The Book Of Jubilees
The Book of Jubilees
Chapter 21]
1 And in the sixth year of the seventh week of this jubilee Abraham
called Isaac his son, and [2057 (2050?) A.M.] commanded him: saying,
'I am become old, and know not the day of my death, and am full
of my
2 days. And behold, I am one hundred and seventy-five years old,
and throughout all the days of my life I have remembered the Lord,
and sought with all my heart to do His will, and to walk uprightly
3 in all His ways. My soul has hated idols,
4 given my heart and spirit> that I might observe to do the will
of Him who created me. For He is the living God, and He is holy
and faithful, and He is righteous beyond all, and there is with
Him no accepting of (men's) persons and no accepting of gifts; for
God is righteous, and executeth judg-
5 ment on all those who transgress His commandments and despise
His covenant. And do thou, my son, observe His commandments and
His ordinances and His judgments, and walk not after the
6 abominations and after the graven images and after the molten
images. And eat no blood at all of
7 animals or cattle, or of any bird which flies in the heaven. And
if thou dost slay a victim as an acceptable peace offering, slay
ye it, and pour out its blood upon the altar, and all the fat of
the offering offer on the altar with fine flour and the meat offering
mingled with oil, with its drink offering -offer them all together
on the altar of burnt offering; it is a sweet savour before the
Lord.
8 And thou wilt offer the fat of the sacrifice of thank offerings
on the fire which is upon the altar, and the fat which is on the
belly, and all the fat on the inwards and the two kidneys, and all
the fat that
9 is upon them, and upon the loins and liver thou shalt remove,
together with the kidneys. And offer all these for a sweet savour
acceptable before the Lord, with its meat-offering and with its
drink-
10 offering, for a sweet savour, the bread of the offering unto
the Lord. And eat its meat on that day and on the second day, and
let not the sun on the second day go down upon it till it is eaten,
and let nothing be left over for the third day; for it is not acceptable
[for it is not approved] and let it no longer be eaten, and all
who eat thereof will bring sin upon themselves; for thus I have
found it written in the books of my forefathers, and in the words
of Enoch, and in the words of Noah.
11 And on all thy oblations thou shalt strew salt, and let not the
salt of the covenant be lacking in all
12 thy oblations before the Lord. And as regards the wood of the
sacrifices, beware lest thou bring (other) wood for the altar in
addition to these: cypress, bay, almond, fir, pine, cedar, savin,
fig, olive,
13 myrrh, laurel, aspalathus. And of these kinds of wood lay upon
the altar under the sacrifice, such as have been tested as to their
appearance, and do not lay (thereon) any split or dark wood, (but)
hard and clean, without fault, a sound and new growth; and do not
lay (thereon) old wood, [for its
14 fragrance is gone] for there is no longer fragrance in it as
before. Besides these kinds of wood there is none other that thou
shalt place (on the altar), for the fragrance is dispersed, and
the smell of its
15 fragrance goes not up to heaven. Observe this commandment and
do it, my son, that thou mayst
16 be upright in all thy deeds. And at all times be clean in thy
body, and wash thyself with water before thou approachest to offer
on the altar, and wash thy hands and thy feet before thou drawest
17 near to the altar; and when thou art done sacrificing, wash again
thy hands and thy feet. And let no blood appear upon you nor upon
your clothes; be on thy guard, my son, against blood, be on thy
18 guard exceedingly; cover it with dust. And do not eat any blood
for it is the soul; eat no blood whatever. And take no gifts for
the blood of man, lest it be shed with impunity, without judgment;
for it is the blood that is shed that causes the earth to sin, and
the earth cannot be cleansed from the
20 blood of man save by the blood of him who shed it. And take no
present or gift for the blood of man: blood for blood, that thou
mayest be accepted before the Lord, the Most High God; for He is
the defence of the good: and that thou mayest be preserved from
all evil, and that He may save thee from every kind of death.
21 I see, my son,
That all the works of the children of men are sin and wickedness,
And all their deeds are uncleanness and an abomination and a pollution,
And there is no righteousness with them.
22 Beware, lest thou shouldest walk in their ways
And tread in their paths,
And sin a sin unto death before the Most High God.
Else He will [hide His face from thee
And] give thee back into the hands of thy transgression,
And root thee out of the land, and thy seed likewise from under
heaven,
And thy name and thy seed shall perish from the whole earth.
23 Turn away from all their deeds and all their uncleanness,
And observe the ordinance of the Most High God,
And do His will and be upright in all things.
