp fled 
 before Judah, and no man stood 
 against him, and they left Jashub 
 and fled from him, and Jashub was 
 still prostrate upon the ground. 
 
 3(3. 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 com- 
 bat 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 Ja- 
 shub's spear, so that the shield of 
 Judah received the blow from Ja- 
 shub's spear, and the shield was split 
 in two, 
 
 39. And when Judah saw that his 
 shield was split, he hastily drew his 
 sword and smote Jashub at his an- 
 cles, 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 sever- 
 ed 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 ar- 
 mies 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 
 
112 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 gourds, and the rest fled for their 
 hves. 
 
 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 tliat was about Jashub, 
 and behold nine men of the captains 
 of Jashub came alone to fight against 
 Judah. 
 
 45. And Judah hastened and took 
 up a stone from the ground, and with 
 it smote ofie 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 Ju- 
 dah, were greatly afraid and they 
 fled, and Judah with his ten men pur- 
 sued 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 re- 
 treat from their places, and they ex- 
 claimed against tliose of their armies 
 that fled from before the sons of Ja- 
 cob, but none would listen to them, 
 for they were afraid of their lives lest 
 they should die. 
 
 48. And all the sons of Jacob, af- 
 ter having smitten the armies of the 
 kings, returned and came before Ju- 
 dah, and Judah was still slaying the 
 eight captains gf Jashub, and strip- 
 ping 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 /or 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 XXXVIIL 
 
 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 ar- 
 row 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 endeavor- 
 ed to retreat, saying, we have no more 
 strength with the Hebrews after their 
 having killed the three kings and 
 their captains who were more power- 
 ful than we are. 
 
 3. And when the sons of Jacob 
 saw that the remaining kings had re- 
 moved from their station, they pur- 
 sued 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 ap- 
 proached 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 tdl they reached the city of 
 Chazar. 
 
 5. And the sons of Jacob pursued 
 them to the gate of the city of Cha- 
 zar, 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 118 
 
 king of Sarton, and Laban king of 
 Bethcliorin,and Shabir king of Mach- 
 naymah, and he slew ihcm all with 
 arrows, an arrow to each of ihem, 
 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 ser- 
 vants 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 them- 
 selves in the midst of the city of Cha- 
 zar, 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. 
 
 1 1 . And four mighty men, experi- 
 enced 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 Ja- 
 cob, and would not suffer them to 
 enter the citv. 
 
 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. 
 
 8 
 
 14. And the sons of Jacob came 
 to the city and saw, and beiiold 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 ium and 
 they all three descended from the 
 wall into the city. 
 
 1 .5. 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 bro- 
 thers, 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 iidiabi- 
 tants 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 Ja- 
 cob 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 cap- 
 ti>red 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 as- 
 sembling to fight with them for hav- 
 ing slain their king, and Sarton was 
 a very high and fortified city, and it 
 
114 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 ac- 
 count 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 round the whole 
 city, and he afterward 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 see- 
 ing that the sons of Jacob were com- 
 ing 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 to- 
 ward 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 in- 
 to the city, and concealed themselves 
 in the midst of the city. 
 
 33. And Issachar and Naphtali 
 that remained under the wall ap- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 115 
 
 preached and broke the gates of the 
 city, and kindled a fire at the gates 
 of the city, that tiie iron niehed, 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 pur- 
 sued them, when twelve mighty and 
 valiant men came out to them from 
 the place where they had concealed 
 themselves. 
 
 38. And those twelve men main- 
 tained 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 
 
 * This is a figurative expression in the He- 
 brew, ta express an exceeding great height. 
 
 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 power- 
 ful 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 Sime- 
 on'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 pow- 
 erful 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 to}d 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 re- 
 maining eight turned back, and be- 
 
116 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 hold, the war waged against them in 
 the front and rear, and thev 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 fliglit 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 remain- 
 der of them, and slew them. 
 
 48. And all the sons of Jacob re- 
 turned 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 thev 
 smote them all. 
 
 49. And the sons of Jacob smote 
 all the inhabitants of the city of Sar- 
 ton, but the women and little ones 
 ihey 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 thou- 
 sand, 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 Sar- 
 ton 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 in- 
 habitants, and they turned and went 
 away. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 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 come 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 Tap- 
 nach 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 be- 
 fore 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 plun- 
 der the city, and they went out to- 
 ward 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 shout- 
 ed 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 BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 117 
 
 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. 
 
 1 1 . And also the remainder of the 
 people who had fled from Sarton, the 
 sons of Jacob smote them in Arbe- 
 lan, 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 their men 
 were dead, they went upon the roofs 
 of the city and smote the sons of Ja- 
 cob by showering down stones like 
 lain. 
 
 12. And the sons of Jacob hasten- 
 ed 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. 
 
 1 3. 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 llie people of 
 Gaash iiad gathered against them to 
 battle, because they had slain their 
 king and their captains, for there had 
 been fourteen captains in tiie city of 
 Gaash, and the sons of Jacob had 
 slain them all in the first battle. 
 
 15 And tiie 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 peo- 
 ple of the people of the Amorites, 
 and Gaash was the strongest and 
 best fortified city of all the cities of 
 the Amorites, and it had three walls. 
 
 16. And the sons of Jacob came 
 to Gaash and they found the gates 
 of the city locked, and about five 
 hundred men standing at the top of 
 the outermost wall, and a people 
 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 ap- 
 proached to open the gates of tiie 
 city, and whilst they were drawing 
 nigh, behold those who were in am- 
 bush at the rear of the city came 
 forth from their places and surround- 
 ed 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 cast- 
 ing 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 
 
118 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 those that were from without and 
 within the city were greatly afraid 
 of their Hves. 
 
 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 re- 
 turned against the men of Gaash 
 who were with them from without 
 the city, and they smote them ter- 
 ribly, 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 ivho were from with- 
 out 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 re- 
 mained 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 as the sons of Jacob 
 came nigh to one corner to fight un- 
 der 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, reproach- 
 ed 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, 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 thev came nigh to slay him when 
 they saw there was no sword in 
 Judah's hand, and they thought of 
 
 * They reviled the God of the sons of Jacob, 
 as inferred from the next verse, " and Judah was 
 jealous of his God," as d.-i'dSkj onSSp'l might 
 bear the translation, and they reviled or cursed 
 them by their own gods, or using the names of 
 their idols m their execrations. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 119 
 
 casting him from tlie wall to liis 
 brothers, and twenty men of the city 
 came up to assist them, and they sur- 
 rounded 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, 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 
 wdio 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 Ju- 
 dah, and the Lord impressed the fear 
 of Judah intheirhearts, 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 great- 
 ly terrified at Judah's strength. 
 
 38. And one of their mighty men 
 whose name was Arud approached 
 
 to strike Judah upon tlic head witii 
 liis 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 slip- 
 ped upon the wall and he fell amongst 
 the sons of Jacob ivho loere 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 ar- 
 rows and stones upon Dan and Judah 
 from the second wall, and endeavor- 
 ed 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 upon 
 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 inhabi- 
 tants 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 
 
120 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 be- 
 tween 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 Ju- 
 dah 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 caus- 
 ed 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 his sons and all 
 their young men came into the city 
 to them. 
 
 49. And Judah and Dan and Naph- 
 tali descended from the wall into the 
 city and pursued the inhabitants of the 
 city, and Simeon and Jjcvi 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 ^owec^ plenti- 
 fully 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 Beth- 
 chorin. 
 
 52. And the people of Bethcho- 
 rin saw at a distance the blood flow- 
 ing 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 con- 
 tinuing to flow abundantly like a 
 brook of water. 
 
 54. And all the sons of Jacob 
 were still smiting the inhabitants of 
 Gaash, and xoere engaged in slaying 
 them till evening, about twenty thou- 
 sand 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 Beth- 
 chorin, who also girt on their wea- 
 pons 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 131 
 
 on they met three very powerful men, 
 and tlierc was no sword in their 
 hand. 
 
 57. And the sons of Jacob came 
 up to the place where they xoere, 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 Zebu- 
 lun. 
 
 59. And the second one approach- 
 ed 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 witli wrath-ex- 
 cited 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 loas 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 escap- 
 ed the sword. 
 
 63. And Simeon and Levi ran up- 
 on the powerful man with their 
 swords and struck at him forcibly 
 with iheir swords, and the two 
 swords entered the body of the pow- 
 erful man and divided it in two, 
 length- wise. 
 
 64. And the sons of Jacob smote 
 the three miglity men at that time, 
 together willi all the inhabitants of 
 Gaash, and the day was about to de- 
 cline. 
 
 65. And the sons of Jacob walk- 
 ed about Gaash and took all the 
 spoil of the city, even the little ones 
 and women they did not suff'cr to 
 live, and the sons of Jacol) did unto 
 Gaash as they had done to Sarton 
 and Shiloh. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 1 . And the sons of Jacob led away 
 all the spoil of (iaash, 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 Beth- 
 chorin, in the castle of Bethchorin. 
 
 3. And all the inhabitants of Beth- 
 chorin were mighty men, one of them 
 would not flee from before a thou- 
 sand 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 llie dark, 
 and they were greatly confounded, 
 and the sons of Jacob cried unto the 
 
122 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 Lord, saying, give help lo us 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 confu- 
 sion to seize the people of Beth- 
 chorin, 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, know- 
 ing 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 Betlicho- 
 rin 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 Chori- 
 niles 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 
 day break and went up to the castle, 
 and they smote those who remained 
 of the Chorinites in a terrible man- 
 ner, 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 aboiU 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 peo- 
 ple 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 un- 
 to Bethchorin as they had done to 
 Gaash and Tapnach, and as they 
 had done to Chazar, to Sarton and 
 to Shiloh. 
 
 16. And the sons of Jacob took 
 with them the spoil of Bethchorin 
 and all the spoil of the cities, and on 
 that day they went home to She- 
 chem. 
 
 17. And the sons of Jacob came 
 home to the city of Shechem, and 
 they rem.ained 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 123 
 
 from the cities, they left without the 
 city, and they did not enter the city, 
 for they said, peradvcnture there may 
 be yet more hghting against us, and 
 they may come to besiege us in She- 
 chem. 
 
 19. And Jacob and his sons and 
 their servants remained on that and 
 the next day in tlie portion of llie 
 field which Jacob had purchased from 
 Hamor for five shekels, and all that 
 ihey 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 iniiabitants 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 ac- 
 count 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, aud to the king of Adu- 
 1am, 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 loith 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 cap- 
 tains, and every captam bring three 
 of his officers. 
 
 26. And come all of you to He- 
 bron, 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 Ca- 
 naan 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 })ut 
 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. 
 
 3 1 . 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 
 
124 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 sons of Jacob, and we will come af- 
 ter 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 ga- 
 thered 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, there- 
 fore 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 She- 
 chem, 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 Jophia, 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 pro- 
 ceed. 
 
 39. And the king of Hebron con- 
 tinued to advance, he and his cap- 
 tains, 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 
 imto him, what has befallen thee, O 
 king of Hebron ? why hast thou come 
 to us this day? what dost thou re- 
 quire from us ? and the king of He- 
 bron said unto Jacob, I beseech thee 
 my lord, all the kings of the Canaan- 
 ites 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 answer- 
 ed 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, 
 
THE BOOK OF JA.SHER. 
 
 125 
 
 sent one of his men to the kings, and 
 they all came before the sons of Ja- 
 cob, and bowed down to them to the 
 ground, and these kings sat before 
 Jacob and his sons, and they spoke 
 mito 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, 
 lost 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, inas- 
 much 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 Ja- 
 cob listened to them, and formed a 
 covenant witii them. 
 
 48. And the sons of Jacob swore 
 unto them that they would not med- 
 dle 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 that spoil they had cap- 
 tured 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 XLI. 
 
 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 Mach- 
 pelah, which is in Hebron, which 
 Abraham had bought from the child- 
 ren of Heth, for the possession of a 
 burial place. 
 
 4. And the sons of Jacob dwelt 
 with their father in the valley of He- 
 bron, and all the inhabitants of the 
 land knew their strength, and their 
 fame went throughout the land. 
 
 5. And Joseph the son of Jacob, 
 
126 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Am- 
 orites. 
 
 6. And when Joseph saw the 
 strength of his brethren, and their 
 greatness, he praised them and ex- 
 tolled them, but he ranked himself 
 greater than them, and extolled him- 
 self 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 breth- 
 ren, he continued to exalt himself 
 above his brethren, and he brought 
 unto his father evil reports concern- 
 ing 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 magnify- 
 ing himself above his brethren, and 
 thoughtof 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 mean- 
 eth 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 be- 
 came 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 breth- 
 ren 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* herds- 
 men in those days ; and whilst the 
 sons of Jacob were that day feeding 
 
 * He repeats this to contrast their pastoral 
 employment now, with the battles which thej 
 had just been engaged in. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 127 
 
 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 Ja- 
 cob said within himself, peradven- 
 ture the people of Shechem iiave 
 risen up to tight against them, there- 
 fore they have delayed coming this 
 day. 
 
 20. A.nd Jacob called Joseph his 
 son, and commanded him, saying, be- 
 hold thy brethren are feeding in She- 
 chem this day, and behold tiiey have 
 not yet come back ; go now there- 
 fore and see where they are, and bring 
 me word back concerning the wel- 
 fare 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 to- 
 ward 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 breth 
 ren, 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 scor- 
 pions. 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 ser- 
 pents 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 
 
128 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Ja- 
 cob my father. And if I have sin- 
 ned unto you, are you not the sons 
 of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ? if 
 they saw an orphan they had com- 
 passion 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 with- 
 hold 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 would 
 not listen to him, nor incline 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 them- 
 selves from the pit, so that they might 
 not hear the cries of Joseph and his 
 weeping in the pit. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIL 
 
 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 coun- 
 
 sel, 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 ; be- 
 hold this company of Ishmaelites go- 
 ing down to Egvpt. 
 
 4. Now therefore, come let us dis- 
 pose 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 pro- 
 posal pleased his brethren and they 
 did according to the word of Judah. 
 
 5. And whilst they were discours- 
 ing 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 com- 
 ing before the pit they heard the 
 voice of Joseph crying and weeping 
 in the pit, and thev looked down in- 
 to the pit, and they saw and behold 
 there was a youth of comely appear- 
 ance 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 129 
 
 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 un- 
 to us? 
 
 10. Now therefore we will not lis- 
 ten to your words, nor attend to you, 
 for we found the youth in the pit in 
 the wilderness, and we took him ; 
 we will tliere.Jore go on. 
 
 11. And all the sons of Jacob ap- 
 proached 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 Midi- 
 anites 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 ter- 
 rified on account of Simeon and the 
 noise of his shouting, and they fell 
 upon their faces, and were excessive- 
 ly alarmed. 
 
 14. And Simeon said unto them, 
 verily I am Simeon the son of Ja- 
 
 9 
 
 cob 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 yoiuh 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 approach- 
 ed the sons of Jacob with terror and 
 fright, and with pathetic words, say- 
 ing. 
 
 17. Surely you have said that the 
 young man is your servant, and that 
 he rebelled against you, and there- 
 fore vou 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 Ja- 
 cob 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 hear- 
 kened 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 con- 
 tinued their journey to Gilead. 
 
 20. They w^ere going along the 
 road, and the Midianites repented 
 of what they had done, in having 
 purchased the young man, and one 
 said to tlie other, what is this thing 
 that we have done, in taking this 
 
130 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 youth from the Hebrews, who is of 
 comely appearance and well favor- 
 ed. 
 
 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 power- 
 ful men have sold him to us, the 
 strength of one of whom you saw 
 this day ; perhaps they stole him 
 fi'om 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 dis- 
 coursing together, they looked, and 
 behold the company of Ishmaelites 
 which was coming at first, and which 
 the sons of Jacob saw, was advanc- 
 ing toward the Midianites, and the 
 Midianites said to each other, come 
 let us sell this youth to the company 
 of Ishmaelites who are coming to- 
 ward 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 Mi- 
 dianites sold Joseph to the Ishmael- 
 ites for twenty pieces of silver which 
 they had given for him to his bre- 
 thren. 
 
 25. And the Midianites went on 
 their road to Gilead, and the Ish- 
 maelites 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 Ca- 
 naan, from his father, and he wept 
 bitterly whilst he was riding upon 
 
 the camel, and one of their men ob- 
 served him, and made him go down 
 from the camel and walk on foot, and 
 notwithstanding this Joseph continu- 
 ed to cry and weep, and he said, O 
 my father, my father. 
 
 27. And one of the Ishmaelites 
 rose vip 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 affliction 
 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 1 and they knew 
 not that this befel 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 mo- 
 ther'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. 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 bre- 
 thren. O how have they stripped 
 
The! book of jasher. 
 
 131 
 
 file 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 judg- 
 ment, and whom he will condemn. 
 
 35. Rise 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. 
 
 * Hebrew, "i^nupo thy pleadings ; this word 
 IS not found to have this meaning in scripture, 
 but it is used in the Chaldee, though I have no 
 doubt it is a Hebrew root |pD to goad, as in 
 Genesis, ch. 45, v. 17. To plead or argue, 
 therefore, bears an affinity to the Hebrew ipo 
 10 goad. 
 
 41. And Joseph heard this, and 
 he wondered greatly at this, and he 
 continued to weep ; and after this 
 one of the Ishmaeliles 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, say- 
 ing, art thou not a slave, and where 
 is thy father ? and if thou hadst a fa- 
 ther 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 the Lord again smote 
 these men, and chastised them, and 
 the Lord caused darkness to envelope 
 them upon the earth, and the light- 
 ning flashed and the thunder roared, 
 and the earth shook at the voice of 
 the thunder and of the mighty \vind, 
 and the men were terrified anxi 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 be- 
 fallen us ? 
 
