[Chapter 28]
1 And he went on his journey, and came to the land of the east,
to Laban, the brother of Rebecca,
2 and he was with him, and served him for Rachel his daughter one
week. And in the first year of the third week [2122 A.M.] he said
unto him: 'Give me my wife, for whom I have served thee seven years
'; and
3 Laban said unto Jacob: 'I will give thee thy wife.' And Laban
made a feast, and took Leah his elder daughter, and gave (her) to
Jacob as a wife, and gave her Zilpah his handmaid for an hand-
4 maid; and Jacob did not know, for he thought that she was Rachel.
And he went in unto her, and behold, she was Leah; and Jacob was
angry with Laban, and said unto him: 'Why hast thou dealt thus with
me? Did not I serve thee for Rachel and not for Leah? Why hast thou
wronged me?
5 Take thy daughter, and I will go; for thou hast done evil to me.'
For Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah; for Leah's eyes were weak,
but her form was very handsome; but Rachel had beautiful
6 eyes and a beautiful and very handsome form. And Laban said to
Jacob: 'It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before
the elder.' And it is not right to do this; for thus it is ordained
and written in the heavenly tablets, that no one should give his
younger daughter before the elder; but the elder, one gives first
and after her the younger -and the man who does so, they set down
guilt against him in heaven, and none is righteous that does this
thing, for this deed is evil before the
7 Lord. And command thou the children of Israel that they do not
this thing; let them neither take
8 nor give the younger before they have given the elder, for it
is very wicked. And Laban said to Jacob: 'Let the seven days of
the feast of this one pass by, and I shall give thee Rachel, that
thou mayst serve me another seven years, that thou mayst pasture
my sheep as thou didst in the former week.' And on the day when
the seven days of the feast of Leah had passed, Laban gave Rachel
to Jacob, that he might serve him another seven years, and he gave
to Rachel Bilhah, the sister of
10 Zilpah, as a handmaid. And he served yet other seven years for
Rachel, for Leah had been given
11 to him for nothing. And the Lord opened the womb of Leah, and
she conceived and bare Jacob a son, and he called his name Reuben,
on the fourteenth day of the ninth month, in the first year of
12 the third week. [2122 A.M.] But the womb of Rachel was closed,
for the Lord saw that Leah was hated and
13 Rachel loved. And again Jacob went in unto Leah, and she conceived,
and bare Jacob a second son, and he called his name Simeon, on the
twenty-first of the tenth month, and in the third year of this
14 week. [2124 A.M.] And again Jacob went in unto Leah, and she
conceived, and bare him a third son, and he
15 called his name Levi, in the new moon of the first month in the
sixth year of this week. [2127 A.M.] And again Jacob went in unto
her, and she conceived, and bare him a fourth son, and he called
his name Judah,
16 on the fifteenth of the third month, in the first year of the
fourth week. [2129 A.M.] And on account of all this Rachel envied
Leah, for she did not bear, and she said to Jacob: 'Give me children';
and Jacob
17 said: 'Have I withheld from thee the fruits of thy womb? Have
I forsaken thee?' And when Rachel saw that Leah had borne four sons
to Jacob, Reuben and Simeon and Levi and Judah, she said unto
18 him: 'Go in unto Bilhah my handmaid, and she will conceive, and
bear a son unto me.' (And she gave (him) Bilhah her handmaid to
wife). And he went in unto her, and she conceived, and bare him
a son, and he called his name Dan, on the ninth of the sixth month,
in the sixth year of the
19 third week. [2127 A.M.] And Jacob went in again unto Bilhah a
second time, and she conceived, and bare Jacob another son, and
Rachel called his name Napthali, on the fifth of the seventh month,
in the
20 second year of the fourth week. [2130 A.M.] And when Leah saw
that she had become sterile and did not bear, she envied Rachel,
and she also gave her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob to wife, and she
conceived, and bare a son, and Leah called his name Gad, on the
twelfth of the eighth month, in the third year of
21 the fourth week. [2131 A.M.] And he went in again unto her, and
she conceived, and bare him a second son, and Leah called his name
Asher, on the second of the eleventh month, in the fifth year of
the fourth
22 week. [2133 A.M.] And Jacob went in unto Leah, and she conceived,
and bare a son, and she called his name Issachar, on the fourth
of the fifth month, in the fourth year of the fourth week,[2132
A.M.] and she gave him
23 to a nurse. And Jacob went in again unto her, and she conceived,
and bare two (children), a son and a daughter, and she called the
name of the son Zabulon, and the name of the daughter Dinah,
24 in the seventh of the seventh month, in the sixth year of the
fourth week. [2134 A.M.] And the Lord was gracious to Rachel, and
opened her womb, and she conceived, and bare a son, and she called
his
25 name Joseph, on the new moon of the fourth month, in the sixth
year in this fourth week. [2134 A.M.] And in the days when Joseph
was born, Jacob said to Laban: 'Give me my wives and sons, and let
me go to my father Isaac, and let me make me an house; for I have
completed the years in which I
26 have served thee for thy two daughters, and I will go to the
house of my father.' And Laban said to Jacob: 'Tarry with me for
thy wages, and pasture my flock for me again, and take thy wages.'
27 And they agreed with one another that he should give him as his
wages those of the lambs and kids
28 which were born black and spotted and white, (these) were to
be his wages. And all the sheep brought forth spotted and speckled
and black, variously marked, and they brought forth again lambs
like themselves, and all that were spotted were Jacob's and those
which were not were
29 Laban's. And Jacob's possessions multiplied exceedingly, and
he possessed oxen and sheep and
30 asses and camels, and menservants and maid-servants. And Laban
and his sons envied Jacob, and Laban took back his sheep from him,
and he observed him with evil intent.