24 And He will bless thee in all thy deeds,
And will raise up from thee a plant of righteousness through all
the earth, throughout all generations of the earth,
And my name and thy name shall not be forgotten under heaven for
ever.
25 Go, my son in peace.
May the Most High God, my God and thy God, strengthen thee to do
His will,
And may He bless all thy seed and the residue of thy seed for the
generations for ever, with all righteous blessings,
That thou mayest be a blessing on all the earth.'
26 And he went out from him rejoicing.
[Chapter 22]
1 And it came to pass in the first week in the forty-fourth jubilee,
in the second year, that is, the year in which Abraham died, that
Isaac and Ishmael came from the Well of the Oath to celebrate the
feast of weeks -that is, the feast of the first fruits of the harvest-to
Abraham, their
2 father, and Abraham rejoiced because his two sons had come. For
Isaac had many possessions in
3 Beersheba, and Isaac was wont to go and see his possessions and
to return to his father. And in those days Ishmael came to see his
father, and they both came together, and Isaac offered a sacrifice
4 for a burnt offering, and presented it on the altar of his father
which he had made in Hebron. And he offered a thank offering and
made a feast of joy before Ishmael, his brother: and Rebecca made
new cakes from the new grain, and gave them to Jacob, her son, to
take them to Abraham, his father, from the first fruits of the land,
that he might eat and bless the Creator of all things before he
died.
5 And Isaac, too, sent by the hand of Jacob to Abraham a best thank
offering, that he might eat and
6 drink. And he eat and drank, and blessed the Most High God,
Who hath created heaven and earth,
Who hath made all the fat things of the earth,
And given them to the children of men
That they might eat and drink and bless their Creator.
7 'And now I give thanks unto Thee, my God, because thou hast caused
me to see this day: behold, I am one hundred three score and fifteen
years, an old man and full of days, and all my days have
8 been unto me peace. The sword of the adversary has not overcome
me in all that Thou hast given
9 me and my children all the days of my life until this day. My
God, may Thy mercy and Thy peace be upon Thy servant, and upon the
seed of his sons, that they may be to Thee a chosen nation and an
inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth from henceforth
unto all the days of the
10 generations of the earth, unto all the ages.' And he called Jacob
and said: 'My son Jacob, may the God of all bless thee and strengthen
thee to do righteousness, and His will before Him, and may He choose
thee and thy seed that ye may become a people for His inheritance
according to His will
11 alway. And do thou, my son, Jacob, draw near and kiss me.' And
he drew near and kissed him, and he said:
'Blessed be my son Jacob
And all the sons of God Most High, unto all the ages:
May God give unto thee a seed of righteousness;
And some of thy sons may He sanctify in the midst of the whole earth;
May nations serve thee,
And all the nations bow themselves before thy seed.
12 Be strong in the presence of men,
And exercise authority over all the seed of Seth.
Then thy ways and the ways of thy sons will be justified,
So that they shall become a holy nation.
13 May the Most High God give thee all the blessings
Wherewith He has blessed me
And wherewith He blessed Noah and Adam;
May they rest on the sacred head of thy seed from generation to
generation for ever.
14 And may He cleanse thee from all unrighteousness and impurity,
That thou mayest be forgiven all the transgressions; which thou
hast committed ignorantly.
And may He strengthen thee,
And bless thee.
And mayest thou inherit the whole earth,
15 And may He renew His covenant with thee.
That thou mayest be to Him a nation for His inheritance for all
the ages,
And that He may be to thee and to thy seed a God in truth and righteousness
throughout all the days of the earth.
16 And do thou, my son Jacob, remember my words,
And observe the commandments of Abraham, thy father:
Separate thyself from the nations,
And eat not with them:
And do not according to their works,
And become not their associate;
For their works are unclean,
And all their ways are a Pollution and an abomination and uncleanness.
17 They offer their sacrifices to the dead
And they worship evil spirits,
And they eat over the graves,
And all their works are vanity and nothingness.
18 They have no heart to understand
And their eyes do not see what their works are,
And how they err in saying to a piece of wood: 'Thou art my God,'
And to a stone: 'Thou art my Lord and thou art my deliverer.'
[And they have no heart.]
19 And as for thee, my son Jacob,
May the Most High God help thee
And the God of heaven bless thee
And remove thee from their uncleanness and from all their error.
20 Be thou ware, my son Jacob, of taking a wife from any seed of
the daughters of Canaan;
For all his seed is to be rooted out of the earth.
21 For, owing to the transgression of Ham, Canaan erred,
And all his seed shall be destroyed from off the earth and all the
residue thereof,
And none springing from him shall be saved on the day of judgment.