 46. And one of them answered 
 and said unto them, perhaps on ac 
 count 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 
 
132 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 
 liave 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 yvhich he had inflicted 
 upon those men on account of Jo- 
 seph, 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 ac- 
 count of his affliction that this evil 
 befel us ; now therefore why shall 
 we bring this death upon our souls ? 
 Jjet 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 tlierefore 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. 
 
 5L 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 &hall 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 con- 
 tinued their journey to Egypt with 
 Joseph. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIIL 
 
 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 nor 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 search- 
 ed 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 
 counselling 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 fa- 
 ther, for my father will only seek the 
 lad from me. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHEll. 
 
 i:^:^ 
 
 5. And his brethren answered him 
 saying, thus and thus we did, and 
 our hearts afterward siriote us on ac- 
 count of this act, and we 7ioiu sit to 
 seek a pretext how we shall recon- 
 cile 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 w-ith 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 concern- 
 ing 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 helongeth to Jo- 
 seph and tear it, and kill a kid of the 
 goats and dip it in its blood. 
 
 1 1 . 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 the}'' did according to the word 
 of Issachar which he had counselled 
 ihem. 
 
 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 com- 
 manded him to say these words. 
 
 14. We had gathered in the cattle 
 and had come as far as the road to 
 tShechem and farther, when we found 
 this coat upon the road in the wil- 
 dcrness 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 gather- 
 ed in, and we came as far as the city 
 of Shechem by the road in the wil- 
 derness, and we found this coat filled 
 with blood upon the ground, and we 
 
134 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 answer- 
 ed 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 Jo- 
 seph, 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 gieves 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. 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. 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 bit- 
 ter 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 form- 
 ed thee and built thy bones and co- 
 vered 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 
 this day, and all the works of God 
 are good. 
 
 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 see- 
 ing their father's trouble, they repent- 
 ed 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 exceed- 
 ing 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 13r 
 
 34. And all his sons and his ser- 
 vants and his servants' 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 intel- 
 ligence reached Isaac, the son of 
 Abraham, the father of Jacob, and 
 he wept bitterly on account of Jo- 
 seph, 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 w'ere 
 Tunning down his cheeks, and he 
 •said unto his sons, rise up and take 
 your swords and your bow^s, 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, per- 
 haps 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 fath- 
 er 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 to- 
 
 ward them, and they seized him, and 
 brought him unto their father, and 
 ihev said luito him, this is the first 
 we have found, and we have brought 
 him unto thee as tiiou didst com- 
 mand 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, whv 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 commit- 
 ted 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 com- 
 fort Jacob with its words, and it an- 
 swered 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, neith- 
 er' 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 in- 
 creased my grief, and have this day 
 brought me before thee, and I have 
 now spoken all my Avords to thee. 
 
 46. And now therefore, son of 
 man, I am in thy hands, and do unto 
 me this day as it may seem good in 
 
 * In Jacob's lamentation, he blames himself 
 for having sent him, and having been the cause 
 of his death. 
 
136 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 thy sight, but by the hfe of God who 
 created me, I did not see thy son, 
 nor did I tear him to pieces, neiliier 
 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 XLIV. 
 
 1. And the sons of Ishmael who 
 had bought Joseph from the Midian- 
 ites, who had bought him from his 
 brethren, went to Egj^pt wiih 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 Abra- 
 ham, 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 be- 
 held 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 over- 
 seer 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 be- 
 fore 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 hand- 
 some 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 Ishmaehtes 
 also returned home. 
 
 1 1 . And Potiphar took Joseph and 
 brought him to his hoirse that he 
 might serve him, and Joseph found 
 favor in the sight of Potiphar, and he 
 placed confidence in him, and made 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 137 
 
 him overseer over his house, and all 
 liiat 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 
 Polipliar 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 every 
 thing 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 Eirypl. 
 
 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 beauti- 
 ful 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 
 
 * The Hebrew word 3nn is generally render- 
 ed, to make sure or firm, to strengthen ; but in 
 Canticles, eh. 6, v. 5, it is translated, to over- 
 come, and according to some commentators, to 
 comfort. 
 
 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 tiiy 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 not- 
 withstanding 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. 
 
 2-3. And Zelicah desired Joseph 
 in her heart, that he should lie with 
 her, and at tiie 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 even 
 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 punish- 
 ment of death, and put an iron yoke 
 upon thee. 
 
 25. And Joseph said unto her. 
 
138 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 pre- 
 vail 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 any thing 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, tliis 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 theji 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 re- 
 frain 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 perigh 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 every thing 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 Jo- 
 seph, and she was desperately love- 
 sick 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 ac- 
 count 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 ? 
 
 * Hebrew, I could not find anything in him. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 139 
 
 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, tliis 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 con- 
 tinued 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 Jo- 
 seph 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 weep- 
 ing, 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 mc, 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 ho- 
 nored 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 hear- 
 ken 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 alj 
 its sides, and all the inhabitants of 
 Egypt went forth, and also the king 
 and princes w^ent forth with timbrels 
 and dances, for it was a great rejoic- 
 ing in Egypt, and a holiday at the 
 time of the inundation of the sea Sihor, 
 and they went there to rejoice all the 
 
 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 witii 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 dress- 
 
140 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 ed herself in princely garments, and 
 she placed upon her head precious 
 stones of onyx stones, inlaid with sil- 
 ver and gold, and she beautified her 
 face and skin with all sorts of wo- 
 men's purifying liquids, and she per- 
 fumed the temple and the house with 
 cassia and frankincense, and she 
 spread myrrh and aloes, and she af- 
 terward 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 turn- 
 ing back from her, and she called out 
 to him, saying, what aileth thee Jo- 
 seph ? 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 has- 
 tened 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 Zeh- 
 cah, 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 cun- 
 ning, and put off" the garments in 
 which she was dressed, and she put 
 on her other garments. 
 
 56. And she took Joseph's gar- 
 ment and she laid it beside her, and 
 she went and seated herself in the 
 place where she had sat in her ill- 
 ness, 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 wife. 
 
THE BOOK OF JA.SHER. 
 
 141 
 
 61. And Polipliar came home en- 
 raged, and his wife cried out to liim, 
 saying, wliat is this thing thai lliou 
 hast done unto me in bringing a He- 
 brew servant into my house, for he 
 came unto me this day to sport with 
 ine ; 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 smit- 
 ing 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 montiis old, and 
 the Lord opened the mouth of the 
 cliild, and he spake these words be- 
 fore Potiphar's men, who were 
 smiting Joseph, saying, 
 
 65. Whatdoyouwant of thisman, 
 and why do you do this evil unto 
 him ? my mother speakelh falsely 
 and uttereth lies ; thus was the trans- 
 action. 
 
 66. And the child told them accu- 
 rately 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 wonder- 
 ed greatly at the child's words, and 
 the child ceased to speak and be- 
 came 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 ceas- 
 ed 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 
 aifair. 
 
 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 judg- 
 ment is due to a servant, for thus has 
 he done. 
 
 7L 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 livetli, 
 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 de- 
 mand 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 ganncnt, 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 icere 
 judges, and they saw and behold the 
 
142 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 confine- 
 ment 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 per- 
 form 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 un- 
 acquainted with the land. 
 
 80. And when Zelicah was unable j 
 to persuade Joseph to hearken toi 
 
 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 XLV. 
 
 1. And it was at that time in that 
 year, which is the year of Joseph's 
 going down to Egypt after his bro- 
 thers 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 Reu- 
 ben 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 at- 
 tended upon her, and Simeon came 
 to lier, 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASIIER. 
 
 143 
 
 to the land of the east, and they took 
 unto themselves for wives the 
 daughters of Jobab the son of Yok- 
 tan, 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 Adina, and Is- 
 sachar 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 Chus- 
 him. 
 
 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 tlie daughter of Aphlal, 
 
 the son of Hadad, the son of Ish- 
 mael, 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 off- 
 spring ; 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 Abimacl, 
 the son of Eber, the son of JShem. 
 
 14. And the young woman was of 
 a comely appearance, and a woman 
 of sense, and she had been the wife 
 of Malkicl 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 of 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 come- 
 ly appearance, and she went in the 
 sanctified ways of the children of 
 Jacob ; she lacked nothing, and the 
 Lord gave her wisdom and under- 
 standing. 
 
 18. And Hadurah the wife of Ash- 
 er conceived and bare unto him 
 Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi and Be- 
 riah ; four sons. 
 
 19. And Zebulun went to Midian, 
 and took for a wife Merishah the 
 daughter of Molad, the son of Abi- 
 da, the son of Midian, and brought 
 her to the land of Canaan. 
 
 20. And Merushah bare unto Ze- 
 bulun Sered, Elon and Yachlcel ; 
 three sons. 
 
 21. And Jacob sent to Aram, the 
 
144 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 son of Zoba, the son of Terah, and 
 he took for his son Benjamin Me- 
 chaha 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 Me- 
 chalia 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 daugh- 
 ter 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 Ta- 
 mar the daughter of Elam, the son of 
 Shem, for a wife for his first born Er, 
 
 24. And Er came to his wife Ta- 
 mar, 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 fa- 
 ther's house until my son Shiloh shall 
 have grown up, and Judah did no 
 more delight in Tamarj to give her 
 unto Shiloh, for he said, perad ven- 
 ture 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 fathcT'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 thorough- 
 fare, which is upon the road to Tim- 
 nah. 
 
 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 XLVL 
 
 1 . In those days Joseph was stilF 
 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 145 
 
 drinking, the butler and the baker 
 remained there, and Pharaoh's minis- 
 ters found many flies in the wine, 
 which the butler had brought, and 
 stones of nitre were found in the ba- 
 ker's bread. 
 
 5. And the captain of the guard 
 placed Joseph as an attendant on 
 Pharaoh's officers, and Pharaoh's of- 
 ficers were in confinement one year. 
 
 6. And at the end of the year, 
 they both dreamed dreams in one 
 night, in the place of confuicment 
 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 de- 
 jected and sad. 
 
 7. And Joseph asked them, why 
 are your countenances sad and de- 
 jected 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 ri- 
 pened 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 
 
 10 
 
 sight, that ihou shalt remember me 
 to Pharaoh wlicn 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. 
 
 1 1 . And also that which was told 
 thee concerning my master's wife is 
 false, for they placed me in this dun- 
 geon for naught ; and the butler an- 
 swered Joseph, saying, if the king 
 deal well with me as at first, as thou 
 hast interpreted to me, I will do all 
 that thou desirest, and get thee 
 brought out of this dungeon. 
 
 1 2. And the baker, seeing that Jo- 
 seph 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 o/" Egypt together with 
 the officers and servants of Pliaraoh 
 rejoiced greatly. 
 
 16. And upon the third day of his 
 birth Pharaoh made a feast for his 
 officers and servants, for the hosts of 
 
146 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER- 
 
 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 rejoic- 
 ing 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 Jo- 
 seph had interpreted his dream, for- 
 got 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 XLVII. 
 
 1. And Isaac the son of Abraham 
 was still living in those days in the 
 land of Canaan ; he ivas very aged, 
 one hundred and eighty years old, 
 and Esau his son, the brother of Ja- 
 cob, 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 Avas 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 vi^here 
 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 be- 
 fore 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 up- 
 on all the sons of Jacob, and he took 
 hold of them and embraced them, 
 and kissed them one by one, and 
 Isaac blessed them on that day, and 
 he said 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 ene- 
 mies. 
 
 7. And Isaac called Jacob and his 
 sons, and they all came and sat be- 
 fore 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 fa- 
 ther Abraham. 
 
 8. Now therefore my son, teach 
 thy children and thy children's chil- 
 dren 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 co- 
 venant 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 hun- 
 dred and eighty years old when he 
 
THE BOOK OP JASHER. 
 
 147 
 
 died in the land of Canaan, in He- 
 bron, 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 Mach- 
 pelah, 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, be- 
 hold 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, say- 
 ing, unto thy seed will I give this 
 land for an inheritance forever. 
 
 18. Now therefore all that our fa- 
 ther has left is before liiee, and be- 
 hold 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 for- 
 ever, and I will take tiiis riches, and 
 if thou desirest the riches take it unto 
 thee, and I will take this land for me 
 and for my children to inherit it for- 
 ever. 
 
 20. And Nebayoth, the son of Ish- 
 mael, 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 Ca- 
 naan are dwelling securely in their 
 land, and Jacob sayeth he will inhe- 
 rit 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 return- 
 ed to Jacob, and did all that Nebay- 
 oth 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 pos- 
 session, and for his children and for 
 his seed after him forever. 
 
 25. Jacob also took from his bro- 
 ther Esau the cave of Machpelah, 
 which is in Hebron, which Abraham 
 had bought from Ephron for a pos- 
 
148 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 session of a burial place for him and 
 his seed for ever. 
 
 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, say- 
 ing : The land of Canaan and all the 
 cities of the Hittites, the Hivites, the 
 Jebusites, tiie Amorites, the Periz- 
 zites, and the Gergashites, all the 
 seven nations from the river of Egypt 
 unto the river Euphrates ; 
 
 28. And the city of Hebron Kire- 
 ath-arba and the cave Avhich is in it, 
 the whole did Jacob buy from his 
 brother Esau for value, for a posses- 
 sion and for an inheritance for his 
 seed after him forever. 
 
 29. And Jacob took the book of 
 purchase and the signature, the com- 
 mand and the statutes and the reveal- 
 ed 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 no- 
 thing 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 Ca- 
 naan from that dav forward. 
 
 33. And the whole land of Ca- 
 naan became an inheritance to the 
 children of Israel for an everlasting 
 inheritance, and Esau with all his 
 children inherited the mountain of 
 Seir. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIIL 
 
 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 Pha- 
 raoh 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 blast- 
 ed with the east wind sprang up 
 after them, and the thin ears swal- 
 lowed 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 magi- 
 cians of Egypt, and the wise men, 
 and they came and stood before Pha- 
 raoh. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 149 
 
 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 tliy 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 for ever ; and this is 
 the interprelalion of thy dreams. 
 
 9. The seven good kine wiiich 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 
 and good ears of corn coming up up- 
 on one stalk, this is their interpre- 
 tation, that thou wilt build unto thy- 
 self 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 ans\vered 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 inter- 
 
 pretation of my dreams, that you 
 may not die. 
 
 12. And the king commanded af- 
 ter 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 imlo them, 
 surely you speak lies and utter false- 
 hood in what you have said. 
 
 1.3. And the king commanded that 
 a proclamation should be issued 
 throughoJit the land of Egpt, saying, 
 it is resolved by the king and his 
 great men, that any wise man who 
 knoweth and understandeth the in- 
 terpretation of dreams, and will not 
 come this day before the king, he 
 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 wiih all the magicians 
 and sorcerers that were in Egypt 
 and in Goshen, in Raamses, 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 kinff were astonished at the vi- 
 sion. 
 
 16. And all the wise men who 
 were before the king were greatly 
 divided in their interpretation of his 
 dreams ; some of them interpreted 
 
150 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 them to the king, saying, the seven 
 good kine are seven kings, w^ho 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 be- 
 longing 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. 
 
 1 8. 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 lat- 
 ter 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 de- 
 stroy them, and the government of 
 Egypt will return to thy seed. 
 
 21. And some of tliem said unto 
 the king, this is the interptetation 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 chil- 
 dren, 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 se- 
 ven good kine denote that seven chil- 
 dren will be born to thee, and they 
 will slay seven of thy children's chil- 
 dren in the latter days ; and the se- 
 ven 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 wis- 
 dom that they did not altogether 
 speak correctly in all these words, 
 for this was from the Lord to frus- 
 trate 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 magi- 
 cians of Egypt spoke correctly to 
 him, and the king's wrath was kin- 
 dled, and his anger burned within him. 
 
 27. And the king commanded that 
 alltlie 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 151 
 
 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 inito 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 He- 
 brew servant belonging to the cap- 
 tain of the guard, his name was Jo- 
 seph, 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 thein 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 in- 
 terpreted 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 be- 
 fore 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 or- 
 
 dered that the wise men of Egypt 
 shoidd not be slain. 
 
 40. And the king ordered his ser- 
 vants to bring Joseph before him, and 
 the king said unto them, go to him 
 and do not terrify him lest he be con- 
 fused and will not know to speak pro- 
 perly. 
 
 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 round with a golden ephod, and 
 tlie fine gold which was upon it 
 sparkled, and the carbuncle and the 
 ruby and the emerald, together with 
 all the precious stones that were upon 
 the king's head, dazzled the eye, and 
 Joseph wondered greatly at the king. 
 
 43. And the throne upon which 
 the king sat was covered with gold 
 and silver, and with onyx stones, and 
 it had seventy steps. 
 
 44. And it was their custom 
 throughout the land of Egypt, that 
 every man who came to speak to the 
 king, if he was a prince or one that 
 was estimable in the sight of the 
 king, he ascended to the king's 
 throne as far as the thirty first step, 
 and the king would descend to the 
 thirty sixth step, and speak with him. 
 
 45. If he was one of the common 
 people, he ascended to the third step, 
 and the king would descend to the 
 fourth* and speak to him, and their 
 custom was. moreover, that any man 
 who understood to speak in all the 
 seventy languages, he ascended the 
 
 * From his throne, leavincr in this instance a 
 space of sixty three steps, but in the former 
 there was only the space of three steps inter- 
 vening between the king and his favorites. 
 
152 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 m, 
 
 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 as- 
 cended to the third step, and the 
 king sat upon the fourth step and 
 spoke with Joseph. 
 
 49. And the king said unto Joseph, 
 T 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 Pha- 
 raoh, saying, let Pharoah 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 
 otf 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 through- 
 out 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 con- 
 sume all 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 tlierefo7-e 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 king- 
 dom 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 
 placcst over Egypt appoint officers 
 under him, that they gather in all the 
 food of the good years that are com- 
 ing, and let them lay up com and 
 deposit it in thy appointed stores. 
 