[Chapter 29]
1 And it came to pass when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Laban went
to shear his sheep; for they
2 were distant from him a three days' journey. And Jacob saw that
Laban was going to shear his sheep, and Jacob called Leah and Rachel,
and spake kindly unto them that they should come with
3 him to the land of Canaan. For he told them how he had seen everything
in a dream, even all that He had spoken unto him that he should
return to his father's house, and they said: 'To every place
4 whither thou goest we will go with thee.' And Jacob blessed the
God of Isaac his father, and the God of Abraham his father's father,
and he arose and mounted his wives and his children, and took all
his possessions and crossed the river, and came to the land of Gilead,
and Jacob hid his intention
5 from Laban and told him not. And in the seventh year of the fourth
week Jacob turned (his face) toward Gilead in the first month, on
the twenty-first thereof. [2135 A.M.] And Laban pursued after him
and
6 overtook Jacob in the mountain of Gilead in the third month, on
the thirteenth thereof. And the Lord did not suffer him to injure
Jacob; for he appeared to him in a dream by night. And Laban
7 spake to Jacob. And on the fifteenth of those days Jacob made
a feast for Laban, and for all who came with him, and Jacob sware
to Laban that day, and Laban also to Jacob, that neither should
8 cross the mountain of Gilead to the other with evil purpose. And
he made there a heap for
9 a witness; wherefore the name of that place is called: 'The Heap
of Witness,' after this heap. But before they used to call the land
of Gilead the land of the Rephaim; for it was the land of the Rephaim,
and the Rephaim were born (there), giants whose height was ten,
nine, eight down to
10 seven cubits. And their habitation was from the land of the children
of Ammon to Mount Hermon,
11 and the seats of their kingdom were Karnaim and Ashtaroth, and
Edrei, and Misur, and Beon. And the Lord destroyed them because
of the evil of their deeds; for they were very malignant, and the
Amorites dwelt in their stead, wicked and sinful, and there is no
people to-day which has wrought
12 to the full all their sins, and they have no longer length of
life on the earth. And Jacob sent away Laban, and he departed into
Mesopotamia, the land of the East, and Jacob returned to the land
of
13 Gilead. And he passed over the Jabbok in the ninth month, on
the eleventh thereof. And on that day Esau, his brother, came to
him, and he was reconciled to him, and departed from him unto
14 the land of Seir, but Jacob dwelt in tents. And in the first
year of the fifth week in this jubilee [2136 A.M.] he crossed the
Jordan, and dwelt beyond the Jordan, and he pastured his sheep from
the sea of the
15 heap unto Bethshan, and unto Dothan and unto the forest of Akrabbim.
And he sent to his father Isaac of all his substance, clothing,
and food, and meat, and drink, and milk, and butter, and
16 cheese, and some dates of the valley. And to his mother Rebecca
also four times a year, between the times of the months, between
ploughing and reaping, and between autumn and the rain (season)
17 and between winter and spring, to the tower of Abraham. For Isaac
had returned from the Well of the Oath and gone up to the tower
of his father Abraham, and he dwelt there apart from his son
18 Esau. For in the days when Jacob went to Mesopotamia, Esau took
to himself a wife Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, and he gathered
together all the flocks of his father and his wives, and went
19 Up and dwelt on Mount Seir, and left Isaac his father at the
Well of the Oath alone. And Isaac went up from the Well of the Oath
and dwelt in the tower of Abraham his father on the mountains
20 of Hebron, And thither Jacob sent all that he did send to his
father and his mother from time to time, all they needed, and they
blessed Jacob with all their heart and with all their soul.
[Chapter 30]
1 And in the first year of the sixth week [2143 A.M.] he went up
to Salem, to the east of Shechem, in peace, in
2 the fourth month. And there they carried off Dinah, the daughter
of Jacob, into the house of Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite,
the prince of the land, and he lay with her and defiled her,
3 and she was a little girl, a child of twelve years. And he besought
his father and her brothers that she might be given to him to wife.
And Jacob and his sons were wroth because of the men of Shechem;
for they had defiled Dinah, their sister, and they spake to them
with evil intent and dealt
4 deceitfully with them and beguiled them. And Simeon and Levi came
unexpectedly to Shechem and executed judgment on all the men of
Shechem, and slew all the men whom they found in it, and left not
a single one remaining in it: they slew all in torments because
they had dishonoured
5 their sister Dinah. And thus let it not again be done from henceforth
that a daughter of Israel be defiled; for judgment is ordained in
heaven against them that they should destroy with the sword
6 all the men of the Shechemites because they had wrought shame
in Israel. And the Lord delivered them into the hands of the sons
of Jacob that they might exterminate them with the sword and execute
judgment upon them, and that it might not thus again be done in
Israel that a virgin of
7 Israel should be defiled. And if there is any man who wishes in
Israel to give his daughter or his sister to any man who is of the
seed of the Gentiles he shall surely die, and they shall stone him
with stones; for he hath wrought shame in Israel; and they shall
burn the woman with fire, because
8 she has dishonoured the name of the house of her father, and she
shall be rooted out of Israel. And let not an adulteress and no
uncleanness be found in Israel throughout all the days of the generations
of the earth; for Israel is holy unto the Lord, and every man who
has defiled (it) shall surely die:
9 they shall stone him with stones. For thus has it been ordained
and written in the heavenly tablets regarding all the seed of Israel:
he who defileth (it) shall surely die, and he shall be stoned with
10 stones. And to this law there is no limit of days, and no remission,
nor any atonement: but the man who has defiled his daughter shall
be rooted out in the midst of all Israel, because he has given
11 of his seed to Moloch, and wrought impiously so as to defile
it. And do thou, Moses, command the children of Israel and exhort
them not to give their daughters to the Gentiles, and not to take
for
12 their sons any of the daughters of the Gentiles, for this is
abominable before the Lord. For this reason I have written for thee
in the words of the Law all the deeds of the Shechemites, which
they wrought against Dinah, and how the sons of Jacob spake, saying:
'We will not give our daughter
13 to a man who is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto
us.' And it is a reproach to Israel, to those who live, and to those
that take the daughters of the Gentiles; for this is unclean and
14 abominable to Israel. And Israel will not be free from this uncleanness
if it has a wife of the daughters of the Gentiles, or has given
any of its daughters to a man who is of any of the Gentiles.
15 For there will be plague upon plague, and curse upon curse, and
every judgment and plague and curse will come
16 whole nation together be judged for all the uncleanness and profanation
of this man. And there will be no respect of persons [and no consideration
of persons] and no receiving at his hands of fruits and offerings
and burnt-offerings and fat, nor the fragrance of sweet savour,
so as to accept it: and
17 so fare every man or woman in Israel who defiles the sanctuary.