22 And as for all the worshippers of idols and the profane
(b) There shall be no hope for them in the land of the living;
(c) And there shall be no remembrance of them on the earth;
(c) For they shall descend into Sheol,
(d) And into the place of condemnation shall they go,
As the children of Sodom were taken away from the earth
So will all those who worship idols be taken away.
23 Fear not, my son Jacob,
And be not dismayed, O son of Abraham:
May the Most High God preserve thee from destruction,
And from all the paths of error may he deliver thee.
24 This house have I built for myself that I might put my name
upon it in the earth: [it is given to thee and to thy seed for ever],
and it will be named the house of Abraham; it is given to thee and
to thy seed for ever; for thou wilt build my house and establish
my name before God for ever: thy seed and thy name will stand throughout
all generations of the earth.'
25,26 And he ceased commanding him and blessing him. And the two
lay together on one bed, and Jacob slept in the bosom of Abraham,
his father's father and he kissed him seven times, and his
27 affection and his heart rejoiced over him. And he blessed him
with all his heart and said: 'The Most High God, the God of all,
and Creator of all, who brought me forth from Ur of the Chaldees
that he might give me this land to inherit it for ever, and that
I might establish a holy seed-blessed
28 be the Most High for ever.' And he blessed Jacob and said: 'My
son, over whom with all my heart and my affection I rejoice, may
Thy grace and Thy mercy be lift up upon him and upon his seed
29 alway. And do not forsake him, nor set him at nought from henceforth
unto the days of eternity, and may Thine eyes be opened upon him
and upon his seed, that Thou mayst preserve him, and
30 bless him, and mayest sanctify him as a nation for Thine inheritance;
And bless him with all Thy blessings from henceforth unto all the
days of eternity, and renew Thy covenant and Thy grace with him
and with his seed according to all Thy good pleasure unto all the
generations of the earth.'
[Chapter 23]
1 And he placed two fingers of Jacob on his eyes, and he blessed
the God of gods, and he covered his face and stretched out his feet
and slept the sleep of eternity, and was gathered to his fathers.
2 And notwithstanding all this Jacob was lying in his bosom, and
knew not that Abraham, his father's
3 father, was dead. And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and behold Abraham
was cold as ice, and he
4 said 'Father, father'; but there was none that spake, and he knew
that he was dead. And he arose from his bosom and ran and told Rebecca,
his mother; and Rebecca went to Isaac in the night, and told him;
and they went together, and Jacob with them, and a lamp was in his
hand, and
5 when they had gone in they found Abraham lying dead. And Isaac
fell on the face of his father
6 and wept and kissed him. And the voices were heard in the house
of Abraham, and Ishmael his son arose, and went to Abraham his father,
and wept over Abraham his father, he and all the house
7 of Abraham, and they wept with a great weeping. And his sons Isaac
and Ishmael buried him in the double cave, near Sarah his wife,
and they wept for him forty days, all the men of his house, and
Isaac and Ishmael, and all their sons, and all the sons of Keturah
in their places; and the days of
8 weeping for Abraham were ended. And he lived three jubilees and
four weeks of years, one hundred
9 and seventy-five years, and completed the days of his life, being
old and full of days. For the days of the forefathers, of their
life, were nineteen jubilees; and after the Flood they began to
grow less than nineteen jubilees, and to decrease in jubilees, and
to grow old quickly, and to be full of their days by reason of manifold
tribulation and the wickedness of their ways, with the exception
of
10 Abraham. For Abraham was perfect in all his deeds with the Lord,
and well-pleasing in righteousness all the days of his life; and
behold, he did not complete four jubilees in his life, when he had
11 grown old by reason of the wickedness, and was full of his days.
And all the generations which shall arise from this time until the
day of the great judgment shall grow old quickly, before they complete
two jubilees, and their knowledge shall forsake them by reason of
their old age Land all their know-
12 ledge shall vanish away]. And in those days, if a man live a
jubilee and a-half of years, they shall say regarding him: 'He has
lived long, and the greater part of his days are pain and sorrow
and
13 tribulation, and there is no peace: For calamity follows on calamity,
and wound on wound, and tribulation on tribulation, and evil tidings
on evil tidings, and illness on illness, and all evil judgments
such as these, one with another, illness and overthrow, and snow
and frost and ice, and fever, and chills, and torpor, and famine,
and death, and sword, and captivity, and all kinds of calamities
and
14 pains.' And all these shall come on an evil generation, which
transgresses on the earth: their works
15 are uncleanness and fornication, and pollution and abominations.
