The BOOK OF JASHER
Table of Contents
Referred To In Joshua And Second Samuel
Faithfully Translated (1840)
From The Original Hebrew Into English
The Authentic
Annals of
the Early
Hebrews
Preface
|
Introductions
|
CHAPTER 1--The Creation of Adam and Eve. The Fall.
Birth of Cain and Abel. Abel a Keeper of Sheep. Cain a Tiller of the Soil.
The Quarrel Between the Brothers and the Result. Cain, the First Murderer,
Cursed of God
CHAPTER 2--Seth is Born. People begin to Multiply
and Become Idolatrous. Third Part of the Earth Destroyed. Earth cursed and
becomes corrupt through the Wickedness of Men. Cainan, a Wise and Righteous
King, Foretells the Flood. Enoch is Born
CHAPTER 3--Enoch Reigns over the Earth. Enoch
Establishes Righteousness upon the Earth, and after Reigning Two Hundred and
Forty Years is Translated
CHAPTER 4--The People of the Earth Again Become
Corrupt. Noah is Born
CHAPTER 5--Noah and Methuselah Preach Repentance
for One Hundred and Twenty Years. Noah Builds the Ark. Death of Methuselah.
CHAPTER 6--Animals, Beasts, and Fowls Preserved in
the Ark. Noah and his Sons, and their Wives are Shut in. When the Floods
come the People want to get in. Noah One Year in the Ark.
CHAPTER 7--The Generations of Noah. The Garments
of Skin made for Adam Stolen by Ham
and they Descend to Nimrod the Mighty Hunter, who Becomes the King of the
Whole Earth. The Birth of Abram.
CHAPTER 8--The Wise Men of Nimrod, by their
Divination, Foretell the Evil that Abram will do to Nimrod's Kingdom, and
they seek to kill the Child. Abram, with his Mother and Nurse are Hid in a
cave for Ten Years.
CHAPTER 9--When Ten Years Old, Abram goes to Noah
and Shem, Remains with them for Thirty-nine Years, and is Taught in all the
Ways of the Lord. The Wickedness of Nimrod and his People. They Propose to
Build a Tower to Heaven and Dethrone God. The confusion of Tongues.
CHAPTER 10--The Descendants of Noah, Scattered
over the whole earth, build themselves Cities.
CHAPTER 11--Nimrod's Wicked Reign. The Idolatry
of Terah, Abram's Father. When Fifty Years old, Abram returns to his
Father's House and Discovers his Idols. Makes a pretext to destroy them.
After making Savory Meat for the gods, Abram takes a Hatchet and destroys
them, leaving the Hatchet in the hands of the larger one, where it is
discovered by his Father,
who is told by Abram that the Great God had risen up in anger and Destroyed
his Fellows. Terah in his wrath betrays Abram to the King, who brings him up
before the Throne for Judgment.
Abram Warns his Father and
the King, before all the Princes, of the Evils of Idolatry.
CHAPTER 12--Abram placed in Prison, and is
condemned after ten days to be cast into a Fiery Furnace. His Brother Haran
being Falsely Accused is condemned to the same Fate. As Haran's heart was
not right before the Lord, he perished, but Abram is Delivered and is
brought forth Alive. Is Presented with Many Gifts. The King Dreams of Abram,
and again Seeks his Life.
Abram flees to the House of Noah.
CHAPTER 13--On Abram's account Terah and all his
House, with Abram, Leave Ur Casdim to go to the Land of Canaan. They tarry
in Haran, where the Lord Appears to Abram, and upon condition of
Faithfulness, Promises many Blessings. Abram, commanded of the Lord, takes
his Wife and all belonging to him and goes to the Land of Canaan, where the
Lord again appears to
him and Promises the Land of Canaan as an Everlasting Inheritance. After
Fifteen Years, Abram returns to Haran to Visit his Father. Teaches many to
Walk in the Ways of the Lord. Again commanded to go to Canaan, where he
Builds an Altar. The Lord renews his Covenant with him.
CHAPTER 14--Rikayon's cunning Device to make
Money of the Egyptians.
CHAPTER 15--On Account of Famine in Canaan, Abram
goes to Egypt. Tells the People that Sarah is his Sister, on account of her
Beauty. Pharaoh Desires to take her, but is Prevented by an Angel of the
Lord. The Truth is made known, and Sarah is Restored to Abram, with many
Presents. Abram returns to his Home. Trouble between Lot and Abram on
account of Lot's
cattle. Lot Removes to Sodom.
CHAPTER 16--Four Kings with Eight Hundred
Thousand Men War against Sodom and the
Cities of the Plain, and destroy and plunder their people. Abram, Hearing
that Lot is taken captive, gathers together about Three Hundred Men and
Pursues the Kings, retakes the captives, and smites the whole Army of the
confederate Rings. On his Return, Abram meets Adonizedek, King of Jerusalem,
the same was Shem. Abram gives Tithing of all he had taken to Adonizedek,
and is Blessed of Him. Abram Restores to every Man his property which he had
retaken in the War, and returns to Hebron. The Lord again appears to Abram
and promises to bless him with a Numberless Posterity. Sarah being childless
gives Hagar to Abram for a Wife, and becoming jealous of her, afflicts her.
An Angel comforts Hagar. Ishmael is Born.
CHAPTER 17--The Lord Appears to Abram and
Establishes the Covenant of Circumcision, and calls his name Abraham, and
Sarai, He calls Sarah.
CHAPTER 18--Abraham Entertains Three Angels, who
eat with him. Sarah is promised a Son. The People of Sodom and Gomorrah, and
of all the Cities of the Plain become very Wicked.
CHAPTER 19--The Abominations of the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah. Two Angels sent to Save Lot. The Cities of the Plain and
all their Inhabitants Destroyed by Fire.
CHAPTER 20--Abraham goes to the land of the
Philistines, and again tells the People that Sarah is his Sister. Abimelech
the King desires her for a Wife. An Angel warns him, and commands him to
return her to her Husband. The whole land afflicted on account of the
matter. Sarah Restored to Abraham, who entreats the Lord to heal the People
of Abimelech.
CHAPTER 21--Isaac is Born, causing much Rejoicing
among the Friends of Abraham. Ishmael Attempts to kill Isaac, and on that
account is sent away with his Mother. Ishmael is blessed with Riches and
Posterity.
CHAPTER 22--Ishmael returns to his Father, with
his Wives and Children. Abraham Returns to Canaan and makes his Home in
Beersheba, where he Hospitably Entertains all strangers and teaches them the
way of the Lord. Isaac and Ishmael's conversation. The Offering of Isaac
Foretold. Satan's opinion of the Father of the Faithful.
CHAPTER 23--Abraham commanded to Offer up Isaac,
in the Land Moriah. Abraham's Obedience. Sarah's Affliction. What Happened
on the Way. Satan attempts to hinder them. Isaac an Acceptable Offering.
Father and Son alone. The willingness of Isaac. He Assists his Father in
Building the Altar. While they both weep bitterly, they yet Rejoice to be
counted worthy before
the Lord. Isaac bound and placed upon the Altar. The Angels of God intercede
for Isaac, who is released at the command of the Lord, and a Ram is offered
in his place. Satan, by his deception and Evils, causes the Death of Sarah.
CHAPTER 24--Abraham Purchases a Burial Place.
Isaac sent to the House of Shem and Eber to Learn the Way of the Lord.
Eliezer is sent to get a Wife for Isaac. Goes to the House of Bethuel and
brings Rebecca.
CHAPTER 25--Abraham takes Keturah for a Wife, by
whom he has Six Sons. The Generations of the Sons of Keturah, and of
Ishmael.
CHAPTER 26--Isaac and Rebecca pray for children.
Their Prayers answered, and Esau and Jacob are Born. Abraham, after
recounting all the Wonderful Works of the Lord, enjoins his Son to Walk in
His way and keep His Commandments. In the Fifteenth Year of Jacob and Esau's
lives, Abraham Dies and is Buried by all the Kings of the land. All the
People and even the
children mourn for Abraham for a Full.
CHAPTER 27--Esau slays Nimrod and Two of his
Mighty Men. Returns Home weary from the Fight, and sells his Birthright for
Value.
CHAPTER 28--On account of Famine, Isaac goes to
Gerar, the Land of the Philistines. After the Famine he Returns at the
Command of the Lord to Hebron. Jacob is sent to the House of Shem where he
Remains Thirty-two Years to learn the Way of the Lord, but Esau would not
go. Esau marries a Canaanitish Woman.
CHAPTER 29--Jacob by deceit obtains his Brother's
Blessing. Jacob fearing his Brother's anger, flees to the House of Eber,
where he remains for Fourteen Years. Esau again marries a Woman of the Land.
Jacob returns to his Father, but being still threatened by Esau, is advised
by his Mother to go to her Brother Laban, in Haran. Jacob goes to Haran,
being Commanded by his
Father not to Marry any of the Daughters of Canaan. Jacob is Waylaid on the
Road, by the Son of Esau, and is Robbed of all he Possessed.
CHAPTER 30--When he Arrives at Mount Moriah, the
Lord appears to Jacob and establishes His Covenant with him. Arriving at his
Uncle's House he Engages to Serve Seven Years for Rachel.
CHAPTER 31--Jacob is Deceived and is given Leah
in Place of Rachel, but is Given Rachel for Seven Years' more Service. Jacob
serves Laban six years longer for Wages and becomes very Rich, when the Lord
Appears to him and commands him to Return to the Land of Canaan. Jacob Obeys
and goes from Laban. Rachel Steals her Father's gods, that he may not know
where Jacob
has fled. Laban Pursues him, but establishes a covenant of peace. Laban
breaks his Covenant by sending his Son secretly to Esau that Jacob may Fall
in his Hands. Esau, with Four Hundred Men, seek to Destroy Jacob.
CHAPTER 32--Jacob sends a Message of Peace to his
Brother, who rejects it with contempt, and Advances to Destroy him. Hosts of
Angels cause the Fear of Jacob to come upon Esau, and he goes to meet him in
peace, in answer to Jacob's Prayer. Jacob Wrestles with an Angel of the
Lord.
CHAPTER 33--Jacob goes to Shechem. Prince Shechem
defiles Dinah the Daughter of Jacob. Shechem desires her for a Wife.
CHAPTER 34--The Perfidy of Shechem. Simeon and
Levi, Sons of Jacob, avenge the Honor of their Sister Dinah, Destroy all the
Men of the City, and Spoil it. The People of Canaan conspire to avenge the
cause of Shechem. Isaac and Jacob Pray for Succor.
CHAPTER 35--The Fear of God come upon the
Canaanites, and they do not Fight with Jacob.
CHAPTER 36--Jacob and his House goes to Bethel,
where the Lord appears to him, calls his name Israel, and Blesses him. The
Generations of Jacob and Esau.
CHAPTER 37--Jacob Returns to Shechem. The Kings
of Canaan again assemble against Jacob. Jacob's Ten Sons with One Hundred
and Two of their servants Fight against the Canaanites and Amorites, and are
successful.
CHAPTER 38 and
39--The Sons of Jacob Destroy many Cities of
Canaan and all their people.
CHAPTER 40--The Remaining Twenty-one Kings of
Canaan, fearing the Sons of Jacob, make a permanent Peace with them.
CHAPTER 41--Joseph, the Son of Jacob, Dreams of
his Future Exaltation over his Brethren. Being his Father's Favorite, his
Brethren become Jealous. Joseph is sent to Visit his Brethren. They conspire
against him, and at the Suggestion of Reuben Place him in a Pit.
CHAPTER 42--Joseph is sold to a company of
Midianites, who in Turn sold him to the Ishmaelites, who take him down to
Egypt. An account of his Journey thither, and of his Affliction on the Road.
CHAPTER 43--Reuben's Anguish at not Finding
Joseph in the Pit. The Brothers contrive to Deceive their Father by Dipping
his coat in Blood. Jacob's Anguish at the loss of his Son.
CHAPTER 44--Joseph is sold to Potiphar, an
Officer of Pharaoh. Zelicah, the Wife of Potiphar, seeks to entice Joseph to
do Evil, but all her advances are Rejected. Is Falsely Accused by her and is
brought to Judgment. Is Acquitted by his Judges, but for the Sake of the
Report against Potiphar's Wife, he is cast into Prison.
CHAPTER 45--An Account of the Families of Jacob's
Sons.
CHAPTER 46--Joseph Interprets the Dreams of his
Fellow-Prisoners.
CHAPTER 47--Isaac Blesses his two Sons and Dies.
His Property is Divided. Esau takes all the personal Property and Jacob
chooses the Inheritance of the Land of Canaan, with the Cave of Machpelah
for a Burying Place.
CHAPTER 48--Pharaoh's Dreams. Not Receiving a
Satisfactory Interpretation from the Magicians, he orders the Wise Men to be
Slain. The King's Butler makes Joseph's Gifts known to Pharaoh. Joseph is
Brought before the King, who Relates his Dreams to him. Joseph, by the Gift
of God, Interprets them. A great Famine Predicted.
CHAPTER 49--Pharaoh Assembles all the Great Men
of the Kingdom, and desires to appoint
Joseph to Govern Egypt. They Object because he cannot speak all the Seventy
Languages of the Earth. An Angel visits Joseph and teaches him all the
Languages of the Earth. When brought before the King, Joseph's Wisdom and
Knowledge please Pharaoh and all the Princes of Egypt, and he is appointed
the Second to the King, and all authority is given him. Joseph is made
Wealthy and clothed in Princely apparel and proclaimed Governor of Egypt. Is
given the Daughter of Potiphar for a Wife.
CHAPTER 50--Joseph goes to help the Ishmaelites
against their Enemies. Great Plenty prevails in Egypt as Joseph predicted.
Joseph's Two Sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph stores up Food throughout
Egypt. That stored by the Egyptians is spoiled. The Famine prevails over all
the Land and Joseph sells corn to all the Egyptians and the surrounding
Nations. Knowing that
his Brethren will have to come to Egypt for Corn, he arranges to meet them
when they come.
CHAPTER 51--Jacob sends his Ten Oldest Sons to
Egypt for Food. Tells them not to enter in at one gate but to go in
Separately. On the way they Covenant together to seek for Joseph, and if
they cannot ransom him they resolve to take him by force. They enter in at
ten gates, and spread themselves to seek for Joseph three days. Joseph, in
the meantime, has his men Seeking them.
When found they are brought before Joseph who accuses them of being Spies.
Joseph sends his Brethren home with corn, while Simeon is kept as a hostage
till they shall again come to Egypt with their Younger Brother. They are
astonished to find their Money in their sacks of corn.
CHAPTER 52--Jacob's sorrow at the absence of
Simeon; Refuses to let Benjamin go. But when he and his Household become
pinched with hunger, Judah pleads for Benjamin. Tells his Father of the
great glory and Authority of the Governor of Egypt and offers himself as
Security for his Younger Brother. Jacob consents and sends his Sons again to
Egypt with a conciliatory Letter
and Present to the Governor.
CHAPTER 53--Jacob's Sons again go to Egypt for
Bread. Benjamin is presented before Joseph. Joseph's Cup. Joseph's conduct
towards Benjamin by which he makes himself known to him.
Resolves to prove his Brethren by taking away Benjamin from them, and puts
his Cup in
Benjamin's sack of corn and sends them Home to their Father. An Officer is
sent after them who accuses them of purloining his Master's Cup. Brings them
back to Joseph. Benjamin is taken from them by force, and they are told to
go on their way.
CHAPTER 54--Judah breaks through the Door to get
to Joseph and Benjamin. He recounts the many Mighty Deeds of his Brethren
and threatens to destroy all Egypt if Benjamin be not released. Joseph
wrangles with his Brethren and accuses them of Selling their Brother. They
commence to war upon the Egyptians, and frighten the whole Land. After
satisfying himself of
their repentance for selling their Brother, Joseph makes himself known to
them, and bestows presents upon them. They are presented before Pharaoh, who
commands Joseph to bring all his Father's Household Down to Egypt. He sends
Chariots for this Purpose, laden with Presents, Luxuries and Clothing.
Jacob's joy on Learning that Joseph is still Alive.
CHAPTER 55--The Lord commands Jacob to go down to
Egypt, where He will make him a Great Nation. Joseph and all Egypt go to
meet Jacob to do him Honor when he arrives. The Land of Goshen is given to
him and his Children.
CHAPTER 56--After Seventeen Years' Dwelling in
Egypt, Jacob dies, after Blessing his Children and commanding them to go in
the Way of the Lord. Joseph and his Brethren and all the Mighty Men of Egypt
go up to Canaan to Bury Jacob. Esau, claiming the Land of Canaan as his,
will not Allow Joseph to Bury his Father. After Esau and many of his People
are slain,
Jacob is Buried by Force. All the Kings of Canaan come up to do him Honor.
CHAPTER 57--The Sons of Esau make war with the
Sons of Jacob and are smitten. Some are taken captive to Egypt. The Children
of Esau enlist the People of Seir to Accompany them to Egypt to Deliver
their Brethren. Joseph and his Brethren and the Egyptians slay Six Hundred
Thousand. Nearly all the Mighty Men of Seir being Slain, they make war with
the Children of
Esau to Drive them from their Land. Esau prevails and utterly annihilates
the Children of Seir.
CHAPTER 58--Pharaoh dies and the whole Government
of Egypt devolves upon Joseph, Pharaoh the Younger being but a nominal
Ruler. The Children of Esau again come Against the Israelites, and are again
smitten.
CHAPTER 59--Jacob's Posterity in Egypt. After
Prophesying that the Lord would Deliver his Brethren from Egypt, Joseph dies
and is buried, and the Israelites are ruled over by the Egyptians.
CHAPTER 60--Zepho, the Son of Eliphaz, the Son of
Esau, who was taken Captive by Joseph where he Buried his Father, Escapes
from Egypt with all his Men.
CHAPTERS 61, 62, and
63--Petty Wars and contentions of the Nations of
Africa with Zepho.
CHAPTER 64--Zepho Leads a Great Army of
Chittimites, Edomites, and Ishmaelites against Egypt. Three Hundred Thousand
Egyptians put to Flight, but One Hundred and Fifty Men of Israel prevail
against Zepho.
CHAPTER 65--The Elders of Egypt conspire with
Pharaoh and cunningly bring Israel into Bondage to them. Being afraid of
their power, they afflict them in order to lessen the Number of the Children
of Israel.
CHAPTER 66--Pharaoh Decrees that every Male Child
born in Israel shall be Killed, and still they increase.
CHAPTER 67--Aaron is Born. On Account of
Pharaoh's decree, many of the Sons of Israel live apart from their Wives.
The King's counsellors devise another plan to lessen the number of Israel by
drowning them. The Lord finds a means of preserving the Male Children.
CHAPTER 68--Moses, a Child of Promise, is born.
The Egyptian Women acting as Spies. Moses is discovered, and placed by his
Mother in an Ark of Bulrushes. Is Found and Adopted by the Daughter of
Pharaoh, and grows up among the King's Children.
CHAPTER 69--Pharaoh Proclaims, that if any of the
Israelites are short in their Labor, either in
Bricks or Mortar, his Youngest Son shall be put in their Place.
CHAPTER 70--Moses puts the King's crown upon his
own head. Baalam and the Wise Men make this a Pretext against him. When
grown up, Moses visits his Brethren, and learns of their Grievances. Moses
obtains a day's rest on the Sabbath for all Israel.
CHAPTER 71--Moses slays an Egyptian and being
Discovered flees from Egypt. Aaron Prophecies.
CHAPTER 72--Moses flees to Cush. At the Death of
the king, he is chosen in his Stead. He Reigns Forty Years in Cush.
CHAPTER 73--The Reign of Moses, and his Strategic
Warfare.
CHAPTER 74--War in Africa.
CHAPTER 75--Thirty Thousand Ephraimites think it
Time to get out of Egypt, Rise up to go to Canaan, but are Slain by the
Philistines.
CHAPTER 76--Moses leaves Cush and goes to the
Land of Midian. Reuel, taking him for a Refugee, keeps him in prison for Ten
Years. Is fed by Zipporah, the Daughter of Reuel. Pharaoh smitten of the
Plague. Slays a child of the Israelites every day. He dies of the Rot, and
his Son, Adikam, Reigns in his Stead.
CHAPTER 77--Adikam Pharaoh Afflicts Israel more
than ever. Moses is Released by Reuel, and Marries his Daughter Zipporah.
Moses obtains possession of the Stick Jehovah.
CHAPTER 78--Moses has Two Sons. Pharaoh withholds
Straw from the Israelites.
CHAPTER 79--The Lord appears to Moses and
commands him to go down to Egypt to Deliver Israel. Aaron meets him. Israel
on hearing of his Mission greatly rejoices. Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh,
who calls all the Magicians to meet Moses. They Perform Miracles as well as
Moses, and thus Deceive the King. Pharaoh, not finding the Name of Jehovah
on any of the
Books of Records, says he does not know who He is, and will not let his
People go. Moses and Aaron teach Pharaoh, but he will not hearken, but
causes the labor of the Children of Israel to be increased. Moses being
discouraged is told by the Lord that with an outstretched hand and heavy
Plagues, Israel shall be Delivered.
CHAPTER 80--After Two Years, Moses and Aaron
again go to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh will not Hearken. The Lord afflicts Egypt
with all manner of Plagues and Afflictions. The First-born of all the
Egyptians is Slain. Pharaoh sends the Children of Israel away, and all the
Egyptians rise up to urge their Departure, but they will not go in the
Night.
CHAPTER 81--The Departure of the Israelites from
Egypt with Great Riches and Flocks and Herds. After the Egyptians bury their
First-born, many of them go after the Israelites to induce
them to return. But they refuse to return, and fight the Nobles of Egypt and
drive them home. Pharaoh resolves with the Egyptians to pursue Israel and
compel them to Return. The Children of Israel are divided--some wanting to
go back. Moses praysfor deliverance. The Lord tells him not to cry to him,
but proceed. The waters of the Red Sea are Divided. The Israelites pass
Through in Safety, but the Egyptians are utterly Destroyed. The Israelites
proceed on their Journey, and are fed with Manna. The Children of Esau fight
Israel, but the Latter Prevail.
CHAPTER 82--The Ten Commandments are Given. While
Moses is in the Mount, Aaron makes a Golden Calf, and Israel Worships it.
Civil War. The Lord has a Sanctuary Built for His Worship in the Wilderness.
CHAPTER 83--Aaron and his Sons are Placed in
charge of the Lord's Service. The Sacrifices and Offerings. The Passover is
Celebrated. The People lust for Flesh to eat. Their punishment. Moses sends
Twelve Men to explore the Land of Canaan. Ten of them bring an Evil Report,
and the People want to Return to Egypt. For their Lack of Faith that
Generation shall not Live to
obtain their Possessions.
CHAPTER 84--The Earth Swallows up the Rebellious.
The Children of Israel commanded not to War with the Children of Esau, or
Moab. The Edomites will not let Israel pass through their Land.
CHAPTER 85--Some of the Canaanites rise up to
fight Israel, who are frightened and run away. But the Sons of Levi compel
them to Return. They prevail over their Enemies. They must not touch Ammon.
Og, King of Bashan. Balaam is called upon to curse Israel, but will not.
Israel commits Whoredom with the Moabites, and they are Smitten with
Pestilence.
CHAPTER 86--All over twenty years of age at the
time of Leaving Egypt die at the Expiration of Forty Years. Israel is
Numbered. The Midianites are destroyed, and their Spoil is Divided among the
People.
CHAPTER 87--Moses appoints Joshua his successor.
The Lord encourages Joshua. Moses teaches the children of Israel to Walk in
the Way of the Lord. He goes up to Mount Abarim and dies there.
CHAPTER 88--The Lord commands Joshua to prepare
the People to pass over Jordan to possess the Land. Jericho is Besieged,
Taken, and Destroyed. Achan brings evil upon the camp by Purloining the
cursed thing, and Brings Destruction upon Himself. All is taken and
Destroyed.
The Gibeonites cunningly save themselves. Five Kings rise up against Israel
and are destroyed.
The Sun and Moon stand still at Joshua's Command.
CHAPTER 89--Joshua's Song of Praise. The Wars of
Israel.
CHAPTER 90--The Edomites are Smitten by Chittim.
The Land is Divided, and the people have Rest. Joshua being Advanced in
Years Exhorts the people to Observe all the Laws of Moses, and then Dies.
CHAPTER 91--The Elders Judge Israel. They drive
out all the Canaanites and Inherit the Promised Land.
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 states of knowledge, and of the arts, as they existed in times
anterior to the 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
science 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 grandeur, that the
adventurous and enlightened traveler 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 succession of ages,
ruled over them; but the events which they relate are evidently 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 splendor, 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 plausihle hypotheses.
The ever memorable 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 particularly distinguishes the genius of the Hebrew
language; and this, together with other numerous internal evidences, 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 x., and 2v 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 treasure
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
hewas 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 emulation
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 tittle "--" is 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 Hebrew
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 manuscript 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 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 skeptic 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 publisher; 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, 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 account 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 Scripture, has been given for the
participle of the verb "--" "to move or wander about." Jasher has it thus:
"--"
"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 Cainan was
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 toward
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
instructing them in truth, rightousness, and a knowledge of the Most High.
Jasher informs us, that in the days of Peleg, not only the families 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 sufficient
existing evidences, even at this day. This book gives, also, a more detailed
account of the genealogies of the descendants of Japheth, Shem, and Ham, and
of the various parts of the earth which were colonized by them.
Connected with this period of the history is given an account of Nimrod; 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 "--" in Gen. chapter x. ver.
II, signifying either the name of a man, or the name of the land of Assyria.
Jasher has it thus: "--" &c. "--"
"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, "--" "Seir, his genealogy we do
not know;" and the word "--" supposed to come from "--" a noble, but Jasher
gives us the descent of Seir, (which accounts for his being called the
Horite,) in the following words: "--"
"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, appears
to stand unrivaled, 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 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.
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 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, the other having the promise of the favor
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 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 Gen. xxxv. 29, when we know from the calculations given us in
Scripture, at 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 importance, 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 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 dependence 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 Egypt, 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
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
transaction.