 59. And let them keep that food 
 for the seven years of famine, that it 
 maybe found for thee and thy people 
 and thy whole land, and tliat thou 
 and thy land be not cut off by the 
 famine. 
 
 * Hebrew, to go out and come in. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHEK. 
 
 153 
 
 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 interpreta- 
 tion 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 respect- 
 ing 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 lamenta- 
 tion 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 tliat his first born 
 son had died ; then the king knew 
 that all Josepii's words that he had 
 spoken were correct, and the king 
 was consoled for his son by the 
 child that w^as born to him on that 
 day as Joseph had spoken. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 
 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 unlo 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 ihe 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 He- 
 brew has given concerning this is 
 good ; now therefore, our lord and 
 king, behold the whole land is in thy 
 hand, do that which scemeth good in 
 thy sight. 
 
154 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 7. Him whom thou choosest, and 
 whom thou in thy wisdom knowest 
 to be wise and capable of dehvering 
 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 of- 
 ficers, 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 seest^^ 
 
 12. And the king said, it shall be 
 done so to-morrow, and the thing 
 that you have spoken is good ; and 
 all the officers came on that day be- 
 fore the king. 
 
 13. And on that night the Lord 
 sent one of his ministering angels, 
 and he came unto 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 op- 
 posite to him ; and the angel of the 
 Lord spoke with Joseph, and he 
 taught him all the languages of man 
 in ihat 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 se- 
 ventieth 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, say- 
 ing' 
 
 20. Now thou didst give me coun- 
 sel to appoint a wise man over the 
 land of Egypt, in order with his wis- 
 dom to save the land from the famine ; 
 now therefore, since God has made 
 all this known to thee, and all the 
 words which thou hast spoken, there 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER 
 
 155 
 
 is not throughout the land a discreet 
 and wise man Hke unto thee. 
 
 21. And thy name no more shall 
 be called Joseph, but Zaphnalh Paa- 
 neah 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 month- 
 ly, and to thee sliall 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 conduct- 
 ed 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 Me- 
 choloth, 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 Jo- 
 seph, and gazed at the appearance 
 of Joseph and at his beauty. 
 
 27. And the king's people went 
 before him and behind him, perfum- 
 ing the road with frankincense and 
 with cassia, and with all sorts of fine 
 perfume, and scattered myrrh and 
 aloes along tiie 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 trans- 
 gresses 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 bow- 
 ed down along the road, and when 
 the heralds approached them, they 
 bowed down, and they rejoiced with 
 all sorts of timbrels, mechol and ne- 
 bal before Joseph. 
 
 30. And Josepii 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 through- 
 out the land of Egypt with Pharaoh's 
 servants and officers, and they show- 
 ed 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 
 
156 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 cily, and they 
 spread out garments there, and who- 
 ever brought anything to Joseph put 
 it into the high place. 
 
 34. And all the people of Egypt 
 cast something into the high place, 
 one man a golden ear-ring, and the 
 other rings and ear-rings, and ditfer- 
 ent 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 treasures, 
 and all the officers and nobles belong- 
 ing 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 Poti- 
 phera, 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 Oi his foot to regulate* my 
 people throughout the land of Egypt. 
 
 38. And Joseph was thirty years 
 * Hebrew, to go out and come in. 
 
 old when he stood before Pharaoh, 
 and Joseph went out from before the 
 king, and he became the king's se- 
 cond 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 ele- 
 gant in appearance and convenient 
 for his residence ; three years was 
 Joseph in erecting his house. 
 
 41. And Joseph made mito him- 
 self a very elegant throne of abun- 
 dance of gold and silver, and he 
 covered it with onyx stones and 
 bdclhum, 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 exceeding- 
 ly, 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 thou- 
 sand 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 sling- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 157 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 
 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 Ish- 
 maelites 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 child- 
 ren of Tarshish, for we have been 
 consuming away for a long time. 
 
 4. And Pharaoh sent Joseph with 
 the mighty men and host which 
 w^ere 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 dwelt there- 
 in 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 was missing. 
 
 7. And at the revolution of the 
 year, in the second year of Joseph's 
 reigning over Egypt, the Lord gave 
 great plenty throughout the land for 
 seven years as Joseph had spoken, 
 for the Lord blessed all the produce 
 of the earth in those days for seven 
 
 years, and they ate and were greatly 
 satisfied. 
 
 8. And 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 lime when they 
 gathered the food Joseph command- 
 ed 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 lie heaped up 
 corn like the sand of the sea for 
 abundance, for his stores were im- 
 mense 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 dur- 
 ing the seven years of plenty, was 
 secured for the land in stores for the 
 seven years of famine, for the sup- 
 port 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 in- 
 structions, they did not deviate from 
 
158 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 un- 
 derstanding 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 'Egypi 
 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 ver- 
 min and not fit to eat, and the fa- 
 mine prevailed throughout the land, 
 and all the inhabitants of Egypt came 
 and cried before Pharaoh, for the fa- 
 mine was heavy upon them. 
 
 21. And they said unto Pharaoh, 
 give food unto thy servants, and 
 wherefore shall we die through hun- 
 ger 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 dur- 
 ing 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 an- 
 swered 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 pro- 
 
 duce 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 to the inhabitants of 
 Egypt, the king was greatly afraid 
 on account of the famine, and he was 
 much terrified ; and the king an- 
 swered 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 com- 
 mands. 
 
 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 gath- 
 ered in our produce during the seven 
 years as thou didst command, and 
 we put il 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 159 
 
 of the lands far and nigh heard that 
 there was corn in Egypt, and they 
 all came to Egypt to buy corn, for 
 tiie 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 ser- 
 vants to Egypt to purchase, but his 
 sons, and also any Egyptian or Ca- 
 naanite, 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 /or the support of his house- 
 hold. 
 
 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 command- 
 ed them, saying, any person who 
 may come to buy corn, suffer him 
 not to enter imtil 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 luito 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 mishl know when his 
 
 brethren should come to Egypt to 
 buy corn ; and Joseph's people caus- 
 ed 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 re- 
 gulations 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 be- 
 fore Joseph. 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 1 . And Jacob afterward heard that 
 there was corn in Egypt, and he cal- 
 led 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, nov; there- 
 fore 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 hearken- 
 ed 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 com- 
 manded them, saying, when you come 
 into the city do not enter together in 
 one gate, on account of the inhabi- 
 tants of the land. 
 
160 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Ja- 
 cob's sons went forth. 
 
 6. And whilst the sons of Jacob 
 were going on the road, they repent- 
 ed of what they had done to Joseph, 
 and they spoke to each other, saying, 
 we know that our brothei 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 them- 
 selves on account of Joseph, to de- 
 liver him from the hand of his mas- 
 ter, 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 breth- 
 ren had entered at the ten gates of 
 the city, and Joseph at that time com- 
 manded 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 Avho 
 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 thfi 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 toge- 
 ther 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 har- 
 lots, 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 Raamses 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 bro- 
 ther. 
 
 1 8. 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 161 
 
 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 thev 
 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 ser- 
 vants 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 answer- 
 ed 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 Ca- 
 naan, 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 
 
 11 
 
 city ; you have come to sec the na- 
 kedness 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 arc 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 imto 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 bro- 
 ther do in the houses of harlots, al- 
 though 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 theyi 
 in the houses of harlots ? 
 
 28. And they said unto him, be- 
 cause 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 har- 
 lots, therefore thy servants went there 
 to seek him and give ransom for 
 him. 
 
 29. And Joseph still answered 
 them, saying, surely you speak false- 
 ly and utter lies, to say of yourselves 
 
162 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 that you are the sons of Abraham ; as 
 Pharaoh liveth you are spies, there- 
 fore 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 ac- 
 count 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 fa- 
 ther, 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 ti'ue men, so 
 that you may live, one of your breth- 
 
 ren 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 ire 
 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 
 Manasseh his son remained there, 
 and Manasseh the son of Joseph saw 
 the strength of Simeon, and he was 
 exceedingly wroth. 
 
 42. And Manasseh the son of 
 Joseph rose up to Simeon, and Manas- 
 seh smote Simeon a heavy blow with 
 his fist against the back of his neck, 
 and Simeon was stilled of his rage. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 163 
 
 43. And Manasseh 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 yimeou 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 coidd 
 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 less 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 traffick 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 pro- 
 vender 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 and 
 Jacob, that the Jjord has this day 
 delivered us into the hands of the 
 king of Egypt to contrive against us ? 
 
 61. And Judah said unto them, 
 surely we are guilty sinners before 
 the Lord our God in having sold our 
 brother, our own flesh, and where- 
 fore 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 ainned 
 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 LIT. 
 
 1. And they entered their house, 
 and every man opened his sack and 
 they saw and behold every man's 
 bundle of money ivas 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 
 
164 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 said unto me, a wild beast did de- 
 vour 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 befel 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, re- 
 frain ye from him until the corn is 
 finished, and he will then say, take 
 down your brother, when he will find 
 his oxvn life and the life of his house- 
 hold 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 house- 
 hold of Jacob was pinched with 
 hunger, and all the infants of the sons 
 of Jacob came together and they 
 approached Jacob, and they all sur- 
 rounded 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 
 sons' and 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 re- 
 turn and buy for us a little food. 
 
 11. And Judah answered and said 
 unto his father, if ihou 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 a7id, 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 ser- 
 vants 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 glo- 
 ry which God has given unto him, 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 165 
 
 for there is not like unto him in all 
 the earth. 
 
 1 4. 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 befel us, yet he asked 
 also after thee, saying, is your father 
 still living, and is it well WMth him ? 
 
 16. Thou hast not seen the affairs 
 of the government of Egypt regulat- 
 ed by him, without inquiring of Pha- 
 raoh 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 considering us as spies, and 
 now when we shall again come be- 
 fore him his terror will fall upon us 
 all, and not one of us will be able to 
 speak to him either a little or 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 hun- 
 ger ; 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 kind- 
 ness 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 re- 
 turned a second time witii 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 Eg}^pt, 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 be- 
 fore 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 command- 
 ed 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 Ijord on account 
 of his sons, saying, O Lord God of 
 heaven and earth, remember thy co- 
 venant with our father Abraham, re- 
 
166 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 member 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 God 
 for the sake of thy mercies and re- 
 deem 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 He- 
 brew, the prince of God, to the pow- 
 erful 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 lit- 
 tle food from thee for our support. 
 
 31. For my sons surrounded me 
 and I being very old cannot see with 
 my eyes, for my eves 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 together 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 Pha* 
 raoh'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 be- 
 fore 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 Philis- 
 tines 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 des- 
 troyed them on account of their sis- 
 ter Dinah ? 
 
 37. And also on account oi their 
 brother Benjamin they consoled 
 themselves for the loss of his brother 
 Joseph; what will they /Aen doforhim 
 when they see the hand of any people 
 prevailing over ihem, for his sake ? 
 
 38. Dost thou not know, 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 Benja- 
 min 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER 
 
 167 
 
 40. Now therefore beliold Benja- 
 ynin 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 th'Ce and 
 throughout thy kingdom. 
 
 41. Now r have told thee all that 
 is in my heart, and behold my sons 
 are coming to thee with their bro- 
 ther, 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 LIII. 
 
 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 Jo- 
 seph's house. 
 
 3. And Joseph commanded the 
 superintendant of his house to give 
 to his brethren to eat, and he did so 
 unto them. 
 
 4. And at noon lime Joseph sent 
 for the men to come before him 
 with Benjamin, and the men told the 
 superintendant of Joseph's house 
 concerning the silver that was return- 
 ed 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 l)y 
 the hand, and they came before Jo- 
 seph, and tiiey 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 gra- 
 cious unto thee my son. 
 
 10. And when Joseph saw his 
 brother, the son of his mother, he 
 again wished to weep, and he enter- 
 ed the chamber, and he wept there, 
 and he washed his face, and went 
 out and refrained //"om 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 Ju- 
 dah, Tssachar and Zebulun are child- 
 ren from one mother, seat yourselves 
 to eat according to your births. 
 
 13. And he also placed the others 
 
168 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 according to their births, and he said, 
 I know that this your youngest bro- 
 ther 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 Manas- 
 seh and Ephraim saw the acts of 
 their father, and they also gave pre- 
 sents 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 de- 
 licacies. 
 
 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 ac- 
 quainted with all wisdom, dost thou 
 know any thing of this ? 
 
 19. And Benjamin said, thy ser- 
 
 vant is knowing also in all the wis- 
 dom 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 in- 
 strument with the map of the stars 
 of heaven, and he was wise and look- 
 ed 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 up- 
 on the throne before him was his 
 brother Joseph, and Benjamin won- 
 dered gi'eatly, and when Joseph saw 
 that his brother Benjamin was so 
 much astonished, he said unto Benja- 
 min, what hast thou seen, and why 
 art thou astonished ? 
 
 21. And Benjamin said unto Jo- 
 seph, 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 1 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 com- 
 manded his officer to fill their sacks 
 with food, and to put each man's mo- 
 ney into his sack, and to put the cup 
 in the sack of Benjamin, and to give 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 169 
 
 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 Ben- 
 jamin, and they went to the land 
 of Canaan with their brother Ben- 
 jamin. 
 
 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 mas- 
 ter'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 thev 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 kin- 
 dled, 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 1 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 our- 
 selves ? 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 Benjannn 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 LIV. 
 
 1 . And when Judah saw the deal- 
 ings of Joseph with them, Judah ap- 
 proached him and broke open the 
 door, and came with his brethren be- 
 fore 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 Jo- 
 seph 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 makcst sport of us this 
 day. 
 
 \. 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 in- 
 habitants of Egypt. 
 
 5. Dost thou not know what two 
 
170 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Egyp- 
 tians 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 fa- 
 ther 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 can- 
 not 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 com- 
 mand 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 peo- 
 ple 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 com- 
 mence with thee and finish with Pha- 
 raoh thy master. 
 
 11. And Joseph answered and 
 said unto him, surely strength be- 
 longeth not alone lo 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 wit- 
 ness 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 char- 
 acter of the king, surely the king 
 sendeth forth from his house, through- 
 out the land, silver and gold either in 
 gifts or expenses, and thou still talk- 
 est 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 Abra- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 171 
 
 ham should do this thhig to steal from 
 thee, or from any one else, wiiether 
 king, prince, or any man. 
 
 16. Now therefore cease this ac- 
 cusation lest the whole earth hear thy 
 words, saying, for a little silver the 
 king of Egy[)t 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? 
 8urely 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 there- 
 fore 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 ; 
 
 * It may seem strange that they were not 
 surprised at hearing this declaration from Jo- 
 seph, how he should become acquainted with 
 what was only known to themselves, but it must 
 be remembered that they knew that Joseph was 
 an interpreter of dreams and a noted magician ; 
 this may be corroborated by Jacob's letter to 
 Joseph, ch. .52, v. 33. " Have we not hoard 
 concerning thee, that thou didst interpret Pha- 
 raoh's dream, and didst make this famine known 
 to him before it came, and didst speak truly unto 
 him, how then dost thou not know in thy wis- 
 dom whether my sons are spies or not?" 
 
 I and Judah said, what shall we say 
 unto our father, when he seeth that 
 our brother cometh not with us, aJid 
 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 speakcst thou 
 these things, giving a false judgment? 
 woe unto the king who is like unto 
 ihce. 
 
 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, Jo- 
 seph 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 mv llesh, 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 de- 
 voured 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 
 
172 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Manasseh 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 Egyp- 
 tian, 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 un- 
 to Joseph, send I pray thee our bro- 
 ther and ruin not thy country this day. 
 
 32. And Joseph answered and 
 said unto them, go and tell your fa- 
 ther, an evil beast hath devoured him 
 as you said concerning your brother 
 Joseph. 
 
 33. And Judah spoke to his bro- 
 ther 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 tliat his brethren spoke before 
 him, and they did not know that Jo- 
 seph understood them, for they ima- 
 gined that he knew not to speak He- 
 brew. 
 
 35. And Joseph was greatly afraid 
 at the words of his brethren lest they 
 should destroy Egypt, and he com- 
 manded 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 horse- 
 back and on foot and with all sorts 
 q/" musical instruments, and Manas- 
 seh went and did so. 
 
 36. And Naphtali went as Judah 
 had commanded him, for Naphtali 
 was light-footed 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 up- 
 on 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 inha- 
 bitants 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 in- 
 fantry, 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 Ja- 
 cob to become tranquiUzed. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 173 
 
 42. And Judah, seeing some of 
 his brethren terrified, said unto lliem, 
 why are you afraid whilst the grace 
 of God is with us ? and when Judah 
 saw all the people of Egypt surround- 
 ing them at the command of Joseph 
 to terrify them, only Joseph com- 
 manded 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 ter- 
 lified 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 Jo- 
 seph. 
 
 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 be- 
 fore Joseph and roared at him hke 
 a lion, and gave a great and tremen- 
 dous 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 mis- 
 carried when they heard the noise of 
 the shaking, for they were terribly 
 afraid. 
 
 48. And Pharaoh sent word, say- 
 ing, 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 won-« 
 dered 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 ofi" 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 speak- 
 ing, 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 Jo- 
 seph all the words of Pharaoh that 
 he had said concerning him, and Jo- 
 seph was greatly afraid at the words 
 of Pharaoh, and Judah and his bre- 
 thren were still standing before Jo- 
 seph 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 pre- 
 text to make himself known unto his 
 
174 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 know- 
 ing 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 con- 
 cerning your strength, and may your 
 God who delightelTi 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 had 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 whereso- 
 ever thou shalt send m.e 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, 1 
 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 Abra- 
 ham 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 vuito 
 me, I will then send with you his 
 brother for whom you have been 
 security. 
 