For this reason I have commanded thee, saying: 'Testify this testimony
to Israel: see how the Shechemites fared and their sons: how they
were delivered into the hands of two sons of Jacob, and they slew
them under tortures, and it
18 was (reckoned) unto them for righteousness, and it is written
down to them for righteousness. And the seed of Levi was chosen
for the priesthood, and to be Levites, that they might minister
before the Lord, as we, continually, and that Levi and his sons
may be blessed for ever; for he was zealous
19 to execute righteousness and judgment and vengeance on all those
who arose against Israel. And so they inscribe as a testimony in
his favour on the heavenly tablets blessing and righteousness before
20 the God of all: And we remember the righteousness which the man
fulfilled during his life, at all periods of the year; until a thousand
generations they will record it, and it will come to him and to
his descendants after him, and he has been recorded on the heavenly
tablets as a friend and a righteous
21 man. All this account I have written for thee, and have commanded
thee to say to the children of Israel, that they should not commit
sin nor transgress the ordinances nor break the covenant which
22 has been ordained for them, (but) that they should fulfil it
and be recorded as friends. But if they transgress and work uncleanness
in every way, they will be recorded on the heavenly tablets as adversaries,
and they will be destroyed out of the book of life, and they will
be recorded in the book of
23 those who will be destroyed and with those who will be rooted
out of the earth. And on the day when the sons of Jacob slew Shechem
a writing was recorded in their favour in heaven that they had executed
righteousness and uprightness and vengeance on the sinners, and
it was written for a blessing.
24 And they brought Dinah, their sister, out of the house of Shechem,
and they took captive everything that was in Shechem, their sheep
and their oxen and their asses, and all their wealth, and all their
25 flocks, and brought them all to Jacob their father. And he reproached
them because they had put the city to the sword for he feared those
who dwelt in the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
26 And the dread of the Lord was upon all the cities which are around
about Shechem, and they did not rise to pursue after the sons of
Jacob; for terror had fallen upon them.
[Chapter 31]
1 And on the new moon of the month Jacob spake to all the people
of his house. saying: 'Purify yourselves and change your garments,
and let us arise and go up to Bethel, where I vowed a vow to Him
on the day when I fled from the face of Esau my brother, because
he has been with me and
2 brought me into this land in peace, and put ye away the strange
gods that arc among you.' And they gave up the strange gods and
that which was in their ears and which was on their necks and the
idols which Rachel stole from Laban her father she gave wholly to
Jacob. And he burnt and brake them to pieces and destroyed them,
and hid them under an oak which is in the land of
3 Shechem. And he went up on the new moon of the seventh month to
Bethel. And he built an altar at the place where he had slept, and
he set up a pillar there, and he sent word to his father
4 Isaac to come to him to his sacrifice, and to his mother Rebecca.
And Isaac said: 'Let my son
5 Jacob come, and let me see him before I die.' And Jacob went to
his father Isaac and to his mother Rebecca, to the house of his
father Abraham, and he took two of his sons with him, Levi and Judah,
and he came to his father Isaac and to his mother Rebecca.
6 And Rebecca came forth from the tower to the front of it to kiss
Jacob and embrace him; for her spirit had revived when she heard:
'Behold Jacob thy son has come'; and she kissed
7 him. And she saw his two sons, and she recognised them, and said
unto him: 'Are these thy sons, my son?' and she embraced them and
kissed them, and blessed them, saying: 'In you shall the
8 seed of Abraham become illustrious, and ye shall prove a blessing
on the earth.' And Jacob went in to Isaac his father, to the chamber
where he lay, and his two sons were with him, and he took the hand
of his father, and stooping down he kissed him, and Isaac clung
to the neck of Jacob his son,
9 and wept upon his neck. And the darkness left the eyes of Isaac,
and he saw the two sons of Jacob,
10 Levi, and Judah, and he said: 'Are these thy sons, my son? for
they are like thee.' And he said unto him that they were truly his
sons: 'And thou hast truly seen that they are truly my sons'.
11 And they came near to him, and he turned and kissed them and
embraced them both together.
12 And the spirit of prophecy came down into his mouth, and he took
Levi by his right hand and
13 Judah by his left. And he turned to Levi first, and began to
bless him first, and said unto him:
May the God of all, the very Lord of all the ages, bless thee and
thy children throughout all the
14 ages. And may the Lord give to thee and to thy seed greatness
and great glory, and cause thee and thy seed, from among all flesh,
to approach Him to serve in His sanctuary as the angels of the presence
and as the holy ones. (Even) as they, shall the seed of thy sons
be for glory and greatness
15 and holiness, and may He make them great unto all the ages. And
they shall be judges and princes, and chiefs of all the seed of
the sons of Jacob;
They shall speak the word of the Lord in righteousness,
And they shall judge all His judgments in righteousness.
And they shall declare My ways to Jacob
And My paths to Israel.
The blessing of the Lord shall be given in their mouths
To bless all the seed of the beloved.
16 Thy mother has called thy name Levi,
And justly has she called thy name;
Thou shalt be joined to the Lord
And be the companion of all the sons of Jacob;
Let His table be thine,
And do thou and thy sons eat thereof;
And may thy table be full unto all generations,
And thy food fail not unto all the ages.
17 And let all who hate thee fall down before thee,
And let all thy adversaries be rooted out and perish;
And blessed be he that blesses thee,
And cursed be every nation that curses thee.'
18 And to Judah he said:
'May the Lord give thee strength and power
To tread down all that hate thee;
A prince shalt thou be, thou and one of thy sons, over the sons
of Jacob;
May thy name and the name of thy sons go forth and traverse every
land and region.
Then shall the Gentiles fear before thy face,
And all the nations shall quake
[And all the peoples shall quake].
In thee shall be the help of Jacob,
And in thee be found the salvation of Israel.
20 And when thou sittest on the throne of honour of thy righteousness
There shall be great peace for all the seed of the sons of the beloved;
Blessed be he that blesseth thee,
And all that hate thee and afflict thee and curse thee
Shall be rooted out and destroyed from the earth and be accursed.'
21 And turning he kissed him again and embraced him, and rejoiced
greatly; for he had seen the
22 sons of Jacob his son in very truth. And he went forth from between
his feet and fell down and bowed down to him, and he blessed them
and rested there with Isaac his father that night, and they
23 eat and drank with joy. And he made the two sons of Jacob sleep,
the one on his right hand and the
24 other on his left, and it was counted to him for righteousness.
And Jacob told his father everything during the night, how the Lord
had shown him great mercy, and how he had prospered (him in) all
25 his ways, and protected him from all evil. And Isaac blessed
the God of his father Abraham, who
26 had not withdrawn his mercy and his righteousness from the sons
of his servant Isaac. And in the morning Jacob told his father Isaac
the vow which he had vowed to the Lord, and the vision which he
had seen, and that he had built an altar, and that everything was
ready for the sacrifice to be
27 made before the Lord as he had vowed, and that he had come to
set him on an ass. And Isaac said unto Jacob his son: 'I am not
able to go with thee; for I am old and not able to bear the way:
go, my son, in peace; for I am one hundred and sixty-five years
this day; I am no longer able to
28 journey; set thy mother (on an ass) and let her go with thee.