Then they shall say: 'The days of the forefathers were many (even),
unto a thousand years, and were good; but behold, the days of our
life, if a man has lived many, are three score years and ten, and,
if he is strong, four score years,
16 and those evil, and there is no peace in the days of this evil
generation.' And in that generation the sons shall convict their
fathers and their elders of sin and unrighteousness, and of the
words of their mouth and the great wickednesses which they perpetrate,
and concerning their forsaking the covenant which the Lord made
between them and Him, that they should observe and do all His commandments
and His ordinances and all His laws, without departing either to
the right hand or the left.
17 For all have done evil, and every mouth speaks iniquity and all
their works are an uncleanness and
18 an abomination, and all their ways are pollution, uncleanness
and destruction. Behold the earth shall be destroyed on account
of all their works, and there shall be no seed of the vine, and
no oil; for their works are altogether faithless, and they shall
all perish together, beasts and cattle and birds, and
19 all the fish of the sea, on account of the children of men. And
they shall strive one with another, the young with the old, and
the old with the young, the poor with the rich, the lowly with the
great, and the beggar with the prince, on account of the law and
the covenant; for they have forgotten commandment, and covenant,
and feasts, and months, and Sabbaths, and jubilees, and all judgments.
20 And they shall stand
21 not return until much blood has been shed on the earth, one by
another. And those who have escaped shall not return from their
wickedness to the way of righteousness, but they shall all exalt
themselves to deceit and wealth, that they may each take all that
is his neighbour's, and they shall name the great name, but not
in truth and not in righteousness, and they shall defile the holy
of
22 holies with their uncleanness and the corruption of their pollution.
And a great punishment shall befall the deeds of this generation
from the Lord, and He will give them over to the sword and to
23 judgment and to captivity, and to be plundered and devoured.
And He will wake up against them the sinners of the Gentiles, who
have neither mercy nor compassion, and who shall respect the person
of none, neither old nor young, nor any one, for they are more wicked
and strong to do evil than all the children of men.
And they shall use violence against Israel and transgression against
Jacob,
And much blood shall be shed upon the earth,
And there shall be none to gather and none to bury.
24 In those days they shall cry aloud,
And call and pray that they may be saved from the hand of the sinners,
the Gentiles;
But none shall be saved.
25 And the heads of the children shall be white with grey hair,
And a child of three weeks shall appear old like a man of one hundred
years,
And their stature shall be destroyed by tribulation and oppression.
26 And in those days the children shall begin to study the laws,
And to seek the commandments,
And to return to the path of righteousness.
27 And the days shall begin to grow many and increase amongst those
children of men
Till their days draw nigh to one thousand years.
And to a greater number of years than (before) was the number of
the days.
28 And there shall be no old man
Nor one who is
For all shall be (as) children and youths.
29 And all their days they shall complete and live in peace and
in joy,
And there shall be no Satan nor any evil destroyer;
For all their days shall be days of blessing and healing.
30 And at that time the Lord will heal His servants,
And they shall rise up and see great peace,
And drive out their adversaries.
And the righteous shall see and be thankful,
And rejoice with joy for ever and ever,
And shall see all their judgments and all their curses on their
enemies.
31 And their bones shall rest in the earth,
And their spirits shall have much joy,
And they shall know that it is the Lord who executes judgment,
And shows mercy to hundreds and thousands and to all that love Him
32 And do thou, Moses, write down these words; for thus are they written, and they record (them) on the heavenly tablets for a testimony for the generations for ever.
[Chapter 24]
1 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that the Lord
blessed Isaac his son, and he arose from Hebron and went and dwelt
at the Well of the Vision in the first year of the third week [2073
A.M.]
2 of this jubilee, seven years. And in the first year of the fourth week a famine began in the land, [2080 A.M.]
3 besides the first famine, which had been in the days of
Abraham. And Jacob sod lentil pottage, and Esau came from the field
hungry. And he said to Jacob his brother: 'Give me of this red pottage.'