 63. And Judah's anger was kin- 
 dled 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 ! , t ^ 
 
 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 
 
 * Although they knew he went down to- 
 Egypt, they could not tell to what part or what 
 town of Egypt he went. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 175 
 
 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 breth- 
 ren, 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 
 unio 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 terrifi- 
 ed at him when they heard the words 
 of Joseph, and Judah was exceed- 
 ingly 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 em- 
 braced 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 de- 
 stroy 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 I hem many 
 garments being robes of royalty and 
 many gifts, and Joseph divided them 
 amongst his brethren. 
 
 77. And he gave unto each of hi.s 
 brethren a change of garments of 
 gold and silver, and three hun- 
 dred 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 great- 
 ly 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 Pha- 
 raoh, and Joseph gave unto them his 
 chariot, upon which he rode on the 
 
176 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 day of his being crowned in Egypt, 
 to fetch his father to Egypt ; and Jo- 
 seph 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 belonjrinjr 
 to them m connng 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 provision 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 bre- 
 thren, 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 house- 
 hold. 
 
 86. And he sent his brethren away, 
 and they went, and he sent his bro- 
 ther 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 fa- 
 ther 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 be- 
 fore my father in this affair, but act 
 in your wisdom. 
 
 90. And Joseph ceased to com- 
 mand 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 Ja- 
 cob. 
 
 91. And they came unto the bor- 
 ders 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 oiu: 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 kiss- 
 ed them, and they took her and gave 
 unto her a harp, saying, go now be- 
 fore 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 17T 
 
 95. And she played well and sang, 
 and uttered in tlie 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 agree- 
 able to him. 
 
 97. He listened whilst she repeat- 
 ed them twice and thrice, and joy 
 entered the heart of Jacob at the 
 sweetness of her words, and the spi- 
 rit 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 daugh- 
 ter, 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 through-, 
 out the land of Egj^pt, 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 be- 
 lieve them until he saw all that Jo- 
 seph had given them and what he 
 
 12 
 
 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 on account 
 of his son. 
 
 105. And Jacob said, it is enough 
 for mc that my son Joseph is still liv- 
 ing, 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 tlie gar- 
 ments 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 LV. 
 
 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. 
 
178 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 2. Behold the word of the Lord 
 came unto hirn, saying, go down lo 
 Egypt with all thy household and re- 
 main 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 re- 
 taineth his integi-ity to serve me, as 
 will seem good in thy sight, and Ja- 
 cob rejoiced exceedingly concerning 
 his son. 
 
 5. At that lime 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 Beer-sheba, with joy and glad- 
 ness 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 as- 
 signed 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 cha- 
 riot, and he assembled all his mighty 
 men and his servants and all the of- 
 ficers 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 Ja- 
 cob 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 in- 
 struments of silver and gold and with 
 their instruments of war with them, 
 
 9. And they all went to meet Ja- 
 cob with all sorts of musical instru- 
 ments, 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 w^alls to meet Jacob, and 
 upon the head of Joseph was Phara- 
 oh's regal crown, for Pharaoh had 
 sent it unto him to put on at the time 
 of his going to meet his father. 
 
 1 1 . And when Joseph came within 
 fifty cubits of his father, he alighted 
 from the chariot and he walked to- 
 ward his father, and when all the of- 
 ficers 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 re- 
 joiced 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 179 
 
 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 liv- 
 ing 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. 
 
 1 8. 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 fa- 
 ther and unto his brethren, I will go 
 up and tell Pharaoh, saying, my bre- 
 thren 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 Pha- 
 raoh, 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 up- 
 on them. 
 
 22. And Pharaoli said unto Jo- 
 seph, 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 shep- 
 herds, 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 brouglit 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 (loshen. 
 
 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 no- 
 thing. 
 
 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 gar- 
 ments year by year ; and the sons 
 of Jacob remained securely in Egypt 
 all the days« of their brother. 
 
 28. And Jacob always ate at Jo- 
 seph's table, Jacob and his sons did 
 not leave Josepii's table day or night, 
 besides what Jacob's children con- 
 sumed in their houses. 
 
 29. And all Egypt ate bread dur- 
 ing the days of the famine from the 
 house of Joseph, for all the Egyp- 
 tians sold all belonging to them on 
 account of the famine. 
 
 30. And Joseph purchased all the 
 lands and fields of Eygpt for bread 
 
180 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 on the account of Pharaoh, and Jo- 
 seph supphed all Egypt with bread 
 all the days of the famine, and Jo- 
 seph 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 of all the sil- 
 ver 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 
 Joi^eph 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 con- 
 cealed 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 Pha- 
 raoh, 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 un- 
 der 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, to- 
 gether 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 multi- 
 plied in it. 
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 
 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 attack- 
 ed with that illness of w^hich 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 )'Our 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 Machpe- 
 lah 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, say- 
 ing, 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 child- 
 ren of Jacob's sons came and sat be- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 181 
 
 fore 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 bless- 
 ing 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 ap- 
 pertaming to Israel. 
 
 8. And Jacob said unto Judah, I 
 know my son that thou art a mighty 
 7nan for thy brethren ; reign over 
 them, and thy sons shall reign over 
 their sons forever. 
 
 9. Only teach thy sons the bow 
 and all weapons of war, in order that 
 they may fight the battles of their 
 brother who will rule over his ene- 
 mies.* 
 
 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 Mach- 
 pelah as I have commanded you. 
 
 11. Howbeit take heed I pray you 
 that none of your sons carry me, on- 
 ly 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. 
 
 * See II Samuel, ch. 1, v. 18. 
 
 13. Let not Levi carry with you, 
 for he and his sons will carry tiie 
 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 com- 
 mand 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 com- 
 mand your children and your child- 
 ren's children after you to serve the 
 Lord God of your ancestors all the 
 days, 
 
 16. In order that you may pro- 
 long 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 wrongs 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 thv 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 
 
 * Instead of Levi and Joseph. 
 
182 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 keep all his ways ; turn not from his 
 ways either to the right or the left 
 in performing what is good and up- 
 right 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 tb 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 chil- 
 dren, 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 command- 
 ing 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, my father, my father. 
 
 24. And his sons' 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 bre- 
 thren 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 Pha- 
 raoh's proclamation, and they all rose 
 up together, and all the servants of 
 Pharaoh, and the elders of his house. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER 
 
 183 
 
 and all the elders of the land of Egypt 
 went up with Joseph, and all the of- 
 ficers and nobles of Pharaoh went 
 up as the servants of Joseph, and 
 ihey went to bury Jacob in the land 
 of Canaan. 
 
 35. And the sons of Jacob carried 
 the bier upon which he lay ; accord- 
 ing 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 gold- 
 en crown, and he put a golden scep- 
 tre 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 tliey 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 Ja- 
 cob'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 mourn- 
 ing with the sons of Jacob and Egypt 
 over Jacob, for all the kings of Ca- 
 naan 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 bro- 
 ther Jacob, and all Egypt and all 
 Canaan again rose up and mourned 
 a great mourning with Esau over Ja- 
 cob in that place. 
 
184 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Jo- 
 seph and his brethren as an 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, say- 
 ing, 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 in- 
 heritance 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. 
 
 * From this it appears that the sale did not 
 take place until two years after Isaac's death, 
 because there were twenty seven years between 
 Isaac's and Jacob's deaths, for when Isaac died 
 at the age of one hundred and eighty, Jacob was 
 one hundred and twenty, and Jacob died aged 
 one hundred and forty seven, consequently 
 twenty seven years elapsed ; the purchase of 
 the cave of Machpelah is also mentioned in the 
 book of Jasher when Jacob bought Esau's birth- 
 right, see ch. 27, but it was all inserted afresh 
 in the new contract mentioned in ch. 47 ; and 
 this is corroborated in the 57th verse of this 
 chapter, where Joseph tells Naphtali to bring 
 "all the records, the records of the purchase, 
 the sealed up one and the open one, also all the 
 first books in which are written all the words 
 of the birthright." 
 
 54. And Esau spoke these things ' 
 in order to deceive Joseph with hiis 
 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 witness- 
 es, 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 Naph- 
 tali 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 re- 
 cords 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 185 
 
 sons of Jacob slew of Esau's people 
 forty men. 
 
 62. And Chushim the son of Dan, 
 llie son of Jacob, was at that time 
 will] 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 the men. 
 
 64. And he asked, saying, why do 
 yo\i not bury the dead arid 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 dis- 
 tance, and Esau fell amongst the peo- 
 ple 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 He- 
 bron, 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 fa- 
 ther at his death, for he buried him 
 with great honor like unto the bu- 
 rial of kings. 
 
 68. And Joseph and his brethren 
 made a mourning of seven days for 
 their father. 
 
 CHAPTER LVH. 
 
 1 . And it was after this that the 
 sons of Esau waged war with the 
 
 sons of Jacob, and the sons of Esau 
 fouglit with the sons of Jacob in He- 
 bron, and Esau was still lying dead, 
 and not buried. 
 
 2. And the battle w^s heavy be- 
 tween them, and the sons of Esau 
 were smitten before the sons of Ja- 
 cob, 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 pre- 
 vailed over all the people of the sons 
 of Esau, and he took Zcpho, the 
 son of Ehphaz, 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 ser- 
 vants 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 re- 
 mained 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 thev buried Esau in Scir,butthey 
 iiad 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 
 
186 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Hgrite, and they assembled 
 all the clildren of the east, a multi- 
 tude of people like the sand of the 
 sea, and they went and came down 
 to Egypt to light 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 fougiu in the city of 
 Raamses, and Joseph and his bre- 
 thren 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 me7i 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 chil- 
 dren of Esaii ; and Eliphaz the son 
 of Esau and the children of the east 
 all fled before Joseph and his bre- 
 thren. 
 
 10. And Joseph and his brethren 
 pursued them until thev came unto 
 Succolh, 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 cheer- 
 fulness of heart, for they had smitten 
 all their enemies. 
 
 12. And Zepho the son of Eli- 
 phaz 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 hand of the 
 sons of Jacob, and the j)eople 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 re- 
 mainelh. 
 
 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 con- 
 sidered 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 child- 
 ren 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 un- 
 to the children of Midian, saying, 
 you have seen what the children of 
 Esau have done unto us, upon whose 
 account we are ahnost all destroyed, 
 in their battle with the sons of Jacob. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 187 
 
 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 JSeir at that time in 
 the wilderness of Paran. 
 
 23. And the children of Seir pre- 
 vailed then over the sons of Esau, 
 and the children of Seir slew on that 
 day of the children of Esau in that 
 baltle 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 peo- 
 ple of the children of Esau in the 
 second battle fifty eight men of the 
 people of Angeas king of Dinhabah. 
 
 27. And on the third day the child- 
 ren 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 wil- 
 derness of Paran, and the battle was 
 very severe upon the children of 
 Seir, and the children of Esau pre- 
 vailed 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. 
 
 83. And all Midian and the child- 
 ren of the east betook themselves to 
 flight from the battle, and they left 
 the children of Seir and fled when 
 they saw that the baltle 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 bre- 
 thren 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 
 
188 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 excepting fifty young 
 lads and damsels whom they suffer- 
 ed 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 
 cliildren 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 child- 
 ren 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 re- 
 solved to crown a king over them in 
 the land of which they became pos- 
 sessed. 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 for- 
 ward 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 ear 
 rings 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 LVIII. 
 
 1. And it came to pass in the 
 thirty second year of the Israelites 
 going down to Egypt, that is in the 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 189 
 
 seventy first year of the life of 
 Joseph, in that year died Pharaoli 
 king of Egypt, and Magron his son 
 reigned in his stead. 
 
 2. And Pharaoh commanded Jo- 
 seph before his death to be a father 
 to his son Magron, and that Magron 
 should be \mder the care of Joseph 
 and under his counsel. 
 
 3. And all Eg}'pt 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 Pha- 
 raoh 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 ihem ; also all the 
 land and all the Philistines, unto the 
 borders of Canaan, did Joseph sub- 
 due, and they were all under his 
 power and they gave a yearly tax 
 unto Joseph. 
 
 9. And Pharaoh king of Egypt 
 sal 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 reign- 
 ed 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 through- 
 out 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 exceed- 
 ingly in the land, and they served 
 the Lord all their days, as their 
 father Jacob had commanded them. 
 
190 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 14. And it came to pass at the 
 end of many days and years, when 
 the children of Esau were dwelhng 
 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 Jo- 
 seph. 
 
 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 Din- 
 habah, 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 chil- 
 dren 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 Raamses. 
 
 1 8. 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 
 Raamses ; and the sons of Jacob at 
 that time again fought with the chil- 
 dren 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 Jo- 
 seph. 
 
 20. And of the people of Esau and 
 the children of the east that were 
 slain, there fell before the sons of Ja- 
 cob 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, con- 
 tinuing to smite them in the road ; 
 and they afterward turned back from 
 them. 
 
 23. And Joseph and all his bre- 
 thren 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 increas- 
 ed their grief. 
 
 25. And all the people of the chil- 
 dren 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 191 
 
 reign over them instead of Bela their 
 
 king. 
 
 27. And Jobab sat upon the throne 
 of Bela as king in his stead, and Jo- 
 bab 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 tiie 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 chil- 
 dren 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 LIX. 
 
 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, Issa- 
 char 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 tlie 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 Cha- 
 noch, 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 ivere 
 Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zarach. 
 
 1 1 . And Er and Onan died in the 
 land of Canaan ; and the sons of Pe- 
 rez 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, Jctzer and Shilam. 
 
 15. And the sons of Gad were 
 Ziphion, Chaggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, 
 Arodi and Areli. 
 
 16. And the children of Asher 
 xoere Jimnah, Jishvah, Jishvi, Beriah 
 and their sister Serach ; and the sons 
 of Beriah loere Cheber and Malchiel, 
 
 1 7. And the sons of Benjamin ivere 
 Bela, Becher, Ashbel,Gcra, Naaman, 
 Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim and 
 Ord. 
 
 18. And the sons of Joseph, that 
 
192 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Jo- 
 seph 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 bre- 
 thren and unto the whole of his fa- 
 ther'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 se- 
 venty-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 cus- 
 tom, and his brethren and all Egypt 
 mourned over him for seventy days. I 
 
 27. And they put Joseph in a cof 
 fin 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 days' 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 LX. 
 
 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 Af- 
 rica, 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 Ja- 
 cob, and what they had done to his 
 army in their warfare with the chil- 
 dren of Esau. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 193 
 
 6. And Zepho was in those days 
 very great in the sight of Angcas 
 and in the sigiit of all his people, 
 and he continually enticed iheni to 
 make war against Egypt, but they 
 would not. 
 
 7. And it came to pass in those 
 days there was in the land of Chiltim 
 a man in the city of Puzimna, whose 
 name was Uzu, and he became de- 
 generately deilied 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 exceeding- 
 ly 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 him- 
 self for a wife. And the people of 
 Chittim consented to give her unto 
 him for a wife. 
 
 ] 0. 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 ser- 
 vants 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 de- 
 sired her to take her unto him for a 
 wife before you came, and that we 
 
 13 
 
 should give her unto him, and now 
 therefore we cannot do this thing to 
 deprive Angean of the damsel in or- 
 der 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 Avar 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 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 kiss- 
 ed him and embraced him, and Nib- 
 los 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 Ids welfare. 
 
 18. And Angeas asked his brother 
 
194 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Avith them a great army 
 and a heavy people. 
 
 19. And he came in ships, and 
 they came into the province of Ash- 
 torash, and behold Turnus came to- 
 ward them, for he went forth to Sar- 
 dunia, 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 com- 
 manded 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 An- 
 geas 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 high- 
 road, which is between Alphanu 
 and Romah, and they slew the whole 
 army of Turnus with the edge of 
 the sword. 
 
 25. And Lucus king of Sardunia 
 
 commanded his servants that they 
 should make a coffin of brass, and 
 that they should place therein the 
 body of his son Niblos, and they 
 buried him in that place. 
 
 26. And they built upon it a high 
 tower there upon the highroad, and 
 they called its name after the name 
 of Niblos unto this day, and they al- 
 so buried Turnus king of Bibentu 
 there in that place with Niblos. 
 
 27. And behold upon the high- 
 road between Alphanu and Romah 
 the grave of Niblos is on one side 
 and the grave of Turnus on the 
 other, and a pavement between thera 
 unto this day. 
 
 28. And when Niblos was buried 
 Lucus his father returned with his 
 army to his land Sardunia, and An- 
 geas his brother king of Africa went 
 with his people unto the city of Bi- 
 bentu, that is the city of Turnus. 
 
 29. And the inhabitants of Bibentu 
 heard of his fame and they were great- 
 ly afraid of him, and they went forth 
 to meet him with weeping and sup- 
 plication, and the inhabitants of Bi- 
 bentu entreated of Angeas not to 
 slay them nor to 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 An- 
 geas 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 195 
 
 CHAPTER LXI. 
 
 1. And it came to pass at that 
 time Pharaoh king of Egypt com- 
 manded all his people to make for 
 him a strong palace in Egypt. 
 
 2. And he also commanded the 
 sons of Jacob to assist the Egyj)tians 
 in the building, and the Egyptians 
 made a beautiful and elegant palace 
 for a royal habitation, and he dwelt 
 therein and he renewed his govern- 
 ment 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 liis 
 children. 
 
 5. And Zepho the son of Eliphaz 
 the son of Esau, captain of the host 
 to Aiigeas 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 yoiith fifteen years 
 old, Balaam the son of Bcor was his 
 name, and the youth was very wise 
 and understood ihc 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 proceedmg. 
 