This book clears up the reference in 2 Samuel, ch. 1., 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
instruments 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 Paganism, and
the obscurities of Heathen fables, the translator humbly
and respectfully hopes that they will now grant a favorable reception to
evidence 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 remotest
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
illustrious characters recorded in sacred history, from Adam down to the
time of the Elders, who immediately succeeded Joshua.
The Authentic
Annals Of
The Early
Hebrews - Is It The
"Real" Book of Jasher?
It is understandable that some may feel that it is impossible or unlikely
that this volume could really be the original book of Jasher.
The issue is compounded by the existence of several works by the name Sefer
Hayasher. I have in my possession a copy of
Sefer Hayasher - The Book Of The
Righteous, edited and translated by Seymour J. Cohen. It is clearly not
a book of history, but an ethical text that was probably written in the 13th
century. Its introduction cites several other "Books of Jasher", some of
which are no longer known to be in existence, such as that by Zerahiah
Ha-Yevani of the 13th century. There is also known to have been one written
by Rabbi Jacob ben Mier of the 12th century, and one by Rabbi Jonah ben
Abraham of Gerona of the 14th century. We are told of a work by that title
from the Amoraim period (3rd to 6th centuries) that is characterized as
containing "for the most part sayings of the sages of the first and second
centuries". So, this title has been a popular one for rabbinical writings,
but most are clearly not intended to have been passed off as the book
mentioned in the Bible. There is one notable exception which I will mention
later.
The first step in dealing with the question of authenticity is to simply
read the book with an open mind. One cannot effectively investigate the
matter unless he is familiar with it. After all, according to Solomon, "He
who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him".
(Proverbs 18:13). The reader will find that it reads very much like the
Bible, except that many passages are replete with details that are not
recorded in the Bible.
There are digressions from the biblical narrative that show concurrent
events in other parts of the world. There are chapters dealing wholly with
events in Egypt or events in Europe. Much of this material can be recognized
from other works of ancient history. To anyone familiar with ancient
history, it will be obvious that Jasher places these events in a radically
different time period than do conventional historians. To be sure, if Jasher
be true, there needs to be a radical alteration in the conventional
interpretation of ancient history, especially in the area of chronology.
There is little of consequence at variance with the Bible. There are some
chronological features that differ, but these can usually be attributed to a
textual error. Usually the error will be resolved by reading on. A later
entry will fall into harmony with the Bible text. Remember that the ancient
scrolls of this book were in poor condition when the book was printed in
Hebrew in 1613. It is not unlikely that some numbers could get scrambled.
There are a couple mysterious accounts of incidents that smack of Greek or
Roman mythology, such as the story of Zepho, the grandson of Esau who slew a
half human monster in a large cave. This account is easily recognized as the
same story as that of Theseus, who slew the minotaur.
The characters and the setting are different. A critical reader may object
to this material, but many valid explanations are possible concerning why
this and other such events were recorded in this book. The original author
may have simply reported those things because they were popular folklore of
his day. Such stories are merely mentioned in passing and no significance is
attached to them. Though one might doubt the veracity of these tales, there
is nothing here that should dissuade an objective reader from the opinion
that this book is genuine.Even the most
casual reader will find Jasher enlightening. Accounts in the Bible can be
made more lucid and easier to understand with the background of Jasher in
mind.
The next issue to investigate in regard to the authenticity of this book is
the two passages which mention the book by name. The first is Joshua
10.12-13:
"... and he [Joshua] said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon
Gibeon; and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still,
and the moon stayed, until the people avenged themselves upon their enemies.
Is it not written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst
of heaven, and hasted not to go down about
a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it,
that the Lord hearkened to the voice of man: for the Lord fought for
Israel."
And now compare it with
the following passage in Jasher 88.63-64:
"...and Joshua said in the sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still
upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall
have revenged itself upon its enemies... And the sun stood still in the
midst of the heavens, and it stood still six and thirty moments, and the
moon also stood still and hastened not to go down a whole day. And there was
no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened to the voice
of man, for the Lord fought for
Israel."
A comparison of the text preceding also shows a high degree of correlation,
indicating that much more than a couple of verses was probably quoted by the
Bible writer.
A second mention of the Book of Jasher occurs in II Samuel 1.17. In
contrast, this incident is not a direct quotation of a historical event from
Jasher, as is the case in Joshua. Jasher's narrative ends long before the
time of David. However, as part of his lamentation over the death of Saul
and Jonathan, David referred to a comment by Jacob that is quoted in the
Book of Jasher. He said:
"Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: Behold it
is written in the book of Jasher."
David is referring to the dying words of Jacob to Judah in Jasher 56:9,
"...only teach thy sons the use of the bow and all weapons of war, in order
that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his
enemies."
This passage in the Bible has no reference to anything in the Bible itself,
but it is made clear from the passage in Jasher.
While the above two references pass the test, it will be up to the reader to
satisfy himself as to the general agreement of the entirety of the book with
the Bible narrative. This is such an extensive comparison, and such an
obvious one, that I will not attempt to make any verse by verse comparison.
Certainly any reader who is familiar with the Bible will recognize its
similarity to the text of Jasher.
There probably is no way that we can know that the Biblical writer(s) quoted
from this book, rather than the other way around? Is it possible that this
book was reverse engineered? Perhaps that Book of Jasher from the Amoraim
period was compiled from rabbinic sources such that it is a kind of digest
of rabbinic traditions. Indeed, there is a great deal of commonality with
accounts from other midrashic sources. If this were found to be so it would
in no way diminish its value.
Is it possible that someone created this book as a clever fraud, by
appropriating the name of the Biblical Jasher to give the work credibility?
There are, of course, many examples of such pious counterfeits from the
early new testament period. Could someone have fabricated this book by
incorporating a huge number of additional details into the framework of
Bible stories, and do it with such accuracy as to be convincing? It is
remotely conceivable that some writer of the rabbinical period could have
gathered a vast array of those stories, as are common in rabbinical
writings, and incorporated them into this work in a framework to, in some
way, add credibility to the stories. But such a scenario seems very
unlikely, since rabbinical writings have a great deal of credibility
otherwise, and no major effort of promoting this book for that purpose has
ever occurred. It is hard to imagine that this book would be counterfeited
for that purpose or any other. There is simply no motive for such an act. In
any case, if this were true, it is such a masterful job as to be a very
valuable work in it's own right. The accuracy and credibility of this
supposed Pseudo-Jasher is absolute genius. If this be a forgery it is a
marvelous one.
Such a fraudulent writer would not have needed to add so much detail into
the account to be convincing. The more details he drew from his imagination,
the greater his chances of making some glaring error that would give away
his deception. A faker would certainly have written a much shorter work and
left out unnecessary details.
In actuality, we have a wonderful example of just such a fraud. I have in my
possession three different works that go by the title Sepher Hayasher or The
Book of Jasher. This first is, of course, this book. The second is the 13th
century ethical treatise that I mentioned earlier. It makes no claim to
being the Biblical Jasher and would never be taken for it. The third book is
widely recognized for the fraud that it is. It has been republished by the
Rosicrucian Order. It claims to have been discovered by Flaccus Albinus
Alcuinus, Abbot of Canterbury in the 8th century, while on a pilgrimage. It
is the briefest outline of the first six books of the Bible, consisting of
about 70 pages of large print. It contains no useful details, and only the
barest account of the familiar Hebrew stories. It seems to have been
prepared hastily and with little attention to detail. The most obvious
feature is that it claims to be the work of a man named Jasher who was the
son of Caleb and one of the Judges of Israel. This seems to be its entire
reason for existence. It is clear that the author had no real knowledge of
Hebrew and failed to recognize that Jasher is not a proper noun. It is not
anybody's name. It rather carries the meaning of the upright book or the
faithful record. Clearly this book is a fake. It has all the characteristics
that you would expect to see in a forgery. It is very brief and contains no
unique information except the one thing that is so absurd as to expose it as
a hoax. So the contrast between that imitation and this book is very
telling. It is easy to see which is genuine.
Finally, consider how Josephus described the Book of Jasher. He said "by
this book are to be understood certain records kept in some safe place on
purpose, giving an account of what happened among the Hebrews from year to
year, and called Jasher or the upright, on account of the fidelity of the
annals." There could be no better description of the book you see before
you. The bottom line is that you, as the reader, will have to answer the
question of legitimacy for
yourself. Whichever side of that issue you take, I think that you will be
enlightened by exploring the issue and by reading the book. If you feel as I
do, that this book has the powerful credentials to commend it as
the biblical Book of Jasher, you
will now have in your hands an additional source to investigate when
studying the Bible. You will also have much food for thought in regard to
the issues of conventional chronology in ancient times.
The Book of Jasher Uncloaked!
Virtually ignored since it was discovered, the Book of Jasher holds vital
clues to interpreting and understanding Biblical chronology, from the Flood
to the Exodus. A mistake made by Archbishop James Ussher, who was unfamiliar
with the book of Jasher, led to a 60-year error in placing the birth of
Abraham. But this error is corrected in the chrono- logical keys provided by
the book of Jasher. And with these keys, an intriguing, and astounding story
emerges.
William F.
Dankenbring
The
book of Jasher, mentioned in
the Biblical books of Joshua and Second Chronicles, was faithfully
translated into English from the Rabbinical Hebrew in approximately A.D.
1840. Says the translator's preface, "the ever memorable 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
particularly distinguishes the genius of the Hebrew language/ and this,
together with other numerous internal evidences, 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, chapter x, and 2 Samuel, chap. i.
There are not more than seven or eight words in the whole book that by
construction can be derived from the Chaldean language" (page iii-iv).
The title of the book in Hebrew,
Sephir Ha Yasher, literally
means "the book of the upright," or "the upright or correct record." Some
have thought that "Jasher" was the name of a Hebrew judge in Israel, and a
publication that arose in the middle of the eighteenth century (circa 1750
A. D.), purported itself to be a translation into English from a Hebrew
manuscript of "Jasher" found at Gazna in Persia. That book appears to have
been a fictitious book, a fraud, and most probably the work of some
agnostic, cynical English skeptic, written in imitation of the language of
Scripture. Its author, in his ignorance, presumed "Jasher" to have been the
personal name of an ancient Hebrew figure, the original writer. But the
mischievous deed was recognized by true scholars of Hebrew, for the pronoun
"the" ("ha" in Hebrew) never precedes or is prefixed to proper names.
How is the
Book of Jasher important to
us, today? It sheds marvelous light on the Biblical story, from the time of
Adam and Eve, the time of Enoch, and the account of Noah's Deluge, to the
Tower of Babel, the tyrant Nimrod, and the story of Abraham and his
descendants. Needless to say, I cannot discuss the details of this
remarkable historical record, which completely authenticates and
corroborates Scriptural history, filling in many missing details deleted in
the Scriptural record, in this article. I highly recommend the book for any
who desire to perfect their knowledge of the ancient times, from Adam to the
Exodus.
The
book of Jasher provides a
fascinating glimpse into the life of Enoch, who was a righteous ruler over
men, continually instructing them in truth and uprightness, and a knowledge
of the Most High God. It also tells us that in the days of "Peleg," not only
were the nations at Babel divided and scattered, but the earth itself was
also divided. From this book we also learn that Noah and Abraham were
contemporaries.
Perhaps the most important key found in the
Book of Jasher is that it
corrects the erroneous chronological date for the birth of Abraham assumed
by many Christian commentators, in particular archbishop James Ussher. Says
the Translator of the
book of Jasher:
●
"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, the other having the promises of the favor
and grace of God, not only to himself, but to his seed after him. This fact
might be proved from Scripture; but from the 32nd 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. [after man, i.e., after Adam] 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" (p. vi).
How should we view the
book of Jasher, today? The
translator correctly points out that although it is not divine Scripture, it
nevertheless is a mighty historical and ancient work which relates directly
to Biblical historical times and events. Thus the translator does not
recommend it to people as Scripture, as a work of divine inspiration, but
does "as a monument of history, comparatively covered with the ivy of the
remotest 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" (p.vii).
The translator concludes:
●
"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 illustrious
characteres recorded in sacred history, from Adam down to the time of the
Elders, who immediately succeeded Joshua" (ibid.).
Having said these things,
let's take a close look and see how the
book of Jasher, then, impacts
our understanding of ancient Biblical chronology, and what it means to us,
today!
Chronology After
the Flood
The
book of Jasher recounts the
story of mankind from Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, to the destruction of
Noah's Flood (chapters 1-6). The story of the post-Flood world begins in
chapter 7 where we are told that Terah was 38 years old when he begat Haran
and Nahor, the older brothers of Abraham (v.22). What year was this?
According to the chronology, from the Flood, we discover that Noah was 600
years old at the time of the Flood (Gen.7:6). The Flood occurred in the year
2348 B.C. Noah's son Shem begat Arphaxad 2 years after the Flood
(Gen.11:10), or in 2346 B.C. From that time on we can trace the descendants
of Shem (see Genesis 11:10-26):
|
●
Descendant
|
Lived
|
Begat
|
Date
|
|
●
Arphaxad
|
35 years
|
Salah
|
2311
B.C.
|
|
●
Salah
|
30
|
Eber
|
2281
|
|
●
Eber
|
34
|
Peleg
|
2247
|
|
●
Peleg
|
30
|
Reu
|
2217
|
|
●
Reu
|
32
|
Serug
|
2185
|
|
●
Serug
|
30
|
Nahor
|
2155
|
|
●
Nahor
|
29
|
Terah
|
2126
B.C.
|
|
●
Terah
|
70
|
Abram
|
2056
B.C.
|
At this point, the Biblical genealogy tell us, "And Terah lived seventy
years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran" (Gen.11:26). Yet the
book of Jasher clearly states
that "Terah was thirty eight years old, and he begat Haran and Nahor"
(Jasher 9:22). Therefore, the fact that the Bible says Terah was 70 when he
begat Abram, Nahor and Haran, must refer to the date when ABRAM was begotten
-- 32 years after his two brothers. Abram was the youngest of the three, but
is listed first because the birthright became his because of his
righteousness and excellency.
This is a straight-forward chronology. However, it differs from that of
Archbishop James Ussher. Usher, in his mammoth chronological work, concluded
erroneously that Abram was born seventy five years before Terah his father
died. Terah died at the age of 205 (Gen.11:32). The next chapter of Genesis
tells us that God told Abram to leave his country and Abram did so at the
age of 75 (Gen.12:1-4). Ussher assumes that Terah's death and Abram's
departure for Canaan was the same year -- therefore, since Terah died in
1921 B.C., Abram's birth would have been, according to Ussher, 75 years
sooner -- in 1996 B.C. Notice! This date is precisely 60 years later than
the true date for Abram's birth! Unfortunately, Archbishop Ussher did not
have access to the
book of Jasher when he
calculated the birth of Abram!
When this correction is made, however, it suddenly frees up our
understanding of events that occurred after the Flood. Much of this
illumination comes from the
book of Jasher!
Nimrod and the
Birth of Abram
Now let's pick up the story of Nimrod, the world's first tyrant, after the
Flood. The
book of Jasher gives us a
very interesting insight into Nimrod's kingdom and personality. The story
begins with his father Cush. We read:
●
"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 ofd men 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.
●
"And the garments of skin, which God made for Adam and his wife, when they
went out of the garden, were given to Cush. For after the death of Adam and
his wife, the garments were given to Enoch, the son of Jared, and when Enoch
was taken up to God, he gave them to Methuselah, his son. And at the death
of Methuselah, Noah took them and brought them to the ark, and they were
with him until he went out of the ark. And in their going out, Ham stole
those garments from Noah his father, and he took them and hid them from his
brothers. And when Ham begat his firstborn Cush, he gave him the garments in
secret, and they were with Cush many days. And Cush also concealed them from
his sons and brothers, and when Cush had begotten Nimrod, he gave him those
garments through his love for him, and Nimrod grew up, and when he was
twenty years old he put on those garments.
●
"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. . . . And when
Nimrod was forty years old, at that time there was war between his brethren
and the children of Japheth, so that they were in the power of his enemies.
. . . And when Nimrod had joyfully returned from battle, after having
conquered his enemies, all his brethren . . . assembled to make him king
over them, and they placed the regal crown upon his head.
●
"And he placed TERAH THE SON OF NAHOR the prince of his host, and he
dignified him and elevated him above all h is princes" (Jasher 7:23-41).
Notice! Although the Bible does not mention these fine details in the
Scriptural narrative, nevertheless, Terah, Abram's father, was the
commander-in-chief of Nimrod's army! He was a very important man in the
post-Flood world, and in the government of Nimrod. This occurred when Nimrod
was about forty years of age. The account goes on:
●
". . . . And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar . . . and his kingdom became very great
. . . and Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of Noah, and they
were all under his power and counsel [he was the first World Ruler]. And all
the earth was of one tongue and words of union, but Nimrod did not go in the
ways of the Lord. . . . And Terah, the son of Nahor, prince of Nimrod's
host, was in those days very great in the sight of the king and his
subjects, and the king and princes loved him, and they elevated him very
high.
●
"And Terah took a wife and her name was Ambhelo the daughter of Cornebo; and
the wife of Terah conceived and bare him a son in those days. Terah was
SEVENTY YEARS OLD when he begat him, and Terah called the name of his son
ABRAM, because the king had raised him in those days, and dignified him
above all his princes" (Jasher 7:44-51).
The
book of Jasher therefore
plainly tells us Abram was born to Terah when he was 70 years old -- not
135, as Archbishop Ussher thought. The story continues that at the birth of
Abram, the astrologers and wise men of Nimrod's kingdom saw a horrifying
sign in the heavens, which they understood to mean that the child born to
Terah that night would grow up and possess the earth, and would kill all the
kings of the earth, posing a great threat to Nimrod himself. A plot was
hatched to kill the child. Terah managed to save Abram by substituting the
child of one of his servants instead, and then hid Abram, his mother and
nurse, in a cave for ten years (Jasher 8:33- 36).
The account goes on to tell us that Haran, Abram's oldest brother, took a
wife when he wad 39 years of age, and when he was 42, she bare to him Sarai,
in the tenth year of Abram's life (Jasher 9:1-4). Thus Sarai was ten years
younger than Abram, whom she would later marry. She was born in 2046 B.C.
This means that Haran was born 42 years earlier, in 2088 B.C., and was 32
years older than Abram. This is also corroborated in Jasher 12:16, where we
read, "and Haran was in those days that Abram was born thirty and two years
old." He was born when Terah his father was 38.
When Abram was ten years old, he came out of the cave. The king Nimrod and
all his soothsayers thought he was long dead by this time. However, taking
no chances, we read that:
●
"And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem,
and he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways,
and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and his son Shem for
a long time.
●
"And Abram was in Noah's house thirty nine years, and Abram knew the Lord
from three days 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 the forgot the Lord who had
created them in the earth . . . . And Terah had twelve gods of large size,
made of wood and stone, after the twelve months of the year. . . " (Jasher
5-8).
Thus Abram, from age 10 to 49, was in the house of Noah, learning the truth
of God! This would have been from the year 2046 (the year Sarai was born)
until the year 2007 B.C. During this time, "king Nimrod reigned securely,
and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue
and words of union" (Jasher 9:20).
At this time Nimrod and his great men took counsel to build a "strong tower,
and its top reaching heaven: (verse 21). While they built it, they "imagined
in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven" (v.25). As the
Scriptures tell us, and the
book of Jasher
confirms, the gigantic tower was destroyed in a mighty paroxysm. Says the
book ofd Jasher, "And as to
the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven
and burned another third, and a third part is left to this day, and it is of
that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days' walk"
(v.38).
This tremendous event would have occurred just before Abram left the house
of Noah in the year 2007 B.C. The tower of Babel catastrophe, therefore,
would d have occurred somewhere around the year 2008 B.C. It was shortly
after this awesome lesson from the heavens, that Abram comes forth from
hiding and exile, and returns to the house of his father Terah.
Abram Confronts
Nimrod
When Abram was 50 years old, he left Noah's house and returned to his
father's house. Terah was still steeped in idolatry, and still captain of
the host of Nimrod (Jasher 11:13-15). Abram remonstrated with his father
about his strange gods (verses 26-50). Incensed, Terah reported this
incident to Nimrod , who sent soldiers to seize Abram. Nimrod, all his
princes, and Terah were present, when Abram witnessed before them, urging
the king to repent of his follies and wickedness, his idolatries, and to
serve the "God of the whole universe, who created thee, and in whose power
it is to kill and keep alive" (Jasher 11:54-55). He ended his testimony,
saying, "O foolish, simple, and ignorant king, woe unto thee forever"
(v.56).
Nimrod was so indignant and full of wrath, that he ordered Abram put into
prison, and then asked his counselors what ought to be done with him. They
counseled that Abram should be thrown alive into a flaming furnace and be
burned to death (Jasher 12:6). For three days and nights a mighty fire was
prepared in the king's furnace, and all the inhabitants of the land stood to
see Abram being brought out to be burned. Jasher estimates the crowd at
about 900,000 (Jasher 12:7-8).
What happened? Jasher
relates:
●
"And the Lord loved Abram and he had compassion over him, and the Lord came
down and delivered Abram from the fire and he was not burned. But all the
cords with which they bound him were burned, while Abram remained and walked
about in the fire. . . .
●
"And Abram walked in the midst of the fire three days and three nights, and
all the servants of the king saw him walking in the fire, and they came and
told the king . . . . And when the king heard their words his heart fainted
and he would not believe them. . . and the king rose to go and see it, and
he saw Abram walking to and fro in the midst of the fire . . ." (Jasher
12:24-28).
At this time Abram was 50 years old. Nimrod was the son of Cush, the son of
Ham. Ham begat Cush probably 2346 B.C., two years this side of the Flood. If
Cush were 251 years of age, when he begat Nimrod, then Nimrod would have
been born in 2095 B.C. Remember, he was expressly born in Cush's old age,
"the son of his old age" (Jasher 7:23). Thus he would have been about 30
years younger than Terah, the chief over his host. He would have been
approximately 40 years older than Abram.
Keep this date in mind, for later we will see how well it correlates with
another date signpost we will discover in the
book of Jasher!
There are many "date links" given in the
book of Jasher which are
unavailable any where else.
Abram's Place of
Safety
After this, king Nimrod had a disturbing dream, which his counselors
interpreted to mean that "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 horses and all his troops . . . this means nothing else but the seed
of Abram which will slay the king in latter days" (Jasher 12:53-55). Abram
got secret word of this and the conspiracy to have him killed, and "Abram
hastened and ran for safety to the house of Noah and his son Shem, and he
concealed himself there and found a place of safety" (v.61).
Terah came to visit his son, after he had been with Noah for a month, at
which time Abram encouraged his father to come with him to Canaan, so that
they would both be delivered from the hand of Nimrod (v.65). Terah hearkened
to his son's wisdom, and they came as far as the land of Haran, and remained
there (Jasher 13:1). "And Abram remained in the land of Haran three years,
and at the expiration of three years the Lord appeared to Abram and said to
him, I am the Lord who brought thee forth from Ur Casdim, and delivered thee
from the hands of all thine enemies. And now therefore if thou wilt hearken
to my voice and keep my commandments, my statutes and my laws, then will I
cause thy enemies to fall before thee, and I will multiply thy seed like the
stars of heaven . . ." (Jasher 13:3-4). At this time God told Abram, "Arise
now, take thy wife and all belonging to thee and go to the land of Canaan
and remain there . . ." (v.5).
Abram's First
Trip to Canaan
Abram went to Canaan, and dwelt there 3 years. Jasher records, "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 of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years and he
died" (Jasher 13:9).
Noah was 600 years when the Flood came. He lived beyond the Flood 350 more
years, and died in the year 1998 B.C. Abram was born in 2056 B.C. Thus Noah
indeed died in Abram's 58th year, just as the
book of Jasher tells us!
The
book of Jasher then tells us,
"And in the tenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan (7 more
years, or in the year 1991 B.C., when Abram was 65) there was war between
Nimrod king of Shinar and Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Nimrod came to
fight with Chedorlaomer and to subdue him. For Chedorlaomer was at that time
one of the princes of the hosts of Nimrod. . . . And Nimrod assembled all
his princes and subjects, about seven hundred thousand men, and went against
Chedorlaomer, and Chedorlaomer went out to meet him with five thousand men .
. . And all those kings fought there, and Nimrod and his people were smitten
. . . and there fell from Nimrod's men about six hundred thousand . . . And
Nimrod fled and returned in shame and disgrace to his own land, and he was
under subjection to Chedorlaomer for a long time" (Jasher 13:12-16).
Jasher continues the story of Abram: "And it was in the fifteenth year of
Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, which is the seventieth year of the
life of Abram (the year 1986 B.C.), and the Lord appeared to Abram in that
year and he said to him, I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur Chasdim
to give thee this land for an inheritance. Now therefore walk before me and
be perfect and keep my commandments . . . And thou shalt come to thy fathers
in peace and in good age, and the fourth generation shall return here in
this land and INHERIT IT
FOREVER" (Jasher 13:17-19).
Now notice carefully! God told Abram that He would give him the land from
the river of Egypt, the Nile, to the river Euphrates -- and he then told
Abram that he would die, peaceably, and in a good old age -- but notice now!
Abram would RETURN in the fourth generation, and inherit the land FOREVER!
This is a prophecy for the FUTURE! In this instance, the fourth "generation"
means 4,000 years, for a full "generation" is a thousand years in
fulfillment -- one "day" (II Pet.3:8-10). Abram was born and lived circa
2,000 B.C. Four "generations" or four thousand years from that time brings
us to circa 2000 A.D.! This is one more astonishing evidence that we are
surely living in the generation of the END TIME!
Abram's SECOND
Journey to Canaan!
Now let's continue the story of Abram. "At that time Abram returned and went
to Haran, to see his father and mother, and his father's household, and
Abram and his wife and all belonging to him returned to Haran, and Abram
dwelt in Haran five years. And many of the people of Haran, about seventy
two men, followed Abram and Abram taught them the instruction of the Lord
and his ways, and he taught them to know the Lord. In those days the Lord
appeared to Abram in Haran, and he said to him, Behold, I spoke unto thee
these twenty years back saying, 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 . . . Now therefore arise, go forth from this
place, thou, thy wife, and all belonging to thee . . . and rise to return to
the land of Canaan.