And Jacob said to him: 'Sell to me thy [primogeniture, this] birthright
and I will give
4 thee bread, and also some of this lentil pottage.' And Esau said
in his heart: 'I shall die; of
5 what profit to me is this birthright? 'And he said to Jacob: 'I
give it to thee.' And Jacob said:
6 'Swear to me, this day,' and he sware unto him. And Jacob gave
his brother Esau bread and pottage, and he eat till he was satisfied,
and Esau despised his birthright; for this reason was Esau's name
7 called Edom, on account of the red pottage which Jacob gave him
for his birthright. And Jacob became
8 the elder, and Esau was brought down from his dignity. And the
famine was over the land, and Isaac departed to go down into Egypt
in the second year of this week, and went to the king of the Philis-
9 tines to Gerar, unto Abimelech. And the Lord appeared unto him
and said unto him: 'Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land that
I shall tell thee of, and sojourn in this land, and I will
10 be with thee and bless thee. For to thee and to thy seed will
I give all this land, and I will establish My oath which I sware
unto Abraham thy father, and I will multiply thy seed as the
11 stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all this land. And
in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because
thy father obeyed My voice, and kept My charge and My commandments,
and My laws, and My ordinances, and My covenant; and now obey My
voice and dwell in
12,13 this land.' And he dwelt in Gelar three weeks of years. And
Abimelech charged concerning him, [2080-2101 A.M.] and concerning
all that was his, saying: 'Any man that shall touch him or aught
that is his shall
14 surely die.' And Isaac waxed strong among the Philistines, and
he got many possessions, oxen
15 and sheep and camels and asses and a great household. And he
sowed in the land of the Philistines and brought in a hundred-fold,
and Isaac became exceedingly great, and the Philistines envied him.
16 Now all the wells which the servants of Abraham had dug during
the life of Abraham, the Philistines
17 had stopped them after the death of Abraham, and filled them
with earth. And Abimelech said unto Isaac: 'Go from us, for thou
art much mightier than we', and Isaac departed thence in
18 the first year of the seventh week, and sojourned in the valleys
of Gerar. And they digged again the wells of water which the servants
of Abraham, his father, had digged, and which the Philistines had
closed after the death of Abraham his father, and he called their
names as Abraham his father
19 had named them. And the servants of Isaac dug a well in the valley,
and found living water, and the shepherds of Gerar strove with the
shepherds of Isaac, saying: 'The water is ours'; and Isaac
20 called the name of the well 'Perversity', because they had been
perverse with us. And they dug a second well, and they strove for
that also, and he called its name 'Enmity'. And he arose from thence
and they digged another well, and for that they strove not, and
he called the name of it 'Room', and Isaac said: 'Now the Lord hath
made room for us, and we have increased in the
21 land.' And he went up from thence to the Well of the Oath in
the first year of the first week in the [2108 A.M.]
22 forty-fourth jubilee. And the Lord appeared to him that
night, on the new moon of the first month, and said unto him: 'I
am the God of Abraham thy father; fear not, for I am with thee,
and shall bless thee and shall surely multiply thy seed as the sand
of the earth, for the sake of Abraham my
23 servant.' And he built an altar there, which Abraham his father
had first built, and he called upon
24 the name of the Lord, and he offered sacrifice to the God of
Abraham his father. And they digged
25 a well and they found living water. And the servants of Isaac
digged another well and did not find water, and they went and told
Isaac that they had not found water, and Isaac said: 'I have sworn
26 this day to the Philistines and this thing has been announced
to us.' And he called the name of that place the Well of the Oath;
for there he had sworn to Abimelech and Ahuzzath his friend and
27 Phicol the prefect Or his host. And Isaac knew that day that
under constraint he had sworn to them
28 to make peace with them. And Isaac on that day cursed the Philistines
and said: 'Cursed be the Philistines unto the day of wrath and indignation
from the midst of all nations; may God make them a derision and
a curse and an object of wrath and indignation in the hands of the
sinners the
29 Gentiles and in the hands of the Kittim. And whoever escapes
the sword of the enemy and the Kittim, may the righteous nation
root out in judgment from under heaven; for they shall be the enemies
and foes of my children throughout their generations upon the earth.
30 And no remnant shall be left to them,
Nor one that shall be saved on the day of the wrath of judgment;
For destruction and rooting out and expulsion from the earth is
the whole seed of the Philistines (reserved),
And there shall no longer be left for these Caphtorim a name or
a seed on the earth.
31 For though he ascend unto heaven,
Thence shall he be brought down,
And though he make himself strong on earth,
Thence shall he be dragged forth,
And though he hide himself amongst the nations,
Even from thence shall he be rooted out;
And though he descend into Sheol,
There also shall his condemnation be great,
And there also he shall have no peace.
32 And if he go into captivity,
By the hands of those that seek his life shall they slay him on
the way,
And neither name nor seed shall be left to him on all the earth;
For into eternal malediction shall he depart.'
33 And thus is it written and engraved concerning him on the heavenly tablets, to do unto him on the day of judgment, so that he may be rooted out of the earth.