 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 pre- 
 pared waters that he had for that 
 purpose, and he took in his hand the 
 boughs of myrtle trees, and he ex- 
 ercised his cunning, and he joined 
 them over the water, and there ap- 
 peared 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 ex- 
 ceedingly rich in those days, and the 
 troops of the king of Africa still 
 spread themselves in those days, and 
 the children of Chittim assembled 
 
196 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 unto 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 down- 
 ward it resembled an animal, and 
 Zepho rose up against the animal 
 and slew it with his sword. 
 
 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 
 brouQ-ht unto him drink ofFerinss 
 year after year on that day, and they 
 brought unto him gifts. 
 
 18. At that time Jania the daughter 
 of Uzu wife of kinsT 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 stones 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 
 theretvith 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 Chit- 
 tim in large ships, and they also 
 brought stones to build therewith, 
 and the builders built palaces for 
 Jania the queen, and the queen be- 
 came 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 be- 
 fore him, and he delivered the land 
 of Chittim from them. 
 
 24. And the children of Chittim 
 saw the valor of Zepho, and the chil- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 197 
 
 dren of Chittim resolved and ihey 
 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 sur- 
 rounding islands. 
 
 25. And their king Zepho went at 
 their head and they made war with 
 Tubal and the islands, and they sub- 
 dued them, and when they returned 
 from the battle they renewed his go- 
 vernment 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 Chit- 
 tim and over the land of Italia fifty 
 years. 
 
 CHAPTER LXII. 
 
 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 ; Reu- 
 ben 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 old at his death, 
 and he was also put into a cofliin 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 hun- 
 dred 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 hun- 
 dred and twenty-three years old at 
 
 iiis death, and he was placed in a 
 coffin in Egyi)t, and given into the 
 liands of his cluldren. 
 
 5. And in liie eighty-third year 
 died (iad, he was a hundred and 
 twenty-five years old at iiis death, 
 and he was put into a coffin in Egypt, 
 and given into the hands of iiis chil- 
 dren. 
 
 6. And it came to pass in the 
 eighty-fourth year, that is tiie fiftieth 
 year of the reign of Hadad, son of 
 Bedad, king of Edom, that Hadad 
 assembled all the children of Esau, 
 and lie got his whole army in readi- 
 ness, 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 tribu- 
 tary 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 ar- 
 ray against him in the field of Moab. 
 
 9. And Hadad fought with Moab, 
 and there fell of the cliildren of Moab 
 and the children of Midian many slain 
 ones, about two hundred thousand 
 men. 
 
 10. And the battle waa very se- 
 vere upon Moab, and when the chil- 
 dren of Moab saw that tiie 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 bat- 
 tle and fouffht with Hadad and all 
 
198 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 of Moab had escaped, 
 Hadad made all Moab at that time 
 tributary to him, and they became un- 
 der his hand, and they gave a yearly 
 tax as it was ordered, and Hadad 
 tm-ned 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 
 baltle with Hadad for the sake of 
 Moab, because the children of Moab 
 had turned their backs in battle and 
 left Midian to fight, tlien five of the 
 princes of Midian resolved with the 
 rest of their brethren who remained 
 in their land, to fight with Moab to 
 avenge tlic 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 as- 
 sist Midian to fight with Moab. 
 
 16. And the ciiildren of Moab 
 heard this thing, and they were great- 
 ly 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 baltle. 
 
 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 Mi- 
 dian and the children of the east 
 fought with Moab in the field of Moab, 
 and the battle was very fierce be- 
 tween them, 
 
 19. And Hadad smote all the chil- 
 dren 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 pur- 
 sued 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 betweerf 
 them all the days. 
 
 22. And all that were foimd 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, pe- 
 rished by the sw^ord of Midian; thus 
 did jMidian 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 eighty sixth 
 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 
 a coffin and he was given into the 
 hands of his children. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 199 
 
 24. And in the eighty ninth year 
 died Naphtali, he was a hundred and 
 thirty two years old, and lie was put 
 into a cotRri and given into the liands 
 of his children. 
 
 25. And it came to pass in the 
 ninety first year of the Israelites go- 
 ing 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 Chitlim to plinider 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 Eli- 
 phaz went out to them with some of 
 liis men and smote them desperately, 
 and the troops of Africa fled from be- 
 fore Zepho and the slain fell before 
 him, and Zepho and his men pursued 
 them, going on and smiting them un- 
 til 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 LXIir. 
 
 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 colfin 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 Egyp- 
 tians began to afflict the children of 
 Jacob, and to embitter their lives 
 from that dav unto the day of their 
 going forth from Egypt, and they 
 took from their hands all the vine- 
 
 yards and fields which Joseph had 
 given unto tliein, and all the elegant 
 iiouses 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 be- 
 came 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 Egyj)t died, and 
 Melol his son reigned in his stead, 
 and all the mighty men of Egypt and 
 all that generation which knew Jo- 
 seph 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 
 Avith all manner of hard labor, be- 
 cause they had not known their an- 
 cestors who had delivei'ed 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 chil- 
 dren of Israel might fear the Lord 
 God of their ancestors, and walk in 
 all his ways, they and their seed af- 
 ter them all the days. 
 
200 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 fougiit 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 remain- 
 ing of them, and not even one re- 
 turned to his master in Africa. 
 
 13. And Angeas heard of this 
 which Zepho the son of EHphaz had 
 done to all his troops, that he had de- 
 stroyed 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 bro- 
 ther 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, Avith whom 
 we fought on the other side of Jor- 
 dan 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 Chit- 
 tim said unto Zepho, pray for us to 
 the God of thy ancestors, peradven- 
 ture 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. 
 
 2.S. And Zepho heard their words, 
 and Zepho sought the Lord and he 
 said. 
 
 24. 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 use- 
 less. 
 
 25 Remember now this day un- 
 
THK BOOK OF JASHKR. 
 
 201 
 
 to me tliy covenant with Abraham 
 our father, which our ancestors re- 
 lated unto us, and do graciously with 
 me this day for tiic sake of Abra- 
 ham and Isaac our fathers, and save 
 me and the cliiidren of Chitlini 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 re- 
 gard for him on account of Abraham 
 and Isaac, and the Lord delivered 
 Zepho and the children of Ciiittim 
 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 up- 
 on Angeas, and Zepho smote all the 
 men of Angeas and Lucus his bro- 
 ther, with the edge of the sword, and 
 there fell from them until the even- 
 ing 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 up- 
 ward; 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 inhabi- 
 tants of Africa were terrified at the 
 words of Angeas, and there went out 
 of the city about three hundred thou- 
 sand 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 }iis land, about two 
 thousand men, and Sosiphtar the 
 captain of the host of Angeas fell in 
 that battle. 
 
 33. And when Sosiphtar had fall- 
 en the African troops turned their 
 backs to flee, and they fled, and An- 
 geas and Lucus his brother were 
 with them. 
 
 31. 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 fa- 
 ther, and they smote twenty of his 
 men in the road, and Azdrubal 
 escaped from the children of Chit- 
 tim, 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 in- 
 to x\frica with terror and consterna- 
 tion, and Angeas feared all the days 
 lest Zepho the son of Eliphaz should 
 go to war with him. 
 
 CHAPTER LXIV. 
 
 1. And Balaam the son of Beor 
 was at that time with Angeas in the 
 battle, and wlien he saw that Zepho 
 prevailed over Angeas, he fled from 
 there and came to Cliitlim. 
 
 2. And Zepho and the children of 
 Chittim received him with great ho- 
 nor, for Zepho knew Balaam's wis- 
 dom, 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 
 
202 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Chitlim securely, but 
 knew not the Lord who had deliver- 
 ed 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 wlio had 
 smitten them all at tlie edge of the 
 sword, so Angeas was afraid of Ze- 
 pho 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 
 of Jacob were dead, and that all their 
 children the children of Israel re- 
 mained in Egypt. 
 
 9. And Zepho considered to go to 
 
 * i. e. After the fatigues of war, to attend 
 again to domestic government. 
 
 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 smit- 
 ten 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, 
 
 1 1 . Did you not say that you 
 would not fight against the king of 
 Africa for he is a member of yoiir 
 covenant ? behold I fought with him 
 and smote him and all his people. 
 
 12. Now therefore I iiave resolved 
 to fight against Egypt and the child- 
 ren 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 fight- 
 ing against them and Egypt, then 
 shall we avenge the cause of our 
 brethren. 
 
 14. And the children of Esau hear- 
 kened 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 chil- 
 dren of the east and to all the chil- 
 dren 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 ail 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASIIER. 
 
 203 
 
 17. And the camp was very heavy, 
 extending in length a distance of 
 three days' journey, a people nume- 
 rous as the sand upon the sea shore 
 which catuiot be counted. 
 
 18. And all these kings and their 
 hosts went down and came against 
 all Egypt in battle, and encamped to- 
 gether in the valley of Palhros. 
 
 19. And all Egypt heard their re- 
 port, and they also gatheretl liiem- 
 selves together, all the people of the 
 land of Egypt, and of all the cities 
 belonging to Egypt, about three hun- 
 dred thousand men. 
 
 20. And the men of Egypt sent 
 also to the children of Israel who 
 were in those days in the land of Go- 
 shen, to come to them in order to go 
 and fight with these kings. 
 
 21. And the men of Israel assem- 
 bled and were about* one hinidred 
 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 hun- 
 dred 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 fi^ht against the chil- 
 dren of Esau and Ishmael, and if 
 these kings should prevail over us, 
 
 * i. e. Those who were willing to go amount- 
 ed to 150 men, who were nothing in sueh a 
 great army : see the 23d verse for the cause. 
 
 then come you altogether upon them 
 and assist us, and the children of Is- 
 rael did so. 
 
 25. And Zepho the son of Eliphaz 
 the son of Esau king of Chiltim, 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 val- 
 ley of Palhros 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 ihe 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 skil- 
 ful in the knowledge of it, but he 
 was confused and the work was de- 
 stroyed in his hand. 
 
 29. And he tried it again but it 
 did not succeed, and Balaam despair- 
 ed of it and left it and did not com- 
 plete it, for this was from the Lord, 
 in order to cause Zepho and his peo- 
 ple to fall into the hand of the chil- 
 dren 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 Eijvplians fought 
 with these kings opposite Pathros 
 and Tachpanches, and the battle was 
 severe against the Egyptians. 
 
 32. And the kinus were stronger 
 than the Egyptians in that battle, and 
 
204 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Egyp- 
 tians, 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 Ciiittim. 
 
 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 Is- 
 rael 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 m 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 Is- 
 rael, and the children of Israel pur- 
 sued them continuing to smite them 
 unto the borders of the land of Gush. 
 
 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 them- 
 selves in the road, and they left the 
 Israelites to fight. 
 
 41. And the children of Israel in- 
 flicted a terrible blow upon the kino-s' 
 men, and they returned from them 
 after they had driven them to the 
 border of the land of Gush, 
 
 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 chil- 
 dren 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 Israel- 
 ites met on the road, they the chil- 
 dren of Israel spoke to each other, 
 saying, smite, smite, for he is an Ish- 
 maelite, or an Edomite, or from the 
 children of Ghittim, and they stood 
 over him and slew him, and they 
 knew that he was an Eg\'plian. 
 
 47. And the children of Israel did 
 these things cunningly against the 
 Egyptians, because they had desert- 
 ed 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 fear- 
 
THE BOOK OF JA.SHER. 
 
 205 
 
 ed greatly the children of Israel, for 
 they had seen their great power, and 
 that not one man of tiiem had fallen. 
 50. So all the children of Israel 
 returned with joy on their road to 
 Goshen, and the rest of Egypt re- 
 turned each man to his place. 
 
 CHAPTER LXV. 
 
 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, say- 
 ing, " [ 
 
 3. Behold the people of the chil- 
 dren 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 nu- 
 merous as the sand, and smote them 
 at the edge of the sword, and of them- 
 selves 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 gra- 
 dually 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, // behoves you and us to build 
 them, and to fortify them. 
 
 9. Now therefore go you also and 
 act cunningly toward them, and pro- 
 claim 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 Pi- 
 thom 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 loilling to build with us, shall 
 each have his wages given to him 
 daily at the king's order ; so go vou 
 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 chil- 
 dren 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, draw 
 yourselves away from them daily one 
 by one in secret, and then you shall 
 rise up and become their task-mas- 
 ters and officers, and you shall leave 
 them afterward to build without wa- 
 ges, 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 
 
206 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 will decrease, because you will de- 
 prive 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 tlie 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 Taclipanches and in Gosh- 
 en, and in all the cities which sur- 
 rounded Egypt, saying, 
 
 17. You have seen what the child- 
 ren of Esau and Ishmacl did to us, 
 who came to war against us and wish- 
 ed to destroy us ; 
 
 18. Now therefore tlie king com- 
 manded 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 Egj'ptians 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 Pha- 
 raoh 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 be- 
 ginning. 
 
 22. And the servants of Pharaoh 
 
 built with all Israel, and were en> 
 ployed 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 re- 
 ceived their daily hire, because some 
 of llie men of Egypt were yet carry- 
 ing 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 labour. 
 
 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 op- 
 pressors 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 labour. 
 
 27. And the Egyptians did in this 
 manner to the children of Israel day 
 by day, in order to afflict the Israel- 
 ites 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 207 
 
 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 tiie 
 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 Eg}'ptians 
 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 em- 
 bittered their lives with all manner 
 of work. 
 
 38. And all the work wherein the 
 Egyptians made the chiKlrcn 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 griev- 
 ed because of the children of Israel. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVI. 
 
 \. At that lime 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 Eerypt, 
 which was the hundred and twenty 
 fifth year of the Israelites going 
 down into Egypt, Samlah had reign- 
 ed 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 after- 
 
 * niTD from tid to embitter. 
 
208 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 ward he will come to fight against 
 Egypt. 
 
 6. And when the Egyptians heard 
 this nnatter, they increased the labor 
 upon the children of Israel, lest the 
 Israelites should do unto them as 
 ihey 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 ac- 
 count will they come against us. 
 
 S. 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 les- 
 sen 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 fill- 
 ed with the children of Israel. 
 
 10. And in the hundred and twen- 
 ty fifth year of Israel's going down 
 into Egypt, all the Egyptians saw 
 that their counsel did not succeed 
 against Israel, but that they increas- 
 ed and grew, and the land of Egypt 
 and the land of Goshen were filled 
 with the children of Israel. 
 
 1 1 . So all the elders of Egypt and 
 its wise men came before the king 
 and bowed down to him and sat be- 
 fore 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 vis 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 in- 
 crease of the labor so do tliey in- 
 
 crease and grow in the land, and be- 
 hold the whole country is filled with 
 them. 
 
 14. Now therefore our lord and 
 king, the eyes of all Egypt are up- 
 on 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 mattter 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, 
 
 1 8. Behold the counsel of the king 
 which he advised formerly respect- 
 ing the labor of the children of Is- 
 rael is very good, and you must not 
 remove from them that labor forever. 
 
 19. But thi* is the advice coun- 
 selled 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 209 
 
 and send for all the Hebrew mid- 
 wives 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 He- 
 brew midwivcs to be called, of 
 which the name of one was Sheph- 
 rah, and the name of the other Puah. 
 
 24. And the midwives came be- 
 fore the king, and stood in his pre- 
 sence. 
 
 25. And the king said mito them, 
 when you do the olHce 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 neces- 
 sary 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 
 
 *njn nvn 'D same as in Exodus, ch. 1, v. 19, 
 •where the English version is " for they are live- 
 ly" I prefer my translation. 
 
 14 
 
 many days no Hebrew woman has 
 brought forth upon us, for all the 
 Hebrew women are their own mid- 
 wives, because they are hale. 
 
 31. And Pliaraoh iicard their 
 words and believed them in this mat- 
 ter, and the midwives went away 
 from the king, and God dealt well 
 with them, and the people multiplied 
 and waxed exceedingly. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVH, 
 
 1. There was a man in the land of 
 Egypt of the seed of Levi, whose 
 name was Amram, the son of Ke- 
 hath, the son of Levi, the son of Is- 
 rael. 
 
 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 concep- 
 tion, 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 reign- 
 ed 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 
 
210 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 the king of Chiitim 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 
 affffrandized him. 
 
 10. And Balaam dwelt m Egypt, 
 in honor with all the nobles of the 
 king, and the nobles exalted him, be- 
 cause they all coveted to learn his 
 wisdom. 
 
 1 1 . And in the hundred and thir- 
 tieth 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 ai'e used by mer- 
 chants. 
 
 12. And the old man took the 
 scales and hung them before Pha- 
 raoh. 
 
 13. And the old man took all the 
 elders of Egypt and all its nobles 
 and great men, and he lied them to- 
 gether 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 woke and behold it was a 
 dream. 
 
 16. And Pharaoh rose up early in 
 the morning and called all his ser- 
 vants 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 hiro, 
 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 Is- 
 rael wlio 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 Midi- 
 anite 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 in- 
 terpretation thereof; now therefore 
 give counsel and know and see what 
 is to be done to the children of Is- 
 rael, whereby we may prevail over 
 them, before their evil shall spring 
 up against us. 
 
 26. And Reuel the Midianite an- 
 swered 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 211 
 
 28. For these are they whom the 
 Lord chose in days of old, and look 
 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 licr 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 peo- 
 ple of Gerar were punished on ac- 
 count of Sarah, and Abraham prayed 
 to his God for them, and he was in- 
 treated of him, and he healed them. 
 
 33. And Abimelech feared all this 
 evil that came upon him and his peo- 
 ple, 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 pro- 
 ductive 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 intreated 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 hi» 
 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 deliv- 
 ered them out of their hands, that 
 they turned upon them and smote 
 them, for who had ever stretched 
 forth his hand against them with im- 
 punity ? 
 