●
"And Abram arose and took his wife Sarai and all belonging to him . . . and
they came out to go to the land of Canaan. And Abram went and returned to
the land of Canaan, according to the word of the Lord. And Lot the son of
his brother Haran went with him, and Abram was SEVENTY FIVE YEARS OLD when
he went forth from Haran to return to the land of Canaan" (Jasher 13:20-26).
This was the SECOND time Abram went to the land of Canaan! The first time
was when he was 55 years of age. This was 20 years later, when he was 75
years of age. The Bible does not tell us about these two different times
Abram went to the land of Canaan. The book of Genesis telescopes and
shortens much of the real story, giving us the highlights, as it were. But
the
book of Jasher fills in many
very interesting and astounding details, giving us the true chronological
order of the various events, births, and deaths, of the patriarchs, and
recounts for us their activities and lives.
This second time Abraham went to Canaan, is also recorded in the book of
Genesis, chapter 12. Here we are told that Abram departed, at age seventy
five, taking Sarai, Lot, and all his substance with him (Gen.12:3). This was
the year 1981 B.C.
Let us now skip down to
the next events noted in the
book of Jasher. Abraham was
dwelling in
the plain of Mamre many years, and his nephew Lot had decided to move down
to the Sodom valley (Jasher 15). At that time, a war broke out.
War in the
Middle East!
●
"At that time Chedorlaomer king of Elam sent to all the neighboring kings,
to Nimrod, king of Shinar, who was then under his power, and to Tidal, king
of Goyim, and to Arioch, king of Elasar, with whom he had a covenant,
saying, Come up to me and assist me, that we may smite all the towns of
Sodom . . . for they have rebelled against me these thirteen years. And
these four kings went up with all their camps, about eight hundred thousand
men . . . And these nine kings made war in the valley of Siddom; and the
kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were smitten before the kings of Elam" (Jasher
16:1- 4).
At this time, Abraham delivered his nephew Lot who had been taken captive by
the kings who attacked Sodom. He smote them at night, when their troops were
drunken and feasting, in a sudden surprise attack with only 318 men (Jasher
16:7). It is another intriguing story, whose details are filled out more
completely in the
book of Jasher.
The
book of Jasher contains an
absorbing account of the sins of the people of Sodom, and why God became
furious with them, and the account of their divine judgment.
The Birth of
Isaac and Death of Terah
Picking up the story, the
book of Jasher also records
the miraculous birth of Isaac when Abraham was 100 years of age. Since
Abraham was born in 2056 B.C., the birth of Isaac would have occurred in the
year 1956 B.C. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned,
and "Shem and Eber and all the great people of the land, and Abimelech king
of the Philistines . . . came to eat and drink and rejoice at the feast
which Abraham made" (Jasher 21:5). "Also Terah . . . came from Haran, they
and all belonging to them, for they greatly rejoiced on hearing that a son
had been born to Sarah" (v.6).
The next chronological
link in the story, comes in chapter 22 of Jasher.
●
"And Terah died in that year, that is, in the thirty-fifth year of the birth
of Isaac son of Abraham. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five
years, and he was buried in Haran" (Jasher 22:33-34).
Terah was born in 2126 B.C. The Scriptures also tell us he was 205 years old
when he died (Genesis 11:32). This means he died in the year 1921 B.C. On
the other hand, Isaac was born in the 100th year of Abraham. Abraham was
born in 2056. This puts the birth of Isaac in the year 1956 B.C. If we
subtract 35 years from 1956, we come up with 1921 -- the very same year.
Thus the Bible, and the
book of Jasher, are in
complete agreement on Biblical chronology from Flood, down through the birth
of Terah, Abraham's father, to Abraham, and down to the birth of Abraham's
promised son, Isaac!
The Binding of
Isaac and Death of Sarah
The intriguing account of the "binding of Isaac" is then recounted in the
book of Jasher, the story of
the near sacrifice of this wonderful and obedient son, which is also
recounted in the book of Genesis (chapter 22). Isaac at this time was 37
years old (Jasher 22:41). Therefore, this event would have occurred in 1919
B.C.
This was a very traumatic experience, especially for Sarah, who was devoted
to her son, and who at one point was told that he had been "sacrificed" by
Abraham. Not knowing the truth, that Isaac had been spared, her heart was
heavy with grief, but she still had faith in God. When she heard that Isaac
was still alive after all, she could hardly take in the good news, and
joyous at this wonderful news, her heart was overcome, and she died soon
thereafter, but in joy, not in grief. This is not the place to go into this
incredible story, nor the time, but it is recommended reading for all
students who are serious about the Bible and its message. The year would
have been 1919 B.C.
Sarah died at the age of 127 years (Jasher 24:1). She was born ten years
after Abraham, or in 2046 B.C. This would put her death in the year 1919
B.C., the same year as the "binding of Isaac," actually following shortly
after it.
Sarah was buried with great pomp and ceremony, as befits a queen. "And
Abraham buried Sarah with pomp as observed at the interment of kings, and
she was buried in very fine and beautiful garments. And at her bier was
Shem, his sons Eber and Abimelech, together with Anar, Ashcol and Mamre, and
all the grandees of the land followed her bier" (Jasher 24:13-14).
Births of Jacob
and Esau
The next important event chronicled in the
book of Jasher is Isaac, the
son of Abraham, taking a wife. "And Isaac took Rebecca and she became his
wife, and he brought her into his tent. And Isaac was forty years old when
he took Rebecca, the daughter of his uncle Bethuel, for a
wife" (Jasher 24:44-45). Isaac married Rebecca, when he was forty years of
age, so this would have been in the year 1916 B.C.
Rebecca bore no children for many years. But the
book of Jasher records, "And
in the fifty- ninth year of the life of Isaac the son of Abraham, Rebecca
his wife was still barren in those days" (Jasher 26:1). Isaac's 59th year
would have been 1897 B.C.
Rebecca asked her husband Isaac to pray for her to have children, even as
Abraham had prayed for Sarah, who also had been barren. Isaac does so, and
the Lord heard his earnest prayer, and Rebecca conceives (Jasher 26:2-8).
She had twins -- Esau and Jacob -- who struggled for dominance even while in
her womb. This would have been circa 1896 B.C., when God answered Isaac's
prayer, and the prayers of Shem, Eber, and Abraham, and Esau and Jacob were
born! Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were born.
The
book of Jasher goes on to
tell us, "and the boys grew up to their fifteen year, and they came amongst
the society of men. Esau was a designing and deceitful man, an excellent
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 commandments of his father and mother"
(Jasher 26:17).
The chronology of Jasher therefore informs us that Rebecca conceived when
Isaac was 59, 19 years after she married Isaac. She delivered two children
the following year. Therefore, Esau and Jacob were born in 1896 B.C. Fifteen
years later, when they were strapping youths and Esau had become an
excellent hunter, would have been the year 1881 B.C.
The Death of
Righteous Abraham
"And it was at that time that Abraham died, in the fifteenth year of the
life of Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac, and all the days of Abraham were
one hundred and seventy five years, and he died and was gathered to his
people in good old age, old and satisfied with days, and Isaac and Ishmael
his sons buried him" (Jasher 26:29). All the kings and princes of Canaan
came to Abraham's funeral, to bury him, and all the people of Haran, and all
the princes and grandees among the sons of Abraham by the concubines. Born
in 1896 B.C., Jacob and Esau would have been 15 years of age in 1881 B.C.
Abraham would have been 175 years of age.
Says Jasher of this remarkable man of faith and obedience to God: "And there
arose not a man who feared God like unto Abraham, for he had feared his God
from his youth, and had served the Lord, and had gone in all his ways during
his life, from his childhood to the day of his death. And the Lord was with
him and delivered him from the counsel of Nimrod and his people, and when he
made war with the four kings of Elam he conquered them. And he brought all
the children of the earth to the service of God, and he taught them the ways
of the Lord, and caused them to know the Lord. And he formed a grove and he
planted a vineyard therein, and he had always prepared in his tent meat and
drink to those who passed through the land, that they might satisfy
themselves in his house. And the Lord God delivered the whole earth on
account of Abraham" (Jasher 26:34-38).
Esau the Hunter
Ambushes Nimrod!
After the death of Abraham, when Esau was 16 years of age, he went into the
wilds to hunt game, as was his custom. Jasher tells us:
●
"And Esau at that time, after the death of Abraham, frequently went into the
field to hunt. 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
in the cool of the day. And Nimrod was observing Esau all the days, for a
jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days.
●
"And on a certain day Esau went into the field to hunt, and he found Nimrod
walking in the wilderness with his two men. And all his mighty men and his
people were with him in the wilderness, but they removed at a distance from
him, and they went from him in different directions to hunt, and Esau
concealed himself for Nimrod, and he lurked for him in the wilderness. . . .
●
"And Nimrod and two of his men that were with him came to the place where
they were when Esau started suddenly from his lurking place, and drew his
sword, and hastened,
and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head.
●
"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. . . . And when Esau saw the mighty men of Nimrod coming at a
distance, he fled, and thereby escaped; and Esau took the valuable garments
of Nimrod, which Nimrod's father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with which
Nimrod prevailed over the whole land, and he ran and concealed them in his
house.
●
"And Esau took those garments and ran into the city on account of Nimrod's
men, and he came into his father's house weary and exhausted from fight, and
he was ready to die through grief when he approached his brother Jacob and
sat before him. And he said to 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. . . . .
●
"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
lives were two hundred and fifteen years and he died" (Jasher 27:1-15).
Nimrod was slain by Esau when Esau was 16 years of age. At that time, we are
here told, Nimrod himself was 215 years of age. Since Esau was 16 in the
year 1880 B.C., when Nimrod was killed, and Nimrod was 215 in that same
year, then we can calculate the actual birth year of Nimrod. Nimrod was born
in the year 2095 B.C. Notice how beautifully all these figures correlate
together!
Nimrod, born to Cush in his old age, would have been an old man at this
time, when Esau, the young "sport," saw his chance and assassinated the old
king! At this time Esau stole the garments God had made for Adam and Eve,
which Nimrod had been given by his father Cush who himself had stolen them
from Noah. Evidently, Esau saw these as his means and way to power and
kingship in the earth. Yet not long later, famished and feeling on the verge
of death, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of bean soup!
The
book of Jasher continues:
●
"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.
●
"And at the death of Nimrod his kingdom became divided into many divisions,
and all those parts that Nimrod reigned over were restored to the respective
kings of the land, who recovered them after the death of Nimrod, and all the
people of the house of Nimrod were for a long time enslaved to all the other
kings of the land" (Jasher 27:16- 17).
After his untimely death, Niimrod's kingdom did not endure. It became all
divided up into the hands of the original kings of the various lands which
he had conquered.
After Nimrod --
Jacob and Esau
After this time, a number of deaths of prominent, righteous men are recorded
in the
book of Jasher. Two years
later, "Shelach, the son of Arphaxad, died in that year, which is the
eighteenth year of the lives of Jacob and Esau; and all the days that
Shelach lived were four hundred and eighty three years and he died.
●
"At that time Isaac sent his younger son Jacob to the house of Shem and
Eber, and he learned the instructions of the Lord, and Jacob remained in the
house of Shem and Eber thirty two years, and Esau his brother did not go,
for he was not willing to go, and he remained in his father's house in the
land of Canaan" (Jasher 28:17-18).
The year Shelach died, then, was 1880 B.C. In that same year Jacob was sent
to the house of Shem and Eber, to learn the ways of God, even as Abraham had
been, and he remained there for 32 years -- from 1880 until 1848 B.C., when
he returned to Isaac and Rebecca. Esau in the meantime, roamed widely in his
hunting trips, and when he was 40 years of age he married a Canaanite woman
living in the land of Seir (Jasher 28:22-23).
At this point, the
book of Jasher gives us
another vital benchmark. We read:
●
"And it came to pass in those days, in the hundred and tenth year of the
life of Isaac, that is, in the fiftieth year of the life of Jacob, in that
year died SHEM the son of NOAH; Shem was 600 years old at his death. And
when Shem died Jacob returned to his father in Hebron" (Jasher 29:24-25).
Shem died then in the year 1846 B.C. He was born 98 years before the Flood
(he was 100 years old two years after the Flood -- see Gen.11:10), and died
500 years after the birth of Arphaxad (Gen.11:11). The Flood occurred in
2348 B.C. Since Shem was 600 when he died, and since he was born 2446 B.C,
his death would have been in 1846 B.C.
Since the
book of Jasher shows that
Jacob was 50 years old and Isaac was 110 at this point in time, when Shem
died, these facts once again confirming that Jacob's birth was in 1896,
(fifty years before), and the birth of Isaac was in 1956 B.C. (110 years
before).
Jacob Versus
Esau -- the Rivalry
After this, we come to the story of Isaac growing old and desiring venison
from his son Esau, after which he promises to "bless him." Rebecca and Jacob
pull a trick on Isaac, and Jacob disguises himself as Esau, and "steals" his
birthright (which really wasn't Esau's any more anyway, since he had already
sold it to Jacob.
Esau is so enraged at this act of trickery, that he vows to kill Jacob. We
read, "And Jacob was very much afraid of his brother Esau, and he rose up
and fled to the house of Eber the son of Shem, and he concealed himself
there on account of his brother, and Jacob was sixty three years old when he
went forth from the land of Canaan from Hebron, and Jacob was concealed in
Eber's house fourteen years on account of his brother Esau, and he there
continued to learn the ways of the Lord and his commandments" (Jasher
29:11).
Jacob therefore must have fled to Eber's abode 13 years after Shem's death
in 1846. This would put his flight in 1833 B.C. Ishmael, the brother of
Isaac, died the following year, "in the sixty fourth year of the life of
Jacob" (Jasher 29:18). Jacob continued hiding at Eber's place for 14 years,
or until 1819 B.C. Jacob became homesick, and returned to Hebron, only to
learn that Esau had neither forgotten nor forgiven him for stealing his
"blessing." Alarmed, Isaac and Rebecca counsel Jacob to flee to Haran, to
her family there, for refuge, and to find a mate for himself. "Jacob was
seventy seven years old when he went out from the land of Canaan from
Beersheba" (Jasher 29:30). This would have been the year 1819, showing he
did not dilly dally long in Canaan, when his life was at great risk!
Two years later, we read, "And in the second year of Jacob's dwelling in
Haran, that is in the seventy ninth year of the life of Jacob, in that year
died Eber the son of Shem, he was four hundred and sixty four years old at
his death" (Jasher 30:16). This would have been 1817 B.C.
After Jacob dwelt 20 years with Laban, serving him, marrying his two
daughters Leah and Rachel, Jacob noted that conditions were getting
difficult for him and his growing family. Laban had changed his wages
deceitfully ten times, and sought to impoverish Jacob, but God turned his
conniving trickery into a blessing for Jacob, and supernaturally blessed his
sheep. At the end of 20 years, God appeared to Jacob, and told him to go
back to Canaan (Jasher 31:37, 32:3).
Of course, this meant he would encounter Esau once again. Esau indeed came
out to seek vengeance on Jacob, but the
book of Jasher informs us:
●
"And the Lord heard the prayer of Jacob on that day, and the Lord then
delivered Jacob from the hands of his brother Esau. And the Lord sent three
angels of the angels of heaven, and they went before Esau and came to him.
And these angels appeared to Esau and his people as two thousand men, riding
upon horses furnished with all sorts of war instruments, and they appeared
in the sight of Esau and all his men to be divided into four camps, with
four chiefs to them. And one camp went on and they found Esau coming with
four hundred men toward his brother Jacob, and this camp ran toward Esau and
his people and terrified them, and Esau fell off the horse in alarm, and all
his men separated from him in that place, for they were greatly afraid. And
the whole of the camp shouted after them when they fled from Esau, and all
the warlike men answered, saying, Surely we are the servants of Jacob, who
is the servant of God, and who then can stand against us? (Jasher 32:27-32).
Four times such camps of angels ran at Esau and his men, terrifying them and
causing them great anguish and astonishment. No doubt many of them wet their
breeches that day. After these awesome, frightening events, Esau's heart was
temporarily changed, and instead of seeking to destroy his brother, he came
to him in peace. He concealed his hatred in his heart, because of his fear
(32:39-40). The return of Jacob to Canaan would have been 20 years after he
left, or the year 1799-1800 B.C.
"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" (Jasher 41:2). This would have been the year 1790
B.C.
Leah therefore
was born 1841 B.C.
The Story of
Joseph
In the following year, Joseph, the son of Jacob, being a younger son, was
"seventeen years old" when he dreamed a dream that seemed to exalt him over
his brothers, causing them great anger and animosity (Jasher 41:9). This may
have been in 1789 B.C., following the death of Leah.
Soon they had enough of his "sass," and counseled to get rid of him --
permanently. Joseph was sold as a slave and would up a slave of Potiphar in
Egypt. The next year, when Joseph was 18 years of age, 1788 B.C., that he
came to the attention of Potiphar's wife, who fell in deep lust with the
young Hebrew lad (Jasher 44:14-16). She later accused Joseph of attempting
to rape her, and Potiphar, believing her report, had Joseph cast into the
king's prison; "and Joseph was in the house of confinement twelve years"
(Jasher 44:76; see also 46:20). This period of imprisonment in the dungeon
would have been from 1788 to 1776 B.C. Joseph was thrown into the prison at
the age of 18, and remained there 12 years, or until age 30.
During this period, Isaac died at the age of 180 years. "And Jacob and Esau
fell upon the face of their father Isaac, and they wept, and Isaac was one
hundred and eighty years old when he died in the land of Canaan, in Hebron,
and his sons carried him to the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought.
. . . And all the kings of the land of Canaan went with Jacob and Esau to
bury Isaac . . ." (Jasher 47:10-11). The year would have been 1776 B.C., the
final year of Joseph in the dungeon.
The story of how Joseph was delivered from prison, and interpreted the
Pharaoh's dreams, and became second-in-command throughout all the land of
Egypt, is well known. The
book of Jasher again gives a
much more detailed picture of the story. The author declares, "And Joseph
was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and Joseph went out
before the king, and he became the king's second in Egypt" (Jasher 49:38).
Joseph built himself a beautiful mansion, "like unto the houses of kings"
(v.39), "three years was Joseph erecting his house" (v.40).
Joseph even had an army, numbering 40,000 troops. The year? 1776 B.C.
Interesting, isn't it, that the modern end-time "HOUSE of JOSEPH," -- the
United States of America -- has its Year of Independence also as 1776 --
that is, 1776 A.D.!!!
"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 land in those
days for seven years, and they ate and were greatly
satisfied" (Jasher 50:7). Joseph stored the excess grain in silos and
treasuries. For seven years they stored up all the extra, surplus grain,
knowing that the seven years of famine were coming. These seven bountiful
years would have been 1775-1769. Therefore, the crushing years of famine and
drought would have been 1768-1762.
The story of the reconciliation of Joseph with his brothers who had sold him
into slavery, is well known. The
book of Jasher adds much more
detail to this incredible Biblical epic.
Ultimately, at the closing stages of the famine, Jacob and his entire family
go to Egypt, to live with Joseph, where they are given the choice land of
Goshen in the Nile Delta for their inheritance. They live there many years
and are incredibly blessed. Jacob blesses the two children of Joseph, born
in Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh, and adopts them as his own. The
book of Jasher tells us: "And
Joseph was very aged, advanced in years, and his two sons, Ephraim and
Manasseh, remained constantly in the house of Jacob, together with the
children of
the sons of Jacob their brethren, to learn the ways of the Lord and his law"
(Jasher 55:35).
"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"
(Jasher 56:1). Thus Jacob was 147 years old when he died. Since he was born
in 1896, his death occurred in the year 1749 B.C. Since he was in Egypt 17
years, then Jacob immigrated to Egypt in the year 1766 B.C.
Chronology and
the Exodus Saga
In the book of Exodus, we read an amazing statement: "Now the sojourning of
the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty
years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years,
even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went
out from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:40-41).
Now, Archbishop Ussher in his chronology counts this period of time
beginning with the sojourn of Abraham in Canaan, which he dates to 1921
B.C., the year that Terah, the father of Abraham died, and the year he
believed that Abraham first went to Canaan (Gen.12:1-3), that is, Abraham's
75th year (Gen.12:4).
However, we have seen in the book of Jasher that indeed Terah died in 1921
B.C. But Abraham's departure for Canaan when he was 75 years of age took
place in the year 1981 B.C., or sixty years earlier than Ussher suggests.
What events, then, can we tie the figure 430 years to, during which the
"children of Israel sojourned"?
Obviously, the death of Terah is one linch pin. It is 430 years indeed from
the death of Terah, Abraham's father, to the Exodus from Egypt in 1491 B.C.
Interestingly, the death of Terah coincides also with the 35th year of
Isaac, the son of Abraham. This was only two years before the supreme test
when Abraham took Isaac to Mount Moriah to be a "human sacrifice." Although
God did not require Abraham to go through with this deed, it is symbolical
of the fact that God the Father did willingly sacrifice His Son, Jesus
Christ -- Yeshua the Messiah -- to pay the penalty of our sins, out of His
great love for us. The story of Abraham and Isaac vividly pictures that
awesome divine love. It pictures not only God's love for us, but God's
awesome love for His Son, and His Son's tremendous love for God the Father!
Why would the death of Terah be significant as the starting point of the 430
years of suffering and affliction of the children of Israel?
Could it be partly because Terah, with his power and authority, and
widespread respect, was a protective influence over Abraham and his
children, so long as Terah lived? No doubt he did his best to help his son
so long as he was alive, supplying information, news, and vital intelligence
from his own networks as the one-time commander of the hosts of Babylon.
Then, just two years after this change in the life of Abraham and his
descendants, God called upon Abraham for the greatest sacrifice a parent can
make -- to sacrifice his own son (Genesis 22).
In very real and meaningful sense, the "binding of Isaac" pictures the
GREATEST travail and suffering human beings can be required to suffer. The
loss of one's own son, or daughter, or children, is the greatest trauma a
parent can suffer. The binding of Isaac very likely occurred on Passover
eve, at the very time the Passover lambs were sacrificed at the Temple!
If we count the beginning of the sojourn of Israel from the death of Terah,
as Ussher does, then his date for the Exodus is entirely correct. Abraham
himself did not first enter Canaan on that date, but 60 years earlier.
However, the Scripture in Exodus speaks of "the sojourning of the CHILDREN
of Israel," and not Abraham himself. Although Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are
all considered "Israel," in the greater sense, since they are the three
great Patriarchs, the sojourning
-- when Abraham, Isaac, and their families were completely cut off from
outside support -- would have begun at the death of Abraham's father, Terah.
His death would have marked the time when they were entirely "on their own,"
as it were.
The
book of Jasher sheds
marvelous light on the chronology of the years between the Flood and the
children of Israel entering Egypt. It does not alter the frame of Ussher's
chronology. Creation would still be in 4004 B.C. The Flood would still be in
2348 B.C. The only changes would be the birth dates of Abraham and his
children, by putting them all 60 years earlier. This means the sojourn in
Egypt itself also began 60 years earlier than Ussher's date.
This happy coincidence provides us an additional 60 years of the children of
Israel in Egypt to reproduce like rabbits so their progeny, by the time of
the Exodus, includes 600,000 males, besides women and children. Ussher's
chronology puts the sojourn of Jacob and his family in Egypt as beginning in
1706. He puts the Exodus in 1491. The difference is only 215 years total,
for Jacob's family to grow from 70 people to something like 2-3 million!
However, the reconstruction of the chronology from the Flood to the Sojourn
in Egypt gives us another 60 years -- or a total of 275 years in Egypt, for
Israel to reproduce and multiply -- another two generations to accomplish
the exponential growth rate required!
Also, by backing up the birth of Abraham by 60 years, suddenly many pieces
of the historical puzzle begin to click, and fit together. Now we see
Abraham was actually taught by Noah himself the ways of the Lord. Isaac also
was taught by Noah and Shem. Jacob also spent years in the house of Shem and
Eber. The new chronology also helps us to pinpoint in history the Tower of
Babel cataclysm, the birth of Nimrod, and Nimrod's rise to power, his
relationship to Terah, Abraham's father, and his dealings with Abraham
himself, and his children, and his murder at the hands of Esau, Isaac's son.
It's all quite a fascinating story. Read it -- for yourself!
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.
Jasher Chapter 1
1.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and God
created man in his own image.
2.
And God formed man from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the breath
of life, and man became a living soul endowed with speech.
3.
And the Lord
said, It is not good for man to be alone; I will make unto him a helpmeet.
4.
And the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he
took away one of his ribs, and he built flesh upon it, and formed it and
brought it to Adam, and Adam awoke from his sleep, and behold a woman was
standing before him.
5.
And he said, This is a bone of my bones and it shall be called woman, for
this has been taken from man; and Adam called her name Eve, for she was the
mother of all living.
6.
And God blessed them and called their names Adam and Eve in the day that he
created them, and the Lord God said, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the
earth.
7.
And the Lord God took Adam and his wife, and he placed them in the garden of
Eden to dress it and to keep it; and he commanded them and said unto them,
From every tree of the garden you may eat, but from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat
thereof you shall surely die.
8.
And when God had blessed and commanded them, he went from them, and Adam and
his wife dwelt in the garden according to the command which the Lord had
commanded them.
9.
And the serpent, which God had created with them in the earth, came to them
to incite them to transgress the command of God which he had commanded them.
10.
And the serpent enticed and persuaded the woman to eat from the tree of
knowledge, and the woman hearkened to the voice of the serpent, and she
transgressed the word of God, and took from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, and she ate, and she took from it and gave also to her
husband and he ate.
11.
And Adam and his wife transgressed the command of God which he commanded
them, and God knew it, and his anger was kindled against them and he cursed
them.
12.
And the Lord God drove them that day from the garden of Eden, to till the
ground from which they were taken, and they went and dwelt at the east of
the garden of Eden; and Adam knew his wife Eve and she bore two sons and
three daughters.
13.
And she called the name of the first born Cain, saying, I have obtained a
man from the Lord, and the name of the other she called Abel, for she said,
In vanity we came into the earth, and in vanity we shall be taken from it.
14.
And the boys grew up and their father gave them a possession in the land;
and Cain was a tiller of the ground, and Abel a keeper of sheep.
15.
And it was at the expiration of a few years, that they brought an
approximating offering to the Lord, and Cain brought from the fruit of the
ground, and Abel brought from the firstlings of his flock from the fat
thereof, and God turned and inclined to Abel and his offering, and a fire
came down from the Lord from heaven and consumed it.