And I know, my son, that thou hast come on my account, and may this
day be blessed on which thou hast seen me alive, and I also have
29 seen thee, my son. Mayest thou prosper and fulfil the vow which
thou hast vowed; and put not off thy vow; for thou shalt be called
to account as touching the vow; now therefore make haste to perform
it, and may He be pleased who has made all things, to whom thou
hast vowed the vow.'
30 And he said to Rebecca: 'Go with Jacob thy son'; and Rebecca
went with Jacob her son, and
31 Deborah with her, and they came to Bethel. And Jacob remembered
the prayer with which his father had blessed him and his two sons,
Levi and Judah, and he rejoiced and blessed the God of his
32 fathers, Abraham and Isaac. And he said: 'Now I know that I have
an eternal hope, and my sons also, before the God of all'; and thus
is it ordained concerning the two; and they record it as an eternal
testimony unto them on the heavenly tablets how Isaac blessed them.
[Chapter 32]
1 And he abode that night at Bethel, and Levi dreamed that they
had ordained and made him the priest of the Most High God, him and
his sons for ever; and he awoke from his sleep and blessed
2 the Lord. And Jacob rose early in the morning, on the fourteenth
of this month, and he gave a tithe of all that came with him, both
of men and cattle, both of gold and every vessel and garment,
3 yea, he gave tithes of all. And in those days Rachel became pregnant
with her son Benjamin. And Jacob counted his sons from him upwards
and Levi fell to the portion of the Lord, and his
4 father clothed him in the garments of the priesthood and filled
his hands. And on the fifteenth of this month, he brought to the
altar fourteen oxen from amongst the cattle, and twenty-eight rams,
and forty-nine sheep, and seven lambs, and twenty-one kids of the
goats as a burnt-offering on the
5 altar of sacrifice, well pleasing for a sweet savour before God.
This was his offering, in consequence of the vow which he had vowed
that he would give a tenth, with their fruit-offerings and their
drink-
6 offerings. And when the fire had consumed it, he burnt incense
on the fire over the fire, and for a thank-offering two oxen and
four rams and four sheep, four he-goats, and two sheep of a year
old,
7 and two kids of the goats; and thus he did daily for seven days.
And he and all his sons and his men were eating (this) with joy
there during seven days and blessing and thanking the Lord, who
8 had delivered him out of all his tribulation and had given him
his vow. And he tithed all the clean animals, and made a burnt sacrifice,
but the unclean animals he gave (not) to Levi his son, and he
9 gave him all the souls of the men And Levi discharged the priestly
office at Bethel before Jacob his father in preference to his ten
brothers, and he was a priest there, and Jacob gave his vow: thus
10 he tithed again the tithe to the Lord and sanctified it, and
it became holy unto Him. And for this reason it is ordained on the
heavenly tablets as a law for the tithing again the tithe to eat
before the Lord from year to year, in the place where it is chosen
that His name should dwell, and to this law
11 there is no limit of days for ever. This ordinance is written
that it may be fulfilled from year to year in eating the second
tithe before the Lord in the place where it has been chosen, and
nothing
12 shall remain over from it from this year to the year following.
For in its year shall the seed be eaten till the days of the gathering
of the seed of the year, and the wine till the days of the wine,
13 and the oil till the days of its season. And all that is left
thereof and becomes old, let it be regarded
14 as polluted: let it be burnt with fire, for it is unclean. And
thus let them eat it together in the
15 sanctuary, and let them not suffer it to become old. And all
the tithes of the oxen and sheep shall be holy unto the Lord, and
shall belong to his priests, which they will eat before Him from
year to
16 year; for thus is it ordained and engraven regarding the tithe
on the heavenly tablets. And on the following night, on the twenty-second
day of this month, Jacob resolved to build that place, and to surround
the court with a wall, and to sanctify it and make it holy for ever,
for himself and his children
17 after him. And the Lord appeared to him by night and blessed
him and said unto him: 'Thy name
18 shall not be called Jacob, but Israel shall they name thy name.'
And He said unto him again: 'I am the Lord who created the heaven
and the earth, and I will increase thee and multiply thee exceedingly,
and kings shall come forth from thee, and they shall judge everywhere
wherever the foot
19 of the sons of men has trodden. And I will give to thy seed all
the earth which is under heaven, and they shall judge all the nations
according to their desires, and after that they shall get possession
20 of the whole earth and inherit it for ever.' And He finished
speaking with him, and He went up
21 from him. and Jacob looked till He had ascended into heaven.
And he saw in a vision of the night, and behold an angel descended
from heaven with seven tablets in his hands, and he gave them to
Jacob, and he read them and knew all that was written therein which
would befall him and his sons
21 throughout all the ages. And he showed him all that was written
on the tablets, and said unto him: 'Do not build this place, and
do not make it an eternal sanctuary, and do not dwell here; for
this is not the place. Go to the house of Abraham thy father and
dwell with Isaac thy father until the day
23 of the death of thy father. For in Egypt thou shalt die in peace,
and in this land thou shalt be buried
24 with honour in the sepulchre of thy fathers, with Abraham and
Isaac. Fear not, for as thou hast seen and read it, thus shall it
all be; and do thou write down everything as thou hast seen and
read.'
25 And Jacob said: 'Lord, how can I remember all that I have read
and seen? 'And he said unto
26 him: 'I will bring all things to thy remembrance.' And he went
up from him, and he awoke from his sleep, and he remembered everything
which he had read and seen, and he wrote down all the
27 words which he had read and seen. And he celebrated there yet
another day, and he sacrificed thereon according to all that he
sacrificed on the former days, and called its name 'Addition,' for
28 this day was added and the former days he called 'The Feast '.
And thus it was manifested that it should be, and it is written
on the heavenly tablets: wherefore it was revealed to him that he
should
29 celebrate it, and add it to the seven days of the feast. And
its name was called 'Addition,' because that it was recorded amongst
the days of the feast days, according to the number of
30 the days of the year. And in the night, on the twenty-third of
this month, Deborah Rebecca's nurse died, and they buried her beneath
the city under the oak of the river, and he called the name of this
31 place, 'The river of Deborah,' and the oak, 'The oak of the mourning
of Deborah.' And Rebecca went and returned to her house to his father
Isaac, and Jacob sent by her hand rams and sheep and
32 he-goats that she should prepare a meal for his father such as
he desired. And he went after his
33 mother till he came to the land of Kabratan, and he dwelt there.