 38. Surely Pharaoh the former, 
 thy father's father, raised Joseph 
 the son of Jacob above all the prin- 
 ces of the land of Eg}''pt, when he 
 saw his wisdom, for through his wis- 
 dom 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 Ca- 
 naan, 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 
 
212 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Ba- 
 laam, what dost thou say, Balaam, 
 speak thy word that we may hear it. 
 
 45. And Balaam said to the king, 
 of all that the kini^ 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 rigor- 
 ous 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 
 
 * It was stated before that i^n was a fire in 
 which Abraham was put, and from which God 
 dehvered him. 
 
 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 pro- 
 clamation 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 Pha- 
 raoh 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 re- 
 mained 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 his knees, by which it might 
 
 * Had any miraculous escape from water. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 213 
 
 cover itself, to* comfort it and to 
 cleave to it, througli his compassion 
 for it. 
 
 56. And when God had compas- 
 sion over ihem 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 whicii 
 the earth opened its mouth and 
 vomited them forth andt they sprout- 
 ed forth from the city like ihe herb 
 of the earth and tiie 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 in- 
 creased 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. 
 
 * i. e. That the angel was to comfort it and 
 cleave to it. 
 
 t 'p^n 3C'5J3 TJD iK'Xn ; the same sentence is 
 to be found in Psalm 2, v. 16, upon which the 
 Rabbins formed this fable, and which has no 
 connexion with it. 
 
 CHAPTER LXVIII. 
 
 1. And it was at that time the spirit 
 of God was upon Miriam the daugh- 
 ter of Amram the sister of Aaron, 
 and she went forth and propiiccied 
 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 
 
 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 lime 
 when Pharaoh ordered every male 
 child of the house of Jacob to be 
 thrown into the water. 
 
 3. 8o Amram took Jochcbcd 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 hid- 
 den her son from before the Egyp- 
 tians, that the Egyptians might not 
 know of their bringing forth, and 
 might not destroy them from the land. 
 
214 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 luoman 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 con- 
 cealment 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 Egyptf 
 as well. 
 
 * Her prophecy, mentioned in v. 1. 
 t Walked about in respectful attendance on 
 Bathia. 
 
 18. And Bathia lifted up her eyes 
 to the river, and she saw the ark up- 
 on 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 chil- 
 dren. 
 
 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 wo- 
 men 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 
 
 *These different names arise from a Rabbinical 
 torture of a genealogical account in 1 Chroni- 
 cles, ch. 4, V. 18, which has nothing to do with 
 the birth of Moses, only a woman's name, Ba- 
 thia, daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took, 
 and by a similarity of name to the great Pharaoh 
 king of Egypt, as if no private person could be 
 called so, they imagined it must have been Mo- 
 ses the adopted son of king Pharaoh's daughter. 
 The same story is in the Talmud. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHLR. 
 
 215 
 
 for him that he associated with his 
 wife whom he had turned away. 
 
 26. And Jochcbcd his mother 
 called his naine Jekulhicl, because, 
 she said, J have hoped for him to the 
 Almighty, and God restored him un- 
 to me. 
 
 27. And Miriam his sister called 
 him Jered, for she descended after 
 him to the river to know what his 
 end would be. 
 
 2S. 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 Am- 
 ram 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 allt 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, Pha- 
 raoh's daughter, as a son, and Moses 
 grew up amongst the king's children. 
 
 CHAPTER LXIX. 
 
 1 . And the king of Edom died in 
 those days, in the eighteenth year of 
 his reign, and was buried in his tem- 
 ple which he had built for himself as 
 his royal residence in the land of 
 Edom. 
 
 * The Egyptians. 
 
 + They must have called him so after the ex- 
 odus, or about the timn ; but I conjecture the 
 whole of this part a spurious addition, extracted 
 from the Rabbinical works. 
 
 2. And the children of Esau sent 
 to Pethor, which is upon the river, 
 and they fetched from there a yoiuig 
 man of beautiful eyes and comely 
 aspect, whose name was Saul, and 
 they made him king over them in the 
 place of Sam I ah. 
 
 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 
 cliildren of Israel did not succeed, 
 but that still they were fruitful, mul- 
 tiplied 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 per- 
 forms daily, whether in mortar or in 
 bricks, then his youngest son shall 
 be put in their place. 
 
 7. And the labor of Egypt strength- 
 ened upon the children of Israel in 
 those days, and behold if one brick 
 was deficient in any man's daily la- 
 bor, 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 
 dav, 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 Israel- 
 ites. 
 
216 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 CHAPTER LXX. 
 
 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 Ba- 
 laam the son of Beor with his two 
 sons, and all the princes of the king- 
 dom 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 Ring'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 ter- 
 rified, 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 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, re- 
 member 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 young- 
 ster 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 
 cimningiy, in order to make the 
 kings of the earth and their men 
 tremble, 
 
 9. Surely thou knowest that Abra- 
 ham their father acted thus, who de- 
 ceived 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, 
 
 1 ] , 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 Phi- 
 listines, 
 
 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 treacherous- 
 ly with his brother, and took from 
 his hand his birthright and his bless- 
 ing. 
 
 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 fa- 
 mine throughout the land he sent for 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 217 
 
 and brought his father and all his 
 brothers, and the whole of his fa- 
 ther's household, and supported them 
 wiiiiout price or reward, and bought 
 the Egvjitians for slaves. 
 
 18. Now therefore my lord king 
 behold this child has risen up in their 
 stead in ]\gypt, 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 I^gypt 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 tiic 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 tiie king said to the wise 
 men, surely you have heaixlwhat 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 
 which 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 be- 
 fore the king and the princes. 
 
 25. If it please the king let the 
 king send for vien 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. 
 20. But if he stretch forth his 
 iiand upon the coal, then shall wo 
 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 be- 
 fore 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 ijecamc 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 re- 
 frained from slayincr the child, so 
 Moses remained in Pharaoh's house, 
 growing up, and the Lord was with 
 him. 
 
 32. And whilst the bov was in 
 the king's house, he was robed in 
 purple and he grew amongst the chil- 
 dren of the king. 
 
 33. And when Moses grew up in 
 the king's house, Bathia the daugh- 
 ter of Pharaoh considered him as a 
 son, and all the household of Pha- 
 raoh 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 
 
218 
 
 THE BOOK OF .lASHER. 
 
 his brethren the children of Israel 
 were, and Moses saw them daily in 
 shortness of breath and hard labor. 
 
 35. And Moses asked them, say- 
 ing, 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 la- 
 bor, 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 Pha- 
 raoh, 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 Mo- 
 ses and said, behold I have lifted up 
 thy face in this thing to grant thy re- 
 quest. 
 
 46. And Pharaoh ordered a pro- 
 clamation 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 la- 
 bor but on the seventh day you shall 
 rest, and shall not perform 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 Mo- 
 ses and his fame went throughout 
 Egypt. 
 
 5L 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 regard- 
 ing them to the king. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXI. 
 
 1. And when Moses was eighteen 
 years old, he desired to see his father 
 and mother and he went to them t,a 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 219 
 
 Goshen, and when Moses had come 
 near Goshen, he came to the place 
 where the children of Israel were en- 
 gaged 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 bea- 
 ten 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 return- 
 ed home, he thought of repudiating 
 his wife, for it was not right in the 
 house of Jacob, for any man lo come 
 to his wife after she had been defiled. 
 
 6. And the woman went and told 
 her brothers, and the woman's bro- 
 thers 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 mc as thou didst slay the 
 Egyptian ? and Moses was afraid and 
 he said, surely the thing is known ! 
 
 9. And Pharaoh heard of this af- 
 fair, and he ordered Moses to be 
 slain, so God sent his angel, and he 
 appeared unto Pharaoh in the like- 
 ness 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 bor- 
 ders of Egypt, a distance of forty 
 days' journey. 
 
 12. And Aaron his brother alone 
 remained in the land of Egypt, and 
 he prophecied to the children of Is- 
 rael, 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 re- 
 belled and would not hearken to Aa- 
 ron at that time. 
 
 15. And the Lord thought to de- 
 stroy 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 LXXII. 
 
 1. And it was in those days that 
 there was a great war between the 
 children of Cush and the children of 
 *This is demonstrated in Ezekiel, ch. 30, v, 30. 
 
220 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 be- 
 fore Kikianus and his people. 
 
 5. And he took many of them cap- 
 tives and he brought them under sub- 
 jection 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 surround- 
 ed the whole land of Cush, and they 
 made the waters of the river burst 
 forth there. 
 
 10. At the fourth corner they col- 
 lected numerous serpents by their 
 
 incantations and enchantments, and 
 they fortified the city and dwelt there- 
 in, and no one went out or in before 
 them. 
 
 1 1 . 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 becausethey sawthatwe were de- 
 layed, in the 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 ap- 
 proached the city door and they look- 
 ed 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 suffer- 
 ed 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 
 of Kikianus fell on that day. 
 
 17. And on the next day they con- 
 tinued 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 221 
 
 19. And when they came to the 
 place of the ditches, the waters re- 
 volved* by mills, and two hundred 
 men upon ten raffs were drowned. 
 
 20. And on the third day they came 
 to fight at the side where the ser- 
 pents were, but they could not ap- 
 proach there, so the serpents slew of 
 them one hundred and seventy men, 
 and they ceased fighting against 
 Cush, and they besieged Cusli for 
 nine years, no person came out or in. 
 
 21. At that time that the war and 
 the siecre 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 Kiki- 
 anus, which at that time was besieg- 
 ing 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. 
 
 * These water mills must have been erected 
 with a design of setting the water going if the 
 enemy should attempt a passage, but cm in 
 scripture is only applied to mill stones for 
 grinding com. 
 
 27. And they built over him an 
 elegant strong and high building, and 
 they placed great stones below. 
 
 28. And the king's scribes engrav- 
 eclupon those stones all the might of 
 their king Kikianus, and all his bat- 
 tles which heiiad fought, behold ihcy 
 are written there at this day. 
 
 29. Now after the death of Kikian- 
 us king of Cush it grieved his men and 
 troops greatly on account of tiie 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 wound- 
 ed 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 re- 
 main in the siege until the city is de- 
 livered 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 ! 
 
 * Tina besides a young man, denotes also a 
 choice man, see 1 Samuel, ch. 8, v. 16, and ch. 
 9, V. 2 ; Proverbs, ch. 30, v. 29. 
 
222 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 is- 
 sued a proclamation on that day, say- 
 ing, every man must give something 
 to Moses of what is in his posses- 
 
 sion. 
 
 39. And they spread out a sheet 
 upon the heap, and every man cast 
 into it something of what he had, 
 one a gold ear ring 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 abun- 
 dance. 
 
 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 LXXIII. 
 
 1. In the fifty fifth year of the 
 reign of Pharaoh king of Egypt, 
 that is in the hundred and fifty seventh 
 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 Mo- 
 ses was favored by the Lord and by 
 men. 
 
 4. And in the seventh day of his 
 
 reign, all the children of Cush as- 
 sembled and came before Moses and 
 bowed down to him to the ground, 
 
 5. And all the children spoke to- 
 gether 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 chil- 
 dren and our wives. 
 
 7. So the king answered them, say- 
 ing, 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 yoii 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 223 
 
 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 armour 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 look 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 in- 
 habited 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 wn^o him, thou 
 shalt not take a woman from the 
 
224 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 alli- 
 ance with any of the children of Ham. 
 
 35. For the Lord our God gave 
 Ham the son of Noah, and his child- 
 ren 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 him- 
 self 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 Kiki- 
 anus 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. 
 
 4L 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 sub- 
 jection 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 him- 
 self 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 LXXIV. 
 
 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 225 
 
 against the power of Edom, having 
 been under Edom since the days of 
 Hadad the son of Bedad, who smole 
 them and Midian, and brought Moab 
 under subjcclion 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 
 tliey buried him in his temple which 
 he "had built for himself in the plain 
 of Canopia for a residence, and Lati- 
 niis 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 re- 
 sidence, 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 Az- 
 drubal the aqueduct which his fa- 
 ther 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 Azdru- 
 bal a severe blow. 
 
 12. And the remaining strong men 
 
 15 
 
 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 up- 
 on all the men of Africa, and they 
 all fell wounded before Latinus and 
 his people, and Azdrubal the king 
 also fell in that battle. 
 
 14. And the king Azdrubal had a 
 very beautiful daughter, whose name 
 was Ushpczena, 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 Azdru- 
 bal, 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. 
 
 1 7. And it was after the death of 
 Azdrubal son of Angeas, when Lati- 
 nus 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 in- 
 stead of his brother over the whole 
 land of Africa. 
 
 18. And when he reigned, he re- 
 solved 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 Ani- 
 bal and his army, and Anibal avenged 
 his brother's cause. 
 
226 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHEK. 
 
 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 LXXV. 
 
 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 ap- 
 pointed to the children of Israel in 
 the times of old, which he had spo- 
 ken to Abraham. 
 
 3. And these men girded them- 
 selves, and they put each man his 
 sword at his side, and every man his 
 armour 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 to- 
 gether 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 chil- 
 dren 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 ap- 
 proached to take them by force. 
 
 9. And the shepherds of Gath shout- 
 ed 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 as- 
 sembled the men of Gath, and they 
 put on each man his armour, and 
 came forth to the children of Ephraim 
 for battle. 
 
 1 1 . 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 227 
 
 cities of the Philistines to the assist- 
 ance 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 child- 
 ren of Ephraim, all who had gone 
 forth from Egypt, none were re- 
 maining 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, be- 
 fore the period had arrived which 
 the Lord in the days of old had ap- 
 pointed to Israel. 
 
 18. And of the Philistines also 
 there fell a great many, about twen- 
 ty 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 
 yearsj 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 LXXVI. 
 
 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 in- 
 tegrity. 
 
 2. And all the children of Cush 
 loved Moses all the days that he 
 reigned over them, and all the inha- 
 bitants 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, ye child- 
 ren 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, a slave of the king of Egypt. 
 
 8. And all the people and nobles 
 of the children of Cush heard the 
 words which Adoniah the queen had 
 spoken in their ears. 
 
 9. And all the people were pre- 
 paring 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 
 
228 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Mo- 
 ses 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 ap- 
 pointed in the days of old, to bring 
 forth Israel from the affliction of the 
 children of Ham. 
 
 13. So Moses went to Midian, for 
 he was afraid to return to Egypt on 
 account of Pharaoh, and he went and 
 sat at a well of water in Midian. 
 
 14. And the seven daughters of 
 Reuel the Midianite went out to feed 
 their father's flock. 
 
 15. And they came to the well and 
 drew water to water their father's 
 flock. 
 
 16. So the shepherds of Midian 
 came and drove them away, and 
 Moses rose up and helped them and 
 watered the flock. 
 
 1 7. And they came home to their 
 father Reuel, and told him what Mo- 
 ses 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 daugh- 
 ters, 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, Zip- 
 porah 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 serv- 
 ing the Egyptians in all manner of 
 hard work, and the hand of Egypt 
 continued in severity over the child- 
 ren of Israel in those days. 
 
 25. At that time the Lord smote 
 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he af- 
 flicted him with the plague of lepro- 
 sy 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 child- 
 ren of Israel, and their cry reach- 
 ed them 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 har- 
 dened his neck before the Lord, and 
 he increased his yoke over the child- 
 ren of Israel, and embittered their 
 lives with all manner of hard work. 
 
 28. And when the Lord had in- 
 flicted the plague upon Pharaoh king 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 229 
 
 of Egypt, he asked his wise men 
 and sorcerers to cure him. 
 
 29. And his wise men and sor- 
 cerers said unto him, that if the 
 blood of Hltle children were put into 
 the wounds he would be healed. 
 
 30. And Pharaoh hearkened to 
 them, and sent his ministers to Go- 
 shen to the children of Israel to take 
 tlieir 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 child- 
 ren 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 in- 
 creasing 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 minis- 
 ters 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 
 
 * J. e. Their blood. 
 
 kindled against the children of Israel 
 exceedingly, for he was greatly 
 grieved at his bodily pain. 
 
 39. And he answered and said, 
 now that tiie children of Israel know 
 that I am ill, they turn and scoff at 
 us, now therefore harness my chariot 
 for me, aad I will betake myself to 
 Goshen and will see the scoti' of the 
 children of Israel with which they 
 are deriding me ; so his servants har- 
 nessed the chariot for him. 
 
 40. And they took and made him 
 ride upon a horse, for he was not 
 able to ride of Jnmself. 
 
 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. 
 
230 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 ser- 
 vants came on that day and saw the 
 king in that affliction, and wept a 
 great weeping with him. 
 
 49. And tiie princes of the king 
 and all his counsellors 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 concu- 
 bines. 
 
 51. And these were their names, 
 the first born Othri, the second Adi- 
 kam 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 a wise man and knowing in all 
 the wisdom of Egypt, but of un- 
 seemly aspect, thick in flesh, and 
 very short in stature ; his height was 
 one cubit. 
 
 54. And when the king saw Adi- 
 kam 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 pre- 
 
 vailed over the king, and his flesh 
 stank like the flesh of a carcase 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 sepulchre of 
 the kings of Egypt in Zoan Miz- 
 raim. 
 
 60. But they embalmed him not 
 as was usual with kings, for his flesh 
 was putrid, and they could not ap- 
 proach 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 re- 
 quited 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 LXXVn. 
 
 1. Adikam was twenty years old 
 when he reigned over Egypt, he 
 reigned four years. 
 
 2. Li 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 con- 
 tinued in 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 BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 231 
 
 the name of his fathers, as was their 
 custom to do in Egypt. 
 
 5. And all the wise men of Pha- 
 raoh called the name of Adikam 
 Ahuz, for i«hort 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 sal upon liis fa- 
 ther's throne to reign over Egypt, 
 and he conducted the government of 
 Egypt in his wisdom. 
 