16.
And unto Cain and his offering the Lord did not turn, and he did not incline
to it, for he had brought from the inferior fruit of the ground before the
Lord, and Cain was jealous against his brother Abel on account of this, and
he sought a pretext to slay him.
17.
And in some time after, Cain and Abel his brother, went one day into the
field to do their work; and they were both in the field, Cain tilling and
ploughing his ground, and Abel feeding his flock; and the flock passed that
part which Cain had ploughed in the ground, and it sorely grieved Cain on
this account.
18.
And Cain approached his brother Abel in anger, and he said unto him, What is
there between me and thee, that thou comest to dwell and bring thy flock to
feed in my land?
19.
And Abel answered his brother Cain and said unto him, What is there between
me and thee, that thou shalt eat the flesh of my flock and clothe thyself
with their wool?
20.
And now therefore, put off the wool of my sheep with which thou hast clothed
thyself, and recompense me for their fruit and flesh which thou hast eaten,
and when thou shalt have done this, I will then go from thy land as thou
hast said?
21.
And Cain said to his brother Abel, Surely if I slay thee this day, who will
require thy blood from me?
22.
And Abel answered Cain, saying, Surely God who has made us in the earth, he
will avenge my cause, and he will require my blood from thee shouldst thou
slay me, for the Lord is the judge and arbiter, and it is he who will
requite man according to his evil, and the wicked man according to the
wickedness that he may do upon earth.
23.
And now, if thou shouldst slay me here, surely God knoweth thy secret views,
and will judge thee for the evil which thou didst declare to do unto me this
day.
24.
And when Cain heard the words which Abel his brother had spoken, behold the
anger of Cain was kindled against his brother Abel for declaring this thing.
25.
And Cain hastened and rose up, and took the iron part of his ploughing
instrument, with which he suddenly smote his brother and he slew him, and
Cain spilt the blood of his brother Abel upon the earth, and the blood of
Abel streamed upon the earth before the flock.
26.
And after this Cain repented having slain his brother, and he was sadly
grieved, and he wept over him and it vexed him exceedingly.
27.
And Cain rose up and dug a hole in the field, wherein he put his brother's
body, and he turned the dust over it.
28.
And the Lord knew what Cain had done to his brother, and the Lord appeared
to Cain and said unto him, Where is Abel thy brother that was with thee?
29.
And Cain dissembled, and said, I do not know, am I my brother's keeper? And
the Lord said unto him, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's
blood crieth unto me from the ground where thou hast slain him.
30.
For thou hast slain thy brother and hast dissembled before me, and didst
imagine in thy heart that I saw thee not, nor knew all thy actions.
31.
But thou didst this thing and didst slay thy brother for naught and because
he spoke rightly to thee, and now, therefore, cursed be thou from the ground
which opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand, and
wherein thou didst bury him.
32.
And it shall be when thou shalt till it, it shall no more give thee its
strength as in the beginning, for thorns and thistles shall the ground
produce, and thou shalt be moving and wandering in the earth until the day
of thy death.
33.
And at that time Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, from the place
where he was, and he went moving and wandering in the land toward the east
of Eden, he and all belonging to him.
34.
And Cain knew his wife in those days, and she conceived and bare a son, and
he called his name Enoch, saying, In that time the Lord began to give him
rest and quiet in the earth.
35.
And at that time Cain also began to build a city: and he built the city and
he called the name of the city Enoch, according to the name of his son; for
in those days the Lord had
given him rest upon the earth, and he did not move about and wander as in
the beginning.
36.
And Irad was born to Enoch, and Irad begat Mechuyael and Mechuyael begat
Methusael.
[Book of Jasher Referred to in Joshua and
Second Samuel.
Jasher Chapter 2
1.
And it was in the hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Adam upon the
earth, that he again knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare a son in
his likeness and in his image, and she called his name Seth, saying, Because
God has appointed me another seed in the place of Abel, for Cain has slain
him.
2.
And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and he begat a son; and Seth
called the name of his son Enosh, saying, Because in that time the sons of
men began to multiply, and to afflict their souls and hearts by
transgressing and rebelling against God.
3.
And it was in the days of Enosh that the sons of men continued to rebel and
transgress against God, to increase the anger of the Lord against the sons
of men.
4.
And the sons of men went and they served other gods, and they forgot the
Lord who had created them in the earth: and in those days the sons of men
made images of brass and iron, wood and stone, and they bowed down and
served them.
5.
And every man made his god and they bowed down to them, and the sons of men
forsook the Lord all the days of Enosh and his children; and the anger of
the Lord was kindled on account of their works and abominations which they
did in the earth.
6.
And the Lord caused the waters of the river Gihon to overwhelm them, and he
destroyed and consumed them, and he destroyed the third part of the earth,
and notwithstanding this, the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways,
and their hands were yet extended to do evil in the sight of the Lord.
7.
And in those days there was neither sowing nor reaping in the earth; and
there was no food for the sons of men and the famine was very great in those
days.
8.
And the seed which they sowed in those days in the ground became thorns,
thistles and briers; for from the days of Adam was this declaration
concerning the earth, of the curse of God, which he cursed the earth, on
account of the sin which Adam sinned before the Lord.
9.
And it was when men continued to rebel and transgress against God, and to
corrupt their ways, that the earth also became corrupt.
10.
And Enosh lived
ninety years and he begat Cainan;
11.
And Cainan grew up and he was forty years old, and he became wise and had
knowledge and skill in all wisdom, and he reigned over all the sons of men,
and he led the sons of men to wisdom and knowledge; for Cainan was a very
wise man and had understanding in all wisdom, and with his wisdom he ruled
over spirits and demons;
12.
And Cainan knew by his wisdom that God would destroy the sons of men for
having sinned upon earth, and that the Lord would in the latter days bring
upon them the waters of the flood.
13.
And in those days Cainan wrote upon tablets of stone, what was to take place
in time to come, and he put them in his treasures.
14.
And Cainan reigned over the whole earth, and he turned some of the sons of
men to the service of God.
15.
And when Cainan
was seventy years old, he begat three sons and two daughters.
16.
And these are the names of the children of Cainan; the name of the first
born Mahlallel, the second Enan, and the third Mered, and their sisters were
Adah and Zillah; these are the five children of Cainan that were born to
him.
17.
And Lamech, the son of Methusael, became related to Cainan by marriage, and
he took his two daughters for his wives, and Adah conceived and bare a son
to Lamech, and she called his name Jabal.
18.
And she again conceived and bare a son, and called his name Jubal; and
Zillah, her sister, was barren in those days and had no offspring.
19.
For in those days the sons of men began to trespass against God, and to
transgress the commandments which he had commanded to Adam, to be fruitful
and multiply in the earth.
20.
And some of the sons of men caused their wives to drink a draught that would
render them barren, in order that they might retain their figures and
whereby their beautiful appearance might not fade.
21.
And when the
sons of men caused some of their wives to drink, Zillah drank with them.
22.
And the child-bearing women appeared abominable in the sight of their
husbands as widows, whilst their husbands lived, for to the barren ones only
they were attached.
23.
And in the end
of days and years, when Zillah became old, the Lord opened her womb.
24.
And she conceived and bare a son and she called his name Tubal Cain, saying,
After I had withered away have I obtained him from the Almighty God.
25.
And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Naamah,
for she said, After I had withered away have I obtained pleasure and
delight.
26.
And Lamech was old and advanced in years, and his eyes were dim that he
could not see, and Tubal Cain, his son, was leading him and it was one day
that Lamech went into
the field and Tubal Cain his son was with him, and whilst they were walking
in the field, Cain the son of Adam advanced towards them; for Lamech was
very old and could not see much, and Tubal Cain his son was very young.
27.
And Tubal Cain told his father to draw his bow, and with the arrows he smote
Cain, who was yet far off, and he slew him, for he appeared to them to be an
animal.
28.
And the arrows entered Cain's body although he was distant from them, and he
fell to the ground and died.
29.
And the Lord requited Cain's evil according to his wickedness, which he had
done to his brother Abel, according to the word of the Lord which he had
spoken.
30.
And it came to pass when Cain had died, that Lamech and Tubal went to see
the animal which they had slain, and they saw, and behold Cain their
grandfather was fallen dead upon the earth.
31.
And Lamech was very much grieved at having done this, and in clapping his
hands together he struck his son and caused his death.
32.
And the wives of
Lamech heard what Lamech had done, and they sought to kill him.
33.
And the wives of Lamech hated him from that day, because he slew Cain and
Tubal Cain, and the wives of Lamech separated from him, and would not
hearken to him in those days.
34.
And Lamech came
to his wives, and he pressed them to listen to him about this matter.
35.
And he said to his wives Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice O wives of Lamech,
attend to my words, for now you have imagined and said that I slew a man
with my wounds, and a child with my stripes for their having done no
violence, but surely know that I am old and grey-headed, and that my eyes
are heavy through age, and I did this thing unknowingly.
36.
And the wives of Lamech listened to him in this matter, and they returned to
him with the advice of their father Adam, but they bore no children to him
from that time, knowing that God's anger was increasing in those days
against the sons of men, to destroy them with the waters of the flood for
their evil doings.
37.
And Mahlallel the son of Cainan lived sixty-five years and he begat Jared;
and Jared lived sixty-two years and he begat Enoch.
Jasher Chapter 3
1.
And Enoch lived sixty-five years and he begat Methuselah; and Enoch walked
with God after having begot Methuselah, and he served the Lord, and despised
the evil ways of men.
2.
And the soul of Enoch was wrapped up in the instruction of the Lord, in
knowledge and in understanding; and he wisely retired from the sons of men,
and secreted himself from them for many days.
3.
And it was at the expiration of many years, whilst he was serving the Lord,
and praying before him in his house, that an angel of the Lord called to him
from Heaven, and he said, Here am I.
4.
And he said, Rise, go forth from thy house and from the place where thou
dost hide thyself, and appear to the sons of men, in order that thou mayest
teach them the way in which they should go and the work which they must
accomplish to enter in the ways of God.
5.
And Enoch rose up according to the word of the Lord, and went forth from his
house, from his place and from the chamber in which he was concealed; and he
went to the sons of men and taught them the ways of the Lord, and at that
time assembled the sons of men and acquainted them with the instruction of
the Lord.
6.
And he ordered it to be proclaimed in all places where the sons of men
dwelt, saying, Where is the man who wishes to know the ways of the Lord and
good works? let him come to Enoch.
7.
And all the sons of men then assembled to him, for all who desired this
thing went to Enoch, and Enoch reigned over the sons of men according to the
word of the Lord, and they came and bowed to him and they heard his word.
8.
And the spirit of God was upon Enoch, and he taught all his men the wisdom
of God and his ways, and the sons of men served the Lord all the days of
Enoch, and they came to hear his wisdom.
9.
And all the kings of the sons of men, both first and last, together with
their princes and judges, came to Enoch when they heard of his wisdom, and
they bowed down to him, and they also required of Enoch to reign over them,
to which he consented.
10.
And they assembled in all, one hundred and thirty kings and princes, and
they made Enoch king over them and they were all under his power and
command.
11.
And Enoch taught them wisdom, knowledge, and the ways of the Lord; and he
made peace amongst them, and peace was throughout the earth during the life
of Enoch.
12.
And Enoch reigned over the sons of men two hundred and forty-three years,
and he did justice and righteousness with all his people, and he led them in
the ways of the Lord.
13.
And these are the generations of Enoch, Methuselah, Elisha, and Elimelech,
three sons; and their sisters were Melca and Nahmah, and Methuselah lived
eighty-seven years and he begat Lamech.
14.
And it was in the fifty-sixth year of the life of Lamech when Adam died;
nine hundred and thirty years old was he at his death, and his two sons,
with Enoch and Methuselah his son, buried him with great pomp, as at the
burial of kings, in the cave which God had told him.
15.
And in that place all the sons of men made a great mourning and weeping on
account of Adam; it has therefore become a custom among the sons of men to
this day.
16.
And Adam died because he ate of the tree of knowledge; he and his children
after him, as the Lord God had spoken.
17.
And it was in the year of Adam's death which was the two hundred and
forty-third year of the reign of Enoch, in that time Enoch resolved to
separate himself from the sons of men and to secret himself as at first in
order to serve the Lord.
18.
And Enoch did so, but did not entirely secret himself from them, but kept
away from the sons of men three days and then went to them for one day.
19.
And during the three days that he was in his chamber, he prayed to, and
praised the Lord his God, and the day on which he went and appeared to his
subjects he taught them the ways of the Lord, and all they asked him about
the Lord he told them.
20.
And he did in this manner for many years, and he afterward concealed himself
for six days, and appeared to his people one day in seven; and after that
once in a month, and then once in a year, until all the kings, princes and
sons of men sought for him, and desired again to see the face of Enoch, and
to hear his word; but they could not, as all the sons of men were greatly
afraid of Enoch, and they feared to approach him on account of the Godlike
awe that was seated upon his countenance; therefore no man could look at
him, fearing he might be punished and die.
21.
And all the kings and princes resolved to assemble the sons of men, and to
come to Enoch, thinking that they might all speak to him at the time when he
should come forth amongst them, and they did so.
22.
And the day came when Enoch went forth and they all assembled and came to
him, and Enoch spoke to them the words of the Lord and he taught them wisdom
and knowledge, and they bowed down before him and they said, May the king
live! May the king live!
23.
And in some time after, when the kings and princes and the sons of men were
speaking to Enoch, and Enoch was teaching them the ways of God, behold an
angel of the Lord
then called unto Enoch from heaven, and wished to bring him up to heaven to
make him reign there over the sons of God, as he had reigned over the sons
of men upon earth.
24.
When at that time Enoch heard this he went and assembled all the inhabitants
of the earth, and taught them wisdom and knowledge and gave them divine
instructions, and he said to them, I have been required to ascend into
heaven, I therefore do not know the day of my going.
25.
And now therefore I will teach you wisdom and knowledge and will give you
instruction before I leave you, how to act upon earth whereby you may live;
and he did so.
26.
And he taught them wisdom and knowledge, and gave them instruction, and he
reproved them, and he placed before them statutes and judgments to do upon
earth, and he made peace amongst them, and he taught them everlasting life,
and dwelt with them some time teaching them all these things.
27.
And at that time the sons of men were with Enoch, and Enoch was speaking to
them, and they lifted up their eyes and the likeness of a great horse
descended from heaven, and the horse paced in the air;
28.
And they told Enoch what they had seen, and Enoch said to them, On my
account does this horse descend upon earth; the time is come when I must go
from you and I shall no more be seen by you.
29.
And the horse descended at that time and stood before Enoch, and all the
sons of men that were with Enoch saw him.
30.
And Enoch then again ordered a voice to be proclaimed, saying, Where is the
man who delighteth to know the ways of the Lord his God, let him come this
day to Enoch before he is taken from us.
31.
And all the sons of men assembled and came to Enoch that day; and all the
kings of the earth with their princes and counsellors remained with him that
day; and Enoch then taught the sons of men wisdom and knowledge, and gave
them divine instruction; and he bade them serve the Lord and walk in his
ways all the days of their lives, and he continued to make peace amongst
them.
32.
And it was after this that he rose up and rode upon the horse; and he went
forth and all the sons of men went after him, about eight hundred thousand
men; and they went with him one day's journey.
33.
And the second day he said to them, Return home to your tents, why will you
go? perhaps you may die; and some of them went from him, and those that
remained went with him six day's journey; and Enoch said to them every day,
Return to your tents, lest you may die; but they were not willing to return,
and they went with him.
34.
And on the sixth day some of the men remained and clung to him, and they
said to him, We will go with thee to the place where thou goest; as the Lord
liveth, death only shall separate us.
35.
And they urged so much to go with him, that he ceased speaking to them; and
they went after him and would not return;
36.
And when the kings returned they caused a census to be taken, in order to
know the number of remaining men that went with Enoch; and it was upon the
seventh day that Enoch ascended into heaven in a whirlwind, with horses and
chariots of fire.
37.
And on the eighth day all the kings that had been with Enoch sent to bring
back the number of men that were with Enoch, in that place from which he
ascended into heaven.
38.
And all those kings went to the place and they found the earth there filled
with snow, and upon the snow were large stones of snow, and one said to the
other, Come, let us break through the snow and see, perhaps the men that
remained with Enoch are dead, and are now under the stones of snow, and they
searched but could not find him, for he had ascended into heaven.
Jasher Chapter 4
1.
And all the days
that Enoch lived upon earth, were three hundred and sixty-five years.
2.
And when Enoch had ascended into heaven, all the kings of the earth rose and
took Methuselah his son and anointed him, and they caused him to reign over
them in the place of his father.
3.
And Methuselah acted uprightly in the sight of God, as his father Enoch had
taught him, and he likewise during the whole of his life taught the sons of
men wisdom, knowledge and the fear of God, and he did not turn from the good
way either to the right or to the left.
4.
But in the latter days of Methuselah, the sons of men turned from the Lord,
they corrupted the earth, they robbed and plundered each other, and they
rebelled against God and they transgressed, and they corrupted their ways,
and would not hearken to the voice of Methuselah, but rebelled against him.
5.
And the Lord was exceedingly wroth against them, and the Lord continued to
destroy the seed in those days, so that there was neither sowing nor reaping
in the earth.
6.
For when they sowed the ground in order that they might obtain food for
their support, behold, thorns and thistles were produced which they did not
sow.
7.
And still the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and their hands
were still extended to do evil in the sight of God, and they provoked the
Lord with their evil ways, and the Lord was very wroth, and repented that he
had made man.
8.
And he thought
to destroy and annihilate them and he did so.
9.
In those days when Lamech the son of Methuselah was one hundred and sixty
years old, Seth the son of Adam died.
10.
And all the days
that Seth lived, were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
11.
And Lamech was one hundred and eighty years old when he took Ashmua, the
daughter of Elishaa the son of Enoch his uncle, and she conceived.
12.
And at that time the sons of men sowed the ground, and a little food was
produced, yet the sons of men did not turn from their evil ways, and they
trespassed and rebelled against God.
13.
And the wife of Lamech conceived and bare him a son at that time, at the
revolution of the year.
14.
And Methuselah called his name Noah, saying, The earth was in his days at
rest and free from corruption, and Lamech his father called his name
Menachem, saying, This one shall comfort us in our works and miserable toil
in the earth, which God had cursed.
15.
And the child grew up and was weaned, and he went in the ways of his father
Methuselah, perfect and upright with God.
16.
And all the sons of men departed from the ways of the Lord in those days as
they multiplied upon the face of the earth with sons and daughters, and they
taught one another their evil practices and they continued sinning against
the Lord.
17.
And every man made unto himself a god, and they robbed and plundered every
man his neighbor as well as his relative, and they corrupted the earth, and
the earth was filled with violence.
18.
And their judges and rulers went to the daughters of men and took their
wives by force from their husbands according to their choice, and the sons
of men in those days took from the cattle of the earth, the beasts of the
field and the fowls of the air, and taught the mixture of animals of one
species with the other, in order therewith to provoke the Lord; and God saw
the whole earth and it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways
upon earth, all men and all animals.
19.
And the Lord said, I will blot out man that I created from the face of the
earth, yea from man to the birds of the air, together with cattle and beasts
that are in the field for I repent that I made them.
20.
And all men who walked in the ways of the Lord, died in those days, before
the Lord brought the evil upon man which he had declared, for this was from
the Lord, that they should not see the evil which the Lord spoke of
concerning the sons of men.
21.
And Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord chose him and
his children to raise up seed from them upon the face of the whole earth.
Jasher Chapter 5
1.
And it was in the eighty-fourth year of the life of Noah, that Enoch the son
of Seth died, he was nine hundred and five years old at his death.
2.
And in the one hundred and seventy ninth year of the life of Noah, Cainan
the son of Enosh died, and all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten
years, and he died.
3.
And in the two hundred and thirty fourth year of the life of Noah, Mahlallel
the son of Cainan died, and the days of Mahlallel were eight hundred and
ninety-five years, and he died.
4.
And Jared the son of Mahlallel died in those days, in the three hundred and
thirty-sixth year of the life of Noah; and all the days of Jared were nine
hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
5.
And all who followed the Lord died in those days, before they saw the evil
which God declared to do upon earth.
6.
And after the lapse of many years, in the four hundred and eightieth year of
the life of Noah, when all those men, who followed the Lord had died away
from amongst the sons of men, and only Methuselah was then left, God said
unto Noah and Methuselah, saying,
7.
Speak ye, and proclaim to the sons of men, saying, Thus saith the Lord,
return from your evil ways and forsake your works, and the Lord will repent
of the evil that he declared to do to you, so that it shall not come to
pass.
8.
For thus saith the Lord, Behold I give you a period of one hundred and
twenty years; if you will turn to me and forsake your evil ways, then will I
also turn away from the evil which I told you, and it shall not exist, saith
the Lord.
9.
And Noah and Methuselah spoke all the words of the Lord to the sons of men,
day after day, constantly speaking to them.
10.
But the sons of men would not hearken to them, nor incline their ears to
their words, and they were stiffnecked.
11.
And the Lord granted them a period of one hundred and twenty years, saying,
If they will return, then will God repent of the evil, so as not to destroy
the earth.
12.
Noah the son of Lamech refrained from taking a wife in those days, to beget
children, for he said, Surely now God will destroy the earth, wherefore then
shall I beget children?
13.
And Noah was a
just man, he was perfect in his generation, and the Lord chose him to
raise up seed from his seed upon the face of the earth.
14.
And the Lord said unto Noah, Take unto thee a wife, and beget children, for
I have seen thee righteous before me in this generation.
15.
And thou shalt raise up seed, and thy children with thee, in the midst of
the earth; and Noah went and took a wife, and he chose Naamah the daughter
of Enoch, and she was five hundred and eighty years old.
16.
And Noah was four hundred and ninety-eight years old, when he took Naamah
for a wife.
17.
And Naamah conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Japheth, saying,
God has enlarged me in the earth; and she conceived again and bare a son,
and he called his name Shem, saying, God has made me a remnant, to raise up
seed in the midst of the earth.
18.
And Noah was five hundred and two years old when Naamah bare Shem, and the
boys grew up and went in the ways of the Lord, in all that Methuselah and
Noah their father taught them.
19.
And Lamech the father of Noah, died in those days; yet verily he did not go
with all his heart in the ways of his father, and he died in the hundred and
ninety-fifth year of the life of Noah.
20.
And all the days
of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy years, and he died.
21.
And all the sons of men who knew the Lord, died in that year before the Lord
brought evil upon them; for the Lord willed them to die, so as not to behold
the evil that God would bring upon their brothers and relatives, as he had
so declared to do.
22.
In that time, the Lord said to Noah and Methuselah, Stand forth and proclaim
to the sons of men all the words that I spoke to you in those days,
peradventure they may turn from their evil ways, and I will then repent of
the evil and will not bring it.
23.
And Noah and Methuselah stood forth, and said in the ears of the sons of
men, all that God had spoken concerning them.
24.
But the sons of men would not hearken, neither would they incline their ears
to all their declarations.
25.
And it was after this that the Lord said to Noah, The end of all flesh is
come before me, on account of their evil deeds, and behold I will destroy
the earth.
26.
And do thou take unto thee gopher wood, and go to a certain place and make a
large ark, and place it in that spot.
27.
And thus shalt thou make it; three hundred cubits its length, fifty cubits
broad and thirty cubits high.
28.
And thou shalt make unto thee a door, open at its side, and to a cubit thou
shalt finish above, and cover it within and without with pitch.
29.
And behold I will bring the flood of waters upon the earth, and all flesh be
destroyed, from under the heavens all that is upon earth shall perish.
30.
And thou and thy household shall go and gather two couple of all living
things, male and female, and shall bring them to the ark, to raise up seed
from them upon earth.
31.
And gather unto thee all food that is eaten by all the animals, that there
may be food for thee and for them.
32.
And thou shalt choose for thy sons three maidens, from the daughters of men,
and they shall be wives to thy sons.
33.
And Noah rose up, and he made the ark, in the place where God had commanded
him, and Noah did as God had ordered him.
34.
In his five hundred and ninety-fifth year Noah commenced to make the ark,
and he made the ark in five years, as the Lord had commanded.
35.
Then Noah took the three daughters of Eliakim, son of Methuselah, for wives
for his sons, as the Lord had commanded Noah.
36.
And it was at that time Methuselah the son of Enoch died, nine hundred and
sixty years old was he, at his death.
Jasher Chapter 6
1.
At that time, after the death of Methuselah, the Lord said to Noah, Go thou
with thy household into the ark; behold I will gather to thee all the
animals of the earth, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and
they shall all come and surround the ark.
2.
And thou shalt go and seat thyself by the doors of the ark, and all the
beasts, the animals, and the fowls, shall assemble and place themselves
before thee, and such of them as shall come and crouch before thee, shalt
thou take and deliver into the hands of thy sons, who shall bring them to
the ark, and all that will stand before thee thou shalt leave.
3.
And the Lord brought this about on the next day, and animals, beasts and
fowls came in great multitudes and surrounded the ark.
4.
And Noah went and seated himself by the door of the ark, and of all flesh
that crouched before him, he brought into the ark, and all that stood before
him he left upon earth.
5.
And a lioness came, with her two whelps, male and female, and the three
crouched before Noah, and the two whelps rose up against the lioness and
smote her, and made her flee from her place, and she went away, and they
returned to their places, and crouched upon the earth before Noah.
6.
And the lioness
ran away, and stood in the place of the lions.
7.
And Noah saw this, and wondered greatly, and he rose and took the two
whelps, and brought them into the ark.
8.
And Noah brought into the ark from all living creatures that were upon
earth, so that there was none left but which Noah brought into the ark.
9.
Two and two came to Noah into the ark, but from the clean animals, and clean
fowls, he brought seven couples, as God had commanded him.
10.
And all the animals, and beasts, and fowls, were still there, and they
surrounded the ark at every place, and the rain had not descended till seven
days after.
11.
And on that day, the Lord caused the whole earth to shake, and the sun
darkened, and the foundations of the world raged, and the whole earth was
moved violently, and the lightning flashed, and the thunder roared, and all
the fountains in the earth were broken up, such as was not known to the
inhabitants before; and God did this mighty act, in order to terrify the
sons of men, that there might be no more evil upon earth.