And Rachel bare a son in the night, and called his name 'Son of
my sorrow '; for she suffered in giving him birth: but his father
called his name Benjamin, on the eleventh of the eighth month in
the first of the sixth week of this
34 jubilee. [2143 A.M.] And Rachel died there and she was buried
in the land of Ephrath, the same is Bethlehem, and Jacob built a
pillar on the grave of Rachel, on the road above her grave.
[Chapter 33]
1 And Jacob went and dwelt to the south of Magdaladra'ef. And he
went to his father Isaac, he
2 and Leah his wife, on the new moon of the tenth month. And Reuben
saw Bilhah, Rachel's maid,
3 the concubine of his father, bathing in water in a secret place,
and he loved her. And he hid himself at night, and he entered the
house of Bilhah [at night], and he found her sleeping alone on a
bed in
4 her house. And he lay with her, and she awoke and saw, and behold
Reuben was lying with her in the bed, and she uncovered the border
of her covering and seized him, and cried out, and discovered
5 that it was Reuben. And she was ashamed because of him, and released
her hand from him, and he
6,7 fled. And she lamented because of this thing exceedingly, and
did not tell it to any one. And when Jacob returned and sought her,
she said unto him: 'I am not clean for thee, for I have been defiled
as regards thee; for Reuben has defiled me, and has lain with me
in the night, and I was
8 asleep, and did not discover until he uncovered my skirt and slept
with me.' And Jacob was exceedingly wroth with Reuben because he
had lain with Bilhah, because he had uncovered his
9 father's skirt. And Jacob did not approach her again because Reuben
had defiled her. And as for any man who uncovers his father's skirt
his deed is wicked exceedingly, for he is abominable before
10 the Lord. For this reason it is written and ordained on the heavenly
tablets that a man should not lie with his father's wife, and should
not uncover his father's skirt, for this is unclean: they shall
surely die together, the man who lies with his father's wife and
the woman also, for they have
11 wrought uncleanness on the earth. And there shall be nothing
unclean before our God in the nation
12 which He has chosen for Himself as a possession. And again, it
is written a second time: 'Cursed be he who lieth with the wife
of his father, for he hath uncovered his father's shame'; and all
the
13 holy ones of the Lord said 'So be it; so be it.' And do thou,
Moses, command the children of Israel that they observe this word;
for it (entails) a punishment of death; and it is unclean, and there
is no atonement for ever to atone for the man who has committed
this, but he is to be put to death and slain, and stoned with stones,
and rooted out from the midst of the people of our God.
14 For to no man who does so in Israel is it permitted to remain
alive a single day on the earth, for he
15 is abominable and unclean. And let them not say: to Reuben was
granted life and forgiveness after he had lain with his father's
concubine, and to her also though she had a husband, and her husband
16 Jacob, his father, was still alive. For until that time there
had not been revealed the ordinance and judgment and law in its
completeness for all, but in thy days (it has been revealed) as
a law of
17 seasons and of days, and an everlasting law for the everlasting
generations. And for this law there is no consummation of days,
and no atonement for it, but they must both be rooted out in the
midst
18 of the nation: on the day whereon they committed it they shall
slay them. And do thou, Moses, write (it) down for Israel that they
may observe it, and do according to these words, and not commit
a sin unto death; for the Lord our God is judge, who respects not
persons and accepts not gifts. And tell them these words of the
covenant, that they may hear and observe, and be on their guard
with respect to them, and not be destroyed and rooted out of the
land; for an uncleanness, and an abomination, and a contamination,
and a pollution are all they who commit it on the earth before
20 our God. And there is no greater sin than the fornication which
they commit on earth; for Israel is a holy nation unto the Lord
its God, and a nation of inheritance, and a priestly and royal nation
and for (His own) possession; and there shall no such uncleanness
appear in the midst of the holy
21 nation. And in the third year of this sixth week [2145 A.M.]
Jacob and all his sons went and dwelt in the house
22 of Abraham, near Isaac his father and Rebecca his mother. And
these were the names of the sons of Jacob: the first-born Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, the sons of Leah; and the
sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin; and the sons of Bilhah, Dan
and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Gad and Asher; and Dinah,
the daughter of Leah, the only daughter of Jacob. And they
23 came and bowed themselves to Isaac and Rebecca, and when they
saw them they blessed Jacob and all his sons, and Isaac rejoiced
exceedingly, for he saw the sons of Jacob, his younger son and he
blessed them.
[Chapter 34]
1 And in the sixth year of this week of this forty-fourth jubilee
[2148 A.M.] Jacob sent his sons to pasture their
2 sheep, and his servants with them to the pastures of Shechem.
And the seven kings of the Amorites assembled themselves together
against them, to slay them, hiding themselves under the trees, and
3 to take their cattle as a prey. And Jacob and Levi and Judah and
Joseph were in the house with Isaac their father; for his spirit
was sorrowful, and they could not leave him: and Benjamin was
4 the youngest, and for this reason remained with his father. And
there came the king[s] of Taphu and the king[s] of 'Aresa, and the
king[s] of Seragan, and the king[s] of Selo, and the king[s] of
Ga'as, and the king of Bethoron, and the king of Ma'anisakir, and
all those who dwell in these
5 mountains (and) who dwell in the woods in the land of Canaan.
And they announced this to Jacob saying: 'Behold, the kings of the
Amorites have surrounded thy sons, and plundered their herds.'
6 And he arose from his house, he and his three sons and all the
servants of his father, and his own
7 servants, and he went against them with six thousand men, who
carried swords. And he slew them in the pastures of Shechem, and
pursued those who fled, and he slew them with the edge of the sword,
and he slew 'Aresa and Taphu and Saregan and Selo and 'Amani-
8 sakir and Ga[ga]'as, and he recovered his herds. And he prevailed
over them, and imposed tribute on them that they should pay him
tribute, five fruit products of their land, and he built Robel
9 and Tamnatares. And he returned in peace, and made peace with
them, and they became his
10 servants, until the day that he and his sons went down into Egypt.
And in the seventh year of this week [2149 A.M.] he sent Joseph
to learn about the welfare of his brothers from his house to the
land of Shechem,
11 and he found them in the land of Dothan. And they dealt treacherously
with him, and formed a plot against him to slay him, but changing
their minds, they sold him to Ishmaelite merchants, and they brought
him down into Egypt, and they sold him to Potiphar, the eunuch of
Pharaoh, the
12 chief of the cooks, priest of the city of 'Elew. And the sons
of Jacob slaughtered a kid, and dipped the coat of Joseph in the
blood, and sent (it) to Jacob their father on the tenth of the seventh
month.