 8. And whilst he reigned he ex- 
 ceeded his father and all the preced- 
 ing kings in wickedness, and he in- 
 creased his yoke over the children 
 of Israel. 
 
 9. And he went witli 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 vou 
 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. 
 
 1 1 . And he placed over them a 
 measure of bricks for them to do ac- 
 cording to that number, day by da}^, 
 and he turned back and went to 
 Egypt. 
 
 12. At that time the taskmasters 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 any thing. 
 
 14. And it shall come to pass that 
 if you are deficient in your daily 
 
 bricks, I will put your young child- 
 ren in their stead. 
 
 15. And the task masters of 
 Egypt did so in those days as Pha- 
 raoh 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 de- 
 ficient, 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 mo- 
 thers were crying over them and 
 weeping when they heard the weep- 
 ing voices of their infants in the wall 
 of the building. 
 
 18. And the task masters prevail- 
 ed 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 com- 
 passion 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 de- 
 ficient 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. 
 
232 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Ja- 
 cob 
 
 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 Am- 
 ram 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 ffood 
 m thy sight, let us send and see 
 whether he is living or dead, but her 
 father knew not that she had support- 
 ed him. 
 
 31. And Reuel her father answer- 
 ed and said to her, has ever such a 
 thing happened that a man should be 
 
 * Adikam. 
 
 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 fa- 
 ther, 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 Gush, so also can he de- 
 liver him from famine and make him 
 live, 
 
 35. And the thing seemed good 
 in the sight of Reuel, and he did ac- 
 cording 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 dun- 
 geon, standing upon his feet, praising 
 and praying to the God of his ances- 
 tors. 
 
 37. And Reuel commanded Mo- 
 ses 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 in- 
 to the garden of Reuel which was 
 behind the house, and he there pray- 
 ed to the Lord his God, who had 
 done mightv 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. 
 
 * 11N means also a fire and this alludes (ac. 
 cording to a story in this book) to the oven in 
 which Abraham was put. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER 
 
 233 
 
 40. And he approached the stick 
 and he looked, and behold the name 
 of the Lord God of hosts* was en- 
 graved thereon, written and develop- 
 ed upon the slick. 
 
 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 was the stick with 
 which all the workst of our Cod 
 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 slick in his hand and went 
 and tilled the ground from which he 
 was taken, 
 
 44. And the slick 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 look it into his hand, 
 and when he returned to his father he 
 had not left il behind him. 
 
 47. Also when he went down to 
 Egypt he took it into his hand and 
 gave il to Joseph, one portion above 
 his brethren, for Jacob had taken il 
 by force from his brother Esau.:}: 
 
 48. And after the death of Joseph, 
 
 * Meaning that the full name, what the He- 
 brews call the ineffable name of Jehovah, was 
 written upon the stick. (See Talmud.) In 
 one edition I find pinax tiSn " DB' and in another 
 
 t MeaninjT the works of man influenced by 
 God, as he enumerates. 
 
 X The author of this book wishes here to 
 explain that obscure part in the Bible, Genesis, 
 oh. 48, V, 22, " Moreover I have given to the*^ 
 a portion above thy brethren which I took out 
 of the hands of the Amorite, &c." calling Esau, 
 from his conduct, an Amorite ; but it never al- 
 luded to this tale. 
 
 the nobles of Egypt came into the 
 house of Joseph, and the stick came 
 into the hand of Reucl the Midianite, 
 and when he went out of Egypt, he 
 look it in his hand and planted it in 
 his garden. 
 
 49. And all the mighty men of the 
 Kiriites tried to pluck it when they 
 endeavored to gel Zipporah his 
 daughter, but ihey were unsuccess- 
 ful. 
 
 50. So that slick remained plant- 
 ed 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 won- 
 dered al it, and he gave him his 
 daughter Zipporah for a wife. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXVHI. 
 
 1 . At that time died Balchannan 
 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 Balchaiman, iheir 
 king. 
 
 3. And Hadad reigned over the 
 children of Edom forty eight years. 
 
 4. And when he reigned he re- 
 solved.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 has- 
 tened 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 
 
2^4 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Midian- 
 ite, for a wife. 
 
 8. And Zipporah walked in the 
 ways of the daugliters of Jacob, she 
 was nothing short of the righteous- 
 ness 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 stran- 
 ger in a foreign land ; but he circum- 
 cised not his foreskin, at the com- 
 mand of Reuel his father-in-law. 
 
 10. And she conceived again and 
 bare a son, but circumcised his fore- 
 skin, 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 proclama- 
 tion to be made in Ecrypt, saving, 
 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 aflSiction of 
 Egypt, to give them the land of Ca- 
 naan for a possession. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXIX. 
 
 1. And in those days Moses was 
 feeding the flock of Reuel the Midi- 
 anite 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 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 burn- 
 ing with fire, but the fire had no 
 power over the bush to consume it. 
 
 4. And Moses was greatly asto- 
 nished at this sight, wherefore the 
 bush was not consumed, and he ap- 
 proached 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 be- 
 fore the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes 
 
 * Israel was called God's inheritance. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 235 
 
 of his subjects, in order that ihey 
 might beheve that the Lord had sent 
 him. 
 
 7. And Moses hearkened to all 
 that the Lord had commanded him. 
 and he returned to his fathcr-in-hiw 
 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 wliich 
 he had spoken to him, not to circum- 
 cise his first born son, therefore he 
 circumcised him not. 
 
 1 1 . And Zipporah saw the angel 
 of the Lord seeking an occasion 
 against Moses, and she knew that 
 this thing was owing to his not hav- 
 ing 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 to him, they 
 are my wife and sons, which God 
 gave to me in Midian ; and the thing 
 grieved Aaron on account of the wo- 
 man and her children. 
 
 17. And Aaron said to Moses, 
 send away the woman and her chil- 
 dren that they may go to her father's 
 house, and Moses hearkened to the 
 words of Aaron, and did so. 
 
 18. And Zipporah returned ^vith 
 her children, and they went to the 
 house of Reuel, and remained there 
 until the time arrived wiien the Lord 
 had visited his people, and brought 
 them forth from Egypt from the hand 
 of 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 tiie people rejoiced an exceed- 
 ing 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 thiis 
 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 
 joy, and they followed them and 
 
 m 
 
 dog 
 he 
 
 rejoices over his 
 comes from the 
 
 rejoiced as a 
 master when 
 field. 
 
 24. And when Pharaoh saw this 
 
236 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 thing he was astonished at it, and he 
 was greatly terrified at the report, 
 for their* appearance was hke the 
 appearance of the children! of God. 
 
 25. And Pharaoh said to Moses, 
 what do you require ? and they an- 
 swered 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 to day 
 and come back to me to morrow, 
 and they did according to tlie word 
 of the king. 
 
 27. And when they had gone Pha- 
 raoh sent for Balaam the magician 
 and to Jannes and Jambres his sous, 
 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 bro- 
 ther 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 ma- 
 gicians 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 
 
 * Moses and Aaron. tAngelic form. 
 
 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 be- 
 lieved. 
 
 36. And Aaron hastened and threw 
 the rod out of his hand before Pha- 
 raoh 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 lifled up its head and opened its 
 mouth to swallow the rods of the 
 magicians. 
 
 39. And Balaam the magician an- 
 swered 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 be- 
 came a' rod in his hand, and the sor- 
 cerers 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 237 
 
 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 an- 
 cient kings. 
 
 46. And Pharaoh turned to Moses 
 and Aaron and said to them, I know 
 not the Lord whom you have declar- 
 ed, 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 an- 
 ger will be kindled against thee, and 
 he will smite Egypt cither 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 
 
 * See the same, Isaiah, ch. 19, v. 11. 
 
 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. iSurely 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 yester- 
 day t 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 treat- 
 ed 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. 
 
 * See Ezekiel, ch. 29, v. 3. 
 t Literally, from yesterday and the day be- 
 fore, i. e. lately. 
 
238 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 LXXX. 
 
 1. And at the end of two years, 
 the Lord again sent Moses to Pha- 
 raoh 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 w^as 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 an- 
 ger 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 ser- 
 pents, scorpions, mice, weazles, 
 toads, together with others creeping 
 in dust. 
 
 1 5. Flies, hornets, fleas, bugs* and 
 gnats, each swarmt 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 
 
 * K^n> CiBB'fi are not found in the Hebrew 
 Bible, but in the Mishnah and Talmud mean a 
 bug and a gnat. See Bux. Rabb. Les. 
 
 t See Parkhurst's Hebrew Lexicon upon 
 any. In the Bible it is translated swarrn of 
 flies, but this book explains the swarm to be a 
 mixture of all sorts of animals, birds and insects, 
 as 31J? means to mix. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 239 
 
 into the eyes and ears of the Egyp- 
 tians. 
 
 18. And the hornet came upon 
 them and drove them away, and they 
 removed from it uito their inner 
 rooms, and it pursued them. 
 
 19. And when tlie 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 Icnglli of the cubit of a man. 
 
 21. And she went upon the roofs 
 and uncovered the raftcringt and 
 flooring and cut them, and stretched 
 forth her arm into the house and re- 
 moved 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 an- 
 ger 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. 
 
 * n>x'?lD the name of a sea monster, I cannot 
 find it in any of the Hebrew books. 
 
 t n^MpDi mpnn nx, these two words are not 
 found in the Bible, but are joined together in 
 the Talmud, page 116, of Bava Mctziah, where 
 there is a rabbinical dispute what these words 
 mean ; mpn comes from mp to contisfnate, and 
 na'Tj; comes from o^Scn^ nK laip^v Nehemiah, 
 ch. 3, V. 8, which some Jewish commentators 
 give, to build up ; see Buxton, Gesenius and 
 Parkhurst. 
 
 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 in- 
 flammation in the flesh of the Egyp- 
 tians, 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 tiie an- 
 ger 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 minglingt 
 fire descended amidst the hail, there- 
 fore 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 seni and brought 
 nmnerous locusts into Egpyt, the 
 Chasel, Salom Chargol, and Cha- 
 gole,^ locusts each of its kind, which 
 devoured all that the hail had left re- 
 maining. 
 
 * The trees became decayed and fell upon 
 the Egyptians. 
 
 t See Exodus, ch. 9, v. 24. 
 
 X itJ'nJ on>03n Sdi it is thus in the modem 
 edition, but in the Venice edition it is onoan 
 which nmy mean villages, and the verb cni 
 means likewise to extirpate, root up, that all the 
 villages were destroyed ; see Psalms, ch. 9, v. 
 7 ; Jeremiah, ch. 31, v. 40 ; but I prefer the 
 first. 
 
 <J 3jn, Sjin, djjSd, "jion, four species of locusts 
 mentioned in scripture and each translated lo- 
 custs ; see Joel, 1, 4, and 2, 25. The dj?Sd is 
 only found once. Levit. ch. 11, v. 22. 
 
240 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 34. Then the Egyptians rejoiced 
 at the locusts, although they consum- 
 ed 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 per- 
 ish with hunger in a desolate wil- 
 derness, 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 know- 
 ing 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 stand- 
 ing in his place, and he that was sit- 
 ting, 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 hap- 
 pened to all the Egyptians, until the 
 darkness had passed away. 
 
 41. And the days of darkness 
 
 |l See Parkhurst upon naiN locusts under the 
 root n3") 
 
 passed away, and the Lord sent Mo- 
 ses and Aaron to the children of Is- 
 rael, 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 Egyp- 
 tians, 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 
 tlie 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 of their houses, were de- 
 stroyed 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 daugh- 
 ter, being the first born, and the tu- 
 mvilt of Egypt was heard at a dis- 
 tance on that night. 
 
 49. And Bathia the daughter of 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 241 
 
 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 Is- 
 rael. 
 
 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 fatiier's liouse ? 
 
 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, al- 
 though thou art the first born to thy 
 mother, thou shall 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 bre- 
 thren, 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 
 
 * The former Pharaoh. 
 
 16 
 
 first born,* yet fear not, for thou wilt 
 not die, for the Lord has command- 
 ed 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 Abra- 
 ham. 
 
 60. And the children of Israel de- 
 layed going forth at night, and when 
 the Egyptians came to them to bring 
 them out, tliey 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 gar- 
 ments, 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 cof- 
 fin of Joseph and took it with him. 
 
 63. The children of Israel also 
 brought up, each man his father's 
 coflSn with him, and each man the 
 coflinst of his tribe, 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXI. 
 
 1 . And the children of Israel jour- 
 neyed from Raamses to Succoth, 
 about six hundred thousand men on 
 
 * In chapter 75, v. 50, we are told that Othjri 
 was the first bom, but an idiot, I suppose there- 
 fore Adikam assumed the birth right with the 
 crown. 
 
 t I cannot understand this, only in the sense 
 of all the Hebrew bodies being taken with them, 
 unless it means the ark of his tribe. 
 
242 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 child- 
 dren of Israel, who dwelt in the land 
 of Egypt in hard labor, was two hun- 
 dred 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 tra- 
 velled from Egypt and from Goshen 
 and from Raamses, 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 tra- 
 velled from Succoth and encamped 
 in Ethom, at the end of the wilder- 
 ness. 
 
 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 
 liad sent the Israelites away from 
 their servitude. 
 
 9. And one man said to his neigh- 
 bor, surely Moses and Aaron spoke 
 to Pharaoh, saying, w^e will go a 
 three days' journey in the wilderness 
 and sacrifice to the Lord our God. 
 
 1 0. 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 mas- 
 ters, 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. 
 
 1 1 . 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 silting 
 before Pi-hahiroth, eating and drink- 
 ing 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 an- 
 swered them, saying, because the 
 Lord our God has testified in us, say- 
 ing, you shall no more return to 
 Egypt, but we will betake ourselves 
 to a land flowing with milk and ho- 
 ney, 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, say- 
 ing, the children of Israel have fled, 
 and will no more return to Egypt, 
 and in this manner did Moses and 
 Aaron speak to us. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 243 
 
 19. And Pharaoh heard this thing, 
 and his heart and the hearts of all 
 his subjects were turned against Is- 
 rael, and they repented that they had 
 sent Israel ; and all the Egyptians 
 advised Pharaoh to pursue the chil- 
 dren 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 pur- 
 sue the Israelites, for the Lord de- 
 sired to overthrow the Egyptians in 
 the Red Sea. 
 
 22. And Pharaoh rose up and har- 
 nessed 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 thou- 
 sand men. 
 
 24. And the whole of this camp 
 went and pursued the children of Is- 
 rael to bring them back to Egypt, 
 and they reached them encamping 
 by the Red Sea. 
 
 25. And the children of Israel lift- 
 ed up their eyes, and beheld all the 
 Egyptians pursuing them, and the 
 children of Israel were greatly terri- 
 fied at them, and the children of Is- 
 rael cried to the Lord. 
 
 26. And on account of the Egyp- 
 tians, 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 Is- 
 
 sachar, and they resolved to cast 
 themselves into the sea, for they 
 were exceedingly afraid of the Egyp- 
 tians. 
 
 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 Egyp- 
 tians. 
 
 30. And Moses said to them, fear 
 not, for as you have seen the Egyp- 
 tians 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 Egyp- 
 tians 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 con- 
 found 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. 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. 
 
244 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 37. And Moses did so, and he 
 lifted up his rod upon the sea and di- 
 vided 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 returned 
 upon them, and they all sank in 
 the water, and not one man was left 
 excepting Pharoah, who gave thanks 
 to the Lord and believed in him, 
 therefore the Lord did not cause him 
 to perish at that time with the Egyp- 
 tians. 
 
 41. And the Lord ordered an an- 
 gel 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 chil- 
 dren 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 Is- 
 
 rael 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 chil- 
 dren of Israel to walk in all his ways 
 and to serve him. 
 
 46. And they journeyed from Ma- 
 rah 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 Ehm 
 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 Ca- 
 naan 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 Is- 
 rael 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, ma- 
 gicians and conjurers, and he prepar- 
 ed for battle with Israel in Rephi- 
 dim. 
 
 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 245 
 
 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 un- 
 der heaven, thou shalt not forget it. 
 
 6L And the king who shall have 
 pity on Amalek, or upon his memory 
 or upon his seed, behold I will re- 
 quire 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 LXXXII. 
 
 1. And the children of Israel pro- 
 ceeded from Rephidim and they en- 
 
 camped in ihe wilderness of Sinai, 
 in the third month from their going 
 forth from Egypt. 
 
 2. At that lime came Reuel the 
 Midianite, the fatiicr in law of Mo- 
 ses, 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 en- 
 camped, 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 re- 
 mained 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 com- 
 mandments 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 rest- 
 ed 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 tlie 
 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 com- 
 manded the children of Israel upon 
 two tablets of stone, which he gave 
 to Moses to command the children of 
 Israel. 
 
 1 1 . And at the end of forty days 
 
246 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 Is- 
 rael 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 
 imto 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 in- 
 to 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 Mo- 
 ses 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 intreat the Lord in behalf 
 of the children of Israel, and the 
 Lord hearkened to the prayer of 
 Moses, and the Lord was intreated 
 of him in behalf of Israel. 
 
 24. Then spake the Lord 1o j\Io- 
 ses to hew two stone tablets and to 
 bring them up to the Lord, who 
 would write upon them the ten com- 
 mandments. 
 
 25. Now Moses did so, and he 
 came down and hewed the two tab- 
 lets 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 sta- 
 tutes and judgments to impart to Is- 
 rael. 
 
 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 child- 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 247 
 
 ren of Israel and spoke to ihem all 
 the words of the Lord, and he taught 
 them laws, statutes and judgnaents 
 which tiie Lord had taught him. 
 
 30. And Moses told tiie children 
 of Israel the word of the Lord, that 
 a sanctuary should be made for him, 
 to dwell amongst the children of Is- 
 rael. 
 