12.
And still the sons of men would not return from their evil ways, and they
increased the anger of the Lord at that time, and did not even direct their
hearts to all this.
13.
And at the end of seven days, in the six hundredth year of the life of Noah,
the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
14.
And all the fountains of the deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven
were opened, and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
15.
And Noah and his household, and all the living creatures that were with him,
came into the ark on account of the waters of the flood, and the Lord shut
him in.
16.
And all the sons of men that were left upon the earth, became exhausted
through evil on account of the rain, for the waters were coming more
violently upon the earth, and the animals and beasts were still surrounding
the ark.
17.
And the sons of men assembled together, about seven hundred thousand men and
women, and they came unto Noah to the ark.
18.
And they called to Noah, saying, Open for us that we may come to thee in the
ark--and wherefore shall we die?
19.
And Noah, with a loud voice, answered them from the ark, saying, Have you
not all rebelled against the Lord, and said that he does not exist? and
therefore the Lord brought upon you this evil, to destroy and cut you off
from the face of the earth.
20.
Is not this the thing that I spoke to you of one hundred and twenty years
back, and you would not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and now do you
desire to live upon earth?
21.
And they said to Noah, We are ready to return to the Lord; only open for us
that we may live and not die.
22.
And Noah answered them, saying, Behold now that you see the trouble of your
souls, you wish to return to the Lord; why did you not return during these
hundred and twenty years, which the Lord granted you as the determined
period?
23.
But now you come and tell me this on account of the troubles of your souls,
now also the Lord will not listen to you, neither will he give ear to you on
this day, so that you will not now succeed in your wishes.
24.
And the sons of men approached in order to break into the ark, to come in on
account of the rain, for they could not bear the rain upon them.
25.
And the Lord sent all the beasts and animals that stood round the ark. And
the beasts overpowered them and drove them from that place, and every man
went his way and they again scattered themselves upon the face of the earth.
26.
And the rain was still descending upon the earth, and it descended forty
days and forty nights, and the waters prevailed greatly upon the earth; and
all flesh that was upon the
earth or in the waters died, whether men, animals, beasts, creeping things
or birds of the air, and there only remained Noah and those that were with
him in the ark.
27.
And the waters prevailed and they greatly increased upon the earth, and they
lifted up the ark and it was raised from the earth.
28.
And the ark floated upon the face of the waters, and it was tossed upon the
waters so that all the living creatures within were turned about like
pottage in a cauldron.
29.
And great anxiety seized all the living creatures that were in the ark, and
the ark was like to be broken.
30.
And all the living creatures that were in the ark were terrified, and the
lions roared, and the oxen lowed, and the wolves howled, and every living
creature in the ark spoke and lamented in its own language, so that their
voices reached to a great distance, and Noah and his sons cried and wept in
their troubles; they were greatly afraid that they had reached the gates of
death.
31.
And Noah prayed unto the Lord, and cried unto him on account of this, and he
said, O Lord help us, for we have no strength to bear this evil that has
encompassed us, for the waves of the waters have surrounded us, mischievous
torrents have terrified us, the snares of death have come before us; answer
us, O Lord, answer us, light up thy countenance toward us and be gracious to
us, redeem us and deliver us.
32.
And the Lord
hearkened to the voice of Noah, and the Lord remembered him.
33.
And a wind
passed over the earth, and the waters were still and the ark rested.
34.
And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and
the rain from heaven was restrained.
35.
And the waters
decreased in those days, and the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
36.
And Noah then opened the windows of the ark, and Noah still called out to
the Lord at that time and he said, O Lord, who didst form the earth and the
heavens and all that are therein, bring forth our souls from this
confinement, and from the prison wherein thou hast placed us, for I am much
wearied with sighing.
37.
And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Noah, and said to him, When though
shalt have completed a full year thou shalt then go forth.
38.
And at the revolution of the year, when a full year was completed to Noah's
dwelling in the ark, the waters were dried from off the earth, and Noah put
off the covering of the ark.
39.
At that time, on
the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was dry, but
Noah and his sons, and those that were with him, did not go out from the ark
until the Lord told them.
40.
And the day came
that the Lord told them to go out, and they all went out from the ark.
41.
And they went and returned every one to his way and to his place, and Noah
and his sons dwelt in the land that God had told them, and they served the
Lord all their days, and the Lord blessed Noah and his sons on their going
out from the ark.
42.
And he said to them, Be fruitful and fill all the earth; become strong and
increase abundantly in the earth and multiply therein.
Jasher Chapter 7
1.
And these are the names of the sons of Noah: Japheth, Ham and Shem; and
children were born to them after the flood, for they had taken wives before
the flood.
2.
These are the sons of Japheth; Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech,
and Tiras, seven sons.
3.
And the sons of
Gomer were Askinaz, Rephath and Tegarmah.
4.
And the sons of
Magog were Elichanaf and Lubal.
5.
And the children
of Madai were Achon, Zeelo, Chazoni and Lot.
6.
And the sons of
Javan were Elisha, Tarshish, Chittim and Dudonim.
7.
And the sons of
Tubal were Ariphi, Kesed and Taari.
8.
And the sons of
Meshech were Dedon, Zaron and Shebashni.
9.
And the sons of Tiras were Benib, Gera, Lupirion and Gilak; these are the
sons of Japheth according to their families, and their numbers in those days
were about four hundred and sixty men.
10.
And these are the sons of Ham; Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan, four sons;
and the sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama and Satecha, and the
sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan.
11.
And the sons of
Mitzraim were Lud, Anom and Pathros, Chasloth and Chaphtor.
12.
And the sons of
Phut were Gebul, Hadan, Benah and Adan.
13.
And the sons of Canaan were Zidon, Heth, Amori, Gergashi, Hivi, Arkee, Seni,
Arodi, Zimodi and Chamothi.
14.
These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, and their numbers in
those days were about seven hundred and thirty men.
15.
And these are the sons of Shem; Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, five
sons; and the sons of Elam were Shushan, Machul and Harmon.
16.
And the sons of Ashar were Mirus and Mokil, and the sons of Arpachshad were
Shelach, Anar and Ashcol.
17.
And the sons of Lud were Pethor and Bizayon, and the sons of Aram were Uz,
Chul, Gather and Mash.
18.
These are the sons of Shem, according to their families; and their numbers
in those days were about three hundred men.
15
19.
These are the generations of Shem; Shem begat Arpachshad and
Arpachshad begat Shelach, and Shelach begat Eber and to Eber were
born two children, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the sons of
men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth was
divided.
20.
And the name of the second was Yoktan, meaning that in his day the lives of
the sons of men were diminished and
lessened.
21.
These are the sons of Yoktan; Almodad, Shelaf, Chazarmoveth, Yerach,
Hadurom, Ozel, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab;
all these are the sons of
Yoktan.
22.
And Peleg his brother begat Yen, and Yen begat Serug, and Serug begat Nahor
and Nahor begat Terah, and Terah was thirty-eight years old, and he begat
Haran and Nahor.
23.
And Cush the son of Ham, the son of Noah, took a wife in those days in his
old age, and she bare a son, and they called his name Nimrod, saying, At
that time the sons of men again began to rebel and transgress against God,
and the child grew up,
and his
father loved
him exceedingly,
for he
was the
son of
his old
age.
24.
And the garments of skin which God made for Adam and his wife, when
they went out of the garden, were given to
Cush.
25.
For after the death of Adam and his wife, the garments were given to
Enoch, the son of Jared, and when Enoch was taken up to God, he gave
them to Methuselah, his son.
26.
And at the death of Methuselah, Noah took them and brought them to the ark,
and they were with him until he went out of the
ark.
27.
And in their going out, Ham stole those garments from Noah his father, and
he took them and hid them from his
brothers.
28.
And when Ham begat his first born Cush, he gave him the garments in
secret, and they were with Cush many
days.
29.
And Cush also concealed them from his sons and brothers, and when
Cush
had begotten Nimrod, he gave him those garments through his love for him,
and Nimrod grew up, and when he was twenty years old he put on those
garments.
30.
And Nimrod became strong when he put on the garments, and God gave him might
and strength, and he was a mighty hunter in the earth, yea, he was a mighty
hunter in
the field,
and he
hunted the
animals and
he built
altars, and
he offered upon them the animals before the
Lord.
31.
And Nimrod strengthened himself, and he rose up from amongst his brethren,
and he
fought the
battles of
his brethren
against all
their enemies
round about.
32.
And the
Lord delivered
all the
enemies of
his brethren
in his
hands, and
God prospered him from time to time in his battles, and he reigned
upon earth.
33.
Therefore it became current in those days, when a man ushered forth those
that he had trained up for battle, he would say to them, Like God did to
Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter in the earth, and who succeeded in the
battles that prevailed against his brethren, that he delivered them from the
hands of their enemies, so may God strengthen us and deliver us this
day.
34.
And when Nimrod was forty years old, at that time there was a war between
his brethren and the children of Japheth, so that they were in the power of
their enemies.
35.
And Nimrod went forth at that time, and he assembled all the sons of Cush
and their families, about four hundred and sixty men, and he hired also from
some of his friends and acquaintances about eighty men, and be gave them
their hire, and he went with
them to battle, and when he was on the road, Nimrod strengthened the hearts
of the people that went with him.
36.
And he said to them, Do not fear, neither be alarmed, for all our enemies
will be delivered into our
hands, and you may do with them as you
please.
37.
And all the men that went were about five hundred, and they fought against
their enemies, and they destroyed them, and subdued them, and Nimrod
placed standing officers over them in their respective
places.
38.
And he took some of their children as security, and they were all servants
to Nimrod and
to his
brethren, and
Nimrod and
all the
people that
were with
him turned homeward.
39.
And when Nimrod had joyfully returned from battle, after having conquered
his enemies, all his brethren, together with those who knew him before,
assembled to make him king over them, and they placed the regal crown
upon his head.
40.
And he set over his subjects and people, princes, judges, and rulers, as is
the
custom amongst kings.
41.
And he placed Terah the son of Nahor the prince of his host, and he
dignified him and elevated him above all his
princes.
42.
And whilst he was reigning according to his heart's desire, after having
conquered all his enemies around, he advised with his counselors to build a
city for his palace, and they did
so.
43.
And they found a large valley opposite to the east, and they built him a
large and extensive city, and Nimrod called the name of the city that he
built Shinar, for the Lord had
vehemently shaken his enemies and destroyed
them.
44.
And Nimrod dwelt in Shinar, and he reigned securely, and he fought with
his enemies and he subdued them, and he prospered in all his battles,
and his kingdom became very
great.
45.
And all nations and tongues heard of his fame, and they gathered themselves
to him, and they bowed down to the earth, and they brought him offerings,
and he became their lord and king, and they all dwelt with him in the
city at Shinar, and Nimrod reigned in the earth over all the sons of Noah,
and they were all under his power and
counsel.
46.
And all the earth was of one tongue and words of union, but Nimrod did not
go in the ways of the Lord, and he was more wicked than all the men
that were before him, from the days of the flood until those
days.
47.
And he made gods of wood and stone, and he bowed down to them, and he
rebelled against the Lord, and taught all his subjects and the people of the
earth his wicked ways; and Mardon his son was more wicked than his
father.
48.
And every one that heard of the acts of Mardon the son of Nimrod would say,
concerning him, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness; therefore it became
a proverb in the whole earth, saying, From the wicked goeth forth
wickedness, and it was current in the words of men from that time to
this.
49.
And Terah the son of Nahor, prince of Nimrod's host, was in those days very
great in the sight of the king and his subjects, and the king and princes
loved him, and they elevated him very
high.
50.
And Terah took a wife and her name was Amthelo the daughter of
Cornebo; and the wife of Terah conceived and bare him a son in those
days.
51.
Terah was seventy years old when he begat him, and Terah called the name of
his son that was born to him Abram, because the king had raised him in those
days, and dignified him above all his princes that were with
him.
Jasher Chapter 8
1.
And it was in the night that Abram was born, that all the servants of Terah,
and all the wise men of Nimrod, and his conjurors came and ate and drank in
the house of Terah, and they rejoiced with him on that night.
2.
And when all the wise men and conjurors went out from the house of Terah,
they lifted up their eyes toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and
they saw, and behold one very large star came from the east and ran in the
heavens, and he swallowed up the four stars from the four sides of the
heavens.
3.
And all the wise men of the king and his conjurors were astonished at the
sight, and the sages understood this matter, and they knew its import.
4.
And they said to each other, This only betokens the child that has been born
to Terah this night, who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and
possess all the earth, he and his children for ever, and he and his seed
will slay great kings, and inherit their lands.
5.
And the wise men and conjurors went home that night, and in the morning all
these wise men and conjurors rose up early, and assembled in an appointed
house.
6.
And they spoke and said to each other, Behold the sight that we saw last
night is hidden from the king, it has not been made known to him.
7.
And should this thing get known to the king in the latter days, he will say
to us, Why have you concealed this matter from me, and then we shall all
suffer death; therefore, now let us go and tell the king the sight which we
saw, and the interpretation thereof, and we shall then remain clear.
8.
And they did so, and they all went to the king and bowed down to him to the
ground, and they said, May the king live, may the king live.
9.
We heard that a son was born to Terah the son of Nahor, the prince of thy
host, and we yesternight came to his house, and we ate and drank and
rejoiced with him that night.
10.
And when thy servants went out from the house of Terah, to go to our
respective homes to abide there for the night, we lifted up our eyes to
heaven, and we saw a great star coming from the east, and the same star ran
with great speed, and swallowed up four great stars, from the four sides of
the heavens.
11.
And thy servants were astonished at the sight which we saw, and were greatly
terrified, and we made our judgment upon the sight, and knew by our wisdom
the proper interpretation thereof, that this thing applies to the child that
is born to Terah, who will grow up and multiply greatly, and become
powerful, and kill all the kings of the earth, and inherit all their lands,
he and his seed forever.
12.
And now our lord and king, behold we have truly acquainted thee with what we
have seen concerning this child.
13.
If it seemeth good to the king to give his father value for this child, we
will slay him before he shall grow up and increase in the land, and his evil
increase against us, that we and our children perish through his evil.
14.
And the king heard their words and they seemed good in his sight, and he
sent and called for Terah, and Terah came before the king.
15.
And the king said to Terah, I have been told that a son was yesternight born
to thee, and after this manner was observed in the heavens at his birth.
16.
And now therefore give me the child, that we may slay him before his evil
springs up against us, and I will give thee for his value, thy house full of
silver and gold.
17.
And Terah answered the king and said to him: My Lord and king, I have heard
thy words, and thy servant shall do all that his king desireth.
18.
But my lord and king, I will tell thee what happened to me yesternight, that
I may see what advice the king will give his servant, and then I will answer
the king upon what he has just spoken; and the king said, Speak.
19.
And Terah said
to the king, Ayon, son of Mored, came to me yesternight, saying,
20.
Give unto me the great and beautiful horse that the king gave thee, and I
will give thee silver and gold, and straw and provender for its value; and I
said to him, Wait till I see the king concerning thy words, and behold
whatever the king saith, that will I do.
21.
And now my lord and king, behold I have made this thing known to thee, and
the advice which my king will give unto his servant, that will I follow.
22.
And the king heard the words of Terah, and his anger was kindled and he
considered him in the light of a fool.
23.
And the king answered Terah, and he said to him, Art thou so silly,
ignorant, or deficient in understanding, to do this thing, to give thy
beautiful horse for silver and gold or even for straw and provender?
24.
Art thou so short of silver and gold, that thou shouldst do this thing,
because thou canst not obtain straw and provender to feed thy horse? and
what is silver and gold to thee, or straw and provender, that thou shouldst
give away that fine horse which I gave thee, like which there is none to be
had on the whole earth?
25.
And the king
left off speaking, and Terah answered the king, saying, Like unto this has
the king spoken to his servant;
26.
I beseech thee, my lord and king, what is this which thou didst say unto me,
saying, Give thy son that we may slay him, and I will give thee silver and
gold for his value; what shall I do with silver and gold after the death of
my son? who shall inherit me? surely then at my death, the silver and gold
will return to my king who gave it.
27.
And when the king heard the words of Terah, and the parable which he brought
concerning the king, it grieved him greatly and he was vexed at this thing,
and his anger burned within him.
28.
And Terah saw that the anger of the king was kindled against him, and he
answered the king, saying, All that I have is in the king's power; whatever
the king desireth to do to his servant, that let him do, yea, even my son,
he is in the king's power, without value in exchange, he and his two
brothers that are older than he.
29.
And the king
said to Terah, No, but I will purchase thy younger son for a price.
30.
And Terah answered the king, saying, I beseech thee my lord and king to let
thy servant speak a word before thee, and let the king hear the word of his
servant, and Terah said, Let my king give me three days' time till I
consider this matter within myself, and consult with my family concerning
the words of my king; and he pressed the king greatly to agree to this.
31.
And the king hearkened to Terah, and he did so and he gave him three days'
time, and Terah went out from the king's presence, and he came home to his
family and spoke to them all the words of the king; and the people were
greatly afraid.
32.
And it was in the third day that the king sent to Terah, saying, Send me thy
son for a price as I spoke to thee; and shouldst thou not do this, I will
send and slay all thou hast in thy house, so that thou shalt not even have a
dog remaining.
33.
And Terah hastened, (as the thing was urgent from the king), and he took a
child from one of his servants, which his handmaid had born to him that day,
and Terah brought the child to the king and received value for him.
34.
And the Lord was with Terah in this matter, that Nimrod might not cause
Abram's death, and the king took the child from Terah and with all his might
dashed his head to the ground, for he thought it had been Abram; and this
was concealed from him from that day, and it was forgotten by the king, as
it was the will of Providence not to suffer Abram's death.
35.
And Terah took Abram his son secretly, together with his mother and nurse,
and he concealed them in a cave, and he brought them their provisions
monthly.
36.
And the Lord was with Abram in the cave and he grew up, and Abram was in the
cave ten years, and the king and his princes, soothsayers and sages, thought
that the king had
Jasher Chapter 9
1.
And Haran, the
son of Terah, Abram's oldest brother, took a wife in those days.
2.
Haran was thirty-nine years old when he took her; and the wife of Haran
conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Lot.
3.
And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Milca;
and she again conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Sarai.
4.
Haran was forty-two years old when he begat Sarai, which was in the tenth
year of the life of Abram; and in those days Abram and his mother and nurse
went out from the cave, as the king and his subjects had forgotten the
affair of Abram.
5.
And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem, and
he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and
no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem his son for a
long time.
6.
And Abram was in Noah's house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew the Lord
from three years old, and he went in the ways of the Lord until the day of
his death, as Noah and his son Shem had taught him; and all the sons of the
earth in those days greatly transgressed against the Lord, and they rebelled
against him and they served other gods, and they forgot the Lord who had
created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth made unto
themselves, at that time, every man his god; gods of wood and stone which
could neither speak, hear, nor deliver, and the sons of men served them and
they became their gods.
7.
And the king and all his servants, and Terah with all his household were
then the first of those that served gods of wood and stone.
20
8.
And Terah had twelve gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the
twelve months of the year, and he served each one monthly, and every month
Terah would bring his meat offering and drink offering to his gods; thus did
Terah all the days.
9.
And all that generation were wicked in the sight of the Lord, and they thus
made every man his god, but they forsook the Lord who had created
them.
10.
And there was not a man found in those days in the whole earth, who knew the
Lord (for they served each man his own God) except Noah and his household,
and all those who were under his counsel knew the Lord in those
days.
11.
And Abram the son of Terah was waxing great in those days in the house
of
Noah, and no man knew it, and the Lord was with him.
12.
And the Lord gave Abram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of
that generation were vain, and that all their gods were vain and were of no
avail.
13.
And Abram saw the sun shining upon the earth, and Abram said unto himself
Surely now this sun that shines upon the earth is God, and him will I
serve.
14.
And Abram served the sun in that day and he prayed to him, and when evening
came the sun set as usual, and Abram said within himself, Surely this cannot
be God?
15.
And Abram still continued to speak within himself, Who is he who made
the heavens and the earth? who created upon earth? where is
he?
16.
And night darkened over him, and he lifted up his eyes toward the west,
north, south, and east, and he saw that the sun had vanished from the earth,
and the day became dark.
17.
And Abram saw the stars and moon before him, and he said, Surely this is the
God who created the whole earth as well as man, and behold these his
servants are gods around him: and Abram served the moon and prayed to it
all that night.
18.
And in the morning when it was light and the sun shone upon the earth
as usual, Abram saw all the things that the Lord God had made upon
earth.
19.
And Abram said unto himself Surely these are not gods that made the earth
and all mankind, but these are the servants of God, and Abram
remained in the house of Noah and there knew the Lord and his ways' and he
served the Lord all the days of his life, and all that generation forgot the
Lord, and served other gods of wood and stone, and rebelled all their
days.
20.
And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control,
and all the earth was of one tongue and words of
union.
21.
And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together; Phut,
Mitzraim, Cush and Canaan with their families, and they said to each other,
Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top
reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may
reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease
from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become
scattered over the earth on account of their
wars.
22.
And they all went before the king, and they told the king these words, and
the king agreed with them in this affair, and he did
so.
23.
And all the families assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men,
and they went to seek an extensive piece of ground to build the city and the
tower, and they sought in the whole earth and they found none like one
valley at the east of the land of Shinar, about two days' walk, and they
journeyed there and they dwelt
there.
24.
And they began to make bricks and burn fires to build the city and the tower
that they had imagined to
complete.
25.
And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and
they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God
of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend
into heaven.
26.
And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts;
the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second
said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them;
and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows
and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he
saw the city and the tower which they were
building.
27.
And when they were building they built themselves a great city and a very
high and strong tower; and on account of its height the mortar and bricks
did not reach the builders in their ascent to it, until those who went up
had completed a full year, and
after that, they reached to the builders and gave them the mortar and the
bricks; thus was it done daily.
28.
And behold
these ascended
and others
descended the
whole day;
and if
a brick should fall from
their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell
and died, none of them would look at
him.
29.
And the Lord knew their thoughts, and it came to pass when they were
building they cast the arrows toward the heavens, and all the arrows fell
upon them filled with blood, and when they saw them they said to each other,
Surely we have slain all those that are in
heaven.
30.
For this was from the Lord in order to cause them to err, and in order; to
destroy them from off the face of the
ground.
31.
And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until
many days and years were elapsed.
32.
And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those
who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues,
that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did
so unto them.
33.
And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbor's tongue,
and
they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took
from the hands of his neighbor lime or stone which he did not order, the
builder would cast it away and throw it upon his neighbor, that he would
die.
34.
And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this
manner.
35.
And the Lord smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them
according to their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to
heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants; and those
who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, the Lord killed them, one
man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who
said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered
them throughout the earth.
36.
And those who were left amongst them, when they knew and understood
the evil which was coming upon them, they forsook the building, and
they also became scattered upon the face of the whole
earth.
37.
And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that
place Babel, for there the Lord confounded the Language of the whole earth;
behold it was at the east of the land of
Shinar.
38.
And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth
and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from
heaven and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day,
and it is of that part which was aloft, and its circumference is three days'
walk.
39.
And many of the sons of men died in that tower, a people without
number.
Jasher Chapter 10
1.
And Peleg the son of Eber died in those days, in the forty-eighth year of
the life of Abram son of Terah, and all the days of Peleg were two hundred
and thirty-nine years.
2.
And when the Lord had scattered the sons of men on account of their sin at
the tower, behold they spread forth into many divisions, and all the sons of
men were dispersed into the four corners of the earth.
3.
And all the
families became each according to its language, its land, or its city.
4.
And the sons of men built many cities according to their families, in all
the places where they went, and throughout the earth where the Lord had
scattered them.
5.
And some of them built cities in places from which they were afterward
extirpated, and they called these cities after their own names, or the names
of their children, or after their particular occurrences.
6.
And the sons of Japheth the son of Noah went and built themselves cities in
the places where they were scattered, and they called all their cities after
their names, and the sons of Japheth were divided upon the face of the earth
into many divisions and languages.
7.
And these are the sons of Japheth according to their families, Gomer, Magog,
Medai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras; these are the children of Japheth
according to their generations.
8.
And the children of Gomer, according to their cities, were the Francum, who
dwell in the land of Franza, by the river Franza, by the river Senah.
9.
And the children of Rephath are the Bartonim, who dwell in the land of
Bartonia by the river Ledah, which empties its waters in the great sea
Gihon, that is, oceanus.
10.
And the children of Tugarma are ten families, and these are their names:
Buzar, Parzunac, Balgar, Elicanum, Ragbib, Tarki, Bid, Zebuc, Ongal and
Tilmaz; all these spread and rested in the north and built themselves
cities.
11.
And they called their cities after their own names, those are they who abide
by the rivers Hithlah and Italac unto this day.
12.
But the families of Angoli, Balgar and Parzunac, they dwell by the great
river Dubnee; and the names of their cities are also according to their own
names.
13.
And the children of Javan are the Javanim who dwell in the land of Makdonia,
and the children of Medaiare are the Orelum that dwell in the land of
Curson, and the children of Tubal are those that dwell in the land of
Tuskanah by the river Pashiah.
14.
And the children of Meshech are the Shibashni and the children of Tiras are
Rushash, Cushni, and Ongolis; all these went and built themselves cities;
those are the cities that are situate by the sea Jabus by the river Cura,
which empties itself in the river Tragan.
15.
And the children of Elishah are the Almanim, and they also went and built
themselves cities; those are the cities situate between the mountains of Job
and Shibathmo; and of them were the people of Lumbardi who dwell opposite
the mountains of Job and Shibathmo, and they conquered the land of Italia
and remained there unto this day.
16.
And the children of Chittim are the Romim who dwell in the valley of Canopia
by the river Tibreu.
17.
And the children of Dudonim are those who dwell in the cities of the sea
Gihon, in the land of Bordna.
18.
These are the families of the children of Japheth according to their cities
and languages, when they were scattered after the tower, and they called
their cities after their names and occurrences; and these are the names of
all their cities according to their families, which they built in those days
after the tower.
19.
And the children
of Ham were Cush, Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan according to their
generation and cities.