13 And he mourned all that night, for they had brought it to him
in the evening, and he became feverish with mourning for his death,
and he said: 'An evil beast hath devoured Joseph'; and all the members
of his house [mourned with him that day, and they] were grieving
and mourning with
14 him all that day. And his sons and his daughter rose up to comfort
him, but he refused to be
15 comforted for his son. And on that day Bilhah heard that Joseph
had perished, and she died mourning him, and she was living in Qafratef,
and Dinah also, his daughter, died after Joseph had
16 perished. And there came these three mournings upon Israel in
one month. And they buried
17 Bilhah over against the tomb of Rachel, and Dinah also. his daughter,
they buried there. And he mourned for Joseph one year, and did not
cease, for he said 'Let me go down to the grave mourning
18 for my son'. For this reason it is ordained for the children
of Israel that they should afflict themselves on the tenth of the
seventh month -on the day that the news which made him weep for
Joseph came to Jacob his father- that they should make atonement
for themselves thereon with a young goat on the tenth of the seventh
month, once a year, for their sins; for they had grieved the
19 affection of their father regarding Joseph his son. And this
day has been ordained that they should grieve thereon for their
sins, and for all their transgressions and for all their errors,
so that they
20 might cleanse themselves on that day once a year. And after Joseph
perished, the sons of Jacob took unto themselves wives. The name
of Reuben's wife is 'Ada; and the name of Simeon's wife is 'Adlba'a,
a Canaanite; and the name of Levi's wife is Melka, of the daughters
of Aram, of the seed of the sons of Terah; and the name of Judah's
wife, Betasu'el, a Canaanite; and the name of Issachar's wife, Hezaqa:
and the name of Zabulon's wife, Ni'iman; and the name of Dan's wife,
'Egla; and the name of Naphtali's wife, Rasu'u, of Mesopotamia;
and the name of Gad's wife, Maka; and the name of Asher's wife,
'Ijona; and the name of Joseph's wife, Asenath, the Egyptian; and
the name
21 of Benjamin's wife, 'Ijasaka. And Simeon repented, and took a
second wife from Mesopotamia as his brothers.
[Chapter 35]
1 And in the first year of the first week of the forty-fifth jubilee
[2157 A.M.] Rebecca called Jacob, her son, and commanded him regarding
his father and regarding his brother, that he should honour them
all the
2 days of his life. And Jacob said: 'I will do everything as thou
hast commanded me; for this thing will be honour and greatness to
me, and righteousness before the Lord, that I should honour them.
3 And thou too, mother, knowest from the time I was born until this
day, all my deeds and all that is in
4 my heart, that I always think good concerning all. And how should
I not do this thing which thou
5 hast commanded me, that I should honour my father and my brother!
Tell me, mother, what
6 perversity hast thou seen in me and I shall turn away from it,
and mercy will be upon me.' And she said unto him: 'My son, I have
not seen in thee all my days any perverse but (only) upright deeds.
And yet I will tell thee the truth, my son: I shall die this year,
and I shall not survive this year in my life; for I have seen in
a dream the day of my death, that I should not live beyond a hundred
and fifty-five years: and behold I have completed all the days of
my life which I am to
7 live.' And Jacob laughed at the words of his mother. because his
mother had said unto him that she should die; and she was sitting
opposite to him in possession of her strength, and she was not infirm
in her strength; for she went in and out and saw, and her teeth
were strong, and no ailment
8 had touched her all the days of her life. And Jacob said unto
her: 'Blessed am I, mother, if my days approach the days of thy
life, and my strength remain with me thus as thy strength: and thou
9 wilt not die, for thou art jesting idly with me regarding thy
death.' And she went in to Isaac and said unto him: 'One petition
I make unto thee: make Esau swear that he will not injure Jacob,
nor pursue him with enmity; for thou knowest Esau's thoughts that
they are perverse from his youth,
10 and there is no goodness in him; for he desires after thy death
to kill him. And thou knowest all that he has done since the day
Jacob his brother went to Haran until this day: how he has forsaken
us with his whole heart, and has done evil to us; thy flocks he
has taken to himself, and carried off
11 all thy possessions from before thy face. And when we implored
and besought him for what was
12 our own, he did as a man who was taking pity on us. And he is
bitter against thee because thou didst bless Jacob thy perfect and
upright son; for there is no evil but only goodness in him, and
since he came from Haran unto this day he has not robbed us of aught,
for he brings us everything in its season always, and rejoices with
all his heart when we take at his hands and he blesses us, and has
not parted from us since he came from Haran until this day, and
he remains with us continually
13 at home honouring us.' And Isaac said unto her: 'I, too, know
and see the deeds of Jacob who is with us, how that with all his
heart he honours us; but I loved Esau formerly more than Jacob,
because he was the firstborn; but now I love Jacob more than Esau,
for he has done manifold evil deeds, and there is no righteousness
in him, for all his ways are unrighteousness and violence, [and
14 there is no righteousness around him.] And now my heart is troubled
because of all his deeds, and neither he nor his seed is to be saved,
for they are those who will be destroyed from the earth and who
will be rooted out from under heaven, for he has forsaken the God
of Abraham and gone
15 after his wives and after their uncleanness and after their error,
he and his children. And thou dost bid me make him swear that he
will not slay Jacob his brother; even if he swear he will not abide
16 by his oath, and he will not do good but evil only. But if he
desires to slay Jacob, his brother, into Jacob's hands will he be
given, and he will not escape from his hands, [for he will descend
into his
17 hands.] And fear thou not on account of Jacob; for the guardian
of Jacob is great and powerful
18 and honoured, and praised more than the guardian of Esau.' And
Rebecca sent and called Esau and he came to her, and she said unto
him: 'I have a petition, my son, to make unto thee, and do
19 thou promise to do it, my son.' And he said: 'I will do everything
that thou sayest unto me, and
20 I will not refuse thy petition.' And she said unto him: 'I ask
you that the day I die, thou wilt take me in and bury me near Sarah,
thy father's mother, and that thou and Jacob will love each other
and that neither will desire evil against the other, but mutual
love only, and (so) ye will prosper, my sons, and be honoured in
the midst of the land, and no enemy will rejoice over you, and ye
will be
21 a blessing and a mercy in the eyes of all those that love you.'