[Chapter 25]
1 And in the second year of this week in this jubilee, Rebecca called
Jacob her son, and spake unto [2109 A.M.] him, saying: 'My son,
do not take thee a wife of the daughters of Canaan, as Esau, thy
brother, who took him two wives of the daughters of Canaan, and
they have embittered my soul with all their unclean deeds: for all
their deeds are fornication and lust, and there is no righteousness
with them,
2 for (their deeds) are evil. And I, my son, love thee exceedingly,
and my heart and my affection
3 bless thee every hour of the day and watch of the night. And now,
my son, hearken to my voice, and do the will of thy mother, and
do not take thee a wife of the daughters of this land, but only
of the house of my father, and of my father's kindred. Thou shalt
take thee a wife of the house of my father, and the Most High God
will bless thee, and thy children shall be a righteous generation
and
4 a holy seed.' And then spake Jacob to Rebecca, his mother, and
said unto her: 'Behold, mother, I am nine weeks of years old, and
I neither know nor have I touched any woman, nor have I betrothed
5 myself to any, nor even think of taking me a wife of the daughters
of Canaan. For I remember, mother, the words of Abraham, our father,
for he commanded me not to take a wife of the daughters
6 of Canaan, but to take me a wife from the seed of my father's
house and from my kindred. I have heard before that daughters have
been born to Laban, thy brother, and I have set my heart on them
7 to take a wife from amongst them. And for this reason I have guarded
myself in my spirit against sinning or being corrupted in all my
ways throughout all the days of my life; for with regard to lust
8 and fornication, Abraham, my father, gave me many commands. And,
despite all that he has commanded me, these two and twenty years
my brother has striven with me, and spoken frequently to me and
said: 'My brother, take to wife a sister of my two wives'; but I
refuse to do as he has done.
9 I swear before thee, mother, that all the days of my life I will
not take me a wife from the daughters
10 of the seed of Canaan, and I will not act wickedly as my brother
has done. Fear not, mother; be
11 assured that I shall do thy will and walk in uprightness, and
not corrupt my ways for ever.' And thereupon she lifted up her face
to heaven and extended the fingers of her hands, and opened her
mouth and blessed the Most High God, who had created the heaven
and the earth, and she gave Him
12 thanks and praise. And she said: 'Blessed be the Lord God, and
may His holy name be blessed for ever and ever, who has given me
Jacob as a pure son and a holy seed; for he is Thine, and Thine
13 shall his seed be continually and throughout all the generations
for evermore. Bless him, O Lord,
14 and place in my mouth the blessing of righteousness, that I may
bless him.' And at that hour, when the spirit of righteousness descended
into her mouth, she placed both her hands on the head of Jacob,
and said:
15 Blessed art thou, Lord of righteousness and God of the ages
And may He bless thee beyond all the generations of men.
May He give thee, my Son, the path of righteousness,
And reveal righteousness to thy seed.
16 And may He make thy sons many during thy life,
And may they arise according to the number of the months of the
year.
And may their sons become many and great beyond the stars of heaven,
And their numbers be more than the sand of the sea.
17 And may He give them this goodly land -as He said He would give
it to Abraham and to his seed after him alway-
And may they hold it as a possession for ever.
18 And may I see (born) unto thee, my son, blessed children during
my life,
And a blessed and holy seed may all thy seed be.
19 And as thou hast refreshed thy mother's spirit during her life,
The womb of her that bare thee blesses thee thus,
[My affection] and my breasts bless thee
And my mouth and my tongue praise thee greatly.
20 Increase and spread over the earth,
And may thy seed be perfect in the joy of heaven and earth for ever;
And may thy seed rejoice,
And on the great day of peace may it have peace.
21 And may thy name and thy seed endure to all the ages,
And may the Most High God be their God,
And may the God of righteousness dwell with them,
And by them may His sanctuary be built unto all the ages.
22 Blessed be he that blesseth thee,
And all flesh that curseth thee falsely, may it be cursed.'
23 And she kissed him, and said to him;
'May the Lord of the world love thee
As the heart of thy mother and her affection rejoice in thee and
bless thee.'
And she ceased from blessing.
[Chapter 26]
1 And in the seventh year of this week Isaac called Esau, his elder
Son, and said unto him: ' I am [2114 A.M.]
2 old, my son, and behold my eyes are dim in seeing, and
I know not the day of my death. And now take thy hunting weapons
thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and hunt and catch
me (venison), my son, and make me savoury meat, such as my soul
loveth, and bring it to me that I may
3 eat, and that my soul may bless thee before I die.' But Rebecca
heard Isaac speaking to Esau.