20.
All these went and built themselves cities as they found fit places for
them, and they called their cities after the names of their fathers Cush,
Mitzraim, Phut and Canaan.
21.
And the children of Mitzraim are the Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuchim,
Pathrusim, Casluchim and Caphturim, seven families.
22.
All these dwell by the river Sihor, that is the brook of Egypt, and they
built themselves cities and called them after their own names.
23.
And the children of Pathros and Casloch intermarried together, and from them
went forth the Pelishtim, the Azathim, and the Gerarim, the Githim and the
Ekronim, in all five families; these also built themselves cities, and they
called their cities after the names of their fathers unto this day.
24.
And the children of Canaan also built themselves cities, and they called
their cities after their names, eleven cities and others without number.
25.
And four men from the family of Ham went to the land of the plain; these are
the names of the four men, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim.
26.
And these men built themselves four cities in the land of the plain, and
they called the names of their cities after their own names.
27.
And they and their children and all belonging to them dwelt in those cities,
and they were fruitful and multiplied greatly and dwelt peaceably.
28.
And Seir the son of Hur, son of Hivi, son of Canaan, went and found a valley
opposite to Mount Paran, and he built a city there, and he and his seven
sons and his household dwelt there, and he called the city which he built
Seir, according to his name; that is the land of Seir unto this day.
29.
These are the families of the children of Ham, according to their languages
and cities, when they were scattered to their countries after the tower.
30.
And some of the children of Shem son of Noah, father of all the children of
Eber, also went and built themselves cities in the places wherein they were
scattered, and they called their cities after their names.
31.
And the sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram, and they
built themselves cities and called the names of all their cities after their
names.
32.
And Ashur son of Shem and his children and household went forth at that
time, a very large body of them, and they went to a distant land that they
found, and they met with a very extensive valley in the land that they went
to, and they built themselves four cities, and they called them after their
own names and occurrences.
33.
And these are the names of the cities which the children of Ashur built,
Ninevah, Resen, Calach and Rehobother; and the children of Ashur dwell there
unto this day.
34.
And the children of Aram also went and built themselves a city, and they
called the name of the city Uz after their eldest brother, and they dwell
therein; that is the land of Uz to this day.
35.
And in the second year after the tower a man from the house of Ashur, whose
name was Bela, went from the land of Ninevah to sojourn with his household
wherever he could find a place; and they came until opposite the cities of
the plain against Sodom, and they dwelt there.
36.
And the man rose up and built there a small city, and called its name Bela,
after his name; that is the land of Zoar unto this day.
37.
And these are the families of the children of Shem according to their
language and cities, after they were scattered upon the earth after the
tower.
38.
And every kingdom, city, and family of the families of the children of Noah
built themselves many cities after this.
39.
And they
established governments in all their cities, in order to be regulated by
their
orders; so did all the families of the children of Noah forever.
[Book of Jasher Referred to in Joshua and
Second Samuel.
Jasher Chapter 11
1.
And Nimrod son of Cush was still in the land of Shinar, and he reigned over
it and dwelt there, and he built cities in the land of Shinar.
2.
And these are the names of the four cities which he built, and he called
their names after the occurrences that happened to them in the building of
the tower.
3.
And he called the first Babel, saying, Because the Lord there confounded the
language of the whole earth; and the name of the second he called Erech,
because from there God dispersed them.
4.
And the third he called Eched, saying there was a great battle at that
place; and the fourth he called Calnah, because his princes and mighty men
were consumed there, and they vexed the Lord, they rebelled and transgressed
against him.
5.
And when Nimrod had built these cities in the land of Shinar, he placed in
them the remainder of his people, his princes and his mighty men that were
left in his kingdom.
6.
And Nimrod dwelt in Babel, and he there renewed his reign over the rest of
his subjects, and he reigned securely, and the subjects and princes of
Nimrod called his name Amraphel, saying that at the tower his princes and
men fell through his means.
7.
And notwithstanding this, Nimrod did not return to the Lord, and he
continued in wickedness and teaching wickedness to the sons of men; and
Mardon, his son, was worse than his father, and continued to add to the
abominations of his father.
8.
And he caused the sons of men to sin, therefore it is said, From the wicked
goeth forth wickedness.
9.
At that time there was war between the families of the children of Ham, as
they were dwelling in the cities which they had built.
10.
And Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, went away from the families of the children
of Ham, and he fought with them and he subdued them, and he went to the five
cities of the plain and he fought against them and he subdued them, and they
were under his control.
11.
And they served
him twelve years, and they gave him a yearly tax.
12.
At that time died Nahor, son of Serug, in the forty-ninth year of the life
of Abram son of Terah.
13.
And in the fiftieth year of the life of Abram son of Terah, Abram came forth
from the house of Noah, and went to his father's house.
14.
And Abram knew the Lord, and he went in his ways and instructions, and the
Lord his God was with him.
15.
And Terah his father was in those days, still captain of the host of king
Nimrod, and he still followed strange gods.
16.
And Abram came to his father's house and saw twelve gods standing there in
their temples, and the anger of Abram was kindled when he saw these images
in his father's house.
17.
And Abram said, As the Lord liveth these images shall not remain in my
father's house; so shall the Lord who created me do unto me if in three
days' time I do not break them all.
18.
And Abram went from them, and his anger burned within him. And Abram
hastened and went from the chamber to his father's outer court, and he found
his father sitting in the court, and all his servants with him, and Abram
came and sat before him.
19.
And Abram asked his father, saying, Father, tell me where is God who created
heaven and earth, and all the sons of men upon earth, and who created thee
and me. And Terah answered his son Abram and said, Behold those who created
us are all with us in the house.
20.
And Abram said to his father, My lord, shew them to me I pray thee; and
Terah brought Abram into the chamber of the inner court, and Abram saw, and
behold the whole room was full of gods of wood and stone, twelve great
images and others less than they without number.
21.
And Terah said to his son, Behold these are they which made all thou seest
upon earth, and which created me and thee, and all mankind.
22.
And Terah bowed down to his gods, and he then went away from them, and
Abram, his son, went away with him.
23.
And when Abram had gone from them he went to his mother and sat before her,
and he said to his mother, Behold, my father has shown me those who made
heaven and earth, and all the sons of men.
24.
Now, therefore, hasten and fetch a kid from the flock, and make of it savory
meat, that I may bring it to my father's gods as an offering for them to
eat; perhaps I may thereby become acceptable to them.
25.
And his mother did so, and she fetched a kid, and made savory meat thereof,
and brought it to Abram, and Abram took the savory meat from his mother and
brought it before his father's gods, and he drew nigh to them that they
might eat; and Terah his father, did not know of it.
26.
And Abram saw on the day when he was sitting amongst them, that they had no
voice, no hearing, no motion, and not one of them could stretch forth his
hand to eat.
27.
And Abram mocked them, and said, Surely the savory meat that I prepared has
not pleased them, or perhaps it was too little for them, and for that reason
they would not eat; therefore tomorrow I will prepare fresh savory meat,
better and more plentiful than this, in order that I may see the result.
28.
And it was on the next day that Abram directed his mother concerning the
savory meat, and his mother rose and fetched three fine kids from the flock,
and she made of them some excellent savory meat, such as her son was fond
of, and she gave it to her son Abram; and Terah his father did not know of
it.
29.
And Abram took the savory meat from his mother, and brought it before his
father's gods into the chamber; and he came nigh unto them that they might
eat, and he placed it before them, and Abram sat before them all day,
thinking perhaps they might eat.
30.
And Abram viewed them, and behold they had neither voice nor hearing, nor
did one of them stretch forth his hand to the meat to eat.
31.
And in the
evening of that day in that house Abram was clothed with the spirit of God.
32.
And he called out and said, Wo unto my father and this wicked generation,
whose hearts are all inclined to vanity, who serve these idols of wood and
stone which can neither eat, smell, hear nor speak, who have mouths without
speech, eyes without sight, ears without hearing, hands without feeling, and
legs which cannot move; like them are those that made them and that trust in
them.
33.
And when Abram saw all these things his anger was kindled against his
father, and he hastened and took a hatchet in his hand, and came unto the
chamber of the gods, and he broke all his father's gods.
34.
And when he had done breaking the images, he placed the hatchet in the hand
of the great god which was there before them, and he went out; and Terah his
father came home, for he had heard at the door the sound of the striking of
the hatchet; so Terah came into the house to know what this was about.
35.
And Terah, having heard the noise of the hatchet in the room of images, ran
to the room to the images, and he met Abram going out.
36.
And Terah entered the room and found all the idols fallen down and broken,
and the hatchet in the hand of the largest, which was not broken, and the
savory meat which Abram his son had made was still before them.
37.
And when Terah saw this his anger was greatly kindled, and he hastened and
went from the room to Abram.
38.
And he found Abram his son still sitting in the house; and he said to him,
What is this work thou hast done to my gods?
39.
And Abram answered Terah his father and he said, Not so my lord, for I
brought savory meat before them, and when I came nigh to them with the meat
that they might eat, they all at once stretched forth their hands to eat
before the great one had put forth his hand to eat.
40.
And the large one saw their works that they did before him, and his anger
was violently kindled against them, and he went and took the hatchet that
was in the house and came to them and broke them all, and behold the hatchet
is yet in his hand as thou seest.
41.
And Terah's anger was kindled against his son Abram, when he spoke this; and
Terah said to Abram his son in his anger, What is this tale that thou hast
told? Thou speakest lies to me.
42.
Is there in these gods spirit, soul or power to do all thou hast told me?
Are they not wood and stone, and have I not myself made them, and canst thou
speak such lies, saying that the large god that was with them smote them? It
is thou that didst place the hatchet in his hands, and then sayest he smote
them all.
43.
And Abram answered his father and said to him, And how canst thou then serve
these idols in whom there is no power to do any thing? Can those idols in
which thou trustest deliver thee? can they hear thy prayers when thou
callest upon them? can they deliver thee from the hands of thy enemies, or
will they fight thy battles for thee against thy enemies, that thou shouldst
serve wood and stone which can neither speak nor hear?
44.
And now surely it is not good for thee nor for the sons of men that are
connected with thee, to do these things; are you so silly, so foolish or so
short of understanding that you will serve wood and stone, and do after this
manner?
45.
And forget the Lord God who made heaven and earth, and who created you in
the earth, and thereby bring a great evil upon your souls in this matter by
serving stone and wood?
46.
Did not our fathers in days of old sin in this matter, and the Lord God of
the universe brought the waters of the flood upon them and destroyed the
whole earth?
47.
And how can you continue to do this and serve gods of wood and stone, who
cannot hear, or speak, or deliver you from oppression, thereby bringing down
the anger of the God of the universe upon you?
48.
Now therefore my father refrain from this, and bring not evil upon thy soul
and the souls of thy household.
49.
And Abram hastened and sprang from before his father, and took the hatchet
from his father's largest idol, with which Abram broke it and ran away.
50.
And Terah, seeing all that Abram had done, hastened to go from his house,
and he went to the king and he came before Nimrod and stood before him, and
he bowed down to the king; and the king said, What dost thou want?
51.
And he said, I beseech thee my lord, to hear me--Now fifty years back a
child was born to me, and thus has he done to my gods and thus has he
spoken; and now therefore, my lord and king, send for him that he may come
before thee, and judge him according to the law, that we may be delivered
from his evil.
52.
And the king sent three men of his servants, and they went and brought Abram
before the king. And Nimrod and all his princes and servants were that day
sitting before him, and Terah sat also before them.
53.
And the king said to Abram, What is this that thou hast done to thy father
and to his gods? And Abram answered the king in the words that he spoke to
his father, and he said, The large god that was with them in the house did
to them what thou hast heard.
54.
And the king said to Abram, Had they power to speak and eat and do as thou
hast said? And Abram answered the king, saying, And if there be no power in
them why dost thou serve them and cause the sons of men to err through thy
follies?
55.
Dost thou imagine that they can deliver thee or do anything small or great,
that thou shouldst serve them? And why wilt thou not sense the God of the
whole universe, who created thee and in whose power it is to kill and keep
alive?
56.
0 foolish,
simple, and ignorant king, woe unto thee forever.
57.
I thought thou wouldst teach thy servants the upright way, but thou hast not
done this, but hast filled the whole earth with thy sins and the sins of thy
people who have followed thy ways.
58.
Dost thou not know, or hast thou not heard, that this evil which thou doest,
our ancestors sinned therein in days of old, and the eternal God brought the
waters of the flood upon them and destroyed them all, and also destroyed the
whole earth on their account? And wilt thou and thy people rise up now and
do like unto this work, in order to bring down the anger of the Lord God of
the universe, and to bring evil upon thee and the whole earth?
59.
Now therefore put away this evil deed which thou doest, and serve the God of
the universe, as thy soul is in his hands, and then it will be well with
thee.
60.
And if thy wicked heart will not hearken to my words to cause thee to
forsake thy evil ways, and to serve the eternal God, then wilt thou die in
shame in the latter days, thou, thy people and all who are connected with
thee, hearing thy words or walking in thy evil ways.
61.
And when Abram had ceased speaking before the king and princes, Abram lifted
up his eyes to the heavens, and he said, The Lord seeth all the wicked, and
he will judge them.
Jasher Chapter 12
1.
And when the king heard the words of Abram he ordered him to be put into
prison; and Abram was ten days in prison.
2.
And at the end of those days the king ordered that all the kings, princes
and governors of different provinces and the sages should come before him,
and they sat before him, and Abram was still in the house of confinement.
3.
And the king said to the princes and sages, Have you heard what Abram, the
son of Terah, has done to his father? Thus has he done to him, and I ordered
him to be brought before me, and thus has he spoken; his heart did not
misgive him, neither did he stir in my presence, and behold now he is
confined in the prison.
4.
And therefore decide what judgment is due to this man who reviled the king;
who spoke and did all the things that you heard.
5.
And they all answered the king saying, The man who revileth the king should
be hanged upon a tree; but having done all the things that he said, and
having despised our gods, he must therefore be burned to death, for this is
the law in this matter.
6.
If it pleaseth the king to do this, let him order his servants to kindle a
fire both night and day in thy brick furnace, and then we will cast this man
into it. And the king did so, and he commanded his servants that they should
prepare a fire for three days and three nights in the king's furnace, that
is in Casdim; and the king ordered them to take Abram from prison and bring
him out to be burned.
7.
And all the king's servants, princes, lords, governors, and judges, and all
the inhabitants of the land, about nine hundred thousand men, stood opposite
the furnace to see Abram.
8.
And all the women and little ones crowded upon the roofs and towers to see
what was doing with Abram, and they all stood together at a distance; and
there was not a man left that did not come on that day to behold the scene.
9.
And when Abram was come, the conjurors of the king and the sages saw Abram,
and they cried out to the king, saying, Our sovereign lord, surely this is
the man whom we know to have been the child at whose birth the great star
swallowed the four stars, which we declared to the king now fifty years
since.
10.
And behold now his father has also transgressed thy commands, and mocked
thee by bringing thee another child, which thou didst kill.
11.
And when the king heard their words, he was exceedingly wroth, and he
ordered Terah to be brought before him.
12.
And the king said, Hast thou heard what the conjurors have spoken? Now tell
me truly, how didst thou; and if thou shalt speak truth thou shalt be
acquitted.
13.
And seeing that the king's anger was so much kindled, Terah said to the
king, My lord and king, thou hast heard the truth, and what the sages have
spoken is right. And the king said, How couldst thou do this thing, to
transgress my orders and to give me a child that thou didst not beget, and
to take value for him?
14.
And Terah answered the king, Because my tender feelings were excited for my
son, at that time, and I took a son of my handmaid, and I brought him to the
king.
15.
And the king said Who advised thee to this? Tell me, do not hide aught from
me, and then thou shalt not die.
16.
And Terah was greatly terrified in the king's presence, and he said to the
king, It was Haran my eldest son who advised me to this; and Haran was in
those days that Abram was born, two and thirty years old.
17.
But Haran did not advise his father to anything, for Terah said this to the
king in order to deliver his soul from the king, for he feared greatly; and
the king said to Terah, Haran thy son who advised thee to this shall die
through fire with Abram; for the sentence of death is upon him for having
rebelled against the king's desire in doing this thing.
18.
And Haran at that time felt inclined to follow the ways of Abram, but he
kept it within himself.
19.
And Haran said in his heart, Behold now the king has seized Abram on account
of these things which Abram did, and it shall come to pass, that if Abram
prevail over the king I will follow him, but if the king prevail I will go
after the king.
20.
And when Terah had spoken this to the king concerning Haran his son, the
king ordered Haran to be seized with Abram.
21.
And they brought them both, Abram and Haran his brother, to cast them into
the fire; and all the inhabitants of the land and the king's servants and
princes and all the women and little ones were there, standing that day over
them.
22.
And the king's servants took Abram and his brother, and they stripped them
of all their clothes excepting their lower garments which were upon them.
23.
And they bound their hands and feet with linen cords, and the servants of
the king lifted them up and cast them both into the furnace.
24.
And the Lord loved Abram and he had compassion over him, and the Lord came
down and delivered Abram from the fire and he was not burned.
25.
But all the cords with which they bound him were burned, while Abram
remained and walked about in the fire.
26.
And Haran died when they had cast him into the fire, and he was burned to
ashes, for his heart was not perfect with the Lord; and those men who cast
him into the fire, the flame of the fire spread over them, and they were
burned, and twelve men of them died.
27.
And Abram walked in the midst of the fire three days and three nights, and
all the servants of the king saw him walking in the fire, and they came and
told the king, saying, Behold we have seen Abram walking about in the midst
of the fire, and even the lower garments which are upon him are not burned,
but the cord with which he was bound is burned.
28.
And when the king heard their words his heart fainted and he would not
believe them; so he sent other faithful princes to see this matter, and they
went and saw it and told it to the king; and the king rose to go and see it,
and he saw Abram walking to and fro in the midst of the fire, and he saw
Haran's body burned, and the king wondered greatly.
29.
And the king ordered Abram to be taken out from the fire; and his servants
approached to take him out and they could not, for the fire was round about
and the flame ascending toward them from the furnace.
30.
And the king's servants fled from it, and the king rebuked them, saying,
Make haste and bring Abram out of the fire that you shall not die.
31.
And the servants of the king again approached to bring Abram out, and the
flames came upon them and burned their faces so that eight of them died.
32.
And when the king saw that his servants could not approach the fire lest
they should be burned, the king called to Abram, O servant of the God who is
in heaven, go forth from amidst the fire and come hither before me; and
Abram hearkened to the voice of the king, and he went forth from the fire
and came and stood before the king.
33.
And when Abram came out the king and all his servants saw Abram coming
before the king, with his lower garments upon him, for they were not burned,
but the cord with which he was bound was burned.
34.
And the king
said to Abram, How is it that thou wast not burned in the fire?
35.
And Abram said to the king, The God of heaven and earth in whom I trust and
who has all in his power, he delivered me from the fire into which thou
didst cast me.
36.
And Haran the brother of Abram was burned to ashes, and they sought for his
body, and they found it consumed.
37.
And Haran was eighty-two years old when he died in the fire of Casdim. And
the king, princes, and inhabitants of the land, seeing that Abram was
delivered from the fire, they
came and bowed down to Abram.
38.
And Abram said to them, Do not bow down to me, but bow down to the God of
the world who made you, and serve him, and go in his ways for it is he who
delivered me from out of this fire, and it is he who created the souls and
spirits of all men, and formed man in his mother's womb, and brought him
forth into the world, and it is he who will deliver those who trust in him
from all pain.
39.
And this thing seemed very wonderful in the eyes of the king and princes,
that Abram was saved from the fire and that Haran was burned; and the king
gave Abram many presents and he gave him his two head servants from the
king's house; the name of one was Oni and the name of the other was Eliezer.
40.
And all the kings, princes and servants gave Abram many gifts of silver and
gold and pearl, and the king and his princes sent him away, and he went in
peace.
41.
And Abram went forth from the king in peace, and many of the king's servants
followed him, and about three hundred men joined him.
42.
And Abram returned on that day and went to his father's house, he and the
men that followed him, and Abram served the Lord his God all the days of his
life, and he walked in his ways and followed his law.
43.
And from that day forward Abram inclined the hearts of the sons of men to
serve the Lord.
44.
And at that time Nahor and Abram took unto themselves wives, the daughters
of their brother Haran; the wife of Nahor was Milca and the name of Abram's
wife was Sarai. And Sarai, wife of Abram, was barren; she had no offspring
in those days.
45.
And at the expiration of two years from Abram's going out of the fire, that
is in the fifty- second year of his life, behold king Nimrod sat in Babel
upon the throne, and the king fell asleep and dreamed that he was standing
with his troops and hosts in a valley opposite the king's furnace.
46.
And he lifted up his eyes and saw a man in the likeness of Abram coming
forth from the furnace, and that he came and stood before the king with his
drawn sword, and then sprang to the king with his sword, when the king fled
from the man, for he was afraid; and while he was running, the man threw an
egg upon the king's head, and the egg became a great river.
47.
And the king dreamed that all his troops sank in that river and died, and
the king took flight with three men who were before him and he escaped.
48.
And the king looked at these men and they were clothed in princely dresses
as the garments of kings, and had the appearance and majesty of kings.
49.
And while they were running, the river again turned to an egg before the
king, and there came forth from the egg a young bird which came before the
king, and flew at his head and plucked out the king's eye.
50.
And the king was grieved at the sight, and he awoke out of his sleep and his
spirit was agitated; and he felt a great terror.
51.
And in the morning the king rose from his couch in fear, and he ordered all
the wise men and magicians to come before him, when the king related his
dream to them.
52.
And a wise servant of the king, whose name was Anuki, answered the king,
saying, This is nothing else but the evil of Abram and his seed which will
spring up against my Lord and king in the latter days.
53.
And behold the day will come when Abram and his seed and the children of his
household will war with my king, and they will smite all the king's hosts
and his troops.
54.
And as to what thou hast said concerning three men which thou didst see like
unto thyself, and which did escape, this means that only thou wilt escape
with three kings from the kings of the earth who will be with thee in
battle.
55.
And that which thou sawest of the river which turned to an egg as at first,
and the young bird plucking out thine eye, this means nothing else but the
seed of Abram which will slay the king in latter days.
56.
This is my king's dream, and this is its interpretation, and the dream is
true, and the interpretation which thy servant has given thee is right.
57.
Now therefore my king, surely thou knowest that it is now fifty-two years
since thy sages saw this at the birth of Abram, and if my king will suffer
Abram to live in the earth it will be to the injury of my lord and king, for
all the days that Abram liveth neither thou nor thy kingdom will be
established, for this was known formerly at his birth; and why will not my
king slay him, that his evil may be kept from thee in latter days?
58.
And Nimrod hearkened to the voice of Anuki, and he sent some of his servants
in secret to go and seize Abram, and bring him before the king to suffer
death.
59.
And Eliezer, Abram's servant whom the king had given him, was at that time
in the presence of the king, and he heard what Anuki had advised the king,
and what the king had said to cause Abram's death.
60.
And Eliezer said to Abram, Hasten, rise up and save thy soul, that thou
mayest not die through the hands of the king, for thus did he see in a dream
concerning thee, and thus did Anuki interpret it, and thus also did Anuki
advise the king concerning thee.
61.
And Abram hearkened to the voice of Eliezer, and Abram hastened and ran for
safety to the house of Noah and his son Shem, and he concealed himself there
and found a place of safety; and the king's servants came to Abram's house
to seek him, but they could not find him, and they searched through out the
country and he was not to be found, and they went and searched in every
direction and he was not to be met with.
62.
And when the king's servants could not find Abram they returned to the king,
but the king's anger against Abram was stilled, as they did not find him,
and the king drove from his mind this matter concerning Abram.
63.
And Abram was concealed in Noah's house for one month, until the king had
forgotten this matter, but Abram was still afraid of the king; and Terah
came to see Abram his son secretly in the house of Noah, and Terah was very
great in the eyes of the king.
64.
And Abram said to his father, Dost thou not know that the king thinketh to
slay me, and to annihilate my name from the earth by the advice of his
wicked counsellors?
65.
Now whom hast thou here and what hast thou in this land? Arise, let us go
together to the land of Canaan, that we may be delivered from his hand, lest
thou perish also through him in the latter days.
66.
Dost thou not know or hast thou not heard, that it is not through love that
Nimrod giveth thee all this honor, but it is only for his benefit that he
bestoweth all this good upon thee?
67.
And if he do unto thee greater good than this, surely these are only
vanities of the world, for wealth and riches cannot avail in the day of
wrath and anger.
68.
Now therefore hearken to my voice, and let us arise and go to the land of
Canaan, out of the reach of injury from Nimrod; and serve thou the Lord who
created thee in the earth and it will be well with thee; and cast away all
the vain things which thou pursuest.
69.
And Abram ceased to speak, when Noah and his son Shem answered Terah,
saying, True is the word which Abram hath said unto thee.
70.
And Terah hearkened to the voice of his son Abram, and Terah did all that
Abram said, for this was from the Lord, that the king should not cause
Abram's death.
Jasher Chapter 13
1.
And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and
Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Abram, and all the souls of
his household and went with them from Ur Casdim to go to the land of Canaan.
And when they came as far as the land of Haran they remained there, for it
was exceedingly good land for pasture, and of sufficient extent for those
who accompanied them.
2.
And the people of the land of Haran saw that Abram was good and upright with
God and men, and that the Lord his God was with him, and some of the people
of the land of Haran came and joined Abram, and he taught them the
instruction of the Lord and his ways; and these men remained with Abram in
his house and they adhered to him.
3.
And Abram remained in the land three years, and at the expiration of three
years the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him; I am the Lord who brought
thee forth from Ur Casdim, and delivered thee from the hands of all thine
enemies.
4.
And now therefore if thou wilt hearken to my voice and keep my commandments,
my statutes and my laws, then will I cause thy enemies to fall before thee,
and I will multiply thy seed like the stars of heaven, and I will send my
blessing upon all the works of thy hands, and thou shalt lack nothing.
5.
Arise now, take thy wife and all belonging to thee and go to the land of
Canaan and remain there, and I will there be unto thee for a God, and I will
bless thee. And Abram rose and took his wife and all belonging to him, and
he went to the land of Canaan as the Lord had told him; and Abram was fifty
years old when he went from Haran.