 3L And the people rejoiced great- 
 ly 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 of- 
 fering 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 practised, in work came and 
 made the sanctuary of the Lord, ac- 
 cording to all that the Lord had com- 
 manded, every man in the work in 
 which he had been practised ; 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 sanctu- 
 ary 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 sanctu- 
 ary 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 LXXXIII. 
 
 \. And in the twelfth month, in the 
 twenty third day of the month, Mo- 
 ses took Aaron and his sons, and he 
 dressed llicm 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 ta- 
 bernacle. 
 
 4. And on the eighth day, being 
 the first day of the first month, in the 
 second year from the Israelites' de- 
 parture 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 com- 
 manded him. 
 
 5. And Moses called to Aaron and 
 his sons, and they brought the burnt 
 offering and the sin offering for them- 
 selves 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 
 
248 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 of- 
 ferings 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 she- 
 kels of gold, full of incense. 
 
 11. One young bullock, one ram, 
 one lamb of the first year for a burnt 
 offering, 
 
 1 2. 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. 
 
 1 6. And the children of Israel kept 
 the Passover in its season in the four- 
 teenth 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 Is. 
 rael, and they numbered the children 
 of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 
 
 20. And the numbers of the chil- 
 dren 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 chil- 
 dren 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 ser- 
 vice 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 kin- 
 dled against Israel, for they had pro- 
 voked 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 slaugh- 
 ter, and they were buried there in 
 that place. 
 
 29. And the children of Israel 
 called that place Kebroth Hattaavah, 
 
 * See Numbers, ch. 3, v. 39. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 249 
 
 because there they buried the people 
 that lusted flesh. 
 
 30. Aud they departed from Ke- 
 broth liattaavab and pitched in Ha- 
 zeroth, which is in the wilderness of 
 Paran. 
 
 31. And whilst the children of Is- 
 rael were in Hazeroth, the anger of 
 the Lord was kindled against Miriam 
 on account of Moses, and she became 
 leprous, iv/ute 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 after- 
 ward 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 coraesi 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 chil- 
 dren 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 mur- 
 murings of the children of Israel 
 and he was angry and swore, saying, 
 
 4L Surely not one man of this 
 wicked generation shall see the land 
 from twenty years old and upward 
 excepting Caleb the son of Jcplmeh 
 and Joshua the son of Nun. 
 
 42. But surely this wicked genera- 
 tion 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 Param a long time, 
 and they afterward proceeded to the 
 wilderness by the way of the Red 
 Sea. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXIV. 
 
 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 
 quarrelled 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 belongind 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 
 
250 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 tlie 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 departure 
 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 Meso- 
 potamia, so Beor and Balaam his son 
 came to the city of Sihon and they 
 cursed Moab and their king in the pre- 
 sence 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 sub- 
 dued 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 be- 
 longed to Sihon in those days. 
 
 19. Therefore the parable speak- 
 ers 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, people of Kemosh ! behold it 
 is wTitten upon the book of the law 
 of God. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 2&1 
 
 21. And when Sihon had conquer- 
 ed 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 tiie 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 lime Moses sent mes- 
 sengers to Hadad king of Edom, say- 
 ing, thus says thy brother Israel, let 
 me pass I pray thee through thy land, 
 we will not pass through field or vine- 
 yard, 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 countrj/, 
 and Edom went forth to meet the 
 children of Israel with a mighty 
 people. 
 
 27. And the children of Esau re- 
 fused to let the children of Israel 
 pass tlirough their land, so the Is- 
 raelites removed from them and 
 fought not against them. 
 
 2S. For before this the Lord had 
 commanded the children of Israel, 
 
 saying, you shall not fight against the 
 children of Esau, therefore the Is- 
 raelites removed from them and did 
 not fight against tliem. 
 
 29. So the children of Israel de- 
 parted from Kadesh, and all the peo- 
 ple came to mount Hor. 
 
 30. At that lime 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 LXXXV. 
 
 1. And king Arad the Canaanite, 
 who dwell 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 turn- 
 ed 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 
 
252 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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, say- 
 ing, if thou wilt deliver this people 
 into my hand, then I will utterly de- 
 stroy 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 jour- 
 neyed from mount Hor and pitched 
 in Oboth, and they journeyed from 
 Oboth and they pitched at Ije-aba- 
 rim, 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 suf- 
 fer 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 
 thev^ 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 
 Anion, 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 in- 
 to 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. 
 
 IS. 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 child- 
 ren 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 253 
 
 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, be- 
 hold now liie 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 Ja- 
 haz 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 
 smote him. 
 
 28. The children of Israel after- 
 ward pursued the children of Og and 
 all his people, and they beat and de- 
 stroyed them till there was no rem- 
 nant left of them. 
 
 29. Moses afterward sent some of 
 the children of Israel to spy out Jaa- 
 zer, for Jaazer was a very famous 
 city. 
 
 30. And the spies went to Jaazer 
 and explored it, and the spies trusted 
 
 *Talmudical term for four miles, each mile 
 consisting of two thousand cubits. 
 
 in the Lord, and they fought against 
 the men of Jaazer. 
 
 3L And these men took Jaazer 
 and its villages, and the Lord deliv- 
 ered them into tlicir hand, and they 
 drove out the Amorites wlio had been 
 there. 
 
 32. And the children of Israel took 
 the land of the two kings of the Am- 
 orites, sixty cities which were on the 
 other side of Jordan, from the brook 
 of Anion unto Mount Hermon. 
 
 33. And the children of Israel 
 journeyed and came into the plain of 
 Moab, which is on this side of Jor- 
 dan, 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 pow- 
 erful than all the kings of the earth, 
 could not stand against the children 
 of Israel, how then can we stand be- 
 fore 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 ac- 
 count 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 ciders of Moab re- 
 solved and took one of their men, 
 Balak the son of Zippor the Moab- 
 ite, 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 
 
254 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 coun- 
 selled 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 tlie 
 lime when Sihon king of the Amor- 
 ites fought against you, when he pre- 
 vailed over you and took your land, 
 he had sent to Beor the son of Janeas 
 and to Balaam his son from Mesopo- 
 tamia, and they came and cursed you ; 
 therefore did the hand of Sihon pre- 
 vail 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 Ba- 
 laam would not accede to his wish, 
 he rose up and went home, and Ba- 
 laam also returned to his land and 
 he went from there to Midian. 
 
 5L And the children of Israel 
 journeyed from the plain of Moab, 
 and pitched by Jordan, from Beth- 
 jesimoth even unto Abel-shiltim, 
 at the end of the plains of Moab. 
 
 52. And when the children of Is- 
 rael abode in the plain of Shittim, 
 they began to commit whoredom with 
 the daughters of Moab, 
 
 53. And the children of Israel ap- 
 proached 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 beauti- 
 ful aspect and comely appearance, 
 and dressed them in gold and silver 
 and costly garments. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 265 
 
 55. And the children of Moab 
 sealed 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 childi-en of Is- 
 rael, 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 daugh- 
 ters of Moab aiM 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 Abra- 
 ham his brother, wherefore then will 
 you not remain with us, and where- 
 fore 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 sacri- 
 ficed for him, and he ate of their sa- 
 crifice 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 vohat 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 pesti- 
 lence 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 connect- 
 ed himself with the Midianite Cosbi, 
 the daughter of Zur, king of Midian, 
 in the sight of all the children of Is- 
 rael. 
 
 63. And Phineas the son of Ela- 
 zer, 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 LXXXVI. 
 
 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 num- 
 bered 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 up- 
 ward, 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. 
 
256 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 chil- 
 dren 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 war- 
 red 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 chil- 
 dren of Israel. 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXVII. 
 
 1. At that time the Lord said to 
 Moses, behold thy days are ap- 
 proaching 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 en- 
 trance 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 ta 
 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 for- 
 sake thee, be not afraid nor dis- 
 heartened. 
 
 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 child- 
 ren 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 command- 
 ing 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 257 
 
 CHAPTER LXXXVIII. 
 
 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 
 riverofPerath shall be yourboundary. 
 
 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 mayst 
 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 pro- 
 visions, 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 da)^s 
 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 
 
 17 
 
 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 tirst 
 month, and they encamped in Gilgal 
 at the eastern corner of Jericho, 
 
 1 1 . And the children of Israel 
 kept the Passover in Gilgal, in the 
 plains of Jericho, on the fourteenth 
 day of 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 w^alls 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. 
 
258 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 conse- 
 crated 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 wo- 
 man, young and old, ox and sheep 
 and ass, with the edge of the sword. 
 
 22. And thev 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 Is- 
 rael, and they put dust upon their 
 heads, 
 
 30. And Joshua said, why Lord 
 didst thou bring this people over 
 the Jordan 1 what shall I say after 
 the Israelites have turned their backs 
 against their enemies ? 
 
 31. Now therefore all the Canaan- 
 ites, 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 accurs- 
 ed thing ; I will no more be with 
 them unless they destroy the accurs- 
 ed thing from amongst them. 
 
 33. And Joshua rose up and as- 
 sembled 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. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 259 
 
 36. And Joshua took Achan and 
 these utensils, and liis sons and daugh- 
 ters 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 ap- 
 peased, 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 thou- 
 sand valiant men, and he sent them, 
 and they lay in ambush for the city. 
 
 40. And he commanded them, say- 
 ing, 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 Is- 
 rael, not knowina: that they were ly- 
 ing in ambush for them behind the 
 city. 
 
 42. And Joshua and all the Israel- 
 ites 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 awav from 
 the city, not one remained, and they 
 
 left the city open and pursued the 
 Israelites. 
 
 44. And those who were lyi'ig 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 re- 
 treating 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 re- 
 mained. 
 
 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 re- 
 turned 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, accord- 
 ing 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 to- 
 gether to fight against Israel. 
 
 50. Only the inhabitants of Gibe- 
 on were greatly afraid of fighting 
 against the Israelites lest they should 
 perish, so they acted cunningly, and 
 they came to Joshua and to all Is- 
 rael, and said unto them, we have 
 come from a distant land, now there- 
 fore make a covenant with us. 
 
 5L And the inhabitants of Gibeon 
 over-reached the children of Israel, 
 and the children of Israel made a 
 covenant with them, and they made 
 
260 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 hew- 
 ers 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, say- 
 ing, because it was told to thy ser- 
 vants 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 child- 
 ren of Israel had done to Jericho and 
 to Ai, he sent to Hoham king of 
 Hebron and to Piram king of Jar- 
 muth, 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 child- 
 ren of Israel. 
 
 57. And they gathered themselves 
 together and the five kings of the 
 Amorites Avent 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 fight- 
 ing 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 of Israel, who 
 smote them with a terrible slaughter 
 in Gibeon, and pursued them along 
 the way that goes up to Beth Horoa 
 unto Makkedah, and they fled from 
 before the children of Israel. 
 
 61. And whilst they were fleeing, 
 the Lord sent upon them hail stones 
 from heaven, and more of them died 
 by the hail-stones, than by the slaugh- 
 ter of the children of Israel. 
 
 62. And the children of Israel pur- 
 sued 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 up- 
 on 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 hea- 
 vens, 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 LXXXIX. 
 
 1. Then spoke Joshua this song, 
 on the day that the Lord had given 
 
 * D'Pjf, literally times ; what proportion of 
 time, I cannot understand by this term, never 
 used in scripture to express any division of time, 
 so I have translated it '^ moments." 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 261 
 
 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 Is- 
 rael shall rejoice in thy salvation, 
 they shall sing and praise thy power. 
 
 5. To thee, O Lord, did we con- 
 fide ; 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 tliy 
 salvation, thou didst rejoice our hearts 
 with thy strength. 
 
 7. Thou didst go forth for our sal- 
 vation, with thine arm thou didst re- 
 deem 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, 
 ihey were not moved at thy pre- 
 sence, they desired thy battles. 
 
 10. Thou didst rise against them 
 
 in thine anger, and didst bring down 
 thy wrath upon them ; thou didst de- 
 stroy them in thine anger, and cut 
 them otf in thine heart. 
 
 11. Nations have been consumed 
 with thy fury, kingdoms have de- 
 clined because of thy wrath, thou 
 didst wound kings in the day of tlune 
 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, througii tiieir 
 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. 
 
 ] 7. Their carcasses were like rub- 
 bish cast out in the middle of the 
 streets. 
 
 18. They were consumed and de- 
 stroyed in thine anger, thou didst 
 save thy people with thy might. 
 
 19. Therefore our hearts rejoice in 
 thee, our souls exult in thy salvation. 
 
 20. Our tongues shall relate thy 
 might, we will sing and praise thy 
 wondrous works. 
 
262 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 21 . For thou didst save us from 
 our enemies, thou didst dehver us 
 from those who rose up against us, 
 thou didst destroy them from before 
 us and depress them beneath our feet. 
 
 22. Tiius 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 plant- 
 ed 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 fool from battle, and hid them- 
 selves 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 them- 
 selves away ; and the children of Is- 
 rael 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 af- 
 terward 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 there- 
 of 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 as- 
 sist 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 there- 
 of 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 Is 
 rael. 
 
 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 thev come upon us 
 and do unto us as they have done to 
 the other kings of the Amorites. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 263 
 
 41. And all these kings hearkened 
 to the words of Jabin, king of Cha- 
 zor, 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 to morrow about 
 this time I will deliver them up all 
 slain before you, thou shall 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 
 mto the hand of the children of Israel. 
 
 44. So the children of Israel pur- 
 sued 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 Ach- 
 shaph and he did to it as he had done 
 to Shimron. 
 
 47. From there he passed to Adu- 
 1am 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 any thing. 
 
 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 child- 
 ren 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 inhei'i- 
 tance 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 Israel- 
 ites, and the land became tranquil 
 from battle throughout the cities of 
 the Amorites and the Canaanites. 
 
 CHAPTER XC. 
 
 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 
 
264 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 pre- 
 vailed 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 Ha- 
 dad 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 slaugh- 
 ter 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 child- 
 ren 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 child- 
 ren of Israel had driven away all the 
 
 Canaanites and Amorites, Joshua 
 was old and advanced in years. 
 
 13. And the Lord said to Joshua, 
 thou art old, advanced in hfe, 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 inherit- 
 ance, according to their divisions. 
 
 16. But to the tribe of 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 He- 
 bron to Caleb the son of Jephuneh, 
 one portion above his brethren, as 
 the Lord had spoken through Mo- 
 ses. 
 
 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 in- 
 heritance, as the Lord had com- 
 manded 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 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 265 
 
 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 Sinloh, 
 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 thena, 
 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 inan to 
 his city, and each man to his inheri- 
 tance. 
 
 27. And the children of Israel 
 served the Lord all the days of Jo- 
 shua, 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,* tlie children of Elisha 
 son of Javan, and lie prevailed over 
 them and made them tributary. 
 
 30. He then heard that Edom had 
 revolted from under the hand of Chit- 
 tim, and Latinus went to them and 
 smote them and subdued them, and 
 placed them under the hand of the 
 children of Chittim, and Edom be- 
 came one kingdom witii the children 
 of Ciiittim all the days. 
 
 31. And for many years there was 
 no king in Edom, and their govern- 
 ment was with the children of Chit- 
 tim 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 Is- 
 rael, 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, ad- 
 vanced 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 riglit or to the 
 left, and not to come amongst those 
 nations who are left in the land ; nei- 
 ther 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. 
 
 * N>3r3i N'joia, probably names of places in 
 ancient Greece. 
 
266 
 
 THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 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 chil- 
 dren'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 bu- 
 ried the coffins of the tribes of their 
 ancestors, which they had brought 
 up from Egypt, each man in the in- 
 heritance of his children, the twelve 
 sons of Jacob did the children of Is- 
 rael 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 chil- 
 dren 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 chil- 
 dren. 
 
 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 Bethle- 
 hem. 
 
 43. And the bones of Issachar and 
 Zebulun they buried in Zidon, in 
 the portion which fell to their chil- 
 dren. 
 
 44. And Dan was buried in the 
 city of his children in Eshtael, and 
 Naphtali and Aslier they buried in 
 Kadesh-naphtali, each man in his 
 
 place which he had given to his chil- 
 dren. 
 
 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 bu- 
 ried 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 hun- 
 dred 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 chil- 
 dren 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 writ- 
 ten. 
 
 49. And the children of Israel bu- 
 ried Joshua in the border of his in- 
 heritance, in Timnath-serach, 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 XCI. 
 
 1. At that time, after the death of 
 Joshua, the children of the Canaan 
 ites Avere still in the land,, and the 
 Israelites resolved to drive them out. 
 
THE BOOK OF JASHER. 
 
 267 
 
 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 Jjord delivered the Canaan- 
 ites into the hands of the children of 
 Judah, and they smote them in Be- 
 zek, ten thousand men. 
 
 5. And they fought with Adoni- 
 bezek in Bezek, and he fled from be- 
 fore them, and they pursued him and 
 caught him, and they took hold of 
 him and cut off his thumbs and great 
 toes. 
 
 6. And Adoni-bezek said, three 
 score and ten kings having their 
 thumbs and great toes cut off, ga- 
 thered their meat under my table, as 
 I have done, so God has requited 
 me, and they brought him to Jeru- 
 salem 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 possess- 
 ed 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 
 
 THE 
 
 city and we will show kindness to 
 thee. 
 
 10. And that man showed them the 
 entrance of the city, and the child- 
 ren of Joseph came and smote the 
 city with the edge of the sword. 
 
 1 1 . 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 of Israel dwelt in 
 their cities, and the children of Is- 
 rael 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 seven- 
 teen years. 
 
 13. And all the elders also fought 
 the battles of Israel against the Ca- 
 naanites, and the Lord drove the Ca- 
 naanites 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 Abra- 
 ham, 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 thejn, 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. 
 
 END 
 

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