And he said: 'I will do all that thou hast told me, and I shall
bury thee on the day thou diest near Sarah, my father's mother,
as
22 thou hast desired that her bones may be near thy bones. And Jacob,
my brother, also, I shall love above all flesh; for I have not a
brother in all the earth but him only: and this is no great merit
for me if I love him; for he is my brother, and we were sown together
in thy body, and together came
23 we forth from thy womb, and if I do not love my brother, whom
shall I love? And I, myself, beg thee to exhort Jacob concerning
me and concerning my sons, for I know that he will assuredly be
king over me and my sons, for on the day my father blessed him he
made him the higher and me
24 the lower. And I swear unto thee that I shall love him, and not
desire evil against him all the
25 days of my life but good only.' And he sware unto her regarding
all this matter. And she called Jacob before the eyes of Esau, and
gave him commandment according to the words which
26 she had spoken to Esau. And he said: 'I shall do thy pleasure;
believe me that no evil will proceed from me or from my sons against
Esau, and I shall be first in naught save in love only.'
27 And they eat and drank, she and her sons that night, and she
died, three jubilees and one week and one year old, on that night,
and her two sons, Esau and Jacob, buried her in the double cave
near Sarah, their father's mother.
[Chapter 36]
1 And in the sixth year of this week [2162 A.M.] Isaac called his
two sons Esau and Jacob, and they came to him, and he said unto
them: 'My sons, I am going the way of my fathers, to the eternal
house
2 where my fathers are. Wherefore bury me near Abraham my father,
in the double cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, where Abraham
purchased a sepulchre to bury in; in the sepulchre which
3 I digged for myself, there bury me. And this I command you, my
sons, that ye practise righteousness and uprightness on the earth,
so that the Lord may bring upon you all that the Lord said that
4 he would do to Abraham and to his seed. And love one another,
my sons, your brothers as a man who loves his own soul, and let
each seek in what he may benefit his brother, and act together on
the earth; and let them love each other as their own souls. And
concerning the question of idols, I command and admonish you to
reject them and hate them, and love them not, for they are full
6 of deception for those that worship them and for those that bow
down to them. Remember ye, my sons, the Lord God of Abraham your
father, and how I too worshipped Him and served Him in righteousness
and in joy, that He might multiply you and increase your seed as
the stars of heaven in multitude, and establish you on the earth
as the plant of righteousness which will not be rooted
7 out unto all the generations for ever. And now I shall make you
swear a great oath -for there is no oath which is greater than it
by the name glorious and honoured and great and splendid and wonderful
and mighty, which created the heavens and the earth and all things
together- that ye will
8 fear Him and worship Him. And that each will love his brother
with affection and righteousness, and that neither will desire evil
against his brother from henceforth for ever all the days of your
life
9 so that ye may prosper in all your deeds and not be destroyed.
And if either of you devises evil against his brother, know that
from henceforth everyone that devises evil against his brother shall
fall into his hand, and shall be rooted out of the land of the living,
and his seed shall be destroyed from
10 under heaven. But on the day of turbulence and execration and
indignation and anger, with flaming devouring fire as He burnt Sodom,
so likewise will He burn his land and his city and all that is his,
and he shall be blotted out of the book of the discipline of the
children of men, and not be recorded in the book of life, but in
that which is appointed to destruction, and he shall depart into
eternal execration; so that their condemnation may be always renewed
in hate and in execration and in wrath and in torment and in indignation
and in plagues and in disease for ever. I say and testify to you,
my sons, according to the judgment which shall come upon the man
who wishes to
12 injure his brother. And he divided all his possessions between
the two on that day and he gave the larger portion to him that was
the first-born, and the tower and all that was about it, and all
that
13 Abraham possessed at the Well of the Oath. And he said: 'This
larger portion I will give to the
14 firstborn.' And Esau said, 'I have sold to Jacob and given my
birthright to Jacob; to him let it be
15 given, and I have not a single word to say regarding it, for
it is his.' And Isaac said, May a blessing rest upon you, my sons,
and upon your seed this day, for ye have given me rest, and my heart
is not
16 pained concerning the birthright, lest thou shouldest work wickedness
on account of it. May the
17 Most High God bless the man that worketh righteousness, him and
his seed for ever.' And he ended commanding them and blessing them,
and they eat and drank together before him, and he rejoiced because
there was one mind between them, and they went forth from him and
rested that day and
18 slept. And Isaac slept on his bed that day rejoicing; and he
slept the eternal sleep, and died one hundred and eighty years old.
He completed twenty-five weeks and five years; and his two sons
19 Esau and Jacob buried him. And Esau went to the land of Edom,
to the mountains of Seir, and
20 dwelt there. And Jacob dwelt in the mountains of Hebron, in the
tower of the land of the sojournings of his father Abraham, and
he worshipped the Lord with all his heart and according to the visible
21 commands according as He had divided the days of his generations.
And Leah his wife died in the fourth year of the second week of
the forty-fifth jubilee, [2167 A.M.] and he buried her in the double
cave
23 near Rebecca his mother to the left of the grave of Sarah, his
father's mother and all her sons and his sons came to mourn over
Leah his wife with him and to comfort him regarding her, for he
24 was lamenting her for he loved her exceedingly after Rachel her
sister died; for she was perfect and upright in all her ways and
honoured Jacob,and all the days that she lived with him he did not
hear from her mouth a harsh word, for she was gentle and peaceable
and upright and honourable
24 And he remembered all her deeds which she had done during her
life and he lamented her exceedingly; for he loved her with all
his heart and with all his soul.
[Chapter 37]
1 And on the day that Isaac the father of Jacob and Esau died, [2162
A.M.] the sons of Esau heard that Isaac
2 had given the portion of the elder to his younger son Jacob and
they were very angry. And they strove with their father, saying
'Why has thy father given Jacob the portion of the elder and passed
3 over thee, although thou art the elder and Jacob the younger?'
And he said unto them 'Because I sold my birthright to Jacob for
a small mess of lentils, and on the day my father sent me to hunt
and catch and bring him something that he should eat and bless me,
he came with guile and brought
4 my father food and drink, and my father blessed him and put me
under his hand. And now our father has caused us to swear, me and
him, that we shall not mutually devise evil, either against his
brother, and that we shall continue in love and in peace each with
his brother and not make our ways
5 corrupt.' And they said unto him, 'We shall not hearken unto thee
to make peace with him; for our strength is greater than his strength,
and we are more powerful than he; we shall go against him and slay
him, and destroy him and his sons. And if thou wilt not go with
us, we shall do hurt
6 to thee also. And now hearken unto us: Let us send to Aram and
Philistia and Moab and Ammon, and let us choose for ourselves chosen
men who are ardent for battle, and let us go against him and do
battle with him, and let us exterminate him from the earth before
he grows strong.'