6.
And Abram came to the land of Canaan and dwelt in the midst of the city, and
he there pitched his tent amongst the children of Canaan, inhabitants of the
land.
7.
And the Lord appeared to Abram when he came to the land of Canaan, and said
to him, This is the land which I gave unto thee and to thy seed after thee
forever, and I will make thy seed like the stars of heaven, and I will give
unto thy seed for an inheritance all the lands which thou seest.
8.
And Abram built an altar in the place where God had spoken to him, and Abram
there called upon the name of the Lord.
9.
At that time, at the end of three years of Abram's dwelling in the land of
Canaan, in that year Noah died, which was the fifty-eighth year of the life
of Abram; and all the days that Noah lived were nine hundred and fifty years
and he died.
10.
And Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, he, his wife, and all belonging to
him, and all those that accompanied him, together with those that joined him
from the people of the land; but Nahor, Abram's brother, and Terah his
father, and Lot the son of Haran and all belonging to them dwelt in Haran.
11.
In the fifth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah and all the cities of the plain revolted from the power
of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam; for all the kings of the cities of the plain
had served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, and given him a yearly tax, but in
those days in the thirteenth year, they rebelled against him.
12.
And in the tenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan there was
war between Nimrod king of Shinar and Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Nimrod
came to fight with Chedorlaomer and to subdue him.
13.
For Chedorlaomer was at that time one of the princes of the hosts of Nimrod,
and when all the people at the tower were dispersed and those that remained
were also scattered upon the face of the earth, Chedorlaomer went to the
land of Elam and reigned over it and rebelled against his lord.
14.
And in those days when Nimrod saw that the cities of the plain had rebelled,
he came with pride and anger to war with Chedorlaomer, and Nimrod assembled
all his princes and subjects, about seven hundred thousand men, and went
against Chedorlaomer, and Chedorlaomer went out to meet him with five
thousand men, and they prepared for battle in the valley of Babel which is
between Elam and Shinar.
15.
And all those kings fought there, and Nimrod and his people were smitten
before the people of Chedorlaomer, and there fell from Nimrod's men about
six hundred thousand, and Mardon the king's son fell amongst them.
16.
And Nimrod fled and returned in shame and disgrace to his land, and he was
under subjection to Chedorlaomer for a long time, and Chedorlaomer returned
to his land and sent princes of his host to the kings that dwelt around him,
to Arioch king of Elasar, and to Tidal king of Goyim, and made a covenant
with them, and they were all obedient to his commands.
17.
And it was in the fifteenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan,
which is the seventieth year of the life of Abram, and the Lord appeared to
Abram in that year and he said to him, I am the Lord who brought thee out
from Ur Casdim to give thee this land for an inheritance.
18.
Now therefore walk before me and be perfect and keep my commands, for to
thee and to thy seed I will give this land for an inheritance, from the
river Mitzraim unto the great river Euphrates.
19.
And thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace and in good age, and the fourth
generation shall return here in this land and shall inherit it forever; and
Abram built an altar, and he called upon the name of the Lord who appeared
to him, and he brought up sacrifices upon the altar to the Lord.
20.
At that time Abram returned and went to Haran to see his father and mother,
and his father's household, and Abram and his wife and all belonging to him
returned to Haran,
and Abram dwelt in Haran five years.
21.
And many of the people of Haran, about seventy-two men, followed Abram and
Abram taught them the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and he taught
them to know the Lord.
22.
In those days the Lord appeared to Abram in Haran, and he said to him,
Behold, I spoke unto thee these twenty years back saying,
23.
Go forth from thy land, from thy birth-place and from thy father's house, to
the land which I have shown thee to give it to thee and to thy children, for
there in that land will I bless thee, and make thee a great nation, and make
thy name great, and in thee shall the families of the earth be blessed.
24.
Now therefore arise, go forth from this place, thou, thy wife, and all
belonging to thee, also every one born in thy house and all the souls thou
hast made in Haran, and bring them out with thee from here, and rise to
return to the land of Canaan.
25.
And Abram arose and took his wife Sarai and all belonging to him and all
that were born to him in his house and the souls which they had made in
Haran, and they came out to go to the land of Canaan.
26.
And Abram went and returned to the land of Canaan, according to the word of
the Lord. And Lot the son of his brother Haran went with him, and Abram was
seventy-five years old when he went forth from Haran to return to the land
of Canaan.
27.
And he came to the land of Canaan according to the word of the Lord to
Abram, and he pitched his tent and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, and with
him was Lot his brother's son, and all belonging to him.
28.
And the Lord again appeared to Abram and said, To thy seed will I give this
land; and he there built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him, which is
still to this day in the plains of Mamre.
Jasher Chapter 14
1.
In those days there was in the land of Shinar a wise man who had
understanding in all wisdom, and of a beautiful appearance, but he was poor
and indigent; his name was Rikayon and he was hard set to support himself.
2.
And he resolved to go to Egypt, to Oswiris the son of Anom king of Egypt, to
show the king his wisdom; for perhaps he might find grace in his sight, to
raise him up and give him maintenance; and Rikayon did so.
3.
And when Rikayon came to Egypt he asked the inhabitants of Egypt concerning
the king, and the inhabitants of Egypt told him the custom of the king of
Egypt, for it was then the custom of the king of Egypt that he went from his
royal palace and was seen abroad only one day in the year, and after that
the king would return to his palace to remain there.
4.
And on the day when the king went forth he passed judgment in the land, and
every one having a suit came before the king that day to obtain his request.
5.
And when Rikayon heard of the custom in Egypt and that he could not come
into the presence of the king, he grieved greatly and was very sorrowful.
6.
And in the evening Rikayon went out and found a house in ruins, formerly a
bake house in Egypt, and he abode there all night in bitterness of soul and
pinched with hunger, and sleep was removed from his eyes.
7.
And Rikayon considered within himself what he should do in the town until
the king made his appearance, and how he might maintain himself there.
8.
And he rose in the morning and walked about, and met in his way those who
sold vegetables and various sorts of seed with which they supplied the
inhabitants.
9.
And Rikayon wished to do the same in order to get a maintenance in the city,
but he was unacquainted with the custom of the people, and he was like a
blind man among them.
10.
And he went and obtained vegetables to sell them for his support, and the
rabble assembled about him and ridiculed him, and took his vegetables from
him and left him nothing.
11.
And he rose up from there in bitterness of soul, and went sighing to the
bake house in which he had remained all the night before, and he slept there
the second night.
12.
And on that night again he reasoned within himself how he could save himself
from starvation, and he devised a scheme how to act.
13.
And he rose up in the morning and acted ingeniously, and went and hired
thirty strong men of the rabble, carrying their war instruments in their
hands, and he led them to the top of the Egyptian sepulchre, and he placed
them there.
14.
And he commanded them, saying, Thus saith the king, Strengthen yourselves
and be valiant men, and let no man be buried here until two hundred pieces
of silver be given, and then he may be buried; and those men did according
to the order of Rikayon to the people of Egypt the whole of that year.
15.
And in eight months time Rikayon and his men gathered great riches of silver
and gold, and Rikayon took a great quantity of horses and other animals, and
he hired more men, and he gave them horses and they remained with him.
16.
And when the year came round, at the time the king went forth into the town,
all the inhabitants of Egypt assembled together to speak to him concerning
the work of Rikayon and his men.
17.
And the king went forth on the appointed day, and all the Egyptians came
before him and cried unto him, saying,
18.
May the king live forever. What is this thing thou doest in the town to thy
servants, not to suffer a dead body to be buried until so much silver and
gold be given? Was there ever the like unto this done in the whole earth,
from the days of former kings yea even from the days of Adam, unto this day,
that the dead should not be buried only for a set price?
19.
We know it to be the custom of kings to take a yearly tax from the living,
but thou dost not only do this, but from the dead also thou exactest a tax
day by day.
20.
Now, O king, we can no more bear this, for the whole city is ruined on this
account, and dost thou not know it?
21.
And when the king heard all that they had spoken he was very wroth, and his
anger burned within him at this affair, for he had known nothing of it.
22.
And the king said, Who and where is he that dares to do this wicked thing in
my land without my command? Surely you will tell me.
23.
And they told him all the works of Rikayon and his men, and the king's anger
was aroused, and he ordered Rikayon and his men to be brought before him.
24.
And Rikayon took about a thousand children, sons and daughters, and clothed
them in silk and embroidery, and he set them upon horses and sent them to
the king by means of his men, and he also took a great quantity of silver
and gold and precious stones, and a strong and beautiful horse, as a present
for the king, with which he came before the king and bowed down to the earth
before him; and the king, his servants and all the inhabitants of Egypt
wondered at the work of Rikayon, and they saw his riches and the
present that he had brought to the king.
25.
And it greatly pleased the king and he wondered at it; and when Rikayon sat
before him the king asked him concerning all his works, and Rikayon spoke
all his words wisely before the king, his servants and all the inhabitants
of Egypt.
26.
And when the king heard the words of Rikayon and his wisdom, Rikayon found
grace in his sight, and he met with grace and kindness from all the servants
of the king and from all the inhabitants of Egypt, on account of his wisdom
and excellent speeches, and from that time they loved him exceedingly.
27.
And the king answered and said to Rikayon, Thy name shall no more be called
Rikayon but Pharaoh shall be thy name, since thou didst exact a tax from the
dead; and he called his name Pharaoh.
28.
And the king and his subjects loved Rikayon for his wisdom, and they
consulted with all the inhabitants of Egypt to make him prefect under the
king.
29.
And all the inhabitants of Egypt and its wise men did so, and it was made a
law in Egypt.
30.
And they made Rikayon Pharaoh prefect under Oswiris king of Egypt, and
Rikayon Pharaoh governed over Egypt, daily administering justice to the
whole city, but Oswiris the king would judge the people of the land one day
in the year, when he went out to make his appearance.
31.
And Rikayon Pharaoh cunningly usurped the government of Egypt, and he
exacted a tax from all the inhabitants of Egypt.
32.
And all the inhabitants of Egypt greatly loved Rikayon Pharaoh, and they
made a decree to call every king that should reign over them and their seed
in Egypt, Pharaoh.
33.
Therefore all the kings that reigned in Egypt from that time forward were
called Pharaoh unto this day.
Jasher Chapter 15
1.
And in that year there was a heavy famine throughout the land of Canaan, and
the inhabitants of the land could not remain on account of the famine for it
was very grievous.
2.
And Abram and all belonging to him rose and went down to Egypt on account of
the famine, and when they were at the brook Mitzraim they remained there
some time to rest from the fatigue of the road.
3.
And Abram and Sarai were walking at the border of the brook Mitzraim, and
Abram beheld his wife Sarai that she was very beautiful.
4.
And Abram said to his wife Sarai, Since God has created thee with such a
beautiful countenance, I am afraid of the Egyptians lest they should slay me
and take thee away, for the fear of God is not in these places.
5.
Surely then thou shalt do this, Say thou art my sister to all that may ask
thee, in order that it may be well with me, and that we may live and not be
put to death.
6.
And Abram commanded the same to all those that came with him to Egypt on
account of the famine; also his nephew Lot he commanded, saying, If the
Egyptians ask thee concerning Sarai say she is the sister of Abram.
7.
And yet with all these orders Abram did not put confidence in them, but he
took Sarai and placed her in a chest and concealed it amongst their vessels,
for Abram was greatly concerned about Sarai on account of the wickedness of
the Egyptians.
8.
And Abram and all belonging to him rose up from the brook Mitzraim and came
to Egypt; and they had scarcely entered the gates of the city when the
guards stood up to them saying, Give tithe to the king from what you have,
and then you may come into the town; and Abram and those that were with him
did so.
9.
And Abram with the people that were with him came to Egypt, and when they
came they brought the chest in which Sarai was concealed and the Egyptians
saw the chest.
10.
And the king's servants approached Abram, saying, What hast thou here in
this chest which we have not seen? Now open thou the chest and give tithe to
the king of all that it contains.
11.
And Abram said, This chest I will not open, but all you demand upon it I
will give. And Pharaoh's officers answered Abram, saying, It is a chest of
precious stones, give us the tenth thereof.
12.
Abram said, All
that you desire I will give, but you must not open the chest.
13.
And the king's officers pressed Abram, and they reached the chest and opened
it with force, and they saw, and behold a beautiful woman was in the chest.
14.
And when the officers of the king beheld Sarai they were struck with
admiration at her beauty, and all the princes and servants of Pharaoh
assembled to see Sarai, for she was very beautiful. And the king's officers
ran and told Pharaoh all that they had seen, and they praised Sarai to the
king; and Pharaoh ordered her to be brought, and the woman came before the
king.
15.
And Pharaoh beheld Sarai and she pleased him exceedingly, and he was struck
with her beauty, and the king rejoiced greatly on her account, and made
presents to those who brought him the tidings concerning her.
16.
And the woman was then brought to Pharaoh's house, and Abram grieved on
account of his wife, and he prayed to the Lord to deliver her from the hands
of Pharaoh.
17.
And Sarai also prayed at that time and said, O Lord God thou didst tell my
Lord Abram to go from his land and from his father's house to the land of
Canaan, and thou didst promise to do well with him if he would perform thy
commands; now behold we have done that which thou didst command us, and we
left our land and our families, and we went to a strange land and to a
people whom we have not known before.
18.
And we came to this land to avoid the famine, and this evil accident has
befallen me; now therefore, O Lord God, deliver us and save us from the hand
of this oppressor, and do well with me for the sake of thy mercy.
19.
And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Sarai, and the Lord sent an angel to
deliver Sarai from the power of Pharaoh.
20.
And the king came and sat before Sarai and behold an angel of the Lord was
standing over them, and he appeared to Sarai and said to her, Do not fear,
for the Lord has heard thy prayer.
21.
And the king approached Sarai and said to her, What is that man to thee who
brought thee hither? and she said, He is my brother.
22.
And the king said, It is incumbent upon us to make him great, to elevate him
and to do unto him all the good which thou shalt command us; and at that
time the king sent to Abram silver and gold and precious stones in
abundance, together with cattle, men servants and maid servants; and the
king ordered Abram to be brought, and he sat in the court of the king's
house, and the king greatly exalted Abram on that night.
23.
And the king approached to speak to Sarai, and he reached out his hand to
touch her, when the angel smote him heavily, and he was terrified and he
refrained from reaching to her.
24.
And when the king came near to Sarai, the angel smote him to the ground, and
acted thus to him the whole night, and the king was terrified.
25.
And the angel on that night smote heavily all the servants of the king, and
his whole household, on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation
that night amongst the people of Pharaoh's house.
26.
And Pharaoh, seeing the evil that befell him, said, Surely on account of
this woman has this thing happened to me, and he removed himself at some
distance from her and spoke pleasing words to her.
27.
And the king said to Sarai, Tell me I pray thee concerning the man with whom
thou camest here; and Sarai said, This man is my husband, and I said to thee
that he was my brother for I was afraid, lest thou shouldst put him to death
through wickedness.
28.
And the king kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the angel of the Lord
ceased from him and his household; and Pharaoh knew that he was smitten on
account of Sarai, and the king was greatly astonished at this.
29.
And in the morning the king called for Abram and said to him, What is this
thou hast done to me? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, owing to which I
took her unto me for a wife, and this heavy plague has therefore come upon
me and my household.
30.
Now therefore here is thy wife, take her and go from our land lest we all
die on her account. And Pharaoh took more cattle, men servants and maid
servants, and silver and gold, to give to Abram, and he returned unto him
Sarai his wife.
31.
And the king took a maiden whom he begat by his concubines, and he gave her
to Sarai for a handmaid.
32.
And the king said to his daughter, It is better for thee my daughter to be a
handmaid in this man's house than to be mistress in my house, after we have
beheld the evil that befell us on account of this woman.
33.
And Abram arose, and he and all belonging to him went away from Egypt; and
Pharaoh ordered some of his men to accompany him and all that went with him.
34.
And Abram returned to the land of Canaan, to the place where he had made the
altar, where he at first had pitched his tent.
35.
And Lot the son of Haran, Abram's brother, had a heavy stock of cattle,
flocks and herds and tents, for the Lord was bountiful to them on account of
Abram.
36.
And when Abram was dwelling in the land the herdsmen of Lot quarrelled with
the herdsmen of Abram, for their property was too great for them to remain
together in the land, and the land could not bear them on account of their
cattle.
37.
And when Abram's herdsmen went to feed their flock they would not go into
the fields of the people of the land, but the cattle of Lot's herdsmen did
otherwise, for they were suffered to feed in the fields of the people of the
land.
38.
And the people of the land saw this occurrence daily, and they came to Abram
and quarrelled with him on account of Lot's herdsmen.
39.
And Abram said to Lot, What is this thou art doing to me, to make me
despicable to the inhabitants of the land, that thou orderest thy herdsman
to feed thy cattle in the fields of other people? Dost thou not know that I
am a stranger in this land amongst the children of Canaan, and why wilt thou
do this unto me?
40.
And Abram quarrelled daily with Lot on account of this, but Lot would not
listen to Abram, and he continued to do the same and the inhabitants of the
land came and told Abram.
41.
And Abram said unto Lot, How long wilt thou be to me for a stumbling block
with the inhabitants of the land? Now I beseech thee let there be no more
quarrelling between us, for we are kinsmen.
42.
But I pray thee separate from me, go and choose a place where thou mayest
dwell with thy cattle and all belonging to thee, but Keep thyself at a
distance from me, thou and thy household.
43.
And be not afraid in going from me, for if any one do an injury to thee, let
me know and I will avenge thy cause from him, only remove from me.
44.
And when Abram had spoken all these words to Lot, then Lot arose and lifted
up his eyes toward the plain of Jordan.
45.
And he saw that the whole of this place was well watered, and good for man
as well as affording pasture for the cattle.
46.
And Lot went from Abram to that place, and he there pitched his tent and he
dwelt in Sodom, and they were separated from each other.
47.
And Abram dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and he pitched
his tent there, and Abram remained in that place many years.
Jasher Chapter 16
1.
At that time Chedorlaomer king of Elam sent to all the neighboring kings, to
Nimrod, king of Shinar who was then under his power, and to Tidal, king of
Goyim, and to Arioch, king of Elasar, with whom he made a covenant, saying,
Come up to me and assist me, that we may smite all the towns of Sodom and
its inhabitants, for they have rebelled against me these thirteen years.
2.
And these four kings went up with all their camps, about eight hundred
thousand men, and they went as they were, and smote every man they found in
their road.
3.
And the five kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber
king of Zeboyim, Bera king of Sodom, Bersha king of Gomorrah, and Bela king
of Zoar, went out to meet them, and they all joined together in the valley
of Siddim.
4.
And these nine kings made war in the valley of Siddim; and the kings of
Sodom and Gomorrah were smitten before the kings of Elam.
5.
And the valley of Siddim was full of lime pits and the kings of Elam pursued
the kings of Sodom, and the kings of Sodom with their camps fled and fell
into the lime pits, and all that remained went to the mountain for safety,
and the five kings of Elam came after them and pursued them to the gates of
Sodom, and they took all that there was in Sodom.
6.
And they plundered all the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they also took
Lot, Abram's brother's son, and his property, and they seized all the goods
of the cities of Sodom, and they went away; and Unic, Abram's servant, who
was in the battle, saw this, and told Abram all that the kings had done to
the cities of Sodom, and that Lot was taken captive by them.
7.
And Abram heard this, and he rose up with about three hundred and eighteen
men that were with him, and he that night pursued these kings and smote
them, and they all fell before Abram and his men, and there was none
remaining but the four kings who fled, and they went each his own road.
8.
And Abram recovered all the property of Sodom, and he also recovered Lot and
his property, his wives and little ones and all belonging to him, so that
Lot lacked nothing.
9.
And when he returned from smiting these kings, he and his men passed the
valley of Siddim where the kings had made war together.
10.
And Bera king of Sodom, and the rest of his men that were with him, went out
from the lime pits into which they had fallen, to meet Abram and his men.
11.
And Adonizedek king of Jerusalem, the same was Shem, went out with his men
to meet Abram and his people, with bread and wine, and they remained
together in the valley of
Melech.
12.
And Adonizedek blessed Abram, and Abram gave him a tenth from all that he
had brought from the spoil of his enemies, for Adonizedek was a priest
before God.
13.
And all the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah who were there, with their servants,
approached Abram and begged of him to return them their servants whom he had
made captive, and to take unto himself all the property.
14.
And Abram answered the kings of Sodom, saying, As the Lord liveth who
created heaven and earth, and who redeemed my soul from all affliction, and
who delivered me this day from my enemies, and gave them into my hand, I
will not take anything belonging to you, that you may not boast tomorrow,
saying, Abram became rich from our property that he saved.
15.
For the Lord my God in whom I trust said unto me, Thou shalt lack nothing,
for I will bless thee in all the works of thy hands.
16.
And now therefore behold, here is all belonging to you, take it and go; as
the Lord liveth I will not take from you from a living soul down to a
shoetie or thread, excepting the expense of the food of those who went out
with me to battle, as also the portions of the men who went with me, Anar,
Ashcol, and Mamre, they and their men, as well as those also who had
remained to watch the baggage, they shall take their portion of the spoil.
17.
And the kings of Sodom gave Abram according to all that he had said, and
they pressed him to take of whatever he chose, but he would not.
18.
And he sent away the kings of Sodom and the remainder of their men, and he
gave them orders about Lot, and they went to their respective places.
19.
And Lot, his brother's son, he also sent away with his property, and he went
with them, and Lot returned to his home, to Sodom, and Abram and his people
returned to their home to the plains of Mamre, which is in Hebron.
20.
At that time the Lord again appeared to Abram in Hebron, and he said to him,
Do not fear, thy reward is very great before me, for I will not leave thee,
until I shall have multiplied thee, and blessed thee and made thy seed like
the stars in heaven, which cannot be measured nor numbered.
21.
And I will give unto thy seed all these lands that thou seest with thine
eyes, to them will I give them for an inheritance forever, only be strong
and do not fear, walk before me and be perfect.
22.
And in the seventy-eighth year of the life of Abram, in that year died Reu,
the son of Peleg, and all the days of Reu were two hundred and thirty-nine
years, and he died.
23.
And Sarai, the
daughter of Haran, Abram's wife, was still barren in those days; she did
not bear to Abram either son or daughter.
24.
And when she saw that she bare no children she took her handmaid Hagar, whom
Pharaoh had given her, and she gave her to Abram her husband for a wife.
25.
For Hagar learned all the ways of Sarai as Sarai taught her, she was not in
any way deficient in following her good ways.
26.
And Sarai said to Abram, Behold here is my handmaid Hagar, go to her that
she may bring forth upon my knees, that I may also obtain children through
her.
27.
And at the end of ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, which
is the eighty-fifth year of Abram's life, Sarai gave Hagar unto him.
28.
And Abram hearkened to the voice of his wife Sarai, and he took his handmaid
Hagar and Abram came to her and she conceived.
29.
And when Hagar saw that she had conceived she rejoiced greatly, and her
mistress was despised in her eyes, and she said within herself, This can
only be that I am better before God than Sarai my mistress, for all the days
that my mistress has been with my lord, she did not conceive, but me the
Lord has caused in so short a time to conceive by him.
30.
And when Sarai saw that Hagar had conceived by Abram, Sarai was jealous of
her handmaid, and Sarai said within herself, This is surely nothing else but
that she must be better than I am.
31.
And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee, for at the time when thou
didst pray before the Lord for children why didst thou not pray on my
account, that the Lord should give me seed from thee?
32.
And when I speak to Hagar in thy presence, she despiseth my words, because
she has conceived, and thou wilt say nothing to her; may the Lord judge
between me and thee for what thou hast done to me.
33.
And Abram said to Sarai, Behold thy handmaid is in thy hand, do unto her as
it may seem good in thy eyes; and Sarai afflicted her, and Hagar fled from
her to the wilderness.
34.
And an angel of the Lord found her in the place where she had fled, by a
well, and he said to her, Do not fear, for I will multiply thy seed, for
thou shalt bear a son and thou shalt call his name Ishmael; now then return
to Sarai thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
35.
And Hagar called the place of that well Beer-lahai-roi, it is between Kadesh
and the wilderness of Bered.
36.
And Hagar at that time returned to her master's house, and at the end of
days Hagar bare a son to Abram, and Abram called his name Ishmael; and Abram
was eighty-six years old when he begat him.
Jasher Chapter 17
1.
And in those days, in the ninety-first year of the life of Abram, the
children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal, for when the Lord
had scattered the sons of men upon the face of the earth, the children of
Chittim went and embodied themselves in the plain of Canopia, and they built
themselves cities there and dwelt by the river Tibreu.
2.
And the children of Tubal dwelt in Tuscanah, and their boundaries reached
the river Tibreu, and the children of Tubal built a city in Tuscanan, and
they called the name Sabinah, after the name of Sabinah son of Tubal their
father, and they dwelt there unto this day.
3.
And it was at that time the children of Chittim made war with the children
of Tubal, and the children of Tubal were smitten before the children of
Chittim, and the children of Chittim caused three hundred and seventy men to
fall from the children of Tubal.
4.
And at that time the children of Tubal swore to the children of Chittim,
saying, You shall not intermarry amongst us, and no man shall give his
daughter to any of the sons of Chittim.
5.
For all the daughters of Tubal were in those days fair, for no women were
then found in the whole earth so fair as the daughters of Tubal.
6.
And all who delighted in the beauty of women went to the daughters of Tubal
and took wives from them, and the sons of men, kings and princes, who
greatly delighted in the beauty of women, took wives in those days from the
daughters of Tubal.
7.
And at the end of three years after the children of Tubal had sworn to the
children of Chittim not to give them their daughters for wives, about twenty
men of the children of Chittim went to take some of the daughters of Tubal,
but they found none.
8.
For the children of Tubal kept their oaths not to intermarry with them, and
they would not break their oaths.
9.
And in the days of harvest the children of Tubal went into their fields to
get in their harvest, when the young men of Chittim assembled and went to
the city of Sabinah, and each man took a young woman from the daughters of
Tubal, and they came to their cities.
10.
And the children of Tubal heard of it and they went to make war with them,
and they could not prevail over them, for the mountain was exceedingly high
from them, and when they saw they could not prevail over them they returned
to their land.