4,5 And Esau went forth early to the field to hunt and catch and
bring home to his father. And Rebecca called Jacob, her son, and
said unto him: 'Behold, I heard Isaac, thy father, speak unto Esau,
thy brother, saying: "Hunt for me, and make me savoury meat,
and bring (it) to me that
6 I may eat and bless thee before the Lord before I die." And
now, my son, obey my voice in that which I command thee: Go to thy
flock and fetch me two good kids of the goats, and I will make them
savoury meat for thy father, such as he loves, and thou shalt bring
(it) to thy father that he
7 may eat and bless thee before the Lord before he die, and that
thou mayst be blessed.' And Jacob said to Rebecca his mother: 'Mother,
I shall not withhold anything which my father would eat, and which
would please him: only I fear, my mother, that he will recognise
my voice and wish to touch
8 me. And thou knowest that I am smooth, and Esau, my brother, is
hairy, and I shall appear before his eyes as an evildoer, and shall
do a deed which he had not commanded me, and he will be
9 wroth with me, and I shall bring upon myself a curse, and not
a blessing.' And Rebecca, his
10 mother, said unto him: 'Upon me be thy curse, my son, only obey
my voice.' And Jacob obeyed the voice of Rebecca, his mother, and
went and fetched two good and fat kids of the goats, and
11 brought them to his mother, and his mother made them ~savoury
meat~ such as he loved. And Rebecca took the goodly rainment of
Esau, her elder son, which was with her in the house, and she clothed
Jacob, her younger son, (with them), and she put the skins of the
kids upon his hands and on
12 the exposed parts of his neck. And she gave the meat and the
bread which she had prepared into
13 the hand of her son Jacob. And Jacob went in to his father and
said: 'I am thy son: I have done according as thou badest me: arise
and sit and eat of that which I have caught, father, that thy soul
14,15 may bless me.' And Isaac said to his son: 'How hast thou found
so quickly, my son? 'And Jacob
16 said: 'Because (the Lord thy God caused me to find.' And Isaac
said unto him: Come near, that
17 I may feel thee, my son, if thou art my son Esau or not.' And
Jacob went near to Isaac, his father,
18 and he felt him and said: 'The voice is Jacob's voice, but the
hands are the hands of Esau,' and he discerned him not, because
it was a dispensation from heaven to remove his power of perception
and
19 Isaac discerned not, for his hands were hairy as his brother
Esau's, so that he blessed him. And he said: 'Art thou my son Esau?
' and he said: 'I am thy son': and he said, 'Bring near to me that
20 I may eat of that which thou hast caught, my son, that my soul
may bless thee.' And he brought
21 near to him, and he did eat, and he brought him wine and he drank.
And Isaac, his father, said unto
22 him: 'Come near and kiss me, my son. And he came near and kissed
him. And he smelled the smell of his raiment, and he blessed him
and said: 'Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a (full)
field which the Lord hath blessed.
23 And may the Lord give thee of the dew of heaven
And of the dew of the earth, and plenty of corn and oil:
Let nations serve thee,
And peoples bow down to thee.
24 Be lord over thy brethren,
And let thy mother's sons bow down to thee;
And may all the blessings wherewith the Lord hath blessed me and
blessed Abraham, my father;
Be imparted to thee and to thy seed for ever:
Cursed be he that curseth thee,
And blessed be he that blesseth thee.'
25 And it came to pass as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing
his son Jacob, and Jacob had gone
26 forth from Isaac his father he hid himself and Esau, his brother,
came in from his hunting. And he also made savoury meat, and brought
(it) to his father, and said unto his father: 'Let my father
27 arise, and eat of my venison that thy soul may bless me.' And
Isaac, his father, said unto him: 'Who art thou? 'And he said unto
him: 'I am thy first born, thy son Esau: I have done as thou hast
28 commanded me.' And Isaac was very greatly astonished, and said:
'Who is he that hath hunted and caught and brought (it) to me, and
I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him:
29 (and) he shall be blessed, and all his seed for ever.' And it
came to pass when Esau heard the words of his father Isaac that
he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his
father:
30 'Bless me, (even) me also, father.' And he said unto him: 'Thy
brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing.' And
he said: 'Now I know why his name is named Jacob: behold, he hath
supplanted me these two times: he took away my birth-right, and
now he hath taken away
31 my blessing.' And he said: 'Hast thou not reserved a blessing
for me, father?' and Isaac answered and said unto Esau:
31 'Behold, I have made him thy lord,
And all his brethren have I given to him for servants,
And with plenty of corn and wine and oil have I strengthened him:
And what now shall I do for thee, my son?'
32 And Esau said to Isaac, his father:
'Hast thou but one blessing, O father?