7 And their father said unto them, 'Do not go and do not make war
with him lest ye fall before him.'
8 And they said unto him, 'This too, is exactly thy mode of action
from thy youth until this day, and
9 thou art putting thy neck under his yoke. We shall not hearken
to these words.' And they sent to Aram, and to 'Aduram to the friend
of their father, and they hired along with them one thousand
10 fighting men, chosen men of war. And there came to them from
Moab and from the children of Ammon, those who were hired, one thousand
chosen men, and from Philistia, one thousand chosen men of war,
and from Edom and from the Horites one thousand chosen fighting
men, and from the
11 Kittim mighty men of war. And they said unto their father: Go
forth with them and lead them,
12 else we shall slay thee.' And he was filled with wrath and indignation
on seeing that his sons were forcing him to go before (them) to
lead them against Jacob his brother. But afterward he remem-
13 bered all the evil which lay hidden in his heart against Jacob
his brother; and he remembered not the oath which he had sworn to
his father and to his mother that he would devise no evil all his
days
14 against Jacob his brother. And notwithstanding all this, Jacob
knew not that they were coming against him to battle, and he was
mourning for Leah, his wife, until they approached very near to
the
15 tower with four thousand warriors and chosen men of war And the
men of Hebron sent to him saying, 'Behold thy brother has come against
thee, to fight thee, with four thousand girt with the sword, and
they carry shields and weapons'; for they loved Jacob more than
Esau. So they told him; for
16 Jacob was a more liberal and merciful man than Esau. But Jacob
would not believe until they came
17 very near to the tower. And he closed the gates of the tower;
and he stood on the battlements and spake to his brother Esau and
said, 'Noble is the comfort wherewith thou hast come to comfort
me for my wife who has died. Is this the oath that thou didst swear
to thy father and again to thy mother before they died? Thou hast
broken the oath, and on the moment that thou didst swear to
18 thy father wast thou condemned.' And then Esau answered and said
unto him, 'Neither the children of men nor the beasts of the earth
have any oath of righteousness which in swearing they have sworn
(an oath valid) for ever; but every day they devise evil one against
another, and how each
19 may slay his adversary and foe. And thou dost hate me and my
children for ever. And there is
20 no observing the tie of brotherhood with thee. Hear these words
which I declare unto thee,
If the boar can change its skin and make its bristles as soft as
wool,
Or if it can cause horns to sprout forth on its head like the horns
of a stag or of a sheep,
Then will I observe the tie of brotherhood with thee
And if the breasts separated themselves from their mother, for thou
hast not been a brother to me.
21 And if the wolves make peace with the lambs so as not to devour
or do them violence,
And if their hearts are towards them for good,
Then there shall be peace in my heart towards thee
22 And if the lion becomes the friend of the ox and makes peace
with him
And if he is bound under one yoke with him and ploughs with him,
Then will I make peace with thee.
23 And when the raven becomes white as the raza,
Then know that I have loved thee
And shall make peace with thee
Thou shalt be rooted out,
And thy sons shall be rooted out,
And there shall be no peace for thee'
24 And when Jacob saw that he was (so) evilly disposed towards
him with his heart, and with all his soul as to slay him, and that
he had come springing like the wild boar which comes upon
25 the spear that pierces and kills it, and recoils not from it;
then he spake to his own and to his servants that they should attack
him and all his companions.
[Chapter 38]
1 And after that Judah spake to Jacob, his father, and said unto
him: 'Bend thy bow, father, and send forth thy arrows and cast down
the adversary and slay the enemy; and mayst thou have the power,
for we shall not slay thy brother, for he is such as thou, and he
is like thee let us give him
2 (this) honour.' Then Jacob bent his bow and sent forth the arrow
and struck Esau, his brother (on
3 his right breast) and slew him. And again he sent forth an arrow
and struck 'Adoran the Aramaean,
4 on the left breast, and drove him backward and slew him And then
went forth the sons of Jacob,
5 they and their servants, dividing themselves into companies on
the four sides of the tower. And Judah went forth in front, and
Naphtali and Gad with him and fifty servants with him on the south
side of the tower, and they slew all they found before them, and
not one individual of them escaped.
6 And Levi and Dan and Asher went forth on the east side of the
tower, and fifty (men) with them,
7 and they slew the fighting men of Moab and Ammon. And Reuben and
Issachar and Zebulon went forth on the north side of the tower,
and fifty men with them, and they slew the fighting men of the
8 Philistines. And Simeon and Benjamin and Enoch, Reuben's son,
went forth on the west side of the tower, and fifty (men) with them,
and they slew of Edom and of the Horites four hundred men, stout
warriors; and six hundred fled, and four of the sons of Esau fled
with them, and left their father
9 lying slain, as he had fallen on the hill which is in 'Aduram.
And the sons of Jacob pursued after them to the mountains of Seir.
And Jacob buried his brother on the hill which is in 'Aduram, and
10 he returned to his house. And the sons of Jacob pressed hard
upon the sons of Esau in the moun-
11 tains of Seir, and bowed their necks so that they became servants
of the sons of Jacob. And they
12 sent to their father (to inquire) whether they should make peace
with them or slay them. And Jacob sent word to his sons that they
should make peace, and they made peace with them, and placed the
13 yoke of servitude upon them, so that they paid tribute to Jacob
and to his sons always. And they
14 continued to pay tribute to Jacob until the day that he went
down into Egypt. And the sons of Edom have not got quit of the yoke
of servitude which the twelve sons of Jacob had imposed on
15 them until this day. And these are the kings that reigned in
Edom before there reigned any king
16 over the children of Israel [until this day] in the land of Edom.
And Balaq, the son of Beor, reigned
17 in Edom, and the name of his city was Danaba. And Balaq died,
and Jobab, the son of Zara of
18 Boser, reigned in his stead. And Jobab died, and 'Asam, of the
land of Teman, reigned in his stead.
19 And 'Asam died, and 'Adath, the son of Barad, who slew Midian
in the field of Moab, reigned in his
20 stead, and the name of his city was Avith. And 'Adath died, and
Salman, from 'Amaseqa, reigned
21,22 in his stead. And Salman died,and Saul of Ra'aboth (by the)
river, reigned in his stead. And Saul
23 died, and Ba'elunan, the son of Achbor, reigned in his stead.
And Ba'elunan, the son of Achbor died, and 'Adath reigned in his
stead, and the name of his wife was Maitabith, the daughter of
25 Matarat, the daughter of Metabedza'ab. These are the kings who
reigned in the land of Edom.