11.
And at the revolution of the year the children of Tubal went and hired about
ten thousand men from those cities that were near them, and they went to war
with the children of Chittim.
12.
And the children of Tubal went to war with the children of Chittim, to
destroy their land and to distress them, and in this engagement the children
of Tubal prevailed over the children of Chittim, and the children of
Chittim, seeing that they were greatly distressed, lifted up the children
which they had had by the daughters of Tubal, upon the wall which had been
built, to be before the eyes of the children of Tubal.
13.
And the children of Chittim said to them, Have you come to make war with
your own sons and daughters, and have we not been considered your flesh and
bones from that time till now?
14.
And when the children of Tubal heard this they ceased to make war with the
children of Chittim, and they went away.
15.
And they returned to their cities, and the children of Chittim at that time
assembled and built two cities by the sea, and they called one Purtu and the
other Ariza.
16.
And Abram the
son of Terah was then ninety-nine years old.
17.
At that time the Lord appeared to him and he said to him, I will make my
covenant between me and thee, and I will greatly multiply thy seed, and this
is the covenant which I make between me and thee, that every male child be
circumcised, thou and thy seed after thee.
18.
At eight days old shall it be circumcised, and this covenant shall be in
your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
19.
And now therefore thy name shall no more be called Abram but Abraham, and
thy wife shall no more be called Sarai but Sarah.
20.
For I will bless you both, and I will multiply your seed after you that you
shall become a great nation, and kings shall come forth from you.
Jasher Chapter 18
1.
And Abraham rose and did all that God had ordered him, and he took the men
of his household and those bought with his money, and he circumcised them as
the Lord had commanded him.
2.
And there was not one left whom he did not circumcise, and Abraham and his
son Ishmael were circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin; thirteen years
old was Ishmael when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
3.
And in the third day Abraham went out of his tent and sat at the door to
enjoy the heat of the sun, during the pain of his flesh.
4.
And the Lord appeared to him in the plain of Mamre, and sent three of his
ministering angels to visit him, and he was sitting at the door of the tent,
and he lifted his eyes and saw, and lo three men were coming from a
distance, and he rose up and ran to meet them, and he bowed down to them and
brought them into his house.
5.
And he said to them, If now I have found favor in your sight, turn in and
eat a morsel of bread; and he pressed them, and they turned in and he gave
them water and they washed their feet, and he placed them under a tree at
the door of the tent.
6.
And Abraham ran and took a calf, tender and good, and he hastened to kill
it, and gave it to his servant Eliezer to dress.
7.
And Abraham came to Sarah into the tent, and he said to her, Make ready
quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes to cover the
pot containing the meat, and she did so.
8.
And Abraham hastened and brought before them butter and milk, beef and
mutton, and gave it before them to eat before the flesh of the calf was
sufficiently done, and they did eat.
9.
And when they had done eating one of them said to him, I will return to thee
according to the time of life, and Sarah thy wife shall have a son.
10.
And the men afterward departed and went their ways, to the places to which
they were sent.
11.
In those days all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the whole five
cities, were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord and they
provoked the Lord with their abominations, and they strengthened in aging
abominably and scornfully before the Lord, and their wickedness and crimes
were in those days great before the Lord.
12.
And they had in
their land a very extensive valley, about half a day's walk, and in it
there were fountains of water and a great deal of herbage surrounding the
water.
13.
And all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah went there four times in the year,
with their wives and children and all belonging to them, and they rejoiced
there with timbrels and dances.
14.
And in the time of rejoicing they would all rise and lay hold of their
neighbor's wives, and some, the virgin daughters of their neighbors, and
they enjoyed them, and each man saw his wife and daughter in the hands of
his neighbor and did not say a word.
15.
And they did so from morning to night, and they afterward returned home each
man to his house and each woman to her tent; so they always did four times
in the year.
16.
Also when a stranger came into their cities and brought goods which he had
purchased with a view to dispose of there, the people of these cities would
assemble, men, women and children, young and old, and go to the man and take
his goods by force, giving a little to each man until there was an end to
all the goods of the owner which he had brought into the land.
17.
And if the owner of the goods quarreled with them, saying, What is this work
which you have done to me, then they would approach to him one by one, and
each would show him the little which he took and taunt him, saying, I only
took that little which thou didst give me; and when he heard this from them
all, he would arise and go from them in sorrow and bitterness of soul, when
they would all arise and go after him, and drive him out of the city with
great noise and tumult.
18.
And there was a man from the country of Elam who was leisurely going on the
road, seated upon his ass, which carried a fine mantle of divers colors, and
the mantle was bound with a cord upon the ass.
19.
And the man was on his journey passing through the street of Sodom when the
sun set in the evening, and he remained there in order to abide during the
night, but no one would let him into his house; and at that time there was
in Sodom a wicked and mischievous man, one skillful to do evil, and his name
was Hedad.
20.
And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the street of the city,
and he came to him and said, Whence comest thou and whither dost thou go?
21.
And the man said to him, I am traveling from Hebron to Elam where I belong,
and as I passed the sun set and no one would suffer me to enter his house,
though I had bread and water and also straw and provender for my ass, and am
short of nothing.
22.
And Hedad answered and said to him, All that thou shalt want shall be
supplied by me, but in the street thou shalt not abide all night.
23.
And Hedad brought him to his house, and he took off the mantle from the ass
with the cord, and brought them to his house, and he gave the ass straw and
provender whilst the
traveler ate and drank in Hedad's house, and he abode there that night.
24.
And in the morning the traveler rose up early to continue his journey, when
Hedad said to him, Wait, comfort thy heart with a morsel of bread and then
go, and the man did so; and he remained with him, and they both ate and
drank together during the day, when the man rose up to go.
25.
And Hedad said to him, Behold now the day is declining, thou hadst better
remain all night that thy heart may be comforted; and he pressed him so that
he tarried there all night, and on the second day he rose up early to go
away, when Hedad pressed him, saying, Comfort thy heart with a morsel of
bread and then go, and he remained and ate with him also the second day, and
then the man rose up to continue his journey.
26.
And Hedad said to him, Behold now the day is declining, remain with me to
comfort thy heart and in the morning rise up early and go thy way.
27.
And the man would not remain, but rose and saddled his ass, and whilst he
was saddling his ass the wife of Hedad said to her husband, Behold this man
has remained with us for two days eating and drinking and he has given us
nothing, and now shall he go away from us without giving anything? and Hedad
said to her, Be silent.
28.
And the man saddled his ass to go, and he asked Hedad to give him the cord
and mantle to tie it upon the ass.
29.
And Hedad said to him, What sayest thou? And he said to him, That thou my
lord shalt give me the cord and the mantle made with divers colors which
thou didst conceal with thee in thy house to take care of it.
30.
And Hedad answered the man, saying, This is the interpretation of thy dream,
the cord which thou didst see, means that thy life will be lengthened out
like a cord, and having seen the mantle colored with all sorts of colors,
means that thou shalt have a vineyard in which thou wilt plant trees of all
fruits.
31.
And the traveler answered, saying, Not so my lord, for I was awake when I
gave thee the cord and also a mantle woven with different colors, which thou
didst take off the ass to put them by for me; and Hedad answered and said,
Surely I have told thee the interpretation of thy dream and it is a good
dream, and this is the interpretation thereof.
32.
Now the sons of men give me four pieces of silver, which is my charge for
interpreting dreams, and of thee only I require three pieces of silver.
33.
And the man was provoked at the words of Hedad, and he cried bitterly, and
he brought Hedad to Serak judge of Sodom.
34.
And the man laid his cause before Serak the judge, when Hedad replied,
saying, It is not so, but thus the matter stands; and the judge said to the
traveler, This man Hedad telleth thee truth, for he is famed in the cities
for the accurate interpretation of dreams.
35.
And the man cried at the word of the judge, and he said, Not so my Lord, for
it was in the day that I gave him the cord and mantle which was upon the
ass, in order to put them by in his house; and they both disputed before the
judge, the one saying, Thus the matter was, and the other declaring
otherwise.
36.
And Hedad said to the man, Give me four pieces of silver that I charge for
my interpretations of dreams; I will not make any allowance; and give me the
expense of the four meals that thou didst eat in my house.
37.
And the man said to Hedad, Truly I will pay thee for what I ate in thy
house, only give me the cord and mantle which thou didst conceal in thy
house.
38.
And Hedad replied before the judge and said to the man, Did I not tell thee
the interpretation of thy dream? the cord means that thy days shall be
prolonged like a cord, and the mantle, that thou wilt have a vineyard in
which thou wilt plant all kinds of fruit trees.
39.
This is the proper interpretation of thy dream, now give me the four pieces
of silver that I require as a compensation, for I will make thee no
allowance.
40.
And the man cried at the words of Hedad and they both quarreled before the
judge, and the judge gave orders to his servants, who drove them rashly from
the house.
41.
And they went away quarreling from the judge, when the people of Sodom heard
them, and they gathered about them and they exclaimed against the stranger,
and they drove him rashly from the city.
42.
And the man continued his journey upon his ass with bitterness of soul,
lamenting and weeping.
43.
And whilst he was going along he wept at what had happened to him in the
corrupt city of Sodom.
Jasher Chapter 19
1.
And the cities of Sodom had four judges to four cities, and these were their
names, Serak in the city of Sodom, Sharkad in Gomorrah, Zabnac in Admah, and
Menon in Zeboyim.
2.
And Eliezer Abraham's servant applied to them different names, and he
converted Serak to Shakra, Sharkad to Shakrura, Zebnac to Kezobim, and Menon
to Matzlodin.
3.
And by desire of their four judges the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had beds
erected in the streets of the cities, and if a man came to these places they
laid hold of him and brought him to one of their beds, and by force made him
to lie in them.
4.
And as he lay down, three men would stand at his head and three at his feet,
and measure him by the length of the bed, and if the man was less than the
bed these six men would stretch him at each end, and when he cried out to
them they would not answer him.
5.
And if he was longer than the bed they would draw together the two sides of
the bed at each end, until the man had reached the gates of death.
6.
And if he continued to cry out to them, they would answer him, saying, Thus
shall it be done to a man that cometh into our land.
7.
And when men heard all these things that the people of the cities of Sodom
did, they refrained from coming there.
8.
And when a poor man came to their land they would give him silver and gold,
and cause a proclamation in the whole city not to give him a morsel of bread
to eat, and if the stranger should remain there some days, and die from
hunger, not having been able to obtain a morsel of bread, then at his death
all the people of the city would come and take their silver and gold which
they had given to him.
9.
And those that could recognize the silver or gold which they had given him
took it back, and at his death they also stripped him of his garments, and
they would fight about them, and he that prevailed over his neighbor took
them.
10.
They would after that carry him and bury him under some of the shrubs in the
deserts; so they did all the days to any one that came to them and died in
their land.
11.
And in the course of time Sarah sent Eliezer to Sodom, to see Lot and
inquire after his welfare.
12.
And Eliezer went to Sodom, and he met a man of Sodom fighting with a
stranger, and the man of Sodom stripped the poor man of all his clothes and
went away.
13.
And this poor man cried to Eliezer and supplicated his favor on account of
what the man of Sodom had done to him.
14.
And he said to
him, Why dost thou act thus to the poor man who came to thy land?
15.
And the man of Sodom answered Eliezer, saying, Is this man thy brother, or
have the people of Sodom made thee a judge this day, that thou speakest
about this man?
16.
And Eliezer strove with the man of Sodom on account of the poor man, and
when Eliezer approached to recover the poor man's clothes from the man of
Sodom, he hastened and with a stone smote Eliezer in the forehead.
17.
And the blood flowed copiously from Eliezer's forehead, and when the man saw
the blood he caught hold of Eliezer, saying, Give me my hire for having rid
thee of this bad blood that was in thy forehead, for such is the custom and
the law in our land.
18.
And Eliezer said to him, Thou hast wounded me and requirest me to pay thee
thy hire; and Eliezer would not hearken to the words of the man of Sodom.
19.
And the man laid hold of Eliezer and brought him to Shakra the judge of
Sodom for judgment.
20.
And the man spoke to the judge, saying, I beseech thee my lord, thus has
this man done, for I smote him with a stone that the blood flowed from his
forehead, and he is unwilling to give me my hire.
21.
And the judge said to Eliezer, This man speaketh truth to thee, give him his
hire, for this is the custom in our land; and Eliezer heard the words of the
judge, and he lifted up a stone and smote the judge, and the stone struck on
his forehead, and the blood flowed copiously from the forehead of the judge,
and Eliezer said, If this then is the custom in your land give thou unto
this man what I should have given him, for this has been thy decision, thou
didst decree it.
22.
And Eliezer left
the man of Sodom with the judge, and he went away.
23.
And when the kings of Elam had made war with the kings of Sodom, the kings
of Elam captured all the property of Sodom, and they took Lot captive, with
his property, and when it was told to Abraham he went and made war with the
kings of Elam, and he recovered from their hands all the property of Lot as
well as the property of Sodom.
24.
At that time the wife of Lot bare him a daughter, and he called her name
Paltith, saying, Because God had delivered him and his whole household from
the kings of Elam; and Paltith daughter of Lot grew up, and one of the men
of Sodom took her for a wife.
25.
And a poor man came into the city to seek a maintenance, and he remained in
the city some days, and all the people of Sodom caused a proclamation of
their custom not to
give this man a morsel of bread to eat, until he dropped dead upon the
earth, and they did so.
26.
And Paltith the daughter of Lot saw this man lying in the streets starved
with hunger, and no one would give him any thing to keep him alive, and he
was just upon the point of death.
27.
And her soul was filled with pity on account of the man, and she fed him
secretly with bread for many days, and the soul of this man was revived.
28.
For when she went forth to fetch water she would put the bread in the water
pitcher, and when she came to the place where the poor man was, she took the
bread from the pitcher and gave it him to eat; so she did many days.
29.
And all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah wondered how this man could bear
starvation for so many days.
30.
And they said to each other, This can only be that he eats and drinks, for
no man can bear starvation for so many days or live as this man has, without
even his countenance changing; and three men concealed themselves in a place
where the poor man was stationed, to know who it was that brought him bread
to eat.
31.
And Paltith daughter of Lot went forth that day to fetch water, and she put
bread into her pitcher of water, and she went to draw water by the poor
man's place, and she took out the bread from the pitcher and gave it to the
poor man and he ate it.
32.
And the three men saw what Paltith did to the poor man, and they said to
her, It is thou then who hast supported him, and therefore has he not
starved, nor changed in appearance nor died like the rest.
33.
And the three men went out of the place in which they were concealed, and
they seized Paltith and the bread which was in the poor man's hand.
34.
And they took Paltith and brought her before their judges, and they said to
them, Thus did she do, and it is she who supplied the poor man with bread,
therefore did he not die all this time; now therefore declare to us the
punishment due to this woman for having transgressed our law.
35.
And the people of Sodom and Gomorrah assembled and kindled a fire in the
street of the city, and they took the woman and cast her into the fire and
she was burned to ashes.
36.
And in the city
of Admah there was a woman to whom they did the like.
37.
For a traveler came into the city of Admah to abide there all night, with
the intention of going home in the morning, and he sat opposite the door of
the house of the young woman's father, to remain there, as the sun had set
when be had reached that place; and the young woman saw him sitting by the
door of the house.
38.
And he asked her for a drink of water and she said to him, Who art thou? and
he said to her, I was this day going on the road, and reached here when the
sun set, so I will abide here all night, and in the morning I will arise
early and continue my journey.
39.
And the young woman went into the house and fetched the man bread and water
to eat and drink.
40.
And this affair became known to the people of Admah, and they assembled and
brought the young woman before the judges, that they should judge her for
this act.
41.
And the judge said, The judgment of death must pass upon this woman because
she transgressed our law, and this therefore is the decision concerning her.
42.
And the people of those cities assembled and brought out the young woman,
and anointed her with honey from head to foot, as the judge had decreed, and
they placed her before a swarm of bees which were then in their hives, and
the bees flew upon her and stung her that her whole body was swelled.
43.
And the young woman cried out on account of the bees, but no one took notice
of her or pitied her, and her cries ascended to heaven.
44.
And the Lord was provoked at this and at all the works of the cities of
Sodom, for they had abundance of food, and had tranquility amongst them, and
still would not sustain the poor and the needy, and in those days their evil
doings and sins became great before the Lord.
45.
And the Lord sent for two of the angels that had come to Abraham's house, to
destroy Sodom and its cities.
46.
And the angels rose up from the door of Abraham's tent, after they had eaten
and drunk, and they reached Sodom in the evening, and Lot was then sitting
in the gate of Sodom, and when he saw them he rose to meet them, and he
bowed down to the ground.
47.
And he pressed them greatly and brought them into his house, and he gave
them victuals which they ate, and they abode all night in his house.
48.
And the angels said to Lot, Arise, go forth from this place, thou and all
belonging to thee, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of this city, for
the Lord will destroy this place.
49.
And the angels laid hold upon the hand of Lot and upon the hand of his wife,
and upon the hands of his children, and all belonging to him, and they
brought him forth and set him without the cities.
50.
And they said to
Lot, Escape for thy life, and he fled and all belonging to him.
51.
Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah and upon all these cities
brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
52.
And he overthrew these cities, all the plain and all the inhabitants of the
cities, and that which grew upon the ground; and Ado the wife of Lot looked
back to see the destruction of the cities, for her compassion was moved on
account of her daughters who remained in Sodom, for they did not go with
her.
53.
And when she looked back she became a pillar of salt, and it is yet in that
place unto this day.
54.
And the oxen which stood in that place daily licked up the salt to the
extremities of their feet, and in the morning it would spring forth afresh,
and they again licked it up unto this day.
55.
And Lot and two of his daughters that remained with him fled and escaped to
the cave of Adullam, and they remained there for some time.
56.
And Abraham rose up early in the morning to see what had been done to the
cities of Sodom; and he looked and beheld the smoke of the cities going up
like the smoke of a furnace.
57.
And Lot and his two daughters remained in the cave, and they made their
father drink wine, and they lay with him, for they said there was no man
upon earth that could raise up seed from them, for they thought that the
whole earth was destroyed.
58.
And they both lay with their father, and they conceived and bare sons, and
the first born called the name of her son Moab, saying, From my father did I
conceive him; he is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
59.
And the younger also called her son Benami; he is the father of the children
of Ammon unto this day.
60.
And after this Lot and his two daughters went away from there, and he dwelt
on the other side of the Jordan with his two daughters and their sons, and
the sons of Lot grew up, and they went and took themselves wives from the
land of Canaan, and they begat children and they were fruitful and
multiplied.
Jasher Chapter 20
1.
And at that time Abraham journeyed from the plain of Mamre, and he went to
the land of the Philistines, and he dwelt in Gerar; it was in the
twenty-fifth year of Abraham's being in the land of Canaan, and the
hundredth year of the life of Abraham, that he came to Gerar in the land of
the Philistines.
2.
And when they entered the land he said to Sarah his wife, Say thou art my
sister, to any one that shall ask thee, in order that we may escape the evil
of the inhabitants of the land.
3.
And as Abraham was dwelling in the land of the Philistines, the servants of
Abimelech, king of the Philistines, saw that Sarah was exceedingly
beautiful, and they asked Abraham concerning her, and he said, She is my
sister.
4.
And the servants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying, A man from the land
of Canaan is come to dwell in the land, and he has a sister that is
exceeding fair.
5.
And Abimelech heard the words of his servants who praised Sarah to him, and
Abimelech sent his officers, and they brought Sarah to the king.
6.
And Sarah came to the house of Abimelech, and the king saw that Sarah was
beautiful, and she pleased him exceedingly.
7.
And he approached her and said to her, What is that man to thee with whom
thou didst come to our land? and Sarah answered and said He is my brother,
and we came from the land of Canaan to dwell wherever we could find a place.
8.
And Abimelech said to Sarah, Behold my land is before thee, place thy
brother in any part of this land that pleases thee, and it will be our duty
to exalt and elevate him above all the people of the land since he is thy
brother.
9.
And Abimelech
sent for Abraham, and Abraham came to Abimelech.
10.
And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold I have given orders that thou shalt be
honored as thou desirest on account of thy sister Sarah.
11.
And Abraham went
forth from the king, and the king's present followed him.
12.
As at evening time, before men lie down to rest, the king was sitting upon
his throne, and a deep sleep fell upon him, and he lay upon the throne and
slept till morning.
13.
And he dreamed that an angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword in
his hand, and the angel stood over Abimelech, and wished to slay him with
the sword, and the king was terrified in his dream, and said to the angel,
In what have I sinned against thee
that thou comest to slay me with thy sword?
52
14.
And the angel answered and said to Abimelech, Behold thou diest on
account of the woman which thou didst yesternight bring to thy house,
for she is a married woman, the wife of Abraham who came to thy house; now
therefore return that man his wife, for she is his wife; and shouldst thou
not return her, know that thou wilt surely die, thou and all belonging to
thee.
15.
And on that night there was a great outcry in the land of the Philistines,
and the inhabitants of the land saw the figure of a man standing with a
drawn sword in his hand, and he smote the inhabitants of the land with the
sword, yea he continued to smite them.
16.
And the angel of the Lord smote the whole land of the Philistines on that
night, and there was a great confusion on that night and on the following
morning.
17.
And every womb was closed, and all their issues, and the hand of the Lord
was upon them on account of Sarah, wife of Abraham, whom Abimelech
had taken.
18.
And in the morning Abimelech rose with terror and confusion and with a great
dread, and he sent and had his servants called in, and he related his dream
to them, and the people were greatly
afraid.
19.
And one man standing amongst the servants of the king answered the king,
saying, O sovereign king, restore this woman to her husband, for he is her
husband, for the like happened to the king of Egypt when this man came to
Egypt.
20.
And he said concerning his wife, She is my sister, for such is his manner
of doing when he cometh to dwell in the land in which he is a
stranger.
21.
And Pharaoh sent and took this woman for a wife and the Lord brought
upon him grievous plagues until he returned the woman to her
husband.
22.
Now therefore, O sovereign king, know what happened yesternight to the whole
land, for there was a very great consternation and great pain and
lamentation, and we know that it was on account of the woman which thou
didst take.
23.
Now, therefore, restore this woman to her husband, lest it should befall us
as it did to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his subjects, and that we may not
die; and Abimelech hastened and called and had Sarah called for, and she
came before him, and he had
Abraham called for, and he came before
him.
24.
And Abimelech said to them, What is this work you have been doing in saying
you are brother and sister, and I took this woman for a
wife?
25.
And Abraham said, Because I thought I should suffer death on account of my
wife; and Abimelech took flocks and herds, and men servants and maid
servants, and a thousand pieces of silver, and he gave them to Abraham, and
he returned Sarah to him.
26.
And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold the whole land is before thee, dwell
in it wherever thou shalt
choose.
27.
And Abraham and Sarah, his wife, went forth from the king's presence with
honor and respect, and they dwelt in the land, even in
Gerar.
28.
And all the inhabitants of the land of the Philistines and the king's
servants were still in pain,
through the plague which the angel had inflicted upon them the whole night
on account of Sarah.
29.
And Abimelech sent for Abraham, saying, Pray now for thy servants to the
Lord thy God, that he may put away this mortality from amongst
us.
30.
And Abraham prayed on account of Abimelech and his subjects, and the
Lord heard the prayer of Abraham, and he healed Abimelech and all his
subjects.
Jasher Chapter 21
1.
And it was at that time at the end of a year and four months of Abraham's
dwelling in the land of the Philistines in Gerar, that God visited Sarah,
and the Lord remembered her, and she conceived and bare a son to Abraham.
2.
And Abraham called the name of the son which was born to him, which Sarah
bare to him, Isaac.
3.
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac at eight days old, as God had
commanded Abraham to do unto his seed after him; and Abraham was one
hundred, and Sarah ninety years old, when Isaac was born to them.
4.
And the child grew up and he was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast upon
the day that Isaac was weaned.
5.
And Shem and Eber and all the great people of the land, and Abimelech king
of the Philistines, and his servants, and Phicol, the captain of his host,
came to eat and drink and rejoice at the feast which Abraham made upon the
day of his son Isaac's being weaned.
6.
Also Terah, the father of Abraham, and Nahor his brother, came from Haran,
they and all belonging to them, for they greatly rejoiced on hearing that a
son had been born to Sarah.
7.
And they came to Abraham, and they ate and drank at the feast which Abraham
made upon the day of Isaac's being weaned.
8.
And Terah and Nahor rejoiced with Abraham, and they remained with him many
days in the land of the Philistines.
9.
At that time Serug the son of Reu died, in the first year of the birth of
Isaac son of Abraham.
10.
And all the days
of Serug were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.
11.
And Ishmael the son of Abraham was grown up in those days; he was fourteen
years old when Sarah bare Isaac to Abraham.
12.
And God was with Ishmael the son of Abraham, and he grew up, and he learned
to use the bow and became an archer.
13.
And when Isaac
was five years old he was sitting with Ishmael at the door of the tent.
14.
And Ishmael came
to Isaac and seated himself opposite to him, and he took the bow and
drew it and put the arrow in it, and intended to slay Isaac.
15.
And Sarah saw the act which Ishmael desired to do to her son Isaac, and it
grieved her exceedingly on account of her son, and she sent for Abraham, and
said to him, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for her son shall not be
heir with my son, for thus did he seek to do unto him this day.
16.
And Abraham hearkened to the voice of Sarah, and he rose up early in the
morning, and he took twelve loaves and a bottle of water which he gave to
Hagar, and sent her away with her son, and Hagar went with her son to the
wilderness, and they dwelt in the wilderness of Paran with the inhabitants
of the wilderness, and Ishmael was an archer, and he dwelt in the wilderness
a long time.
17.
And he and his mother afterward went to the land of Egypt, and they dwelt
there, and Hagar took a wife for her son from Egypt, and her name was
Meribah.
18.
And the wife of Ishmael conceived and bare four sons and two daughters, and
Ishmael and his mother and his wife and children afterward went and returned
to the wilderness.
19.
And they made themselves tents in the wilderness, in which they dwelt, and
they continued to travel and then to rest monthly and yearly.
20.
And God gave Ishmael flocks and herds and tents on account of Abraham his
father, and the man increased in cattle.