Bless me, (even) me also, father: '
33 And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
And Isaac answered and said unto him:
'Behold, far from the dew of the earth shall be thy dwelling,
And far from the dew of heaven from above.
34 And by thy sword wilt thou live,
And thou wilt serve thy brother.
And it shall come to pass when thou becomest great,
And dost shake his yoke from off thy neck,
Thou shalt sin a complete sin unto death,
And thy seed shall be rooted out from under heaven.'
35 And Esau kept threatening Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him, and he: said in his heart: 'May the days of mourning for my father now come, so that I may slay my brother Jacob.'
[Chapter 27]
1 And the words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebecca in
a dream, and Rebecca sent and
2 called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him: 'Behold Esau
thy brother will take vengeance on
3 thee so as to kill thee. Now, therefore, my son, obey my voice,
and arise and flee thou to Laban, my brother, to Haran, and tarry
with him a few days until thy brother's anger turns away, and he
remove his anger from thee, and forget all that thou hast done;
then I will send and fetch thee from
4,5 thence.' And Jacob said: 'I am not afraid; if he wishes to kill
me, I will kill him.' But she said
6 unto him: 'Let me not be bereft of both my sons on one day.' And
Jacob said to Rebecca his mother: 'Behold, thou knowest that my
father has become old, and does not see because his eyes are dull,
and if I leave him it will be evil in his eyes, because I leave
him and go away from you, and my father will be angry, and will
curse me. I will not go; when he sends me, then only will I go.'
7,8 And Rebecca said to Jacob: 'I will go in and speak to him, and
he will send thee away.' And Rebecca went in and said to Isaac:
'I loathe my life because of the two daughters of Heth, whom Esau
has taken him as wives; and if Jacob take a wife from among the
daughters of the land such
9 as these, for what purpose do I further live, for the daughters
of Canaan are evil.' And Isaac called
10 Jacob and blessed him, and admonished him and said unto him:
'Do not take thee a wife of any of the daughters of Canaan; arise
and go to Mesopotamia, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father,
11 and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban, thy
mother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee and increase and multiply
thee that thou mayest become a company of nations, and give thee
the blessings of my father Abraham, to thee and to thy seed after
thee, that thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings and all
the land which God gave to Abraham: go, my
12 son, in peace.' And Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Mesopotamia,
to Laban the son of
13 Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebecca, Jacob's mother. And
it came to pass after Jacob had
14 arisen to go to Mesopotamia that the spirit of Rebecca was grieved
after her son, and she wept. And Isaac said to Rebecca: 'My sister,
weep not on account of Jacob, my son; for he goeth in peace, and
15 in peace will he return. The Most High God will preserve him
from all evil, and will be with him;
16 for He will not forsake him all his days; For I know that his
ways will be prospered in all things
17 wherever he goes, until he return in peace to us, and we see
him in peace. Fear not on his account, my sister, for he is on the
upright path and he is a perfect man: and he is faithful and will
not perish.
18,19 Weep not.' And Isaac comforted Rebecca on account of her son
Jacob, and blessed him. And Jacob went from the Well of the Oath
to go to Haran on the first year of the second week in the forty-fourth
jubilee, and he came to Luz on the mountains, that is, Bethel, on
the new moon of the first month of this week, [2115 A.M.] and he
came to the place at even and turned from the way to the west of
the
20 road that night: and he slept there; for the sun had set. And
he took one of the stones of that
21 place and laid
22 And he spake to Jacob and said: 'I am the Lord God of Abraham,
thy father, and the God of
23 Isaac; the land whereon thou art sleeping, to thee will I give
it, and to thy seed after thee. And thy seed shall be as the dust
of the earth, and thou shalt increase to the west and to the east,
to the
24 north and the south, and in thee and in thy seed shall all the
families of the nations be blessed. And behold, I will be with thee,
and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and I will bring thee
again into this land in peace; for I will not leave thee until I
do everything that I told thee of.'
25 And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and said, 'Truly this place is
the house of the Lord, and I knew it not.' And he was afraid and
said: 'Dreadful is this place which is none other than the house
of
26 God, and this is the gate of heaven.' And Jacob arose early in
the morning, and took the stone which he had put under his head
and set it up as a pillar for a sign, and he poured oil upon the
top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the
name of the place was Luz at the first.
27 And Jacob vowed a vow unto the Lord, saying: 'If the Lord will
be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and give me
bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's
house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God, and this stone which
I have set up as a pillar for a sign in this place, shall be the
Lord's house, and of all that thou givest me, I shall give the tenth
to thee, my God.'
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